RESISTANCE

It's IQ! They're back with yet another attempt to celebrate and emulate the sounds, styles, and spirit of late 1970s GENESIS and YES. What they've achieved here is, in my opinion, a full step better than the dull, unmemorable monotony of 2014's Road of Bones. Resistance contains (mostly) excellent sound and production, as well as lush, melodic themes, inviting song constructs, and awesome solos. There are, however, Peter Nicholls' usual weird, nondescript, undecipherable-though-perfectly-enunciated lyrics sung in his usual steady, almost lazy, pleasant voice. As opposed to Road of Bones, there are high points (CD One's "Rise" through "Shallow Bay") and far fewer lows.

CD 1 (52:58)

1. "A Missile" (6:40) opens with some heavy riffing from the guitar, bass, organ, and drums while Peter Nicholls enters with his more insistent voice while always maintaining careful and clear diction. The song is hard-driving but does nothing for me either sonically, emotionally, or lyrically. It feels routine, robotic, one-dimensional, and, ultimately, forgettable. (11/15)

2. "Rise" (6:49) opens with apocalyptic wind noises and orchestral hits before a backwards sound loop takes over. Slowly, Peter's gentle voice sings over the atmospheric loop. At the end of his first chorus a very bass-heavy whole-band motif starts and drives powerfully forward. A strange chamber strings interlude breaks in for half a minute before we bounce back to the frenetic sonic lashing that is the second motif. Some nice, simple, but noticeable synth work is mixed into the thrum as well as some lead guitar work behind Peter's singing. In the sixth minute all kinds of Middle Eastern sounds and computer-effected vocals are introduced, but then they back off for a return to Peter's singing being the central focus. The final minute is simple, with Peter's vocal tying things up over that atmospheric loop from the beginning. Decent song! (13.5/15)

3. "Stay Down" (7:55) a long, slow, bare bones introductory period of electric piano arpeggi and synth washes and, later, chamber strings and 12-string guitar picking, allows Peter Nicholls to shine at his sensitive best. Mellotron voices and bass pedals add a great GENESIS feel. In fact it's four minutes into this one before anything changes--but then it gets tense, ominous, before breaking into a PORCUPINE TREE-like heaviness for its instrumental peak just before the five minute mark. When spaciousness is restored for Peter to sing around the six minute mark, it's merely a teasing pause before re-launching into that heavy PT territory for a final burst before some tick tocks. Powerful, seasoned prog with no fill and full power throughout. A top three song for me. (14/15)

4. "Alampandria" (3:48) opens beautifully with middle eastern pipe over sustained synth white noise synth. I love this! Then there is a developmental shift at 1:45 into more GENESIS-like Neo Prog territory. (Think deep throbbing parts of "Supper's Ready" or The Lamb). Small Mike Nicholls dramatic vocal, seering guitar solo, and organ finish this off. (8.9/10)

5. "Shallow Bay" (6:21) sensitive solo piano opens this one until the full band kicks in around 0:40. It quickly establishes itself as a melodic, syrupy song in the vein of radio-friendly prog hits. Drumming is outstanding--even a little flashy--throughout, and then the mood shifts quite dramatically at 3:00 into a more COLLAGE "Moonshine"-like vein. Very pretty--especially the keys--while the drumming remains quite showy and impressive. Beautiful song. Excellent emotional guitar solo in the fourth and fifth minutes with great band and Mellotron support.

This is where the advantages of a seasoned band shine through. Definitely a song I'll be listening to over and over for a long time. Perfection. A reminder of why I keep listening to new releases. My favorite song on the album. (10/10)

6. "If Anything" (6:03) cool drum machine opening before synth wash joins in giving it a MIKE AND THE MECHANICS or "Captain of My Heart" feel to it. Fretless bass enters just before Peter Nicholls enters singing in a whispy upper register voice--which is unusual for him. Real drums join in at the end of the second minute. I have to admit that I really like the work of the synths, fretless, and voice. Acoustic nylon string guitar seals the "Captain of My Heart" reference. A very nice, gentle, pretty song for late night wine and fireplace sitting--at least until the second half of the fifth minute when things get E.A. Poe dark--sound effects, scary church organ and all! The only thing it lacks is a true 'hook" to make it memorable. (8.75/10)

