ASTRAL PLAIN

“THE OTHER SIDE OF LIFE.” The Moody Blues. Polydor/Threshold. It’s not quite like old times for the Moodies on what is only the group’s fourth album of all-new material since 1972’s “Seventh Sojourn.” Upbeat tunes like “Talkin’ Talkin’ ” are not quite as propulsive as, say, the old “Ride My See Saw.” Slower ones like “I Just Don’t Care” are not quite as lush as, say, “Nights In White Satin.” And the tone of the whole thing is not quite as cosmic as, say, “On the Threshold of a Dream.” The title cut’s chorus, “Baby, baby, baby let’s investigate/The other side of life tonight,” sounds more like a pick-up line than a ticket to ride on the astral plane. Still, the single “Your Wildest Dreams” is kinda catchy and the voices of Justin Hayward and John Lodge do stir up some pleasantly nostalgic feelings.