Tinyfish  (debut  album)
I was informed that  it took  18  months of hard  work  to  create  Tinyfish's  debut album and in a nutshell,  it was well  worth  the wait.   For people, not familiar  with  the band;  Tinyfish is a new prog band from the UK,  composed of:   Simon Godfrey Vocals/Guitars/Guitar Synth, James Sanders Guitars/Guitar/ Synth/Vocals, Paul Worwood Bass/Guitars/Bass Pedals, Rob Ramsay Spoken word/Harmonica/Lyrics/Webmaster, and most recently- Leon Camfield  on drums.   The group  seems  to  have significant `neo-' prog  influences  such as   IQ, Marillion and Pallas,  as well as Spock's Beard and  Pink Floyd to mention a  few;  but keep in mind  that these are  stepping stones in the their approach to the album and not just a  rehash of 80's prog  sensibilities.  What  separates Tinyfish  from  the above-mentioned influences is  less emphasis on  keyboards as a lead instrument, using them  as walls of  background sound and texture when  needed.
The album  is highlighted by  strong vocals and harmonies,  solid lead guitar and percussion and tasty bass. A significant use of  digital sound bits and spoken word permeates the  moodier passages providing a  nice contrast to  the strong vocals.
If you like your prog  dripping  with melody, with  snippets of  lead guitar  and atmosphere, then  look  no  further,  this debut album is a winner  that breaks out of  it's `neo'-prog roots and  into  more diverse  prog and pop areas.  Most of the compositions  are penned by  Simon Godfrey and Rob Ramsay with support by the other members. The band definitely  knows how to  create a toe-tapping riff while still remaining steeped in prog tradition.
Though I  will not  go  over every  track,  I was  impressed how  the  songs  get better and better as the album progressed (LOL), across its ten  tracks. Compositions vary  from  Floydian   enhanced `bridges'  to a 12 plus minute  epic.
Track three- `Nine months on  Fire,'  illustrates the excellent compositional  skills of the band. Grand  dynamics and a very nice `big'  sound fuse with  emotional charged lead   guitar.  On the next  track- `Too High for Low Company,'  I dare  you  not  to tap  your toe to  a very simple but  catchy  beat.
One of the cooler tracks is `All of the People, All of the Time,'  a spoken word moody piece  that clocks in at a  mere 1:22.  The song  leads into the   pop-oriented   song-  `God Eat God,'  which pertains to the  martyrdom of the young  suicide bombers by older manipulators.  Quite ironic to showcase such a strong subject in a 3 minute  pop song.
Tied for my  favorite  track  is `Sundried,' which could   almost be called a classical  gem.  Utilizing  a string  quintet, it reminds me a tad of the violin work in the Beatles- `Eleanor Rigby'  with a Spock's Beardian/ Echoyln  (Mei-era),  influence. A beautiful  piece   which had me longing for more.
The bands longest track is  `All Hands Lost,'   and simply put, it  is another gem-  which  could be their cornerstone of a  live show   for decades.  Everything in the song  clicks without being contrived.  Composition, guitar, bass, vocals,  drums and  dynamics create  a  fantastic epic  piece that is worthy of a  classic  prog  band with strong  hooks  and  a neat mixture of mood and tempo.
The final track  begins as a striking nod to Steve Hackett/Frippertronics with  a tasty  guitar solo over-layed on top until Ramsay's  spoken  word ends the piece. This is fantastic music. I would love to see the band  explore and expand this musical  style on their  next  recording.
Production values are very nice and the mix is  quite solid.  
As for  the  cover,  I  assume the band  wanted  to get  away  from the epic stylizing of  let's say a Roger Dean or whomever  and went  for minimalism  approach of  a fish. It works,  though it  wouldn't  catch  my eye on the CD shelves. Liner notes  are very well done.  All in  all, a  nicely done package.

In conclusion,  I have  nothing  but  rave  reviews  for this  debut  album. Though I  can get  moody  and  listen to experimental Sleepytime Gorilla  Museum and the like, there is almost  a retro homey feeling to embrace the  grand  melodious prog music of the 70's  and though Tinyfish only partial reaches for this, their direction is  a pleasing melange of  new and old, rapped into  a band that  doesn't  put out  their prog like a  by-the-numbers factory.

This album is highly   recommended.  Buy it  and you  will discover  the magic of Tinyfish.

9.5 out of 10