A PLACE IN THE QUEUE

I really feel that up to this point this is one of the best recordings that Andy Tillison has been involved with. For that matter I would say the same for THE FLOWER KINGS alumni. And yes, that's saying something. He said his inspiration for this album came from YES' "Tales From Topographic Oceans". Two lineup changes as Salazar replaces Csorsz on drums, and Jonsson(KARMAKANIC) replaces Stolt on guitars. And it was very cool to see that Dan Watts from Tillison's former band, the great PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES playing lead guitar on one song.

"In Ernest" opens with piano as flute and light drums join in. Reserved vocals follow. A full sound arrives dramatically after 5 minutes. Some great organ play during this section. It changes to a jazzy flavour 6 1/2 minutes in. A minute later we get some outstanding organ and bass play followed by some aggressive guitar. A calm with flute 9 minutes in. I love the instrumental passage 10 1/2 minutes in that goes on for 1 1/2 minutes. The tempo continues to change and then Theo comes in with clarinet 15 1/2 minutes in as it calms down again. The song ends on such an emotional and uplifting manner. "Lost In London" opens with flute as vocals come in. The vocals are so pleasant I can't help but smile. Just a feel good tune. The lyrics are interesting as they convey the feelings of what it's like when no one is listening to you. I like that he mentions Sweden. Excellent instrumental pasage from before 4 minutes to 6 1/2 minutes. Quite the ride. "DIY Surgery" is a short track over 2 minutes long of processed vocals,drums and some crazy sax. Nice. "GPS Culture" features Watts on lead guitar. Love the organ intro that brings GENESIS to mind for me. A full sound comes and goes.Vocals a minute in. A calm after 4 minutes. It gets jazzy before 6 minutes as solo piano then flute and drums follow as we get some atmosphere. Sam adds some vocal melodies before 8 minutes. A great sound follows.

"Follow Your Leaders" opens with some fantastic organ as guitar joins in. More meaningful lyrics from Tillison. Nice sax in this uptempo track followed by keys. Flute and synths shine after 2 minutes. Nice moog in this song. Organ is back with vocals. Some beautiful guitar after 6 minutes as the organ rips it up. Waves of sound before 8 minutes as drums try to beat their way out,but slip away. "The Sun In My Eyes" is such a fun track with a bit of an eighties or disco beat. Lots of sax too. He mentions YES in the lyrics. "A Place In The Queue" flows powerfully in the intro. It settles as acoustic guitar,synths and clarinet take over. Vocals after 2 minutes. This song is over 25 minutes long so we get lots of twists and turns and different moods. Again the lyrics are so thought provoking. There is a lot of space in this song as it moves slowly at times. Some excellent sax 7 minutes in followed by a stunning guitar solo. Vocals are back before 9 minutes. A calm follows. Tempo continues to change as it gets uptempo again 10 1/2 minutes in. It turns jazzy 19 minutes in. This is simply an amazing ride.

It would seem that THE TANGENT and Andy Tillison are getting better with age.