ARGUS

Up until a few months ago the name Wishbone Ash had never even crossed my ears. I was drawn to the band over the incredible hype over its adding to the prog-related category, and its subsequent string of five star ratings giving it a perfect score for a solid amount of time. So naturally I promptly ordered the album and awaited to be swept up by the sonic euphoria that was sure to come. Then to my puzzled surprise, the album seemed like generic classic rock; sounded like something that i had heard before, so natural to my ears. I was incredibly disappointed. But then...

Persistence paid off. I listened to this album time and time again and then it hit me, and I fell hard and fast. The melodic complexity of the album unfolded itself, and the variety of textures formed by the Ash's patented twin axe attack more than made up for the absence of a keyboard player in adding variety to the songs. The songs sounding familiar had nothing to do with them not being adventurous; instead the melodies were just so perfect like each note was destined to fall into the place Wishbone Ash put it. The dreamy, calming atmosphere this album produces is remarkable. Even when the album takes a break to be aggressive with its closing two tracks, the melody remains so strong and lush.

The musicianship here is top notch. The focus is obviously on the guitars but the bass still makes itself heard and plays an important part in the music often a hard thing to do in bands with two guitarist. The drumming is surprisingly powerful yet retains the album's dreamlike quality perfectly. The singing is nothing special, but fits the album much like Gilmour's singing on Meddle.

This album as well as any shows that an album can be a complete work without any filler or standouts dwarfing the other compositions. Those who lean toward the more adventorous side of prog will probably find little here, but the general prog fanbase should be pleased enough. The album lacks a certain something with its first few tracks for me to consider it a five star album even outside the prog spectrum, but it comes close.