Its been a while for Roye Albrighton and Nektar to release a new and memorable album ! Of course it will be very hard to ever exceed the genius and magic of their early albums and although very good "Time Machine" doesn't eclipse these.
However having said that this new album is quite enjoyable and I would put in the same league as 2004's "evolution".
Time Machines line up is Roye on guitars and lead vocals, Ron Howden on drums, Klaus Henatsch on the keys and Billy Sherwood on the bass with engineering and mix credits on the album.
Musically this is progressive rock-lite with some great passages showing that these guys can still inspire at times! Four of the songs close in on the 10 min marker so you know they are trying to get back to old tricks. I think for me the extra track lengths give the songs more time to develop and it is during these parts that then songs really shine......for example the title song "Time Machine" really comes to life at the 5:00 mark where the band get to stretch out.
No question there is a stronger neo-prog pop influence on this album but there are also some stunning prog vintage Nektar'isms in there too. The vocals are excellent with some great harmonies and emotive moments.
Overall I do like this album and have been playing it in steady rotation lately and some of the more neoprog pop parts are warming me up ore and more.......fans of Nektar will like this album but just dont expect another "Tab in the ocean".
I picked up the 180g vinyl edition which I must say sounds excellent and recommend this album for the summer of 2013.
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