'Heard it all before' would be quite an accurate definition of this new Tangent album... Tillison just seems to have run out of fresh ideas. Sure the songs are different, and there are some new ideas here and there as well (one being the latin guitar part on "GPS Culture"), but sonically the overall impression still manages to be rather reminiscent of what Tangent has already done on their previous releases. However, it's great to see that Roine Stolt left this group since lately he has been involved with too many projects (this has affected the quality of his material). Actually there may be a bit more freedom on the compositions now that Stolt isn't around.

Although A Place in the Queue isn't exactly a concept album, there is a theme of waiting in the line surrounding the songs of this album. People have their places in the queue, and they tend to follow trends and religions, act upon advertisements and the like. Music, on the other hand, is rather Canterbury-influenced and gives a true impression of English music. There are a lot of good sections on this album, but nothing is truly groundbreaking. Nonetheless, if one can get past that setting, this is truly enjoyable album with its moments... there are loads of nice, atmospheric flute melodies, and overly joyful synth leads giving this album its distinctive characteristic.

The production on this record has been handled quite well... overall, there's not much to complain about. If you've been a Tangent fan previously, you'll most likely find the new album worthwhile. Ironically, though, one can hear a line "We've heard it all before" on the fourth track :)

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- MAGE (March 13th, 2006)

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LINE-UP:
Tillison, Andy: Organ, Piano, Moog Synthesizers, Guitars & Principal Voice Baine, Sam: Piano, Synthesizer & Voice Reingold, Jonas: Bass Travis, Theo: Saxophones, Flutes, Clarinet & Voice Manning, Guy: Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin & Voice Salazar, Jaime: Drums Jonsson, Krister: Electric Guitars (Except 'GPS Culture') Special Guest Watts, Dan (Po90): Electric Guitars on 'GPS Culture'
Producer:	Tillison, Andy; Reingold, Jonas & Travis, Theo
Mixing by:	Unavailable
Mastering by:	Brow, Paul

	TRACKLIST:
	01. In Earnest 02. Lost in London 03. DIY Surgery 04. GPS Culture 05. Follow Your Leaders 06. The Sun in My Eyes 07. A Place in the Queue Length: 78:57