A PLACE IN THE QUEUE

Very good album!

After the first couple of listens, I didn't think much of A Place in the Queue. The song seemed a little bland, but what I really didn't like about it were the vocals. Andy Tillison, the main man behind keys/organs/synths, also took the lead vocals and didn't do good a very good job at it. But the instrumental work is magnificent.

Musicianship is very high quality overall. Jaime Salazar, responsable for the drums, and Jonas Reingold, for the bass, do a marvelous job with the "kitchenwork". They establish very nice grooves, with plenty of variation and touches of jazz and even a couple of latin music influences. The keyboard work, by Tillison himself (organ/piano/moog) and Sam Baines (piano/synths), are very good too. The guitar work, while not as brilliant, manages to keep up with the rest. And on top of it all, Theo Travis throws in some great saxes, flutes and clarinets.

As for the songs, I found the best are the middle sized ones. "Lost in London" is fantastic, starting off with a cool drum/bass groove and very nice flutes. "GPS Culture" is grand too, featuring great keyboards and maybe the best vocals on the album, and has a general feeling the reminds me a lot of Yes. "Follow Your Leaders" is also very groovy, great bass work, including a solo in the middle section. Even the more poppy song, "The Sun In My Eyes" is quite delightful. "DIY Surgery" is the weirdest song, and still very interesting. Of the two major tracks, the opening "In Earnest" (clocking at about 20 minutes) is a degree better than the closing piece, and eponymous title track, "A Place in the Queue" (a little over 25 minutes), which, to me, is the least appealing song, despite the size.

This is a great album. Classic proggers will love it. Don't bother with the somewhat weak vocals; instrumentally, it is top notch. I time, I even leared to appreciate the vocals a little, so good is the musicianship. Highly recommended.