Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
The Tangent - Not as Good as the Book CD (album) cover

NOT AS GOOD AS THE BOOK

The Tangent

 

Eclectic Prog

3.87 | 423 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

crimson87
Prog Reviewer
3 stars Retro Prog? or I can t believe is another symphonic and 70s tingled prog record!

One of my main problems with Retro or Neo prog is the lack of originality. The bands seem to have all the same pattern: Keyboard and Guitar Solos , Long structure of songs , Lack of melody and most of them play it safe. The Tangent, while very talented, is one of those bands in my opinion.

Now , don't get me wrong. These guys have the chops and some songs in this particular album are good but there are some aspects that cannot be overlooked: In the first place I found the vocals to be really generic and unmemorable sometimes plain annoying. Secondly, the record is overproduced and sounds really loud. Generally this is not my cup of tea since I like a more "organic" sound in my albums.

Musically speaking The Tangent is a blend of symphonic prog and modern rock music, add also a bit of jazz and you have the recipe of the band s sound. While I like all of the individual ingredients, something may have gone wrong in the kitchen? Some tracks like the opener, Lost in London and Celebrity Puree are enjoyable tunes. Also both epics of the album are ok? I mean, the entire album is OK and that's exactly my problem with it! There are no ups or downs on it! The album goes and goes and I am totally indifferent to it!

That being said, I recommend (while not strongly!) this album to all newcomers to progressive rock music , this album is totally standard and harmless prog rock. However It's a much better idea to go for the real deal: Yes , King Crimson , Genesis and the like.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

crimson87 | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this THE TANGENT review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.