NOW AND HERE

I.C.U not very original, maybe typical symphonic progressive band,but we have very nice felling over this band 'Now and here' second cd of band is a concept album with nice melody.The flute play by Ava-Maria form a litle classical aspect whit piano. and also great backing vocal byAna-Maria. I think is very nice addition for many prog fan.

One shot neo prog wonder! Their first and third albums were really not all that interesting , looks like they spent all their energies both musically and compositionally on this special gem. Murky cover artwork notwithstanding, this recording sizzles from the shining opener, the epic "One Life" , a three part mini-opus with stunning vocals courtesy of Ralph Grossmann, inventive clear production that highlights a strong rythm section and lots of mood changes and accelerations, culminating in the finale "Magic Eyes" . No real weak moments here , as demonstrated by "A Pair of Hands" and the pulsating finale "In Every Stranger's Eyes" . Great guitars, occasional flute, lush keys , solid bass and thumping drums not withstanding, its the material that really sticks to your brain, remaining very current/modern as opposed to another neo-Genesis clone. This is closer to The Cure than any Trick of the Tail!!! I am not an unconditional fan of vocals (let's all admit now, once and for all that real good singing is not one of current prog's forte, as we still consider Greg Lake as the best???? Go figure... ) but this recording really delivers the lyrics with gusto, passion and fire. Arguably, one of the 10 best Neo albums all-time, on par or better than any IQ, Arena,Marillion, Galahad or Pendragon .Give this a good serious listen , you will fall under the spell Now & Here. 4.5 doctored units

Great and totaly unknown german neo/symphonic prog band from mid to late '90's with 3 albums under their belt. Quite obscure release their second offer from 1995 named Now and here and managing to have a moderate succes, but to me this album sounds truly great. Most of the time neo prog with some symphonic prog traces here and there I.C.U really made an excellent album that every prog fan must take a listen. Sincere and very discrete Now and here is almost a lost little tresure in this realm. From melacholic almost sad vocal parts to the great instrumental passages, this album is a winner. keeping the flag high in neo prog zone. Complex arrangements where the guitat and keubords are melted very well with quite intresting passages, the perfect example are Another Life or Challenge of the Unknown. This is not another neo prog clone of the well known giants in this field, at least for me, even the vocal parts remind me of bands like No Name or Arena in places. To me was and still is a pleasent surprise this band. Nice flute parts in some sections giving avery original atmosphere overall. 4 stars easy.

ICU(no periods between the letters) were a six piece band out of Germany, listed here under Symphonic but Neo-Prog is what I hear for the most part. I did think of NO NAME as Bogdan mentions in his review and this is a concept album with lyrics in English. We do get some female vocals from the flautist but male vocals dominate and they're okay but nothing more. This hour of music was released in 1995.

"One Life" opens with atmosphere as acoustic guitar and flute take over. Sounds like mellotron after 2 minutes then reserved male vocals arrive before 3 minutes. A beat kicks in then a full sound as the vocals turn more passionate. Guitar a minute later before an atmospheric calm arrives 6 minutes in without vocals. Picked guitar and vocals take over a minute later then the tempo picks up. I like this. Another calm then the vocals return 10 minutes in. It kicks back in with some nice bass and synth work.

"Another Life" opens with organ then it kicks in with some punchy drumming and much more. The guitar comes in over the top then female vocals before 2 1/2 minutes as male vocals join in then take over. Keys and drums stand out then the guitar soars over top. Themes are repeated. I like the dark calm with spoken words 4 1/2 minutes in. It builds back to a full sound with vocals. Love the atmosphere after 9 1/2 minutes.

"The Same Old Way" opens with flute and lots of depth. Acoustic guitar plays over top as reserved male vocals join in. A good laid back tune. "Two Steps Ahead Of Time" features lots of keys early on then we get a bass solo 1 1/2 minutes in which signals the start of a full sound. Processed vocals after 2 minutes. I like the bass and drums when the vocals step aside briefly. It's fairly powerful here, at least for this band but then it settles back after 5 1/2 minutes.

"A Pair Of Hands" is my favourite song on here. Nice guitar and bass to start, in fact really nice as it builds. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in as the sound changes some. This is good. I like when it settles back after 2 minutes with atmosphere, bass and guitar as the vocals return. Themes are repeated.

"Challenge Of The Unknown" opens with atmosphere followed by a scream and voices as the atmosphere continues. Acoustic guitar then reserved vocals join in. Organ replaces the acoustic guitar until the electric guitar arrives after 4 minutes. Synths swirl 6 minutes in, riffs also arrive as the tempo picks up. It settles back followed by soaring guitar leads as the vocals step aside to the end.

"In Every Stranger's Eyes" starts with atmosphere before keys and vocals arrive around a minute in this pastoral passage. It does turn fuller after 2 minutes with the guitar replacing the vocals. Vocals are back a minute later as the tempo picks up. Catchy stuff and lots of synths too as this plays out. Atmosphere and whales? ends it.

A good album for sure and for my tastes 3 stars is the right rating.