Soft Machine Legacy reads like a dubious proposition: a band with neither original members nor anyone from even the second or third lineups. But they sound great on Burden on Proof, carrying on the trajectory of the psychedelic, always jazz-inflected Soft Machine—a band that emerged from the same milieu as Syd Barrett. SML achieves something beyond the grasp of most fusion bands in blending ensemble improvisation with a rock-hard edge.
