LOVER'S END

The first impression of this album is much more favorable to me than that of Blumljud, yet I still am not sure how prog this is, it is more retro (STYX, BEATLES, BEACH BOYS, REO SPEEDWAGON, MANHATTAN TRANSFER, BILLY JOEL, etc.) A very well made album of very nice pop music starting with:

Lovers End, Part 1" makes me think I'm hearing a Styx song from the Grand Illusion era. Like STYX, there are moments of proggieness, but mostly it's radio rock. Very nice song.

"A Kid Called Panic" has a bit of early YES feel until the REO SPEEDWAGON singing and lyrics come in. My favorite song on the album.

"Southern Belle" is a step up from "Constant Bloom" in that the harmonies are much more distinctive and I like the recording effects. "The World's Best Dreamers" encroaches on some 80s sounds and effects but retains a very standard pop rock beat and structure.

"New York City Summer Girl" sounds like a MANHATTAN TRANSFER vocal escapade played with a band that might do ALLMAN BROTHERS and early BILLY JOEL covers.

"Heartland" is a neo-prog song on the level of 1978 REO SPEEDWAGON.

"Crossed the Rubicon" is another resurrected REO song. Nice vocal construct and pleasant enough song, but, prog?

"Lover's End, Part II"'s lead singer has a very JOHN LENNON quality, the music sounds like a cross between SUPERTRAMP and some very late BEATLES, and the MANHATAN TRANSFER-like bvox all together making this song very pleasant and catchy/poppy, but progressive?

How should one rate good music, well conceived, recorded, performed and produced, yet which sounds far more mainstream, poppish than progressive rock. Where and Why do the MUSEs, U2s, CUREs, DOVES, MANNINGs, DREDGs, COLDPLAYs, etc., etc. fit into this website's ratings system? This is a very good album with some truly amazing songs and performances. BUT, it is, IMHO, not "progressive rock" and should/could gain a radio/pop following with the right kind of PR/marketing.