TINYFISH

According to the biographical information on their excellent website, this UK band is rooted in the late Seventies when school friends Simon Godfrey and Jim Sanders met each other ... at the age of five! Reading their very interesting and often funny story, you will understand why Tinyfish delivers such a varied and unique sound because they have an incredible musical background (under different names), ranging from a heavy metal love to a symphonic prog fascination, they were a cover band for a while and even support-act for the almost entire neo-prog scene (from Jadis and IQ to Galahad and The Geoff Mann Band). This year their eponymous debut-CD was released, what a pleasant musical experience!

During the first track Motorville I got the idea that Tinyfish was just another fine band scouting the borders between symphonic prog (atmospheres and vocal harmonies like Spock's Beard) and neo-prog (guitarwork in the vein of Pendragon) but soon I discovered that Tinyfish sounds quite unique and very alternating, a kind of 'musical chameleon': blues in Fly Like A Bird (dreamy with warm vocals and a very compelling guitar solo), swinging rock in God Eat God (fiery guitarplay), classical in Sundried (a string-section with viola, violin and cello) and ambient in the final piece Tinyfish (spacey guitar sound). My highlights are the two varied tracks Nine Months On Fire (captivating contrast between violin-Mellotron and wah-wah guitar and lots of strong musical ideas) and Too High For Low Company (great tension between sultry and heavy climates), these compositions proove the compositorial qualities of this very promising new band!