Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Tangent, The
Label: Inside Out Records
Released: 2015
Length: 62:09
Rating: 3.5/5
»A Spark In The Aether« is the eighth studio album from the international prog revivalists The Tangent, and a conceptual sequel to their debut »The Music That Died Alone« (2003), which is obvious from the cover alone. The ambitious project led by English keyboardist and vocalist Andy Tillison has, since the very beginning, unexpectedly ‘mutated’ into a band with solid backing from fans of acts like The Flower Kings and followers of the modern prog rock revival. Tillison has been the only constant in the band since the start, while everybody else keeps rotating. In the lineup that recorded »A Spark In The Aether«, Tillison is joined by cult saxophonist/flautist Theo Travis, guitarist Luke Machin and two Swedish musicians that The Flower Kings fans know very well: bassist Jonas Reingold and drummer Morgan Agren. With top-class players like these, at least on the instrumental side, it’s really not hard to create eclectic music at a top artistic level.
The Tangent’s main Achilles’ heel has always been Tillison’s extremely thin and weak voice, which spoils his excellent keyboard playing and keeps their albums from reaching the very top of the modern prog rock scene. Sadly, that’s the case on »A Spark In The Aether« too. Instrumentally it’s a pure masterpiece that old-school fans of seventies prog, led by the Canterbury scene crowd, will welcome with open arms. But the moment Tillison opens his mouth, the quality of the album drops by at least a league. Then there are his often cynical and farcical lyrics, which, thanks to their frequent double meanings, aren’t for every taste either, and in which he mocks modern society in his own peculiar way.
On »A Spark In The Aether«, Tillison picked the USA and its Hollywood ‘culture’ as his target, along with how Europeans experience the ‘world’s policeman’, stereotypes and all. The best pieces on the record are »Codpieces And Capes« and the 21-minute super-epic »5 The Celluloid Road«, on which Tillison and company take the listener on an incredibly dynamic and witty musical trip through San Francisco and the American West Coast. Instrumentally, the album can’t be praised enough, which is hardly surprising with such virtuosos on board.
As usual, Travis is unstoppable in his epic woodwind adventures, which bring a touch of the ‘good old’ Canterbury scene to The Tangent’s music, while Machin’s guitar work, teamed up with Tillison’s keyboards, is the key source of fantastic harmonies. The Flower Kings rhythm duo is, as always, ‘killer’, something the legendary Frank Zappa already knew when he invited Agren, then in his twenties, onto the stage during his final tour in 1988. Among the highlights is also the closing »A Spark In The Aether (Part 2)«, which, with its largely instrumental nature that lasts right up until the return of the main vocal theme, will captivate all fans of the Canterbury scene, jazz rock fusion and symphonic prog rock.
»A Spark In The Aether« would have earned the title of masterpiece if it didn’t suffer from The Tangent’s chronic disease – Tillison’s dreadful singing, which pretty much wrecks the whole listening experience. It might not have been a bad idea to bring their live collaborator Goran Edman (Karmakanic) into the studio, who sang with The Tangent as a guest vocalist on the 2014 concert tour. With a proper, good singer, The Tangent could easily compete with the best of the modern prog scene. The instrumental sections on »A Spark In The Aether«, on the other hand, are brilliant and a real balm for the ears, which goes especially for »5 The Celluloid Road«, while the remaining compositions also have ‘something going on’ the whole time, so there are no boring or dragged-out moments. If you don’t have a problem with Tillison’s vocals, you’ll enjoy every minute of »A Spark In The Aether«.
Line-up
Andy Tillison – keyboards and vocals
Luke Machin – guitar
Jonas Reingold – bass guitar
Theo Travis – saxophone and flute
Morgan Agren – drums
Production
Andy Tillison
Track list
1. A Spark in the Aether (4:20)
2. Codpieces and Capes (12:34)
– a. We’ve Got The Music!
– b. Geronimo – The Sharp End Of A Legacy
– c. Trucks & Rugs & Prog & Roll
– d. A Night At Newcastle City Hall, 1971
– e. We’ve Got The Music! (Reprise)
3. Clearing The Attic (9:35)
4. Aftereugene (5:47)
5. The Celluloid Road (21:37)
– a. The American Watchworld
– b. Cops And Boxes
– c. On The Road Again
– d. The Inner Heart
– e. San Francisco
– f. The American Watchworld (Reprise)
6. A Spark In The Aether (Part Two) (8:16)
