Matt Leonard Price can be very loosely classified as prog rock. I would like to think of him as more of a pop/prog artist, mostly because of the simplicity of his compositions and the laid back, catchy riffs that are interspersed throughout. Matt maintains very strong song based content throughout, and along with pushing towards a more psychedelic prog rock approach he also adds some folk elements to make it more well-rounded. Besides playing the keyboard and piano, he also sings, plays guitar, and provides all the backing tracks.
The music's prog leanings are very reminiscent of King Crimson and Yes, especially in the keyboard and guitar work. Besides his prog influences, Bach and Mozart are among his more classical influences. The mixture of classical and prog influences usually leads to a great release, but that is not always the case, as shown with this album. Granted I'm not the biggest fan of slow music and that is pretty much what this album consists of. If you were to listen to this album in a quiet room you would almost definitely fall asleep within the first couple of songs. Matt Leonard Price's voice is way too soft for my liking, and when mixed with the pop backing tracks, it provides for a very drowsy feeling. Besides that, all the songs, except for a small few, sound almost similar with hardly any difference throughout. Most of the riffs sound similar to say a riff in an earlier song, and I always find myself bored by the middle of the album, wanting more.
All that aside, it's hard to deny that Matt Leonard Price isn't a good musician. He is exceptional at the piano and keyboards. This is very evident on the title track where he lays down a great keyboard solo that is perhaps that highlight of the album. My favorite track on the album is probably "Do You Know Who You Are?" which features pretty good vocals and decent guitar playing.
Overall this album isn't bad, but I'm not a huge fan of the style. Most of the time I find myself struggling to get through the whole album, and there are so few highlights on the album to look forward to. Matt Leonard Price's latest release is decent, but not good enough to get any more than 3 stars.
Track listing
1. Things Could Be Worse
2. Sleeping Pill Mannequin
3. The Last Roses
4. Do You Know Who You Are?
5. Scenes From A Life Unlived
6. Different Ophelia
7. Awfully So Togetherly
8. Rain Will Fall And Rivers Overflow
9. Rat Catcher
10. Wand'ring Around In A Daze
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