IKARUS

...and there's that organ again. I seem to be drawn towards the organ in the same way as moths to a flame. The difference being I love the closeness to the instrument and I am not burned to ashes by it. Rather it lifts my spirit.

Ikarus plays a certain brand of jazzy prog rock, laced with organ and brass. As a result it sounds alot like many european bands of the time. I hear Skin Alley, Hannibal, Steamhammer, The greatest show on Earth, Graham Bond, Focus, Isaiah and others. Pre-dominantly Ikarus holds a very british sound, though being, as you are aware, from Germany. The vocals are all dealt with in the english language, rather than german. I could have wished for them singing in their native tongue. I am quite partial to that and think it adds to the charm. But then again I can fully appreciate the reason for picking english, being, as it were and certainly is, one of the most spoken languages around, familiar to most people.

The opening track, and also the longest, really setting the pace with an intense jazzy beat. It is divided into several sections and is varied. The organ is ('And there he goes again!') beautifully played. Terrific piece that one.

The following track, "Mesentery", is slightly more mellow but also the more psychedelic. There is a dreamy, percussion-driven section which brings to mind Pink Floydian influences. It is a very atmospheric and beautiful piece, which suits the rhythm of the album, givven the fact that it holds both energetic and more dreamy, mellow songs.

"The raven" is the second longest track and is similar to the first one in energy and construction, though slightly more jazzy. It boasts a sort of free form-ish structure which I like very much. Ikarus manages to balance between structure and chaos in a very fine fashion. "The raven" is also made up of several sections.

The final track is very soothing and relaxing. "Early Bell's voice" is a genius way to end this album. Again, it is a dreamy sort of song. I feel like floating, in and out of the bosom of Time itself.

This is one fine album. If you are interested in jazzy prog this is for you. I love the warm sound of brass and organ together. It brings peace to me and when served in this excellent manner I can't help but be overwhelmed by love to the music of Ikarus. This is top stuff. Yes, it might come across as dated, because it sounds very much as the early 1970's. If that is not to your taste I suppose this album won't agree with you. BUT! If you like good old fashioned, vintage prog with a serious jazzyness to it, I suspect you will, at least, appreciate or even enjoy this one. I love it very much.