Andy Tillison is the driving force behind the long running prog rock band The Tangent, who are about to release their new album, A Spark In The Aether, on April 20, 2015 on the Inside Out Music label. The album is said to be "a rallying cry to people to keep open minds about newer music in a world where remasters and re-issues are more eagerly anticipated than new material", and it is a powerful record that contains over an hour of some of the finest music I've heard this year. It's definitely a prog rock record, but that descriptor may be a bit too contained - The Tangent is a group of six amazingly talented musicians who are adept at any number of styles and genres, and this is an album that must be heard in its entirety to be appreciated. (full review to come shortly)
I was fortunate enough to be able to grab a rather last minute interview with Mr. Tillison, and being familiar with both his band and his elegant blogging, I leapt at the chance. Anytime I can speak with someone I consider a master at their work, I try to take full advantage of the opportunity. He did not disappoint, and our time together was only over too soon. However, in that time we covered a lot of ground, and I believe that you'll find this discussion as interesting and invigorating as I did.
The album is getting great reviews, and I'd advise you to dive right in and buy yourself a copy. Tillison is as much a historian as he is a visionary musician, and his sense of both history and the current scene is revelatory. He's a huge fan of classic prog (and many other types of music), but he's also very much a proponent and champion of the young bands who are carrying the progressive rock flag into the future. He's made fourteen albums all told with The Tangent, and A Spark In The Aether is a fabulous way to discover the band, as it certainly nods its head to the band's history as it blazes new trails into the next generation - there's no filler to be found, and the band is absolutely breathtaking as it simply outplays the competition as it converts Tillison's tales and tunes into an amazing musical travelogue.
Great thanks to all at Inside Out Music (especially Roie), Andy Tillison, and Pete Prown at Vintage Guitar Magazine for putting me on this great trail.
The Tangent on Facebook
http://www.thetangent.org
album pre-order link
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