Home Artist links Label link

Izz - I Move

Artist:	Izz
Title:	I Move
Label:	Doone Records DR2-669563
Length(s):	73 minutes
Year(s) of release:	2002
Month of review:	[08/2002]

Line up

Tom Galgano - keyboards, lead and backing vocals
Paul Bremner - electric and acoustic guitars
Brian Coralian - electronic and acoustic percussion, drum programming
Greg DiMiceli - acoustic percussion
John Galgano - bass, acoustic and electric guitar, backing and lead vocals
with
Laura Meade - vocals on 10
Anmarie Byrnes - vocals on 5, 9
Paige Rigilano - spoken word on 5
Abigail Lombino - spoken word on 14

Tracks

1)	Spinnin' Round	2.59
2)	I Move	5.24
3)	Weak Little Lad	3.50
4)	I Already Know	3.55
5)	I Wanna Win	5.46
6)	All The New	1.24
7)	Star Evil Gnoma Su	8.37
8)	Another Door	4.42
9)	Something True	2.37
10)	Believe	3.33
11)	Knight Of Nights	6.37
12)	The Mists Of Dalriada	2.42
13)	Oh, How It's Great!	4.46
14)	Coming Like Light	11.40
15)	Light From Your Eyes	4.24

Summary

Although I am not familiar with their first album, the information I got about Izz pointed towards a slightly more commercial, and according to some better, take on Spock's Beard. Reason enough for an inquiry.

The music

Spinnin' Round opens the album. The music house a bit far away in the mix, on purpose I think. There are certainly some pointers to Spock's Beard, but for some reason the band comes off as sounding more modern, like Porcupine Tree does these days. The harmony vocals are typically American and might remind some of Echolyn. In fact, notwithstanding the occasional SB influence/citation, the band seems more in line with the Echolyn heritage than anything else, especially the more easily accessible later Echolyn of Cowboy Poems Free. This impression is strengthened on the title track with is again a good composition, never pretentiuous, satisfying and to the point, with the necessary eye for detail and melody as witnessed by the ascending guitar melody right in the middle. The song seems not so strange on the surface, but if you go ahead and listen well you'll hear a number of very diverse pieces seamed together without a problem.

On Weak Little Lad the band keeps the music subdued, where a band such as Spock's Beard is more likely to take the high road. Gurgling keyboards, the subdued, somewhat No-Man like feel (or Henry Fool is you like) with modern rhythms abounding, but also some warm organ brimming. We move right into I Already Know. This is a slow moving ballad with similarities to the ballad side of Salem Hill. A moody tune this one with again a strong vocal melody, and a soaring guitar solo to boot. It is striking though that the band never really rocks out.

With an easy transition we move into the murk of I Wanna Win. Drum programming, a very electronic feel dominate the first part of this track, but then the music starts to rock with the vocals becoming a bit louder for a change, these parts do liven the track up. The funky guitar lines and bass are generally in charge here. Part halfway we move into more symphonic waters with a passionate melodic guitar line. The emotions evoked are similar to those evoked by Spock's Beard I must admit, but Izz continue to avoid going over the top.

After the shortish All The New we move into the instrumental sidekick Star Evil Gnoma Su, which opens with Frippish guitar and dissonant piano. Then the music turns for the cosmic and melodic. The King Crimson ar quite strong on the whole, especially in the guitar playing. All in all a bit fiddly, but still a welcome change from the vocal tracks and probably nice to play live as well. A complex track with the guitarist and keyboardist both having their place to roam. I can imagine people who like the vocal tracks very much not to dig this side of the band. Maybe the band is saying, hey, it's not that we can't make fiddly instrumentals like everybody else, but we simply want to make other music....usually.

Back to the vocal tracks with Another Door with its lamentable jazzy undertones. Yes, it's sad ballad time. In the middle, the energy goes up a bit, the vocals shift into a higher register, but then we are back to the easy-goingness of before. The guitar solo is a bit meandering, the music plodding because of the accompanying piano. Believe has some angelic vocals in the beginning. This is peaceful music with subtle acoustic guitar. The male vocal parts here are rather British.

Knight Of Nights is a more powerful track with frolic keyboards and generally a medieval feel. After three minutes or so we break into something dark, after which the music starts up again, this time with military drums and "violins". It does seem that the band is not that well at home in a more symphonic piece such as this. After the up tempo folk of The Mists Of Dalriada with some rocking guitars, I Move into Oh, How It's Great! with its Beatles influences and the vocals echoing through my head. This is also the place where the Spocks Beard feel returns and is quite strong. A hasty, happy piece with some great shredding guitar playing turning really bombastic towards the end (so they CAN do it). Washes of keyboards make for another nice climax in this very symphonic track.

Playful piano opens Coming Like Light. Then the band takes a run with it, with bouncy rhythms, very frolic and diverse. This is a rather complex piece, quite harrowing at times and similar in diversity as Star Evil Gnoma Su. Only after a minute or six do we finally get to hear vocals. These vocals are a bit hazy, lined by dancing piano, after which a whispy guitar and prominent bass add themselves to the chorus. The vocal melodies are in a way very Yes like. There is also something of the optimism of Yes in the music. Later we get a chorus of vocals singing through or with each others. This is a really nice part to this track.

The final track is Light From Your Eye, which has a somber guitar sound and somewhat Britpop like vocals.

Conclusion

Make no mistake about it: this is one good album. Maybe some of the songs in the middle did not always do that much for me, but the quality in the songwriting are evident. Notwithstanding a few Spocks's Beard echoes, I prtefer to liken the music more to Echolyn and Salem Hill. The approach to the music is generally very song oriented, with only a few pure symphonic/progressive outings. The instrumental Star Evil Gnoma Su and long epic Coming Like Light being one of them. The band sometimes even comes off as sounding a bit British. If there was anything which I would like to see changed, then it is that the band keeps the music quite subdued throughout most of the album, and this is where the main contrast with SB comes in: where they go over the top, Izz keeps it low. However, in the final tracks, especially How It's Great and Coming Like Light show that the band can let the music rock. This band oughgt to have wide appeal and hopefully also outside the narrow confines of progressive rock. With Porcupine Tree going major, the market for this kind of music must be growing.