"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!", "Chicago", "Jacksonville", and "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!" all being on the same album just isn't fair.
So completely unique and strange, but once you get accustomed to it, you're rewarded with one of the most detailed, gorgeous soundscapes ever recorded. It's so difficult to put a finger on what exactly its trying to do, but I think the album cover itself might be the closest representation to what listening to the record in full really feels like. Overwhelming, perplexing, but completely trance-inducing. I think the band's orchestral arrangements took a pretty big leap forwards ... read more