IRE WORKS

Ire Works continues where Miss Machine left off. There are enough similarities here to ensure if you liked Miss Machine, you will like Ire Works. The progressiveness of the music has definitely increased--there is much more electronic experimentation, more mellowness, and more full blown jazz. But DEP fans shouldn't despair, the aggressiveness is still very much present in the music. There are a few songs (Black Bubblegum and Dead as History) that could definitely pass for radio songs (albeit non-mainstream radio songs) in the vein of MM's Unretrofied, but they also don't give the impression like DEP is selling out. What I find really interesting is that all of this diversity is packed into a relatively short album. All these elements fit together to make a rich listening experience-- everything has it's place, and although there are interludes, they seem to be well placed because nothing smacks of filler material. It's very dense, and if you blink or get lost in a daydream, you'll miss some important stuff--that's how quickly things move on this album. I give the album 4.5 stars according to my personal taste, but I know a lot of prog listeners don't take kindly to music that doesn't immediately smack of "progressiveness," so be warned that it may take some listeners a while to get into it. Their progressiveness is more subtle than some groups--but it's definitely present. And who wants obvious all the time? Obvious is way too easy. Also be warned, if you don't identify with a vocalist being angry at times, you probably won't identify with this album, nor Miss Machine. But otherwise, it's a very good album, and chocked full of musical goodness. On top of all of this, progsters, hipsters, and metal-heads can all appreciate it.