Jonas Lindberg and The Other Side - Time Frames PV093

Jonas Lindberg and The Other Side - Time Frames Progressive Voyages Review PV093

There are certain progressive rock bands that, within their sub-genres, are so good…. so adept at plying their trade…. that they can be a “defining band” within that genre. For avant-garde/Rock In Opposition, you have the unmatched auspices of Henry Cow. For a more straightforward progressive rock style, you can always play a variance of Rush records. For a folky, more traditional sense of prog, The Emerald Dawn delivers every time.

And for symphonic Neo-Prog, you can add Jonas Lindberg and the Other Side to an austere list that includes the likes of Karmakanic, The Flower Kings, Kaipa and Moon Safari. In 2022, Jonas and company released ‘Miles From Nowhere’, their second record, and in so doing, they hooked me like a fish. I found that album so different, so well-crafted and so supremely listenable, that it made one of my top albums of that year. And I anxiously awaited for when we’d hear from them again.

And so we have.

‘Time Frames’ is the Sweden outfit’s newest “opus magnifique” and not only picks up right where ‘Miles’ left off…. but actually improves their standing in the sub-genre of symphonic prog. With the help of a veritable army of talent (Jonas Sundqvist, Jenny Storm, Jonathan Lungberg, Calle Schönning, Nicklaus Thelin, Joel Lindberg, Connie Lindgren, Kerstin Lindberg and Maria Olsson…. I told you it was an army!), Jonas has produced an album full of songs which are instantly accessible and listenable, and yet intricately laden with their own sense of uniqueness. Through years of “craft-honing” and maturity, the band truly has become one that sounds like themselves. ‘Time Frames’, at seven songs and just under 70 minutes in length, is an auditory feast that will have you wishing they’d found a way to put just one more song into that last 10 minutes of space.

So…. Join me, won’t you? Let’s walk to the end of the road, look to the faces of stone, adorn the galactic velvet and ride along with the wind as we move, track-by-track, through this glorious release.

‘End of the Road’ - immediate symphonic magnificence begins this almost 13 minute track. Channeling bands like The Flower Kings, Karmakanic and Kaipa, this is a melodic force d’jour; and has alternating and varying moments of straight rock combined with utter atmospheric brilliance. At the 4 min. mark, the track’s Neo-prog sensibilities kick into high gear, with fantastic keys playing over the guitar line and a sense of symphony ebbs and flows between synths and melodic voices, but never truly leaves the scene. There are also several astonishing musical breaks, some simple…. others fantastical in their complexity, and some sublime guitar work that will leave you in wonder. Overall a stunning opening track that gives you a real sense that this album is going to be something special.

‘Someone Like Me’ - beginning in ballad-esque fashion, this one starts quietly before moving to an excellent and catchy march-like drum rhythm and a superb vocal performance. This one has a lot of hallmarks of the modern prog band Moon Safari, which is a compliment of the highest order. The beat never really relents and this is one of the more straightforward (yet supremely catchy) songs on the record.

‘Faces of Stone’ - we now turn to one of my favorite tracks on the album. The theme and hook of this one is just untouchably awesome. It will have you nodding your head and singing along with the anthem-like chorus. Played almost entirely in an odd-time signature (I believe it’s in 5/8 time), but not overly technical in its execution, this is a perfect example of how to mold technical styles of prog into a more accessible song that masks that technicality in the atmosphere of the music. It also features, once again, incredible musicianship…. particularly in the synth and guitar performances. A masterclass in progressive songcraft.

‘Galactic Velvet’ - this name is very apropos for this song…. which is both galactic in its soundscape and velvety in its subtle execution of that soundscape. Just gorgeously written and performed, and in my opinion one of the hi-lights of the record as it relates to the symphonic aspect of the record. Jenny Storm’s vocals are precise and beautiful, and they juxtapose with the musically created galactic atmosphere with near perfection. A spoken section with a more tribal beat in the middle of the song is a nice departure from the song’s original and dominant structural theme, and is both refreshing and welcome as an unexpected twist before returning to the crux of the song. Excellent stuff.

‘Gruvan’ - the album’s sole instrumental offering is a folky-in-nature, upbeat and swinging track that will grab you and not let go. Once again, the keys are just phenomenal on this track, and play so very well over the songs main theme, held fast by the repeating guitar. One of the better prog rock instrumentals of 2025, in my estimation; heavily reminiscent of bands like Moon Safari and Kaipa. The song also has, at 4:17, one of the best (but all-too brief) drop-downs to a heavier prog section that I’ve heard in quite some time, before effortlessly switching back to a more refined neo-prog sensibility, complete with one of the album’s best guitar solo sections. A stunner of an instrumental.

‘Running Out of Time’ - the intro here, complete with flute, reminds me of some of the classic 70’s prog…. But only briefly, before the beat turns decidedly modern and the song kicks in with a straight progressive drive and a chorus that employs one of the catchiest ostinato sections in recent memory. Not to be forgotten, synths and guitar are featured here as well, back and forthing in their usual brilliant manner, before the use of ostinato reappears in a grand fashion to conclude the track. This is, hands down, one of the best “more straightforward” tracks you’ll find on a progressive record in 2025.

‘The Wind’ - ah, the 17:31 concluding masterpiece arrives at last. It is difficult to effectively chart all of the deft maneuvers that this song takes in its long and amazingly fun and beautiful journey. It is, at times, a ballad, at others a hard rock song that channels the 1980’s, at still other times a cinematic soundtrack, and is thus an exercise in indulgence of the variances of sounds and styles associated with progressive rock fare. It is anthemic and soaring; melodically powerful and for the most part belies technical difficulty for a simplicity that helps carry the voices and focuses the song on the more cinematic and soundscape aspects. Even the power rock section, something akin to 80’s metal from Lita Ford (with excellent vocals provided by Storm), leans simplistic and lets the listener ride easily with the wind. And the ending…. well it tugs at the heart, with vocal harmonies and musical panache that play so beautifully over one another that it can bring a tear to your eye. Jonas and company have proven themselves particularly proficient in the successful creation of the long form progressive epic with this astonishing closing track.

Jonas Lindberg and the Other Side have done it once again, my friends. They have taken their distinctive sound and style, and have matured it and improved upon it from album to album. ‘Time Frames’ is more than just a logical progression in that maturation; it is a MONUMENTAL step forward in their development. It is a fantastic record; at once warm, comfortable and embracing, much like a friend that you love to listen to; one who never leaves your side and always has a good story to tell. Jonas and company are well and truly on their way (if they are not already there) to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the tallest and most well-known giants of the symphonic progressive world. ‘Time Frames’ is, quite simply, splendid from the first note to the last, and is one of the year’s greatest achievements in the world of symphonic prog.

For more information, you can find Jonas Lindberg and the Other Side on Bandcamp.

Here:www.jonaslindbergtheotherside.bandcamp.com.

Written by Christopher M. Clark