I MOVE

In my opinion, IZZ is one of the most underrated bands in prog. They are brilliant and are one of the best newcomers to prog in quite some time. My dad purchased this album in preparation for seeing them live at CalProg, and both him and I were blown away by this extremely creative and talented band. I still hold this album in high regard, and consider it a close second to My River Flows. This album has it all, it weaves its way through many different styles and shows all their many influences. The opener "Spinning Round" took some getting used to. It is an interesting starter because it does not sound anything like the rest of the album. It is a fairly average pop song with a simple drum beat that almost sounds programmed. But, there is a certain charm to this song and I think it is worthy to sit with the rest. The album really kicks off, though, with the title track "I Move" which is a brilliant song that doesn't overstay its welcome like many prog songs do. The guitars are awesome, and John Galgano is able to show his skills on bass and singing. There is also some great keyboard work by brother Tom Galgano. It is a great track!

Which leads right into "Weak Little Lad" with Tom on lead vocals. It is more on the poppier side of IZZ, but it is very catchy and has a cool feel to it. Other highlights include the instrumental "Star Evil Gnoma Su" which is out of this world. It features some virtuoso keyboard work from none other than Tom Galgano. What I love about IZZ is that they showcase their prog influences, but craft it in such a way that it has a modern sound to it, which makes them sound very original. "Another Door" is truly beautiful, Tom Galgano's voice is wonderful and the track is topped off with an incredible guitar solo from Brems. Great stuff! I also love the song "Believe" because it has some fantastic harmonies that gives the band a chance to showcase their excellent female singers.

"Oh, How It's Great!" is a fun, uplifting song that has almost a Beatles feel to it. It is a great prelude to what I consider to be the masterpiece of the album, "Coming Like Light". Tom Galgano is excellent in this track, his keyboard playing sounds like Keith Emerson. The track moves from a frenetic instrumental workout, to a emotional ballad featuring Tom on vocals and keys. I love the space-y feel of the "You Can Make Love" part of the song. It is a fantastic song, and one I'm priveleged to call one of my favorites.

"I Move" is a fantastic album that fits together nicely. I think it is remarkable how IZZ has created an album where each song seems to be in a different style, and yet the album holds together to create one cohesive unit that ties together in a concept. IZZ may have many obvious progressive rock references that they put in their music, but they combine these and put their own modern twist on it in a unique way that is truly satisfying. I am proud to count IZZ as one of my favorite bands and I Move as one of their best albums. They deserve to be a bigger name in prog than they currently are, hopefully that will change in the near future.