ONES & ZEROS - VOLUME 1

As I've always said, 3rd Degree is a band I'd like to see in a bar, because their music, like a bar room, can be both cozy and edgy, breezy and angry. If you are familiar with their previous work, sonically this is in between the expansiveness of its breakthrough predecessor, The Long Division, and the more compact and slightly heavier earlier releases. Its also a story-driven concept album, so, yes, there are going to be vocal samples inserted into the middle of songs. 3rd Degree's sound is melody-based and eclectic, while eschewing the extremes, but could be described as being between jazzy pop and heavy prog. On this album, I like the longer songs, because they both allow to build an enjoyable melodic theme while still throwing in a couple of surprises. But the shorter songs are also often twist-and-turny, so I guess you could call it their most ambitious work to date.