3RDEGREE

To my ears and sensibility, 3RDegree's The Long Division is exactly the kind of prog album this decade needs. The band couples great musicianship with infectious hooks, adding clever, socially conscious lyrics and a healthy dose of lush vocal harmonies. Not only are the individual songs strong on their own, but the album also holds together as a well-crafted (and impeccably produced) thematic whole.

3RDegree pay clear homage to their predecessors while planting their feet firmly in the present and establishing their own bold identity. That identity isn't trapped in the repetition of a tiresome signature sound, though -- there's enough refreshing variety here to keep listeners guessing from one song to the next. The Long Division is at once intellectual and impassioned, virtuosic and melodic, complex and accessible, wickedly funny and deadly serious, slyly irreverent and wholly relevant. Above all, it's downright enjoyable and entertaining.

I have listened to this quite a few times prior to setting out my review, incredibly my first of 2013. There is a reason for this.

It is not unusual for a reviewer to listen to an album a couple of times and think, I don't really like this. Indeed, that is the case with many of the albums which I now regard as being classics. Sometimes, it takes time to really appreciate a work of art. However, after the sixth or seventh listens, I was still rather ambivalent. What kept pulling me back to give this album a fair "chance", and, by extension, a fair review were the two tracks I thoroughly adored.

The short instrumental, The Millions of Last Moments, featuring guitar work to die for, and the exceptional closer, which is consistently excellent and flows constantly, A Nihilist's Love Song, both prove, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that these guys can play, write strong material, and move you.

However, after umpteen listens commuting to work, I really have to reach the conclusion that those tracks are, by and large, the exception on this album, rather than the rule. Does that mean this is a bad album? Not really. It is just that much of it is, to these ears, too inconsistent, and too........bitty (not a good word, I know) to convince. Half the trouble is, I feel, that they do not really know what they are trying to achieve in their sound. For when they are good, they are very good. The more expansive passages flow beautifully, and it all comes together. These, though, are in between main passages which grate somewhat.

As for the lyrics, as has been raised by other reviewers, they are overtly political, and none too complimentary about the system where the band hail from. They could be summarised as being a "plague on both your houses", I.e. Republican and Democrat. The bulk of the album is, in truth, a fair old rant against both. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and much of it reflects a fair bit of my disenchantment with modern politics, and I say this as one who spent years as a political activist (although not in recent times). It also follows in the wake of a proud tradition of rock music raging against "the machine". Having said that, the likes of Pink Floyd produced superlative and memorable music to accompany the rants. Whatever else this band are, they are not Pink Floyd.

So, to summarise, this is a good album, but not one I could wholeheartedly recommend. There are some very good passages. I, for one, have been left with wanting more.

Three stars for this.

3rDegree's storyline begins at the fall of 1990, when multi-instrumentalist Robert James Pashman and drummer Rob Durham formed the group in Clifton, New Jersey, joined the next year by guitarist Pat Kliesch.As a trio they released the cassette album ''The World in Which We Live'' on the Portland-based Reindeer Records.In 1995 the line-up is expanded with the addition of lead singer George Dobbs.After participating in Todd Rundgren's tribute album ''Still there's more'' for Third Lock Records, 3rDegree headed for their first CD release, which eventually saw the light in 1996 as a self-produced attempt, entitled ''Human Interest Story''.

A talented act indeed, 3rDegree tried to combined their pretty strong songwriting skills with the elaborate arrangements, drawn from the fundamentals of Progressive Rock of the 70's, and the result is a very solid album with evident references to the music of RUSH, TILES and basically ENCHANT with a nice touch of more AOR-oriented Prog Rock, as played by bands such as TRISTAN PARK or EXHIBIT A.The addition of singer George Dobbs was a key move by the group, as his voice sounds clear, dreamy and very sensitive, and ,mixed with the overall melodic Progressive Rock of 3rDegree, the result ranges from sufficient to outstanding.Some great guitar moves, plenty of careful keyboard parts, awesome and memorable choruses and discreet piano lines create 16 compositions, where melody stands first compared to complexity, but the general feeling is that the album is persistently structured to the last detail.Changing climates and some more demanding instrumental themes are not absent, showing the group was capable of delivering some even more adventuruous material.But the priority was given to easy-listening still solid musicianship and ''Human Interest Story'' belongs among the great albums of this particular style.

