ABEL GANZ, Shooting Albatross, 2008, Abel Records (66:08)

Track Listing:

1. Looking for a Platform (15:06)
2. So Far (23:31)
3. Sheepish (12:55)
4. Ventura (8:40)

Bonus/hidden track (4:20)

Had I been rating prog albums five years ago this album would have been in contention for best album of 2008. These Scottish lads wrote and recorded a masterpiece!

The opening track, Looking for a Platform, clocks in at 15:06 but flies by. This “Genesis-tinged YES” epic with its multiple tempo changes and tight musicianship sets the overall theme for a melodic and lush soundscape, or seascape, as this opening song is framed by waves breaking on the shore; a motif that leads into track two as well.

The second song is the truly epic 23 minute standout track, So Far. The first four minutes of this Horslips vibed and Celtic tinged tune are a mix of low trembling bass, synth…