IQ
Ever

The quintessentially English IQ have been exploring, since the '80s and still do today, the most romantic side of the progressive sound. It's therefore inevitable to compare them to the undisputed masters of the genre: Genesis. There are heaps of similarities, but let's momentarily highlight the differences.

The singer Peter Nicholls is a kind of blend between Gabriel and Collins. Apart from the first name, he resembles the former in the evocative capacity of his singing, softly dramatic, but not with Gabriel's baritone timbre; instead, it's much higher, akin to Collins. Despite not being exceedingly pitch-perfect nor particularly endowed with range, Nicholls possesses a great progressive voice, precisely for how he can instantly evoke fabulous and twilight atmospheres. Unlike Collins, a nimble drummer (in Genesis) full of nuances learned from his jazz background, Paul Cook is instead a perfect metronome who leads the rhythms and passages of the tracks with Teutonic inexorability. His instrument is absolutely at the forefront in the mix, thanks in part to a powerful and dry sound, popping I would say, still capable of energizing and strengthening the hyper-melodic scores created by his bandmates. Certainly a personal and recognizable musician.

Mike Holmes and Martin Orford, guitarist and keyboardist respectively, carve out roles quite similar to Banks and Hackett: Orford, in particular, is truly a "son" of Banks for harmonic and melodic inventiveness, serving the song (or suite) without excessive virtuosic whims. Jowitt sticks to the bass, not playing other string instruments like Rutherford, the emblem of a guitarist-turned-bassist (with great results!). "Ever" opens with a masterpiece: the more than ten minutes of "The Darkest Hour" can be considered the "Musical Box" of IQ, only it's developed... contrary to the famous opening of "Nursery Crime" in the sense that it begins intense and speedy, becomes calmer in the middle section, and has an indescribably sweet ending with Nicholls' emotional singing accompanied by Orford's acoustic piano and Holmes' sublime electric guitar nuances: priceless!

The album's level remains incredibly high with the evocative melody of "Fading Senses," which soon gives way to an instrumental portion, unfortunately never returning to vocals because the introductory bursts of the third track "Out Of Nowhere" ominously slide in. Fortunately, we quickly get back on track with the suite "Further Away" (14 minutes and broken) with the best of instrumental interludes, never in straightforward 4/4 time, one could say: minor key synthesizer fugue and final "opening" in major, more Banksian than ever... but true nectar for the sensitive ears of those who love the more romantic progressive. "Ever" continues and then closes with two more tracks, also filled with instrumental situations in 6/4, 6/8, 9/8... fully engaging in a well-crafted, balanced, inspired album, derived from Genesis yet exquisite.