RETROBUTION

Ian Gordon, is in essence one of those solo, multi - instrumentalist artists that I look at very suspiciously when I contemplate getting hold of their albums. I usually feel that multi - instrumentalists can be good with the various instruments that they use but master of none of them. The song-writing and structure of the music has to be very good to attract me relating to artists of this type. I was impressed with two of the previous albums that I got hold of earlier ("The Box" and "Terminally Brave") although I haven't reviewed them as yet here.

"Faith" - Starts off with nice piano strains and fleshes out into an interesting melody driven piece of pop / rock with a melancholy feel. As with the previous albums that I have I'm struck by how much like David Bowie this artist sounds vocally.

"Aerial" - Synthesized keyboard opening leads into an interesting light pop / rock track that is catchy and bubbly. Not special but a very pleasant listen.

"Zanzibar" - Short reggae beat driven track. Pop / Rock. Just what you would expect a track called "Zanzibar" to sound like.

"Basic" - Starts of gently in a smoky melancholy sounding way and stays with that mood. Still very much pop / rock in the David Bowie and also perhaps Bryan Ferry camp.

"Frames" - Soft piano track. I do love the sound of the piano in music. A moody piece.

"Dixi" - Heavy start to the track that is solidly in the metal camp before it mellows out into a driving rock track. Not what I expected at all from a track with the name "Dixi".

"Frankincense" - Eerie sound to start with - thus far the most progressive track on the album - solid prog rock. Very nice use of the lead guitar just past the halfway mark. In places weird and eclectic.

"No Smoke Without Fire" - Kind of rock cha-cha sound to start with. At about the third way mark it enters 10CC musical turf. Nice lead guitar use. Ends as it started. Interesting listen.

"Long Live The New Flesh" - Hard rock start that settles down into a driving number. Definitely prog as were the previous two tracks. Plenty of time and mood changes - quirky in parts.

"I'm Not Your Lover" - Smoky feel, very emotive. I really like this short track.

"Stars Over Lebanon" - Soft keyboard / vocal emotive start. If I was in any doubt about this album the previous track and this one sorted my mind out. I really like it. Beautifully played lead guitar in this one.

"The Substitute" - Keeps the mood of the previous two tracks.

I've searched for Ian Gordon on the web and I'm kind of shocked at the lack of content relating to him. It's about time that the world wakes up and listens to this artist. The early tracks on the album are more pop rock than prog rock but they are interesting and catchy. I can't help but make comparison between Ian Gordon here and David Bowie in that the voice and the vocals lead one in that direction but I can almost say that David Bowie would wish that he wrote a lot of this material. One has to listen to the entire album to get it - it would be too easy to dismiss it only listening to the first couple of tracks. Up until the halfway mark through the album I was contemplating an easy 3 star rating but after the close of this work a solid 4 stars it is for me and it remains that way through further listens - the more I listen the more I get it.

Two years would pass after the recordings of ''Terminally brave'', before we get some fresh news by Ian Gordon.In July 2013 he released ''Retrobution'', far from concept works, this was a collection of songs and thoughts, inspired by his travels in Europe and the States as well as the way of living in his hometown, Bolton.All material was written, performed and produced by himself.

A nice, fresh and modern Rock album with excellent songwriting and quirky instrumentation, powered by the sound of guitars, keyboards and piano, still ''Retrobution'' sees Gordon moving away from the classic realms of proggy influences he presented in his first couple of releases.This one recalls heavily of MUSE, it has a certain melodic approach, echoes of Indie and Alternative Rock and some Power Rock values, anyway, this goes beyond our expectations, as Gordon prooves to be such a talented composer, instrumentalist and singer, that all of his albums have good things to offer.''Zanzibar'', ''Stars over Lebanon'' and ''Dixi'' are great rock pieces with melodic hooks and dynamic breaks/riffing to go along with vocal distortions and deliver impressive musicianship, albeit far from what you call a typical Prog effort.The deeper you go, certain proggy tunes start to surface and during the longer tracks Gordon's prog background starts to become clear.''Frankincense'', ''No smoke without fire'' and ''Long live the new flesh'' are the three definite prog cuts of the album, an affair of modern and heavy prog elements with complex variations, surrounded by echoes from the past, like the use of Mellotron, the big orchestral breaks and the jazzy spices on guitars and synths.The result is a bit confusing, because not every piece in here sits well with the most progressive numbers, but noone can deny that the material is very strong throughout with memorable songwriting and some amazing atmospheres.

Propably the one release by Gordon, that will satisfy the Muse fans worldwide.Nice Rock-based music with a decent atmospheric depth, occasionally sinking into Gordon's prog background, as proposed in his previous albums.Warmly recommended...3.5 stars.