Wrong (Special Edition)

When a German band names itself after a Deep Purple song, all bets are off as far as the musical outcome is concerned. (Are they going to play industrial prog? Darkwave metal? EBM electro-pop?) Actually, Anyone's Daughter made its name on the European scene in the late '70s and '80s with a series of intelligent prog rock albums that drew comparisons to Pink Floyd and Triumvirat. After an extended hiatus, the band returned in 2000 and has made three new albums since, the latest of which is this musically impressive (if lyrically awkward) effort. The band seamlessly incorporates elements of electronic percussion into tracks like "The Wrong" and "Your Time," while "Helios Reloaded" opens with some good old-fashioned Bach & roll neo-classicism and "Fade Out" brings in a subtle Latin influence. But throughout the album, center stage is occupied by big-voiced singer André Carswell, who is unfortunately saddled with cringe-inducing lyrics along the lines of "Looking up instead of always down turns a frown into a smile" and "There's a star in the sky/That will never say die." In strictly musical terms, this album is not bad at all. But it's not always possible to ignore those lyrics, unfortunately.