THE JEWEL

Pendragon's debut is a perfectly acceptable slice of keyboard-heavy neo-prog that doesn't win any Pink Floyd-sized plaudits yet sums up the niceties of it's admittedly restricted musical sub- genre rather nicely. When discussing neo-prog several great albums spring to mind; IQ's debut 'Tales From The Lush Attic' and it's equally excellent follow-up 'The Wake'; Marillion's commercially-successful 'Misplaced Childhood'; 'The Dangers Of Strangers' by scotch rockers Abel Ganz; and Twelfth Night's masterly 'Fact & Fiction' album from 1982. 'The Jewel', with it's twinkling synths and rasping guitars and lead-singer Nick Barrett's yelpish vocals, should appeal to fans of these albums, presenting a slightly less complex yet highly melodic sonic spin on the well-worn formula. Stand out tracks include the mystical epic 'Alaska' and the uplifting rocker 'The Pleasure Of Hope', which features a memorable opening keyboard riff and thus displays Pendragon's strong Genesis and Yes influences. All told then, 'The Jewel' is decent prog, impressively played. But it's no classic. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010