As we are currently almost midway between the UK and the US elections, now seems to be a good time to take a deep dive into The Tangent's new album To Follow Polaris as much of its content is topically political - but please don't let that put you off! Nobody in the Prog world quite has their finger on the pulse of the global Zeitgeist like Andy Tillison that he so eloquently translates into a suite of free-standing, compelling compositions. All are connected here with a thread that links the unsullied heavens above in the north with the madness of Earth here in the south. Recorded in his studio on the North Yorkshire moors, on this so-called Tangent For One album, Tillison plays every instrument - all the keyboards, guitars, bass guitar and drums plus a range of gizmos. One of the new additions is a Roland AE O1 Aerophone wind controller, literally a digital wind instrument, that he uses for the woodwind sounds. There's an optimistic start as In The North Sky sees Tillison pondering the wonders of the night sky. He explores musically through a cosmos of fast paced techo effects, drums and keyboards to the fore. Changes of tempo and mood, including a gorgeous Yes-like section whose running bass and swelling keyboards add to the mysteries of what's "out there". A more sardonic Tillison plunges into a starless musical void to question the values of everything and nothing through A 'Like' In The Darkness. Imprinted with brooding keyboards, a brilliant acoustic guitar appears from out of the gloom, the absurdity further highlighted through a disjointed jazz passage featuring saxophone, flute and a distinctly ELP groove. The Fine Line is Tillison's political commentary at its best, during which he travels through a veritable prog universe of moods, textures and soundscapes, subtle in some places, distinctly funky in others. This theme is further explored in the longest track The Anachronism. Its spoken introduction from a younger person deplores the state of the world they have inherited, beginning an extended musical meditation in the political divide of red and blue. There are echoes of Steely Dan before the tempo accelerates into classic rock and punk. As it becomes more fragmented and chaotic, Tillison returns us to some sanity by again observing the North Star. There's a lovely irony to The Single (From A Re-Opened Time Capsule) which could possibly be the nearest thing Tillison has written as a radio friendly single thanks to its catchy melody. But it's a sideways look at music's ephemeral nature and how he can make his canon of work immortal. The North Sky single edit is followed by bonus track Tea At Betty's named after the famous Harrogate tea-room. Tillison turns into his own intimate jazz club with a big nod to classical piano legend Jacques Loussier, one of his musical heroes. There's a "brass" section, some innovative improv and many changes of mood to delight and enchant. Turn down the lights and immerse yourself in Tillison's rarified, all-embracing prog universe, from which you will emerge wiser and more enriched by his polymathic musical brilliance. **** Alison Reijman Where to buy? |
