PAWN HEARTS

This is usually not my type of progressive rock, but for this album I have to make an exception. All of the songs start off nicely and soon go into dissonance and darkness; maybe not the music for me since I like Yes and Genesis. Some of the softer parts like the "killer lives inside me" bit in "Man-Erg" are really good. The group's members are all talented and I will admit Peter Hammill has an interesting voice. He acts with his voice in a similar way to Peter Gabriel.

Track 1: "Lemmings (Including Cog)" - This is a good opener. It sets the dark tone of the album right away. One issue that I have with it is that the song doesn't really end so much as die down. It is still a very powerful opening track. 8/10

Track 2: "Man-Erg" - As I mentioned before, the "killer lives inside me" chorus is very good; emotional and dramatic without sounding preachy. It actually reminds me a bit of Elton John. The track slows down a bit at the 5 minute mark and has some lovely saxophone playing in this section. 9/10

Track 3: "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" - This is one of prog rock's most highly praised songs, and I would have to agree with the hype. The song starts out as another ballad like the previous song but goes into the gloomy atmosphere again. The section at the end with the line, "all things are a part", followed by guitar solo and static electricity noises is probably the best part of the song for me. It's about as operatic as this band gets. 10/10

Pawn Hearts took a long time grow on me for sure. Several years ago when I first heard it, it flew right over my head. Now it just might be my favourite album by Van Der Graaf Generator. For those who want to take a journey into the dark side of prog, Pawn Hearts is highly recommended.