3rdegree - "Narrow-Caster" Review

Artist/ Band: 3rdegree
Title: Narrow-Caster
Label: Self release
Year of Release: 2008
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

New Jersey-based 3RDegree, returns after a 12 years gives us a new album called Narrow-Caster. This is a result of the band reuniting in late 2005. In 2006 they recorded the songs and tested them out live in Spring 2007.The band still consists of Robert James Pashman (bass/keys/vocals), Pat Kliesch (guitars/vocals), Rob Durham (drums), and George Dobbs (vocals/keys), 3RDegree is basically an accessible (not mainstream) sounding progressive rock band that mixes song-based compositions with a complex twist. If I had to say the music runs along the lines of Jellyfish, The Beatles, Toy Matinee, Supertramp, Toto Land Of Chocolate and the like.

From the opening track "Apophenia", I was simply hooked. They combine just about everything that I enjoy in progressive rock music like complex time signatures, great hooks and melody. The next track “It Works” further solidifies my listening pleasure of this band. From these two tracks alone I would classify the band as modern progressive rock rather than Neo. The sole reason is the band almost always stays away from the standard chorus-verse-chorus.

The lyrical content on Narrow-Caster is the band’s commentary on the current state-of-things in the world in the past decade. Lot’s of tongue-in-cheek lyrics in fact. A prime example is on the song "Cautionary Tale":with the line, "Burning crosses/falling towers/brought to you by those who were so certain that they'd go to heaven". That’s pretty heavy stuff without taking themselves too seriously.

3rdegree has captured me with this release, more so than the previous one. Not saying it was bad, just a bit on the dated side. Narrow-Caster has a more timeless feel to it, from start to finish. Well done guys! This is one of the best releases that I've reviewed this year. Without any doubt, I highly recommend this especially for fans of the bands I mentioned above.

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on December 31st, 2008

Tracks:

1. Appophenia

2. It Works

3. Narrow-Caster

4. Live With This Forever

5. Cautionary Tale

6. The Proverbial Banana Peel

7. Young Once

8. Scenery

9. Free For All

10. The Last Gasp

Reviewed Discography

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