IN A GLASS HOUSE

If this is Gentle Giant's most serious album, then the band is probably just not serious enough for my tastes. There is plenty of good music on this album, but there is more than enough goofiness that really doesn't do much for me either, such as the sound effects to open and close the album and all of An Inmate's Lullaby. I realize that's all part of the Giant's uniqueness and creativity; however, this seems to be one of the kinds of prog that I have trouble really getting into.

The lone exception is the title track. With a killer opening 12-string (at least I think) riff, coupled with a captivating violin countermelody, this track wastes no time in getting started. Then the vocals come in with classic Giant irregularity, and the guys keep hitting you with great melody after great melody, until about halfway through we get an unexpectedly heavy guitar riff that takes the song to conclusion nicely. It's really an amazingly frenetic eight minutes of prog.

The Runaway, Way of Life, Experience. These songs all have plenty of good moments, but lack the energy and consistency of the title track. The Runaway is a rocker--at least by Gentle Giant standards--and is centered around the guitar lines, but also features tons of interesting synth and xylophone fills. Way of Life and Experience I have mixed feelings about--they feature so many contrasts (between light and heavy particularly), that I usually enjoy sections of each when I put them on, but rarely enjoy the entire song throughout. Despite that, they certainly bear the Giant's unique touch, including playful interplay and slightly off-key vocals.

Gentle Giant are one of those bands that are good enough to intrigue me, but in my opinion not worth the money it costs to obtain their music. Except for the title track, this album is somewhat inconsistent, but solid enough for a moderately enthusiastic recommendation.