An awesome listening experience, not to be taken lightly but if you have the patience and constitution, you will be rewarded! This album demands your wholehearted attention, anything less and you will miss the riches buried beneath the tempestuous surface, because amidst the maelstrom of meshing guitars are subtle and beautiful harmonic gems, sparkling rhythmic shifts and shimmering vocals.
I wouldn't call it 'prog', to do so would be a disservice to both that musical genre and this staggering offering itself. It's progressive, sure, in experimenting with the form and kicking over the tressles of the frankly bland and tedious mainstream, and while the spectres of the old guard (Floyd, Crimson, the Sabs et al)lurk in the depths, the restless intelligence of the likes of Radiohead (check out the lyrics, people!) and rock's renewed love of massed guitars seem to light the way.
'Charm Offensive' begins as a slowburn, gathering momentum into a scream of indignation, and sets the standard for the rest of the album, with passion and outrage rising again in tracks such as 'Homage to A Shame', 'No Tomorrow' and the exultant and deceptive chaos of Y'Can't Keep A Bad Man Down'. The soaring brittle beauty of 'Music For A Nurse' shines achingly, and 'Heaven Alive' and 'The Last Wrongs' break the surface, voices dazzling briefly in the Sun.
Play it again, and then again, explore the depths of this music in all its massive glory and wonder at the worlds to be found there. Persevere, this is the future now!