7. "For Another Lifetime" (15:22) opens with weird circus calliope/squeeze-box-like chord sequence. Peter begins singing and it doesn't quite fit; Peter's nondescript melody line does not blend well with the synthesized calliope/squeeze box--nothing does, even the "Entangled"-like eerie synth added over the top. Just before the three minute mark Peter's voice is mute-distorted to try to create an even eerier feel and then the band breaks into a full on "As Sure as Eggs is Eggs/Apocalypse in 9/8 imitation, trying to make it their own by adding some music box tinkles and some Duke-era bass synth chords. Halfway through the sixth minute the pace quickens and a more HACKETT-like section ensues. At 7:00 the music begins to feel more like ASIA or LOVERBOY. The "resistance" chorus just lacks ... hooks. Another switch into full on GENESIS territory at 8:20 while Peter continues singing as carefully, succinctly as ever. Power chords and more eerie organ and synths in the ninth. The music keeps bouncing around, trying to vary its pace and palette, no doubt, until finally finding its "pocket" in the twelfth minute with the "for another lifetime" chorus and ensuing excellent lead guitar solo. The voice Mellotron sound definitely makes it feel like some crescendo moment in a GENESIS song. Then we devolve to a bare piano in support of Peter's end vocal passage from 13:30 to the "holding on" line and the gorgeous TFK-like end. Pretty awesome song if derivative and perhaps overly complex. The band definitely put some work into this one. A strange dichotomy is that eerie circus-like motif used for the first half and then disappearing the more powerful the song became. (27/30)

CD 2 (55:39

1. "The Great Spirit Way" (21:45) Prog by the numbers trying to be Hammond-centric. In the first half, none of the individual instrumental threads works--especially the drums, bass, and guitars; they all seem to be at odds with one another. The second half gets spread out and less dense with some electric piano and "acoustic" guitar picking before a spacey synth diversion settles us (and Peter) down. Interesting "xylophone" over strings. But, unfortnuately, it's all so obviously MIDI-computer keyboard generated. In the sixteenth minute they try to GENESIS/WAKEMAN the music back up to engage us but it's all so familiar (thought the drumming finally gets good). After the crescendo in the 17th minute, the YES-like dénouement is a big letdown. (38/45)

2. "Fire and Security" (5:26) the welcome sound of steel-string acoustic guitar strumming opens this one. Peter's vocal starts out rather typical but then gets very emotional. As a matter of fact, there are sections here that I display vocal affectations that I can't remember hearing in his voice very often. Very nice guitar soloing throughout the second half. (9/10)

3. "Perfect Space" (8:33) cymbol play, snare, bass, and classical guitar make this one sound a little jazzy or Latin-infused. Peter's voice is even mixed more forward than usual. Interesting! A new sound palette! The little electric guitar solo at 1:38 can't even destroy the feel of this one but the organ and bass pedals at 2:36 for the chorus does. The bass and drums are trying admirably to hold it together but those organs! Then the guitar turns metal and we've lost that loving Latin feeling. The return of "Get 'em out by Friday"! Let me out! Nice first half; poor second. Not even the walking bass play in the sixth minute or some solid electric guitar soloing in the final minute can recapture that awesomeness. (16.5/20)

4. "Fallout" (19:55) "CTTE 2"? What kind of lyrics are these? Nonsensical? The first three minutes sure seems so. At four minutes we finally get into some meat. I like the clavichord and rolling bass line. The singing harmonies are great but the lyrics are still so innocuous. GREAT transition into the instrumental section in the sixth minute (bass and electric guitar)--a powerful section that sustains its engaging sounds and play for several minutes. Nice drumming in the next instrumental section. And fretless bass! At the eight minute mark we go soft and spacey again (very GENESIS-like). Another sound (and key) switch in the eleventh minute: piano-base, more cymbal play, going into an instrumental section with piano solo, MIDI-ed tuned percussion, and chord section into a late-"Gates of Delirium" section for the fourteenth and fifteenth minutes. (A little too similar to "Gates," even through the guitar solo and drum end, even into the pre-"Soon" quiet, spacey section). The final two minutes is, unfortunately, also an embarrassing imitation of the "Soon" finale of "Gates of Delirium." Very nice sound. I'd rate it higher if it weren't so derivative. (34/40)

Total Time 108:37

Can we be tired of Peter Nicholls' melodies, pronunciation/elocution, and phrasing, please? Can we be tired of the Duke-like drum machines and differently engineered & effected tracks that are so blatantly and poorly spliced-together, please? Can we say we've had enough imitation and blatant derivation of the 1970's "classics?" Still this is SO MUCH BETTER than the high-acclaimed yet soulless "album of the year" from 2014, Road of Bones.

B=/four stars; if one stays away from the three epics, this is an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection and one of the better displays of Neo Prog of the 2010s.