ESPALOÍAN

Itoiz's second last studio album is certainly not a classic of prog folk, folk or prog. This basque group had started out with stunning works regarded by specialists and fans alike as pure gems, but by the time of the mid-80's, they were little more than a pop-rock group, relatively typical of those years, somewhere between The stranglers (the rhythm section), U2 (the short rather catchy melodies) and Italian-style pop (this being induced by the vocal delivery of the singer. Although I am completely unable to understand Basque, I do believe that the lyrics are generally politically and socially engaged. But this is not making the album sound better to prog-only fans. Short tracks most up-tempo with the odd sax solo, this is really nothing worth discovering unless you are into Basque music.