OSI - Free

While most supergroups are considered a success if they can release a single disc of quality material, OSI bucked the trend in 2006 by dropping another album on the progressive scene entitled Free, again helmed by co-captains Kevin Moore and Jim Matheo with Mike Portnoy returning on the skins. Sean Malone is sadly absent, as is Steven Wilson as Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning) steps in for bass duties for certain tracks while vocals are provided entirely by Moore this time around.

As the next stage in OSI's evolution as a unit Free leans closer to Moore's area of expertise than Office of Strategic Influence ever did, with several songs that wouldn't seem out of place on one of his solo albums. "Go", "Home Was Good", "Simple Life", and "Better" in particular are more minimalist and reliant on atmosphere than ever, eschewing Matheos' pipe-clearing riffs completely, instead trading in on Moore's singularly droning vocals and keyboard work to carry the weight. Other tracks, like the excellent title track, "Bigger Wave", "Once", and "All Gone Now" allow more room for Matheos' guitar parts to share the load, but never in a way that's completely smooth. Just like with Office of Strategic Influence songs have a clear demarcation between the "Moore sections" and the "Matheos sections", but the more obvious compartmentalization lends things a sterile, clinical air that fits the material. On the whole Free is a looser album than it's older sibling, dropping most of the progressive flourishes that decorated Office of Strategic Influence for cleaner, less forced vibe. Portnoy's caged-beast percussion is a clear highlight, injecting some much-needed emotion into Moore's icy compositions as he synches up with Matheos to deliver even bigger grooves than those found on the previous record - see the title track, "Bigger Wave", and "Better" for details. And if you're concerned about the previous album's political slant, Free's lyrics drop the current event angle entirely - relationships are the primary focus here. Those hoping for something more similar to Moore's work with Chroma Key will also find something to hook into here as Free shifts into synth-pop territory on a couple of occasions with "Simple Life", "Better", and "Once" and the songs on the whole are trimmed down in length across the board - nothing to be found here over six and a half minutes. And as before, the record is capped off with an excellent light acoustic number, this time in the form of "Our Town", bringing things to a satisfying close.

While it wouldn't be until their next record, Blood, that Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos would really begin to fuse the disparate halves of their songwriting inclinations into a cohesive whole, Free's songwriting lacks much of the baggage of their debut and feels more adventurous and experimental as a result. It isn't always elegant, but the band managed to capitalize on their different areas of expertise in an impressive way that never feels self-indulgent. Definitely worth a listen if you liked anything on OSI's previous record.

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