It began, as it usually does for me, at the end. Or near enough the end at the time, since Songs From the Hard Shoulder, the 12th album from The Tangent was the most recent at the time. I can’t remember if it was the video review from Sea of Tranquility or my friend Frank who had been pestering me about all the modern prog rock I was missing out on but either way I took a listen and fell for the stew Tillison and the gang were cooking. Thinking back over my time deep diving into the band’s catalog I wonder if this is why I’m so partial to the later albums, having made my discovery here, using it to judge the other records. Regardless, the band’s second album directly impacted by COVID is on the turntable and has a myriad of gems within, so let’s dive into our penultimate review of this fine, fine band.

The whole gang is back for the third time, with three big epics and one whopper of curveball for the end. It starts with “The Changes” and beyond the band’s signature slow roll groove I think the first big gleeful middle finger Tillison throws is his use of Auto-Tune which honestly? Sounds great, and he even mentions (tongue in cheek) proudly “endorsing” it in the album’s liner notes. An autobiographical reverie about longing for the harder times that were at least made possible outside of the pandemic, the band casually throws in Beatles and Yazz quote amidst copious solos and some really strong melodies that carry through the track’s 17 minutes. Loving the mood shift during the “we’ll get an album out in 2022” section. This being my first time hearing the band, I think I was immediately taken by Tillison’s singing and lyrical style, again – reminiscent in function to Zappa and his storytelling. It helps that there are some very Zappa-esque moments, though again as I think about this and the other music I’ve consumed it might be my touchstones are different – I know a lot of folks compare The Tangent to bands like Van de Graaff Generator, but that’s a band I’ve never been really familiar with, having tried and failed multiple times to get through their classic catalog. Man, the solo breaks at the end? So good. Steve Roberts blending in his drums with what sounds like programmed hits to give it a little of that dance vibe as Tillison and Machin run amok is sublime.

“The GPS Vultures” is not only a thematic follow-up to A Place in the Queue’s “GPS Culture” it’s a 17-minute instrumental jam that solidified for me how great this band was. Listening again this morning one of the things that really impresses me is the production, largely done at home. I’ve spent so much time with album on headphones and in the car I wanted to do something different, so put it on the turntable, angled the speakers just so and turned it UP. The song just shines played at larger volume, and allowing the speakers to spread the soundstage a little more naturally in the air as opposed to pushing directly against my ear drums. Does that even make sense? It’s 7am and I’m just downing my second cup of coffee…

Anyway, my point here is stereo vs headphones paint a very different experience. Not sure one is better than the other, but lately I’ve been loving taking some time to let the music wash over me from a distance.

Is that “the lick” I hear quoted on “The Lady Tied to the Lamp Post” or am I crazy? I’m only partly taken out of the track, which is the real “epic” of the bunch, a scathing story addressing the homeless situation in Great Britain. I haven’t really spent a lot of time on the band, but Theo Travis is a delight on this track. There are eight separate sections, with the solo and instrumental sections really allowing the band to spread their wings. but even in the lyrical sections I’ve always been taken with the rolling swagger the rhythm section lays out. It’s a far cry from the 70s prog rock stylings of the band’s influences, who rarely “swung” like the Tangent do. Is that another point for them, or against them? The brief industrial passage flowing into soft R&B pop balladry? So good. As are the lyrics – Tillison makes sure to indict himself just as much as anyone about how easy technology has made it to cry for change from the distance of your screens, yet make no move when directly confronted.

And then finally, there’s “Wasted Soul” which most certainly takes its cue from how The Tangent ended Auto Reconnaissance, moving completely away from progressive rock and into Stax 60s/70s soul. Which hey, I’m a huge fan of that sound and those artists, so Tillison and Co. taking a swing at it is fin with me. I think it maybe doesn’t work quite as well as “The Midas Touch” did for me, but that’s a small critique for an otherwise fine song and really fine album overall.

What I really take away listening to Songs From the Hard Shoulder now that I have a deeper and broader knowledge of the band is an album that feels truly free to explore outside of the confined limitations the genre and and accompanying community try to hold them to. I have albums and albums of more straight-ahead progressive rock, and really sonically no one else is doing quite what The Tangent are doing. I’ll take that any day of the week over another band trying (and failing) to emulate Dream Theater or Yes or anyone else without firmly stamping their own identity on the songs.

Also hey – this UK cover? Fantastic bonus track.