INDIVISION

Disconnect is a two man partnership, dedicated to making a brand of conceptually-oriented melodic prog rock. This is their third album, although it is my first experience with the band. In the modern scene of prog rock, there seems to be a trend of taking prog sounds and integrating them into a more accessible pop format. With the likes of Porcupine Tree, Kaipa and Mars Hollow among the bands that have been doing this, Disconnect is doing their own thing with it, keeping their songwriting rather accessible, yet piecing the songs together to make cohesive album length suites of music. 'Indivision' shows this duo really getting the craft of albums down, and brought down only by some issues with the execution and performance, Disconnect has made a deep and engrossing listen with 'Indivision'.

Disconnect- like many of their prog rock contemporaries- weave their influences quite proudly into their sound, and on 'Indivision', the sounds of other bands can readily be heard in various sections. The 'Prelude' of the record instantly speaks of Rush, particularly the riffs on their 'Hemispheres' suite. The vocals here often remind me of a few different prog rock vocalists, most notably being Neal Morse. The guitar solos sometimes sound like they could have been taken from a David Gilmour b-side. The album's highlight 'Closing The Book' even speaks to me greatly of David Bowie. This highly identifiable list of influences suggests that Disconnect does not have much of a unique sound to them in the prog community, but their sharp songwriting skills make 'Indivision' a trip well worth taking.

'Indivision's writing took a few listens to appreciate fully; while Disconnect do root themselves in a more accessible style of prog, the way the album is structured can make for an unexpectedly challenging listen at first. The charming and nostalgic ideas introduced in 'Prelude' are used later on in the record, and the catchy songs throughout the album- while not all too complex in themselves- are intelligently written and take some time to map out the progressions in a listener's head. All in all, 'Indivision' is a very well put together suite that features some great tracks, especially towards the end of it.

Upon my first listen of 'Indivision', I actually noticed that I was focusing on the flaws of the record, moreso than the merits of the music. Granted, there are some fairly noticeable faults in the music, and this is what takes an otherwise excellent album and holds it back. Among the faults are some fake instruments; there is a violin sound that pops up in a few tracks that is clearly a keyboard, and while it is granted that bands do not always have the resources necessarily to fulfill their vision, it does admittedly take away from the feeling of the music. As well, the vocals here can be a bit shaky at times, especially with the harmonies, although Erich O'Dell is otherwise a fairly good singer. The production and execution does have something of an amateurish feel to it, although things sound clear enough to enjoy the music. After a few listens were done though, the flaws started to swell down, and it became easier to concentrate on the things that Disconnect do well here; being songwriting and pleasant musicianship.

Disconnect do certainly have the potential to do even better, although there is greatness already here with 'Indivision'. A poppish album that surprisingly grows with every listen, this is an intriguing release, and I am glad I decided to give this pair the time to listen, because the music here is quite strong.

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