This was a tough album to digest. Although titled Language, the lyrics were (ironically) not included with the CD and are pretty symbolic. But, after researching them online and listening to the album a bazillion times, I finally understand the concept and my mind was kind of blown. It's summarized in spoken word (apparently by a man named Allan Waits) at the end of the album:

"In other words, the so-called involuntary circulation of your blood is one continuous process with the stars shining. If you find out it's YOU who circulates your blood, you will at the same moment find out that you are shining the sun. Because your physical organism is one continuous process with everything else that's going on. Just as the waves are continuous with the ocean. Your body is continuous with the total energy system of the cosmos, and it's all you. Only you're playing the game that you're only this bit of it."

You are the language... OF THE COSMOS, trying to understand itself. Being a materialistic in denial (because it's just too depressing), this concept is fascinating to me.

But besides the lyrical content, what about the music? Here the album falls a little short, because I feel like it doesn't completely match the concept. The idea of ebb and flow is persistent in the lyrics, but doesn't translate well to the music because nothing repeats, like, ever. On the entire album. I feel like some sort of ebb and flow in musical motifs would have been helpful to convey the message a bit better. That being said... the compositions are amazing, if altogether a bit too meandering. It also contributes to making this album pretty impenetrable until at least half a dozen listens.

3.5/5 - Very good. Love the lyrical concept, wished the music matched it a bit better. The compositions are amazing in a vacuum, but are too meandering too completely stick with you. Wanted to rate this one higher, but here we are; I think back to The Ocean's Pelagial - there is a concept album where the music really conveys the message as well as the lyrics.