If you have a jones for the sounds of late ‘70s prog pop as done by bands like Klaatu, Kayak, Triumvirat or Fireballet, then Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears will satisfy your every need, and then some, as they take that ambrosia of styles and propel it into the New Millennium. You’ll definitely want to strap yourself in while listening to this one, because it’s a veritable rocket ship ride with megatons of G-Force! Flight Of The Knife weds pop, prog, classical, jazz, ragtime (!), and even a bit of funk (!!) in a way that no other album has ever done, and Scary’s perfectly pitched voice is just the right vehicle for these songs, as he’s able to lighten it up on the delicate, whimsical “Venus Ambassador” or turn it up to 11 on the frenetic “La Madame On The Moon,” which has more starts and stops than a traffic jam. Fans of Yes will particularly dig “Son Of Stab,” with its Squire-esque bass lines. While each song has its own particular style, the album is the ultimate Gestalt experience and should always be listened to as a whole. It seems obvious that Flight Of The Knife is meant to be a concept, but the concept is not tangible -- perhaps it’s left to the listeners imagination! At any rate, it’s a marvelous album that will take your emotions and shake them up, but leave you breathless when it’s all over.
--David Bash [April 4, 2008]
