SOFTS

Now usually after an artist release their best work, like Pink Floyd with The Wall, or The Mars Volta with Frances The Mute, stuff like that. They usually, afterwards, don't really make something that's as good or is bad afterwards. Not saying people still might not like them as much as their previous magnum opus, but most people especially hardcore fans might get disappointed and might drop the band before any more albums that might be actually good comes into play. However some bands manage to stand on thin ice and made it too the snowy forests safely. Look at Yes and Close to the Edge. Close to the Edge is one of the best Prog rock albums ever conceived and a lot of people both Yes fans or not regards it as their best work. After that album, they made Tales From Topographic Oceans, an album, while not as impressive as Close to the Edge, still brought out brilliant sounds into play. And it's both a surprise but a pleasantry that Soft Machine managed to do the same with their album, Softs, which came after Bundles, which too me, was their best work ever. So here are my views on the album.

The album starts off with this pretty little acoustic and woodwind song, Aubabe. It is a pretty and soft introduction to the album. It is like the calm before the storm in this case for Soft Machine. Relaxing but builds things up for the album. Speaking of which, we got our next song, The Tale of Taliesin. This song is kinda villainous for Soft Machine. You can definitely hear in their playing, it is laced with some evil in it. The guitars, the piano, even the drums sound a little evil, and I love it. It's like a villain in a superhero was just introduced and ready to make 'business' with the hero. After that we got Ban-Ban Caliban, which is such a cool track. That bass groove and shaker percussions, plus the drums make this feel so speedy and fun. It's sounds super nice and every instrument compliments each other nicely so well. After that lovely song, we now got Song of Aeolus. This song is a bit more in line with traditional Prog rock. Slow moving, slow building, with some space like synths and some amazing drum and guitar playing. It also sounds a little somber, like this a ballad of weeping instruments. It's honestly beautiful. After that we have Out of Season. This song is also slow moving, however it sounds more hopeful, like it's saying to stop crying, take my hand, and keep moving forward. It's so enigmatic in it's wake. After that somber yet joyful ride, we have Second Bundle. Another minimalistic track by the band. It is very keyboardy and has some interesting synthy noises in the back. It's like a river of noise, calm, but abundant. After that we have Kayoo. If you liked the drum solos on 5, and Bundles, you'll like this guitar/percussion solo on Softs. It's a good solo, I like it. Speaking of solos, The Camden Tandem. This is a really wild song, it has such a shredding guitar and drums, and the instruments compliment each other perfectly. Seriously Soft Machine's guitar work is fantastic the lot of the time. Now after that, we got Nexus, a prelude of sorts, building up the next song with guitars, pianos, and drums, like a drumroll sorta thing for the next jam. Speaking of which, we got One Over the Eight. It goes back to Soft's jazz sound they're best known for with some stellar horn work and drumming. It's a blast that emulates the past. Very nice. However everything must come to an end, and so does this album. The final track, named Etika, is a very sweet yet somber guitar playing. It's not big or grand, it's just something, a bow, to tie up a amazing record. However a little sad that this couldn't go any longer, but yet, it is still fantastic. I love it.

So yeah, if you haven't guessed, this album is amazing and definitely a must have for Soft Machine or Canterbury or any Prog rock fan. It's honestly surprising this record isn't as popular as any other album by Soft Machine cause this, this right here is greatness in the ears.