DARK MATTER

After their rebirth with Ever, IQ had a string of solid if interchangeable and unremarkable albums. That ends with Dark Matter, their best album since The Wake. The playing isn't very different, but the songs are more distinctive and stronger compositionally, so this one stands out as unique and a more unique expression of their style.

Sacred Sound: one of my favorite IQ songs. Starting with a typical ambient keyboard into, the melody kicks in with some clever time signature riffs and good interplay between all the melodic instruments, combined with some of Nicholls' most evocative lyrics in some time. The guitar melodies between verses keep things moving, and the second, more exuberant chorus keeps the song moving and changing, adding layers and levels. The short drop to a flute interlude before kicking it back up is a Genesis-y touch, but again, welcome way to keep the song's pace from growing stale. The lyrics are expressive, seeming to show some sort of end of days time period and someone trying to find their way through it all, despite hardships. Halfway through, they throw in a building riff that seems to recall Supper's Ready but works as it's own thing, and then the obligatory slowdown section. This builds to a spectacular organ section, just top notch work from Martin Orford who would sadly depart after this album, and a instrumental reprise of sorts of the beginning with some changes and good guitar work from Mike Holmes. Tight playing, great composition and fresh combinations of their typical sounds make for an all time classic

Red Dust Shadow: immediately shifting into a lower gear, with Nicholls singing even lower than I've heard before. Doesn't stay that way for long though, alternating higher verses with lower ones and some good playing on the rockier sections. Nice little piece that stands out from their shorter ones for being dominantly acoustic and quiet, and simpler without having to do too much prog showcasing. That sounds counterproductive coming from a prog band/fan, but it works! What can I say. Great interplay between the mellotron and a bass-sort of solo in the closing section gives a unique feel to the song.

You Never Will: Another short track, starting with a menacing bass riff and an eerie vocal melody from Nicholls while the organ provides atmosphere and background. Alternating the dissonant/minor key verses with a more major key verse gives it a good feel. A middle section driven by Orford's many keyboard voices and soloing make it a highlight.

Born Brilliant: Third and final short track, another menacing sounding bass throbbing riff is offset by Nicholls' melodic vocal. Great counterpoint. Nice mellotron voices providing background as the guitar comes in at various points. One of IQ's very common syncopated drum and bass riffs churns in, simply adding to the existing elements as they all tie together in classic IQ fashion. Weakest song on the album.

Harvest of Souls: The real highlight of the disc, as always prog bands, the 20+minute epic is often where they do some of their best work. This is the first time IQ has attempted this since The Last Human Gateway, in 1982. The Narrow Margin on Subterranea IS 20 minutes, but serves as climax to the story rather than a piece composed to stand on it's own. Harvest stands in a league of it's own, with serious audacity: it's structure seemingly consciously apes that of perhaps the most celebrated prog epic, Supper's Ready, while remaining it's own unique and inspired composition.

I. First of the Last: this opening section with chiming 12 string guitar melodies and vocals is a lovely intro. The shift to a minor key is like, LITERALLY exactly what the opening of Supper's Ready does. and then... II. The Wrong Host: slow but pompous rock with keyboard arpeggios is again, EXACTLY what Supper's Ready does, but that totally works as the sound is pure IQ, even if that means it inherently has some Genesis in it. Good guitar melodies. This section takes a menacing turn into a harder driving section with lots of guitar workouts. There seems to be some sort of theme about attitudes glorifying and deifying America, perhaps with a darker side? The driving section becomes lyrical and drives us into a slower, more melodic section III. Nocturne: the guitars here are just perfect, sometimes two harmonizing but very elegant playing complementing Nicholls' vocals beautifully, which leads to another heavy and frenetic instrumental section, whose darkness bottoms out in crashing noises only to be alleviated by a bright bouncy piano and guitar melody. This is truly the work of a band trying to shake itself up and make every note original. IV: Frame and Form: lovely melodies and playing from all around, an uplifting section with inspiring lyrics about communication, seguing into a descending piano melody section that leads to V: Mortal Procession: heavy pounding riffs atmospheric mellotron in the background leading to tricky time signature section driven by the organ and synth solos, recalling directly Supper's ready's keyboard insanity climax, and then a reprise of the second section, again EXACTLY lifting from Supper's ready but still it's own thing. Very hard to pull off but this band in this fine a form are the one to do it. This is the final section, called Ghosts of days.

This is one of their best, hands down.