The deeper I get into The Alan Parson’s Project’s later discography, the more I expect each record to disappoint me. For years, the narrative in my head had been that APP peaked hard with The Eye In the Sky and went downhill fast.

When I put Stereotomy onto my turntable, I expected the bouncing metallic synths to finally signal the Project’s downfall into uninspired new wave pastiche. But to my surprise (and delight), what followed was a record that retained the sophistication of the collective’s finest work while adding more electronic elements to their palette.

Stereotomy is defined as “the art of cutting three-dimensional solids into particular shapes,” such as carving slabs of marble into pillars, or, more relevant to the theme of the record, the way that fame carves artists into the expectations of the public. The prominence of synthesizers then feels like a tongue-in-cheek response to their trendiness rather than giving in to the trend.

Compositionally, this is classic Parsons. It’s the most instrumental-driven record since 1977’s I Robot, with three instrumental tracks making up thirteen of its forty minutes (Pyramid also had three instrumentals, but they weren’t as long). The seven-minute “Where’s the Walrus?” is particularly impressive, combining percussive synth arpeggios with virtuosic electric guitar, soulful saxophone, and orchestra.

There’s a healthy dose of driving rock and roll (“Stereotomy,” “In the Real World“), some moving ballads (“Limelight,” “Light of the World“), and a great Police-esque pop track (“Beaujolais“). Of the actual songs, only “In the Real World” flirts with schlock, sounding more like a boring Journey ripoff than Alan Parsons Project. It’s also worth mentioning that this is the first record since their debut Tales of Mystery and Imagination to not feature Lenny Zakatek’s vocals anywhere on the record, and his voice is a little missed.

While I may not rank it in the top of the Project’s catalog (but let’s be honest, there’s some stiff competition in there), it is yet another rewarding album featuring the prog ambition and hooky popcraft of the partnership between Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. It may not get as much spin time as some of their other records, but it’s hardly bad.