Untying the Not

 (44 customer reviews)

The nice thing about this album is that it truly is an "album." Unlike much of today's single driven music where artists focus on that one hit song, "Untying the Not" is a cohesive whole where each song flows into the next. The themes of the album are experimentation and exploration and SCI has definitely done that in regards to the music as well. This album may sound a bit strange at first to long time fans, but it shows growth and a willingness to transcend the "been there, done that". I've been a fan for several years now and was drawn to them originally because of the ease with which they blur and mix genres of music. This album does that in ways that I haven't heard before. While the bluegrass is sadly absent from this release, I appreciate their attempt at branching out. For SCI fans "Untying the Not" is worth checking out. If you are new to SCI and looking for a first album I would probably steer you to some of their older live...Read more

I'm not particularly concerned with whether this album is better or worse than SCI's other studio releases. It certainly isn't like a live show. What I find especially strong here are the lyrics. They're meaningful - existential, spiritual, and often motivational. The music itself moves from straightforward beats to wild techno stuff that I haven't heard the band do before. The first few times I listened I thought some songs were more interesting than others. Now the ones I thought were so-so are the ones that mean the most to me. The music strongly supports the themes of the songs - took a while for me to get it. In one song, a young lady sensually suggests three inspirational activities "...breathing, dancing ...creative ecstasy." I think this sums up the overall feel of the central parts the album, which are like a kaleidoscope of individual tunes that flow into one another.This has turned into an album I can listen to straight through without hitting the skip...Read more

(Point of Clarification - This review was actually posted by my son when he was living with me and going to college.)

Amazing. SCI continually raises the bar for what I consider to be truly talented musicianship. It is fairly well known that SCI can play with the best of them live, but until this album their studio work was usually just a reflection of what the band can do live. However, this release proves that these guys are truly in a league of their own when it comes to versatility and creativity. This disc is a must have for anyone who is a fan of well developed, thought provoking music. SCI is a breath of fresh air from the seemingly ever-growing population of cookie cutter bands that are plaguing today's music industry. Keep up the good work boys. You have gained a fan for life in me.