Easy-going and highly melodic Progressive Rock, which flirts with Neo and Heavy Prog at moments is what this album is all about.If you are fond of striking melodies and superb vocals, this one should be an instant part of your collection.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.

When I heard from band leader Robert James Pashman asking me if I would be willing to review their new album I just thought that here was another new band just starting out. What I hadn't realized was that here was an outfit with a history stretching back from more than twenty years and while this may have been their first album for more than three years it was actually their fourth. So I downloaded the album and put into 'The List' (yes there is such a thing, it is the way that I try and keep track of what I should be listening to so that I know just how far behind I am on the reviewing front). Somehow I am never really ahead of the game..

So, in due course I put on the album and then proceeded to sit there with my mouth open, and my ears more so. Where on earth have these guys been hiding and why didn't I know about them before? To me this is the first band I have come across who understand what City Boy were about in the late Seventies (sometime around 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire') and have then added in huge influences from 10CC and The Alan Parsons Project to produce an album that in many ways is sheer perfection. If you want your music to be complex yet simple, to be able to wash over you like a warm blanket yet still have soul and vigour then this is it. This album became a review blocker in the sense that when I had played it enough times to be able to write about it and move to the next one that just didn't happen as I was enjoying it too much.

I know that this album would have been in my top 10 for 2012 if I had been aware of it, but here I am in 2013 so that can't happen. Bugger. Melody, passion, hooks to die for, this prog/melodic rock album is essential. 'Nuff said. www.3rdegreeonline.com

I could not avoid noticing the lofty praise this release has been getting and, well, I just wanted to see for myself what all the hype was about. The main attraction was not the moniker, the artwork or anything so pedant but rather the focus on being political! Lest we forget, that rock music in general started to develop as socio- political messenger once long ago and sadly sort faded into the absurd and the fantasia of our wonderful universe. Third Degree is a US band that wishes to express their views on the current political impasse in the USA, where only black and white exists (no pun intended), two dour and silly political parties vying for control and power, a platform where the line is blurred between leftist republicans and rightist democrats, with little room of creative social and economic discourse! Personally, as a neighbourly Canadian of European heritage, I find the US a puzzling enigma of contradiction, constant conspiracy and absolute insanity when it comes to their society. Oh well!

Third Degree seem to revel in highlighting these incongruities with a sophisticated blend of punchy progressive rock that has a lot of groove, bruising delivery and some impassionate vocalizings , George Dobbs is truly a character, with a voice being a combination John Kay (Steppenwolf), Peter Wolf (Geils) and Stan Ridgway!). Dual guitarists hint at good old fashioned boogie (Allman Bros, Skynyrd etc...) and the rhythm section propels like a well-oiled Nascar racer. The majority of the songs are not of epic length, keeping things tight and flashy. The titles alone provide a resonant idea of their disappointed philosophy "You're Fooling Yourselves", "Exit Strategy", "The Soci-Economic Petri Dish", "Incoherent Ramblings", well you get the message! They basically take aim at the hypocrisy of both parties and fire away with acerbic acidity, some of the finest lyrics ever! Being a big fan of instrumental prog, it's a diversion to finally have some fun with brooding, vibrant music with great vocal delivery and superb lyrical content. As such, all the songs sort of flow into one another, creating a prog manifesto that surely will not disappoint as the musical vibrancy is always there = check out the sultry sax solo on the sublime "A Work of Art", the cool piano and keyboard musings on "Televised" and the slick picking on "The Millions of Last Moments"

I was expecting not to like this, so as to eliminate any placebo effect in reviewing this little jewel. Intelligent, iconoclastic, daring, probing and somewhat essential to progfans with a sense of today's realities. Certainly original and obviously talented, the future looks brighter for the US economy of prog. 4 extended separations

Pleasant enough album with a sort of Big Big Train/Spock's Beard vibe to it. George Dobbs does a decent enough job as the band's hyper-theatrical lead vocalist, which is a good thing since the album hinges on its thematic concept - namely, an examination of the political situation in the USA and the apparent inability of the liberal-leaning and conservative wings of American society to find common ground.

