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
