Saga
Network

Entering the two-thousands, the career of Saga proceeds almost on autopilot: regular releases of new albums spaced less than two years apart, occasionally complemented by live publications on CD or DVD, or by compilations. This indicates a cohesion of intent and good artistic health... but what truly surprises is the excellent average level of writing and the freshness of arrangement, virtues even more commendable because they come from seasoned fifty-year-old veterans on their sixteenth album, not from ambitious and dreamy young men making their debut, or in their early repeats.

"Network" surprises because although it contains yet another reiteration of Saga's typical music, it reveals it as inspired and effective as never before. The opening triad of tracks is particularly illustrative of this, let's see them:

The introductory "On the Air" is preceded by a jingle from the CNN broadcaster, upon which is overlaid another invaluable sixteenth-note arpeggio by keyboardist Jim Gilmour, working on one of his Korg machines set to electric piano. Then enters Michael Sadler's emphatic verse, chased by Ian Chricton's guitar riffs. The tempo is slow, halved, to further enhance the circular, incessant work of the keyboards. The next bridge "pulls back" and calms everything momentarily, launching a rather simple chorus, which, however, improves little by little evolving into always different parts, giving extreme dynamics and inevitable progressive aftertaste to the piece: over six minutes of robust inspiration, which do not entirely keep the great promises of the first charming thirty seconds but confirm the unusual class and measure with which this Canadian quintet works.

Another brief "television" prologue, in line with the title and concept of the album, for the subsequent "Keep it Reel", extremely unleashed by the band's standards. Gilmour's idea to accompany the verses with a sound of... an air raid siren is grandiose! Its grim glissando cyclically dramatizes the song, and for the rest, it’s up to Ian Chricton who roams freely with his assortment of cyclopean power chords, breath-stopping muted hints, deadly staccatos, agile slurs, hyper-energetic vibratos, performance-worthy tapping. The piece cuts off after four minutes with the last, deadly ensemble stop, leaving the passionate listener authentically and pleasantly stirred, especially if they had the foresight to raise the volume adequately.

"I'm Back" is rightly introduced with the well-chosen, emotional chords of the refrain. Here Sadler gives his best in terms of conception, arrangement, and execution of the vocals, freeing his voice across two different octaves to describe a broad and intriguing melody. In the verses, instead, a typical delectable dish of the Saga kitchen is sampled: the "bounce" riff between keyboards and guitar. In this specific case, an electronic kalimba delivers the punch, Chricton's six-string replies, perpetuating once again what the legendary Gentle Giant invented in the seventies, which this grateful quintet manages to reiterate and perfect brilliantly.

Track number four "If I Were You" has a déjà vu feel, both in the melodic line and in the scholastic acoustic guitar arpeggio, the only instrument present at the start and then joined and reinforced by fluty keyboard layers similar to mellotron. As ballads go, much better is the one in position number nine, titled "Believe": a typical creation of frontman Michael Sadler, blessed with a piano-vocal duet in the first two minutes; an imperious drum break then introduces the orchestral portion which in melody and arrangement transmits, to Saga fans, a delightful retro flavor, recalling airs and situations already present in the debut album of 1978.

Speaking of drums, the musician at work is new: Cristian Simpson worthily replaces the "historic" Steve Negus, with equally excellent technique and a decisive increase in "heaviness". Poor guy, he won't last long as he will have to immediately quit due to neurological problems... his fine snare hit can be fully admired, for example, in "Outside Looking In" which proceeds heartfelt, freeing the refrain with sails unfurled, without fear.

Producing exceptionally well, perfectly mixed, and taking care of all technical aspects is bassist Jim Chricton, older brother of guitarist Ian. The cover is also his idea: in the cathode-ray tube shown by the antiquated television set, five different covers from the Saga discography are embedded. These are from the first three albums and then the thirteenth and fourteenth, practically almost all those featuring the usual, unsettling band mascot, the humanoid/dragonfly that is so sci-fi, one of the main subjects, even in the lyrics, of this phenomenal band.