TALES FROM THE LUSH ATTIC

Tales from the Lush Attic is the debut studio album from UK progressive rock act IQ. I was introduced to IQ through their Seventh House ( 2000) album, which was their new album at the time when I purchased it, and I have since purchased almost anything the band has released. My initial interest in IQ stems from a recommendation I got that IQ was similar to Fish era Marillion which happens to be some of my favorite music. There are generally many similarities between IQ and Marillion but there are just as many differences. Tales from the Lush Attic is actually one of the last IQ albums I have purchased as it´s only recently that I knew of its existence.

The music is in the neo-progressive style which means that the keyboard sounds that are used instantly gives away the fact that this music was made in the eighties. Just as the case is with Marillion, IQ is very influenced by seventies Genesis but their overall sound is very different from Genesis sound because of the eighties sound and production. The mood on the album is predominantly melancholic. The music is dominated by keyboards but guitar, bass and drums also has place in the soundscape, especially the melodic guitars has to be mentioned as another dominant part of IQ´s sound. The vocals from Peter Nicholls are very distinct ( a cross between Peter Gabriel/ Fish) and gives IQ much of their identity ( he would leave for a period in the late eighties and IQ suffered greatly because of the loss. He proved to be impossible to replace).

The album starts with the 19:57 minute long The Last Human Gateway which is a great epic track with many different parts. Very Genesis inspired. The short guitar dominated Through The Corridors reminds me of Marillion. Awake And Nervous is my favorite here. Great emotional and powerful track. The strangely titled My Baby Treats Me Right ´Cos I´m A Hard Lovin´ Man All Night Long is actually a classically inspired piano piece even though I thought it might be a rock´n´roll song with that title. Great little piece. The Enemy Smacks is a 13:49 minute long epic track and again I´m happy about the sound of this. Great song. The CD bonus track Just Changing Hands is good but not excellent IMO.

The musicianship is pretty good even though there are parts that seem a bit naive. I really like the energetic drumming ( with that thin eighties sound that reminds me of Script for A Jester´s Tear by Marillion). There are some great keyboard and guitar performances here too while Peter Nicholls is still young and not as commanding in his vocal performance as on later releases. His performance is still good though.

The production is really thin and with a sound like this it will always be an aquired taste if it suits your taste. I rather enjoy it. Think of how the sound quality is on Marillion´s Grendel track and you´re just about there.

I´m a bit surprised that I enjoy this album as much as I do, but sometimes lightning strikes and you don´t know why. For all its flaws I still think that Tales from the Lush Attic is an excellent debut and it deserves somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I´ll round it up this time and give it 4 stars as I really find it enjoyable.