Style: Progressive rock, rock opera (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Moron Police, The Protomen
Country: United States
Release date: 16 January 2026

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The rock opera is a time-honoured indulgence of prog rock’s wildest imaginations. I liken the format to an exuberant cousin of the musical, allowing artists to weave together musical panache and theatrical flair. But it’s also a format that magnifies every creative weakness it contains, demanding the discipline to mold big ideas into a drama that can be digested in the audio medium. For every towering success like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Protomen’s self-titled trilogy, and (for those with impeccable taste) Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Beethoven’s Last Night, there are untold numbers of overwrought and under-executed wannabes.

Operating under the name Computer Nerd, self-described “musical storyteller” Chris Bush has previously released a handful of instrumental, chiptune-y synth soundtracks inspired by retro video games. 20,000 Years & Still Going Strong marks a foray into the full-blown rock opera format, complete with spoken word scenes, an extensive list of guest personnel, and a sprawling narrative framework about an immortal man reflecting on his past romantic entanglements while also getting seduced by a lonely AI. The concept may invite a chuckle at its elaborate scale, but this isn’t a joke album. Bits of quirkiness are dashed in throughout: lyrics about earwax, gratuitous multipartite song titles, the bizarre opera vocals in “Tundra / The Snare / FUTRA®’s Lament.”¹ But the project comes across as fundamentally sincere—if not a little gawky—and largely uninterested in using zaniness as a shield against criticism.²

Instrumentally, 20,000 Years & Still Going Strong is frequently engaging. Zinging from its opening bars with a peppy, guitar-led strut that sounds like the interstitial music from an 80s variety show, the album radiates with the amiable warmth of early prog rock acts like Genesis or Camel. Retro synth tones, meandering guitar solos, and an unhurried pace contribute to the sense that Computer Nerd are more interested in charm than spectacle. The jazzy saxophone that tears long, loping arcs across “No Reason” and “Give Me Time” injects welcome variety, as does a sultry, spotlight-stealing bass solo in “The Other Side of You”. However, these passages are sometimes allowed to sprawl unchecked, with solos and segments lingering past their point of emphasis.

A more fundamental weakness of 20,000 Years lies in the writing and execution of the vocals. Vocalist Burke Hutchinson, who plays the immortal man at the centre of the album’s narrative, aims for a conversational delivery similar to that of an actor in a sung-through Broadway play. But Hutchinson lacks the vocal support to pull this off convincingly, often tripped up by complex passages where his tone and pitch falter in a reedy middle and upper register. The female vocalist in the role of the narrator’s various love interests (credited mononymously as Yannie) fares better, with somewhat more refined technique.³ 

In addition to the patchy delivery, one cannot escape the awkward composition of the vocal lines. Seemingly, what Computer Nerd mastermind Bush actually wanted to do was write a musical. But the narrative remains frustratingly oblique in the audio-only format, across long, segmented tracks and wordy lyrics where emphasis is frequently forced onto the wrong syllable. Both vocalists hustle through verbose paragraphs about life, love, and Folgers’ coffee, but I’d be hard-pressed to explain the plot arc of the album when it’s all said and done. And while I earlier praised 20,000 Years for not leaning too heavily on the crutch of goofiness, a few truly bizarre choices like the off-key chorus vocals in the opening track or the spoken-word skit in “Dance on a Star” are hard to get through without cringing.⁴

These deficiencies make it all the more striking when Computer Nerd lock in during the album’s standout moments. For example, nine minutes into the penultimate track, “Code Blue (Reprise)”, 20,000 Years briefly becomes the album it’s been reaching for all along. A ripping guitar solo backed by choral oohs and ahhs gives way to shiny synth textures, and vocalist Hutchinson delivers one of his most convincing and commanding passages on the record as the narrator triumphantly rises above his fears. For a few minutes, the narrative, the performances, and the instrumental zeal all align.

20,000 Years & Still Going Strong has no shortage of ambition or sincerity, and its instrumental foundations suggest a composer with genuine aptitude for exploring prog’s melodic, approachable side. But as a narrative work, it struggles, torn between a grand chronological scale and awkward vocal writing and delivery that registers as domestic and somewhat dorky. Computer Nerd may not have crafted a grand musical monument to immortality, but the flashes of charm and brilliance hint towards a future where their ideas are not just Still Going, but growing stronger.

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Recommended tracks: The Other Side of You, Give Me Time, Code Blue (Reprise)
You may also like: Agropelter, Adjy, The Circle of Wonders, Frost*
Final verdict: 5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram

Label: Independent

Computer Nerd is:
– Chris James Bush (composition and lyrics, additional vocals, keyboard, flute)
With guests:
– Burke Hutchinson (vocals)
– Yannie (vocals)
– Murphy Aucamp (drums)
– Josh Uguccioni (bass)
– Franco Vittore (guitar)
– Miles Wilkins (keyboard)
– Daniel Sadownick (percussion)
– Jessica Greenfield (additional vocals)
– Daniel Berkey (tenor sax)
– Raymond Klassen (dobro)

1. Song titles like this one illustrate my previous point, but for the sake of the word count and my sanity, I’ll limit future track references  to the relevant part of the title only. ↩︎
2.  I believe that some bands craft deliberately unserious musical or conceptual structures as a way to deflect criticism of the quality of their output. ↩︎
3. She occasionally sounds uncannily like Scardust’s Noa Gruman. ↩︎
4. It’s probably not a good sign when the stage directions [repeat 3x, each time getting more unhinged] appear in your lyrics. ↩︎