THE LONG DIVISION

Greetings from northern Vermont, I got a copy of 3rd Degree's "The Long Division" a couple weeks ago, and have been more and more impressed with each listen.. Even the first time through, several songs jumped out as being great:; but with any recording as intricate and ambitious as this, it takes time to fully wrap your head around it. Like on their previous recordings, 3rd Degree deftly combine progressive-rock with several other influences (pop/funk/jazz/metal to name a few) and come up with something both very unpredictable, and at the same time very catchy - not an easy task! Several tunes were stuck in my head even after just one listen to the CD. "Incoherent Ramblings" being one fine example. Which reminds me - this CD would have been great based on the music alone, but an added bonus is the political/cynical lyrical theme throughout. (as hinted to on the CD cover). Very clever stuff folks! The excellent "A Work of Art" is the thematic exception, and is a good change of pace as track 6, before the sardonicism (is that a word?) kicks in again. This CD (like their others) is enhanced by an exceptional lead vocalist (George Dobbs), and all around top-notch musicianship and production. The harmonies and other details are like ear candy, and there are many many musical moments that would alone be well worth the price of the whole CD. If you are a musician, or just a fan of intelligent music, you really can't go wrong here. I wish the modern music industry was such that something this good had a shot at being widely heard. It' deserves to be! Hmm, I was going to give it 4 and a 1/2 stars, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I'd give any of 3rd Degree's CDs no less than 4 stars, and this may be their best - but I guess I'll stick with 4, to seem credible, and leave the band something to shoot for on their next one :)