TANGEKANIC

Modest but highly satisfying live set from Tangent/Karmakanic fusion.

This live album epitomises the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. While prog giants ancient and modern continue to cross the globe on a regular basis, for lesser bands, international touring can be at best a hand-to-mouth existence and at worst an impossibility. To facilitate playing live last year, the solution for cash-strapped bands The Tangent (led by British keyboardist Andy Tillison) and Karmakanic (led by Swedish bassist Jonas Reingold) was to pool their resources. As such, the merged Tangekanic hit the road as a five-piece with guitar virtuoso Luke Machin, the much-travelled vocalist Goran Edman and drummer Steve Roberts. With its unironic title and band selfie that adorns the cover, this bootleg-style live album was recorded last October at the fabled New Jersey Proghouse venue. At times Hotel Cantaffordit is very low-key and relaxed (and whoever introduces the band at the start of this single disc sounds almost comatose), but at others, the album bristles with intensity. That’s particularly evident on Karmakanic’s wonderful God, The Universe & Everything Else Nobody Cares About, which possesses greater charm here than in its studio format.