PARALLEL OR 90 DEGREES - UNBRANDED - 2000

Andy Tillison and Sam Bain are not only partners in this band but partners in life as well.Andy plays synths and organ,while Sam,she plays synths and piano.I should have said "used to be partners in this band", as they now are part of THE TANGENT that most prog fans i'm sure are well aware of.The dual keyboards are certainly the prominate sound on this record,and the highlights for me are "Migraine" a song that personifies a migraine headache.The song naturally is dark with an eerie synth intro.There are some good riffs and synth runs throughout."Unbranded" is a song about how young people are slaves to name brands.Andy got some ideas for this from Roger Waters who he met by chance on an airplane and had this discussion.Andy thanks Roger in the liner notes for "The Shoe Factory in Taiwan"."Shoulder to Shoulder" is about working together to stop the destruction of our planet.Martin Orford is featured with some wonderful flute passages,and there is this ripping,emotional guitar solo that is far too short."Space Junk" contrasts heavy drums and organ with the lighter spacey synths throughout."An Autopsy in Artificial Light' is a 25 minute song that in the liner notes has a quote from Roine Stolt between the title and the lyrics that says "There's no such thing as blank and total darkness".This may not be their best release but it's worth checking out for the thoughtful lyrics and wonderful musicianship.
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