FLYING COLORS
Third Degree MUSIC THEORIES/MASCOT
BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED CLASSIC ROCK FILTERED THROUGH A PROG PRISM.
The supergroup five-piece reach new heights.
If Tower Records still existed in this day and age, they’d need to open a section titled ‘Mike Portnoy supergroups’ just to house all of the prolific drummer’s output since departing Dream Theater. What’s even more impressive than Portnoy’s inexhaustible work rate is the consistency of the end results.
Album number three from Flying Colors continues the drummer’s winning streak, revealing a band able to explore different directions and styles without ever losing their core musical identity. There’s less of the over-the-top, non-stop bombast prevalent in Neal Morse’s solo career and Portnoy plays for the songs, rather than showing off his talent for odd-time signatures, which no doubt everyone fully appreciates by this point in time.
The Loss Inside gets the record off to a cracking start, with a headlong sense of momentum, a guitar riff that’s almost grungy, and singer Casey McPherson reaching up into the top end of his range to evoke a little Chris Cornell. Add to that spirited soloing from Steve Morse on guitar and Neal Morse on organ and it’s a beast of a tune. More finds McPherson airing his insecurities, singing ‘I wish you liked me,’ channelling the spirit and even a little of the sound of Thom Yorke, but musically speaking it’s got more meat on the bones than Radiohead, particularly with the expansive instrumental mid-section. Cadence, Guardian and Last Train Home are all beautifully arranged examples of classic rock filtered through a progressive prism.
The strings of Cadence lend that song a symphonic rock feel, while bassist Dave LaRue takes a nimble solo in Guardian. LaRue’s bassline leads the way into Geronimo, which sees the band trying their hands at funk as Steve Morse gets to throw out some Nile Rodgers licks. They’re not going to out-groove Funkadelic anytime soon, but it broadens the group’s palette and the vocal harmonies in the verses feel like a knowing nod to Sly And The Family Stone before the choruses see the band revert back to rocking out.
You Are Not Alone is the album’s big ballad, putting the spotlight on McPherson’s impassioned performance and featuring a tasteful solo from Steve Morse. It’s the most conventional track on the album, light on prog but heavy on melodrama. By contrast, Love Letter is a cheerful and bouncy slice of 60s power pop, with an absolute earworm of a hook and Beach Boys-style vocal harmonies combining to produce an overall effect that’s simply gorgeous. They close out the album with Crawl, returning to symphonic prog for a powerful finish.