The band's essential position is set out in opening track You're Fooling Yourselves, and by the end of it you'll probably know whether or not you dig what they're trying to do musically with the album and where they want to take the concept: for my part, as a non-US listener the implicit assumption that both sides of the divide are equally right and equally wrong is something I just plain can't agree with (compared with politics in the rest of the world, extreme-right positions pop up in surprisingly prominent places an awful lot in US politics whilst extreme-left positions have more or less no representation on the national stage), which means that I find the general arguments expressed in the lyrics irritating enough that it's a distraction from the music, and I don't find the music quite engaging enough to overcome that. So, on balance I think it's worth a spin but you need to be aware that if you have little patience for noncommittal neutrality in American politics you may find it grating.

Been listening to this for the past week or so and have been searching for words to describe it. I confess to having changed my initial opinion and would advise people to really give this a listen before making any judgements. I appreciate that the lyrics on a few songs in particular are political and 'worthy'. I thought initially that the album was 'under-produced' and a bit rough at the edges. It sounded like a band that I might have seen in my local music venue. Now that in itself is no bad thing, having seen Marillion, Pendragon and Solstice play to small crowds in a venue where the beer flowed freely and people 'head-banged' on the dancefloor. The musicianship is workman-like, they are not Dream Theater by any means. I'm not being a musical snob - I totally admire ANYONE who plays an instrument, it's just that I wasn't blown away by technical virtuosity.

The opening track 'You're Fooling Yourselves' has burrowed its way into my head - it's very catchy and enjoyable. It would feature on a Prog Singles Chart - the singer has an intensity which suits the song. I like this song very much and think it's one of the best on the album. Next up is 'Exit Strategy' with its interesting choppy melodic chorus. 'The Soci-Economic Petri Dish' is next - the title sounds like something from 'The Lamb Lies Down'. The musicianship is very good on this and it is quite ambitious. 'Incoherent Ramblings' reminds me in places of 10cc. Its a great track and the longest at just under eight minutes. 'The Ones to Follow' is probably my favourite track on the album. I like the tinkling 'proggy' accompaniment - it trips along very nicely. 'Televised' has a stark piano opening, giving way to synth before the drums and bass pick up the beat. 'The Millions of Last Moments' briefly sounded like Kansas' 'Dust in the Wind' before establishing its own acoustic identity. 'Memetic Pandemic' is reminiscent of early Genesis and features probably the best playing on the album. The keyboards are excellent and I think this song showcases the singer in particular. The album ends with 'A Nihilist's Love Song' which has a definite 'album closer' feeling to it. You know, the type of song that would be at the end of a concept album. I guess that this IS a concept album - it's also a kind of blue-collar, garage prog that Bruce Springsteen would listen to whilst having a few beers with the guys on labor day.

I have to admit that I was quite suspicious of a band's rating when its new album release starts climbing the charts due to the fact that no less than 9 out of the 13 entries in the 'Latest members reviews' column are PA newbies who joined only to post a review of this one album (and two of the other four have rated less than ten albums and reviewed only one: this one'and of the less than ten albums the list is suspiciously the same!) It's nice to have fans, nice to have a group helping to get your name and music out there. Whatever it takes, I guess. Time will obviously help this album settle into its true place among the releases of 2012.

Curious, I found their album on Bandcamp. And I've been listening.

1. 'You're Fooling Yourselves' (6:51) sounds like a kind of DISCIPLINE-as-THE BEATLES classic rocker. There is a cute carnival-esque section beginning at the 2:56 mark followed by a SAGA-like semi-rap with vocal harmonies. Great section in the guitar solo beginning at the 4:40 mark. The vocalist does a pretty great job sounding like JOHN LENNON, revved-up PAUL McCARTNEY and early ROD STEWART. (8/10)

2. 'Exit Strategy' (5:45) is a very perky, poppy STEELY DAN-meets-XTC to play THE TEA CLUB song. Truly some great multiple vocal arrangements here. Nice keyboard/mellotron and bass parts. A very catchy, cute song. (9/10)

3. 'The Socio-Economic Petrie Dish' (6:52) is the weakest song on the album in its cheezy keyboards and poppy-pseudo-prog structure. Again I am reminded of STEELY DAN 1972- 75, pre-Aja. A very mediocre song'even with the melodramatic 'Occupy' crowd sample in the final minute. (5/10)

