Towards the Sky is the fourth album from progsters Long Earth and is the follow-up to the excellent An Ordinary Life album from 2024.
I enjoyed that album a lot, so was pleased when AC at Bad Dog Promotions sent Towards the Sky over to me.
There have been line-up changes since An Ordinary Life. Most notably the arrival of a new vocalist -Maaike Siegerist. She has a very fine voice. Ethereal and melodic, which suits the music well.
There is something of a running theme between the songs. The blurb sheet saying that it is: “inspired by astronomy, space exploration, and humanity’s enduring drive to push beyond its limitations.”
Musically we have nine engaging tracks of generally melodic progressive rock. It features nice keys and synths mingling with lush guitars and some quite nifty soloing which, together with those floaty vocals and a solid rhythm section merge together giving an atmospheric, textured soundscape feel.
Seahorses open things up in good style. An extended bouncy intro with the jaunty keyboards before the engaging vocals join in and the song expands over the seven minutes alternating between vocal and instrumental parts as the synth and guitars compliment each other.
Breathless has more of a moody yet melodic feel to it with a couple of excellent guitar breaks to beef it up. Then Artificial Child brings in more variety being a little bit spooky and unsettling even as the lyrics break in to looking at the pros and cons of artificial intelligence. Is Skynet coming perhaps?
Wanderlust brings things into classic symphonic prog territory with all sorts of synths and guitars going on.
Colours expands on that with a slow burn for the first half before the pace and feel changes in to a heavier mood with the guitars and a tasty synth break before returning to the moodier feel to close out the song.
Monochrome, First Casualty and Moon and Mars give us three more to enjoy which are all so well composed and performed.
Then comes to big finish….The Astronomer. Eleven minutes of a proper prog epic with plenty of twists and turns. Complex in scale yet accessible.
The band stretch out here in fine style. Huge washes of synths, acoustic and electric guitars creating atmosphere, texture and excellent solos all held together by the rhythm section and the glorious vocals form Siegerist.
The more I’ve listened to Towards the Sky, the more I’ve liked it. A grower of an album which reveals more of its depth and variety each time.
Here’s Breathless:
Digital and physical versions of Towards the Sky available from Long Earth’s BandCamp page:
https://longearth.bandcamp.com
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