THE LONG DIVISION

Been listening to this for the past week or so and have been searching for words to describe it. I confess to having changed my initial opinion and would advise people to really give this a listen before making any judgements. I appreciate that the lyrics on a few songs in particular are political and 'worthy'. I thought initially that the album was 'under-produced' and a bit rough at the edges. It sounded like a band that I might have seen in my local music venue. Now that in itself is no bad thing, having seen Marillion, Pendragon and Solstice play to small crowds in a venue where the beer flowed freely and people 'head-banged' on the dancefloor. The musicianship is workman-like, they are not Dream Theater by any means. I'm not being a musical snob - I totally admire ANYONE who plays an instrument, it's just that I wasn't blown away by technical virtuosity.

The opening track 'You're Fooling Yourselves' has burrowed its way into my head - it's very catchy and enjoyable. It would feature on a Prog Singles Chart - the singer has an intensity which suits the song. I like this song very much and think it's one of the best on the album. Next up is 'Exit Strategy' with its interesting choppy melodic chorus. 'The Soci-Economic Petri Dish' is next - the title sounds like something from 'The Lamb Lies Down'. The musicianship is very good on this and it is quite ambitious. 'Incoherent Ramblings' reminds me in places of 10cc. Its a great track and the longest at just under eight minutes. 'The Ones to Follow' is probably my favourite track on the album. I like the tinkling 'proggy' accompaniment - it trips along very nicely. 'Televised' has a stark piano opening, giving way to synth before the drums and bass pick up the beat. 'The Millions of Last Moments' briefly sounded like Kansas' 'Dust in the Wind' before establishing its own acoustic identity. 'Memetic Pandemic' is reminiscent of early Genesis and features probably the best playing on the album. The keyboards are excellent and I think this song showcases the singer in particular. The album ends with 'A Nihilist's Love Song' which has a definite 'album closer' feeling to it. You know, the type of song that would be at the end of a concept album. I guess that this IS a concept album - it's also a kind of blue-collar, garage prog that Bruce Springsteen would listen to whilst having a few beers with the guys on labor day.