FREQUENCY

not specific to this album, i just wanted to write an iq review. all, i repeat, all of these guys' albums with peter nicholls rank at least 4 stars. they have navigated the last 3 difficult decades with consistently top-notch songwriting, lyrics and melodies. everything is signature and memorable. and while some level the derivative accusation, this many years down the path, that seems almost unavoidable. but any derivations are easily forgiven, if not completely overlooked with these guys, given their relentless pursuit of high-quality output. nicholls is extremely astounding, with what at first seems to be a limited voice, over time he stands with the other prog giants in both creativity and performance. and the band is also quite the unit, even during the 80's: the production values that curse others from that era are barely detectable. and their evolution into the "naughts" is a beautiful thing to hear. so if you've never heard these guys, or are on the fence, then give yourself over without prejudice and you will be gifted with as rewarding an experience as any from the classic prog bands, and you'll be able to tell your friends that you do listen to music from the 21st century. 4.5 stars for this and the entire catalog. maybe not all masterpieces, but essential.

(specific to this album: all of the above comments are based on the band's original material and in no way represents the author's opinion regarding their choice of covers, so just skip those, there's more than enough music to make up for them)