SPACE CABARET

This is interesting. A big change from the predecessor. For people used to the more traditional sound of prog, with lots of organ and analog synths, developing a more symphonic, melodic and spacey sound, it will be an improvement over the predecessor. As for my own opinion, I disagree. I think the band lost a little bit of the flair that made their music captivating in their debut, with all that ecletism and although not hugely innovative, at least original sound.

Space Cabaret seems to be a somewhat concept album. At least, the first four songs are presented as a part of a large suite with a Space theme. The most experimental part of this suite is Archway 272, that shows some changes and is a showcase of their new sound heavily reliant on keyboards. On the other hand, I think the band lost a bit of energy in this new style, and while Song From the 4th Era is a great song and A Distant Thought, a Point of Light is also beautiful, they lack the quirkness that made songs interesting in their debut. These songs remind me a bit of Omega in their least prog songs in the 70s.

The second side has two long songs, that are the most interesting, with some long organ solos, a mix of styles (even a little bit of funk in Dream) but unfortunately they are not strong back-to-back. As if they have five or six minutes of great material, but padded it with a bit of less inspired music.

Too bad the band didn't survive the lack of success, because they had creativity and talent to maybe make a few great records still, had they continued. But, although this album sounds more like the dominant prog sound of the 70s, it is a bit less interesting than their debut. Maybe the fact that this album, being easier to compare with the top prog bands, shows more its flaws, while the freshness of their debut leave a better impression. Nonetheless, it is still a very good album.