THIS STRANGE ENGINE

1. A Man Of A Thousand Faces in 97 and the craze of 'Brave' faded with 'Afraid', the MARILLION sound fades away, Steve weaves his web; this first piece with the flowing piano feels good, the love pop song side and then this languid crescendo halfway through which swells, which swells, not bad but! 2. One Fine Day attacks frankly cheerful, a little fruity solo and then the slow tempo which freezes, which lets you meditate, Steve in phrasing, latency of the sound; a tune worthy of a folk RONDO then Steve the good one's solo that whips the ears, that suspends time: the voice mixes again and makes a beautiful languorous, monolithic sound, lacking the spiciness of the incomparable fishian MARILLION 3. 80 Days acoustic and direct vocal, a consensual ballad that is worth it for its Olympian keyboard solo coming out of the Marillionian ruts; a title that passes with always the monolithic framework, you have to get used to it, like the omnipresent voice. 4. Estonia for the best title; a sweet flight with Steve who adapts to the orchestration that puts its words there and lets the musical time establish itself; the melody haunting refrain, its throws make it a choice piece, deeply melancholic and moving; the beauty with this chopped keyboard; its final vibrant fade to the sound of 'Clutching', so huge that the guitar has no place here 5. Memory Of Water a capella, cello grafting itself on top, a title just for Steve, yes it magnifies the sound space here; a high and warm vocal interlude

6. An Accidental Man with the latent sung intro, Steve behind ready to launch the solo, and it's the organ that holds the top spot; double layer of the synth then Steve speaks to us, sings to us; Ian's electro pad surprises me; it's energetic, too much and you need the break to find the emotion of MARILLION, Mark's vintage keyboard to ignite the title; an inimitable sound indeed; but what does the electric guitar do on the other hand? 7. Hope For The Future acoustic guitar again, a lively South American piece with Paula's trumpet, a festive sound apart that has nothing to do with it, which disappoints me even if it was done on purpose! 8. This Strange Engine and the hope of raising the level of the album with the eponymous title; atmospheric intro, cinematic it seems today; Steve walks and talks, sings, follows his group, the 2nd time in this album; 3'40 of latency before the nasty riff that changes the rhythm, the rise is emerging; Mark immense; 6mn and a clear cut piano then rise and Phil's sax solo launching Steve's, finally, on the guitar; what can I say? Excellent this solo; 10mn and a clear cut again, would this piece be a conglomerate? Well the marshmallow solo, melting, a Barbapapa in full sun, the captivating solo returns, slyly, the voice becomes the spearhead to magnify this air and the solo, one of the best of the second generation group with its apoplectic finale, the final slap that leaves you wanting.(3.5)

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