THE SKY MOVES SIDEWAYS

Since this album doesn't really need much explaining, my review is relatively short, but don't take that as a negative at all. This is a straight 5/5 in my book, as it is strong the entire way through although Dislocated Day is a bit of a setback and The Moon Touches Your Shoulder is better live on Coma Divine. I have to admit that the only two tracks I listen to regularly are the first and last tracks, The Sky Moves Sideways (Phase One) and The Sky Moves Sideways (Phase Two), but Moonloop is a great psychedelic jam, and Stars Die and The Moon Touches Your Shoulder are great filler between the mammoth 10+ minute tracks.

This album is often compared to Wish You Were Here (but you can here Ozric influences interspersed with in the two phases of TSMS), and I think it deserves that comparison, mainly because TSMS parallels well with SOYCD. Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree being my favorite bands, I really can't pick a superior album; they both reach perfection at their high points and they both bring out different moods for me. TSMS takes the psychedelic/space/electronic components even further away from mainstream rock, leading to the more intense musical voyage (probably climaxing a few minutes from the end of Phase 2 with Wilson's trippy guitar solo).

The sparse vocals are ethereal, the soundscapes are brilliant, the solos are outstanding, and like always, the production is top notch.

5/5, without a doubt!