Mellotronists

>
>Message: 1
>   Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 12:56:54 -0700 (PDT)
>   From: zappaboggs <zappaboggs@...>
>Subject: IQ - Dark Matter
>
>I was wondering if anyone on the list had the opportunity to hear this 
>album yet..  The reviews have certainly grabbed my attention, and I 
>was/am? an IQ fan from "The Wake" daze...  Here is an example:
>
>"Innovation is a word that is not in the IQ dictionary. Dark Matter is 
>simply a culmination of all the previous releases, the main difference 
>lies in the extensive use of Mellotrons, Moogs and a Hammond organ 
>which gives the album its distinctive classical sound. The band states 
>that the attitude and aggression of the new cd is reminiscent of IQ’s 
>early days. This might be so, but the feel of the album is in my 
>opinion more in the line of the title track of their previous album The 
>Seventh House. Dark Matter is a little bit more melodic and is 
>therefore a perfect album to get acquaintanced with the band. A small 
>point of criticism is that the 24 minute epic “Harvest Of Souls”, a 
>great track in itself, is a bit dominating, especially considering the 
>fact that the album features just over 52 minutes of music."
>
>
I've read stuff about this on various prog-related fora, and I get the 
impression some people were expecting some kind of second-coming-like 
piece that no actual music could ever live up to.  Perhaps IQ played 
their "second coming" card when Peter Nicholls rejoined the band? 
Whatever,  I picked a copy up last week, having been a fan of the band 
for quite a while (as well as of most of the neo-progressive acts, 
except perhaps for pendragon) and I am kind of mightily thrilled by it, 
I must admit.  It's one of their strongest albums, and the music on it 
stands up with their best, I think.  When one has been into a band for a 
while, it gets to be kind of like watching a tightrope walker edging 
along and endless rope - when will they (inevitably) fall?  When will 
the band (inevitably) start to suck?  IQ haven't started to suck yet, 
quite the opposite actually, and they've been releasing music for a long 
time, which is very impressive to me.  I think only Porcupine Tree have 
managed to keep improving, over a lot of releases, out of all their 
peers.

It is quite impressive to me, how so many of the '80's prog rock revival 
acts are still going.  Out of the "name acts" (heh - relatively) only 
twelfth night and possibly solstice are kaput.

I don't recall an actual mellotron being credited on the sleeve (which 
is at work) but there is some mention of IK's sampletank app.  Doesn't 
that have a CD rom of mellotron samples?  The mellotron sounds are very 
very clean - no noise at all to speak of.

Anyway, I think the album is well worth picking up, if yer into prog 
rock.

x0x0x
-- 
Norman Fay
http://www.vietgrove.com