4. 'Incoherent Ramblings' (7:44) begins with a vocal melody that fails to connect. Once the song establishes its support structure it doesn't get much better. It's almost like an average BEACH BOYS or a bad XTC song. (5/10)

5. 'The Ones to Follow' (3:12) is a cute pop song in the vein of XTC and GEORGE HARRISON. (6/10)

6. 'A Work of Art' (2:50) begins with some arpeggiated electric piano chords before weaving in some other subtle instruments, vocals, and eventually saxophone. The keyboard sound brings me back to some of RONNIE LAWS' proggier stuff in the late 70s (around the 'Always There' and Flame period). (7/10)

7. 'Televised' (6:52) with its old synth sounds harkens back to some late 70s classic rock songs. When the song kicks into high gear around the 1:50 mark it is definitely treading on MATTHEW PARMENTER/DISCIPLINE territory. Then a clavichord enters! Surprises abound in this one: falsetto vibratos, Motown-like female b vox. As the song progresses it morphs again into more XTC ground. An unusual but kind of intriguing mix. Perhaps the most original song on the album. (8/10)

8. 'The Millions of Last Moments' (2:06) starts out very much like KANSAS' 'Dust in the Wind' before a jazzy CHET ATKINS-like electric guitar joins in. A pretty instrumental guitar duet. (7/10)

9. 'Memetic Pandemic' (7:29) begins with a bare piano, joined by a GEDDY LEE-like voice before morphing into a GENESIS/BIG BIG TRAIN/ECHOLYN-like song. Interesting ECHOLYN/BEATLES-like vocal harmonies. Love the GENESIS picked electric guitar interlude at the 1:45 mark and the MIKE OLDFIELD-like fuzz guitar playing in tandem with the early-TONY BANKSian synthesizer that follows. Despite the 'There Must be Some Misunderstanding' bass line and chord progression.in the next section, this song develops and catches one very much like a very good ECHOLYN song. The drumming on this one stands out for me: PHIL COLLINS-ish. The section that begins at 5:15 is great for its organ, b-vox, and GENESIS-era P GABRIEL vocal. The last minute and a half enters into more of a BEATLES feel. (9/10)

10. 'A Nihilist's Love Song' (3:21) starts out with a lyric and melody that reminds me of a choral version of TOD RUNDGREN's 'Just One Victory.' As it goes on I am more reminded of JON BON JOVI. (8/10)

I am pleasantly surprised to find that this is, in fact, an interesting album--especially for its varied collection of sounds and influences. It is, however, a little more pop oriented than I expected. My favorite songs are definitely the perky 'Exit Strategy' and the ECHOCLYN-like 'Memetic Pandemic.' As a matter of fact, if one were to try to extract the essence of this album, it would be the XTC, STEELY DAN, and ECHOLYN familiarities. I actually like this album better than the much-praised 2012 Echolyn release, Echolyn. (Ironic that the BRETT KULL-produced "You're Fooling Yourself" is not even, IMO, the most ECHOLYN-sounding song on the album!)

3.5 stars rated up for factors of intrigue and quirkiness.

I really regret dragging my feet on getting this but I have been in a lull of not buying music.

I listened to it for the first time in the car just after it arrived was greatly impressed. My wife commented that it had been awhile since she saw me with that big a smile on my face while listening to new music. No repeat listenings required.

After reading some of the reviews talking about how dense and/or challenging it was I didn't really know what to expect. I disagree with the reviews, and this is not a negative in any way. These are great compact, tightly written songs. No wasted meandering, no padding and no hitting me over the head with time signatures, not that I expected any of that. Great melodies, great rhythmic ideas and a fine sense of purpose throughout the disc. Fantastic execution of your lyrical concept (hey, I resemble half of that album!), it is a masterpiece boys.

I am very impressed.

Great example of prog rock's various best known characteristics put to use to create an album that can really be enjoyed by those who have no idea what prog might be as a genre. Is the album chock full of virtuosic passages-no-but they are so welcome when they find their way into really well constructed songs that are well sung, recorded and with lyrics that say something and given its political nature, surprisingly comes off as insightful if not offering solutions which would probably make it too preachy. The line 3RDegree straddle with their ability to be accessible yet ripe for repeated listens should be heralded as much as most great prog albums do for their complexity. This ain't Asia-like accessibility but something much more developed and satisfying.