RECYCLED

A fantastic way to end a strong 6-album run, Recycled may be Nektar's finest album (I'm a huge fan of Remember the Future, so my opinions are mightily torn). What we have here, folks, is a ride - often breathless, fast-paced, dizzying and delirius. The overlapping synth work adds a completely new dimension of texture to the band's trademark sound (although the original mix is certainly worth a few dozen listens as well), and finally cements them, stylistically, in a time and a place. Let me explain: by far the most common critique I hear leveled against Nektar is their perennial 'two years behind the times' sound, which is hardly deniable. On Recycled, they finally catch up with the times (though 'surpassing the times' might be a more accurate appraisal). This album genuinely sounds like nothing else. Another reviewer aptly described it as an alien landscape flooded with strange creatures and lights; there is a definite sense of affection for the work that grows with repeated listenings. Couple this quixotic endearment with the album's then-groundbreaking environmental theme, and a masterpiece is born. This is absolutely essential progressive music. Seek it, listen to it, treasure it.