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░ ██ ██ Artist: IQ ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Tales from the Lush Attic █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 1994 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-03-13 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Giant Electric Pea Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Reissue ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Formed by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford all the █
█ way back in 1981, IQ were amongst the first bands █
█ in the 80s to resurrect the styles of Genesis and █
█ Yes and progressive rock in general along with █
█ other early neo-prog pioneers Marillion, █
█ Pendragon, Twelfth Night, Pallas and others. █
█ Although this debut album by IQ starts out █
█ sounding like a mere Genesis clone with Gabriel █
█ era vocals and keyboard runs, it really picks up █
█ after few minutes and takes the listener on most █
█ unexpected journeys. █
█ Genesis were masters of creating a new sound and █
█ then suddenly jettisoning it in favor of a new █
█ one. In the wake of their musical disposals first █
█ encountered on "Trespass" countless bands hungrily █
█ devoured the carcasses of their former sounds and █
█ incorporated them into their musical beings. After █
█ Gabriel left, the band changed their sound to a █
█ more neo-prog sound and eventually to a symphonic █
█ pop sound abandoning all the prog they so █
█ ambitiously created in the first place. Bands like █
█ IQ boldly resurrected these progressive traits █
█ first heard in the 70s and added a little zing to █
█ the whole mix. █
█ TALES FROM THE LUSH ATTIC expands the Genesis █
█ inspired universe into farther reaches of that █
█ musical universe. Technically the second album █
█ after the cassette-only "Seven Stories Into Eight" █
█ it was nonetheless the first major release. █
█ Although Peter Nicholls echoes the Gabriel era of █
█ Genesis, at times he actually sounds like a bit █
█ like Rikk Emmett of Triumph at times showing a █
█ more diverse range in the octave department. █
█ This album is a surprise actually. Coming to this █
█ late in the game after hearing the 21st century █
█ releases first, i have to say that i really love █
█ this debut. It shows great maturity in the █
█ composition department and the musicianship is on █
█ an excellent level matching that of any technical █
█ level of other 80s genres such as metal, jazz or █
█ classical. Martin Orford is particularly brilliant █
█ on the keyboards on this one and i even hear a █
█ little Philip Glass wizardry influence here and █
█ there. The rest of the band is nothing less than █
█ phenomenal in their ability to maintain a tight █
█ and steady progressive time signature frenzy as █
█ well. █
█ A very promising start to a long lasting career █
█ with this one and even though there were a few █
█ speed bumps on the way, IQ has remained a steady █
█ and incrementally waxing force in the progressive █
█ rock arena for three decades at this point (2014). █
█ I find the music on this one brilliant but it is █
█ the blatant Gabriel vocal impersonation here that █
█ keeps me from rating this higher. It's just tooooo █
█ Peter most of the time. The best parts are the █
█ instrumental ones but even with vocals as they are █
█ and all i still really dig this scene. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Last Human Gateway 19:59 ░
░ 2. Through the Corridors 2:37 ░
░ 3. Awake and Nervous 7:45 ░
░ 4. My Baby Treats Me Right 'Cos I'm A 1:46 ░
░ Hard-Lovin' Man All Night Long ░
░ 5. The Enemy Smacks 13:52 ░
░ 6. Just Changing Hands 10:17 ░
░ 56:16 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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