Grabbing an Electric Light Orchestra album is both easy and challenging for me. You can't really go wrong. Although I admit that there are some that I have to be in the mood to enjoy. Over their long span of production they have explored a full gamut of genre. Very orchestral. Very Disco. Heavy on the Synthpop. Heavy on the Pop. More traditional rock. Or deeply experimental. Chalk this up to Jeff Lynne and his eccentricities or to the various other members of the band that share in them. Either way, the results speak for themselves. Time is one of their seminal records. Recognizable as one of the finest concept albums ever written. It feels deeply 80's. Lost in questions of science fiction. 

But, the concept would be all for naught without the amazing music that brings it to life. The sound is big. The ideas abstract. It is filled with synths. Drums punch flat powerful beats. Guitars chime. The signature ELO string section elevates the sound above the more cliche sounds it employs. We hear the story of a man out of time. "Twilight" paints a grand picture of sights and sounds unbelievable. "The Way Life's Meant to Be" is a song about being lost in life. Seeing all that there is and wondering if it is how it is meant to be. It has this glorious mash of orchestral rock that keeps it jamming. "Rain if Falling" is heartfelt and paints a soundscape of a rainy night/ It is sad and reflective, but filled with an electricity. "Here is the News" feels oddly relateable with our now endless news cycle. Available at a whim. "21st Century Man" is lush and full of possibility. It reflects how people are still the same even in this new and elaborate world. That there are some failings there along the fantastic. We end off with the rocker "Hold on Tight" and what a send off it is. To hold on tight to your dream.

One could write an entire thesis on this album. Both the concept and the music are increduible in their idea and execution. I implore you to listen to the full album in order to get a hold of it. Then you can hold close those unbelievable tracks that you can't get out of your head. This is an unusual album for me in that I would rank it very highly against other ELO albums. But, I would actually rate many of the individual songs lower than a lot of other tracks when taken in isolation. When taken as a whole album with concept intact it is remarkable. It deserves all the acclaim and regard that it has been given over the years. I hope that you give it the time it deserves. Let it speak to you and lead you. You might find it drags you in odd directions. The album feels like it is talking about the future. But, that future also feels like now. So just like the traveller of this album I think we all need to hold on tight to our dreams.