this is a great follow up to godbluff. it isn't quite as memorable, but it still hits, and it hits hard. hammill's vocals may be at their all-time peak on this album, which makes the album that much more compelling. still life also isn't as gritty as godbluff was, but it doesn't need to be. by this point, van der graaf generator have proven without a doubt that they're worthy of a top spot in the progressive rock pantheon.

not quite as incredible as pawn hearts, but it's damn close. where pawn hearts is lush and adventurous, godbluff is dark and gritty and it works wonders. all of the tracks on this album are absolute classics and wonderful compositions - arrow in particular highlighting all of the highs of the band's members thus far.

this album is one of the greatest marvels of progressive rock - peter hammill's vocals once again are extremely compelling and his performance is clearly very emotionally driven, and his bandmates are without a doubt at their best here too. this is one of the albums i would call a musical journey: it envelops you in the sounds of the keyboards and brass instruments and creates a luscious musical soundscape. a plague of lighthouse keepers in particular is one of the greatest prog epics ever ... read more

while their previous album is the one that introduces their new sound, this is the album that solidifies vdgg as a truly innovative and unique band - this album is the first album from the band that i would consider truly great.

this is where the band truly starts to become great - there's a lot to appreciate here. peter hammill's vocals (especially on refugees or white hammer) are nothing short of incredible. solid album, but it gets a lot better from here.

this album suffers a lot from the god awful production, but it's an overall solid debut effort. just about every track on here is compelling in some way - it's just a shame they were butchered by the producers.