CAPTIVES OF THE WINE DARK SEA

This is my choice for 2017 Prog Album of the Year, and the track The Body Yearns is my Best Prog Track of 2017. I'm surprised this album isn't being talked about more, but I guess that's the sad state rock music in general is in, this year in particular. It's been a hard year, politically and culturally.

To address the criticism that there are - gasp! - short songs on here: To put it succinctly, this is a fun album, full of variety and surprises. There are shorter and longer songs. If short songs bother you, then I recommend you avoid A Farewell to Kings (4 songs 5 mins. or less), Hemispheres (2 of its 4 songs clock in under 5 mins), Dark Side of the Moon (all short-ish songs), Nursery Cryme (4 of 7 songs are short)...

1) The first track, "The Body Yearns," is nearly 10 minutes of gloriously melodic prog. This is the kind of song Discipline does so well. It seems effortless and insanely catchy, but musically it's quite complex, and if it was easy to do, more would be writing music like this. But no one else is. 2) "Life Imitates Art" is a fine second track; it's perhaps the most VDGG-like song on the album. If prog were still played on classic rock radio like it used to be (think Tom Sawyer, Bloody Well Right, Aqualung), then this would be the likely radio hit. 3) The third track, "S," is a nice instrumental with shifting tones. 4) The fourth track seems to be giving some people some problems. It's actually a quite Beatlesque melody that Paul McCartney used to come up with in his prime. How can anyone not like this? "Love Songs" injects the kind of fun and variety that albums often sorely lack; its ending should give you a smile of delight. It's also the kind of leftfield song that radio used to love; perhaps another would-be hit back in the day. Lyrically-speaking, it's clearly related to all the other album tracks. 5) & 6) Although these are two tracks, I hear these as companion pieces that are meant to be played together. "Here This Is No Soul" is again quite melodic, and seques into the instrumental "Roaring Game." Unlike the previous instrumental, this one has more of a feeling of an improvised jam, especially in its last 2 minutes. 7) "Burn the Fire Into the Rocks" is the last and longest song on the album, at 14 minutes. It if weren't for the awesome first track, this one would be my favorite. What sounds like a mellotron introduces new tonal colors into the album. A beautiful track with a nice groove, that ends with a surprising synth solo.

In conclusion, Discipline never sounded better. They sound fresh and vital, and the vocals and songs are highlights. Is it their best album? Well, is Foxtrot better than Selling England by the Pound? In other words, it's an excellent Discipline album, worthy to stand side-by-side with their other work, and will no doubt be a personal favorite for many of its fans.