From Yorkshire comes a pysche-prog-pop band that plays what we’ve been missing from the genre for years. The sound is very close to The Beta Band’s atmospherics and The Beatles melodic knack of pop. The entire album is a themed song cycle from birth to death and the strange trip in between. It opens with an “Intro” that sets a narrative of a future-story. Then “Birth” mixes equal parts “Welcome to The Machine” Pink Floyd and The Flaming Lips. One of the best songs follows with “Mother and Father” -it drives a Kinks music hall style and ELO’s prog pop balladry into a memorable delight. This is no retro-retread, but an authentic musical experience that draws from classic 60s and 70s influences. It continues with “On My Way” and “School” with it’s moogs, huge electric guitar solos, woozy drums and Hammond organs aplenty. And the important thing here is the themes are never lost, but instead of tight compositions the melodies are stretched out like taffy and connected to each other organically. Another standout is “John’s Car” has a stoned series of choruses singing “Are you in, are you out” and it plays like a mix of Floyd’s “The Wall” and The Who “Sell Out” and everything works, including the Kinks-like finale “All Things Come To An End.” Break out the headphones and enjoy the trip.
