Customer Reviews

A Story Two Days Wide

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On first listen, this sounds like little more than some badly produced Genesis album from years past. On repeated listenings, a more distinct sound begins to emerge; this group doesn't really sound like Genesis although the influence is certainly evident. Iluvatar certainly has potential. However, this album suffers from 3 major weaknesses. There are too many lyrics cluttering up the songs so that the music is not allowed to breathe through. Secondly, the production quality is horrible; the poorly mixed instruments are all mushed together into a flat midrange muddle and you can rarely hear any instrument distinctly. I can only imagine how much better this would sound if the production was crisp and clear. Finally, the solos, whether on guitar or keyboard, although quite good, are disappointingly short. I prefer longer soloing and extended instrumental passages rather than a few short solos interspersed with many lyrics. In any event, two songs really stand out as top-notch: "Sleeping With the Lights On" and "Indian Rain". "Sleeping With the Lights On" features spacey, ominous keyboards and the longest guitar solo on the album - a beautiful, fast-paced, melodic solo that doesn't sound like the solo of any other guitar player I can think of, and it actually goes on for more than 5 seconds! "Indian Rain" is an intricately woven, sad, elegant epic befitting of the legacy of the best that Genesis has to offer. If Iluvatar could create an entire album of the quality of these two songs and if it could correct the aforementioned shortcomings, it would have to be taken very seriously on the Progressive Rock scene.

I started with self-titled first album, which has terrible mixing and a lot of bad cliches strung together; "Children" showed some progress (though the music was less "Progressive" than velvet-Elvis-oil-painting-antique-art-rock); and so I was pleasantly surprised with the GREAT IMPROVEMENT in mixing, complexity and musicianship in "A Story Two Days Wide". Iluvatar has progressed from being a so-so band doing a dull copy of the progressive scene in '73 to a pretty good band working with a strong blend of energy from the late 70's through "Grace Under Pressure" 80's. At this rate, the next album should be fantastic. It is fun to see a band grow and improve. I appreciate how difficult it must be to try to walk in the footsteps of giants -- and these guys are finally getting up to stride. Buy this one - but skip the previous efforts.

Looking at the title, and at the lyrics in the last three or four songs, this seems to be a "concept" album (whatever this really means). Not a story-telling album, anyway. Here is no Rael wandering in some sort of distorted underworld. This "story two days wide" seems to me a spiritual odissey rather than a "real" one, maybe about losing faith ("Better Days"), regaining peace ("Even angels fall") and finally finding faith again ("Indian Rain"). Having said that, it's clear that Iluvatar are establishing a defined style, which was not absolutely clear back in 1993, when they released their debut. These guys are neither redefining progressive rock, nor expanding the musical boundaries in a radical way. But, on the other hand, their traditional ability to come up with attractive compositions built around (what appears to be) a song-format basis is still working, and better than ever. Also, the usual amount of beautiful keyboards and guitar solos is present, and a very effective use of some prog-formulas adds to the whole thing (your-typical-bombastic-intro in the opening composition, your-7/8-passage thrown here and there). About the lyrics... poetry is for me the art of saying (or meaning) a lot with the essential words. Messieurs McLaughlin & Kraus seemed to have to much to say (which is OK) that sometimes little room for music is left. But this IS the best thing Iluvatar has done, and if you know what to expect from them, this is definitely enyojable.

Iluvatar fans had to wait four years for this the band's 3rd studio album to be released. The lineup remained the same on this one with the exception of the drum chair which is now occupied by Chris Mack. For me this is Iluvatar's best album and a culmination of everything they had worked toward up until this time. There was not a weak track on it as the band had matured into a more cohesive songwriting unit. The production on this album is significantly improved from the previous efforts as well. Iluvatar will still remind people of Marillion (especially the opening track "Sojourns"), Genesis or IQ, but they have taken the basic neo prog formula and really created something exceptional. "Story" is similar to the previous album "Children" in that the first 2/3 of the album are shorter, (for prog anyway) songs, with the album closer being a long epic. The formula works as most of the shorter songs are gems with "Savant", "Dreaming With The Lights On" and "Better Days" standing out as highlights. Like "Children" the band once again saves the best for last with the 15 minute closing epic "Indian Rain". This track is the best thing that Iluvatar has created and for me one of the standout melodic prog epics of the 90's. Unfortunately Iluvatar has been for the most part inactive since the release of this album and the sporadic live shows that followed. They remain one of my personal favorites and I truly hope that they get another album out in the not too distant future. The bottom line is if you like melodic progressive rock with great vocals, lyrics and music, Iluvatar is a band you need to check out.

First off, I am more generous with 5-star reviews (and 1-star reviews) than most. The top 20% gets 5 stars from me, and this album is top 20%.

I tire of critics whining about "nothing new here." People, prog rock is a genre, and artists are not expected to knock themselves out and come up with something new every time. The 23rd James Bond movie is slated for 2012, and it's a formula, and a very satisfying one. Same with symphonic prog. If you prefer Rock in Opposition, go listen to that.

So on to this album: what more could you want? Genesis and ELP are done releasing albums, and Yes has only released one in the past decade. So if you want new music that sounds like those bands,Iluvatar is a great choice, and in my opinion their 3rd album is their best yet.

On the first album, they were finding their way - still immature. On the 2nd album, Children, their songcraft improved, but they weren't ready for extended pieces.

On this album, it all comes together: great melodies, extended mini epics, constantly changing tempos, great guitar and keyboard interplay, very good and sincere singing, and lots of big bombastic organs and keys and walls of sound that we prog fans know and love.

So if you're tired of listening to ELP, Genesis and Yes for the 1,000th time, this is a very satisfying substitute.

Best tracks: Dreaming With the Lights On, Sojourns, and Better Days.