CIRCUS OF LIFE

Out of the three albums from these Norwegian bombastic retro-proggers, this one has a slightly lower average rating. But it's my favorite. It has both the rockiest and most soothing melodies of their repertoire.

The bulk of the record is a title 45-minute epic, in 5 parts. It has a nice enough flow, intensifying and slowing down in appropriate moments. Unfortunately, the band has a tendency to over repeat melodic lines in the more faster sections and slow things down to a creeping halt in the calmer ones. So it's hard to hold attention for all 45 minutes. Fortunately, one of the parts is a 20-minute epic all in itself, containing a furious 5-minute instrumental jam. After the epic, the remaining two songs may seem like an afterthought. But they are good. Pointless Masquerade, after the slightly annoying bum-bum-bum segment, progresses to showcase all the band's influence, from Gentle Giant to Deep Purple, managing the transitions smoothly. The closer, Watching the waters, is a happy sing-along and jam fest with a folkish feel.

Say some Magic Pie are derivative, but the band's compositional and instrumental talents make it up to my melody-loving ears.