For their fourth album, simply titled IV, San Francisco-based instrumental progressive rock band Isobar delivers another stunning set of compositions that once again proves that you don't always need vocals to create intriguing music. Featuring members of the band Metaphor, the line-up includes bassist Jim Anderson, guitarist Malcolm Smith, and keyboard player Marc Spooner, along with veteran drummer Mattias Olsson, and guests Trevor Lloyd on violin, Evan Weiss on trumpet, and Ben Bohorquez on saxophone. Blending warm symphonic progressive rock with some of the quirkiness of both the Canterbury and Scandinavian scenes, IV is a joy, right from the opening notes of "Rational Anthem", a song littered with sumptuous Mellotron, nimble guitar lines, and acrobatic drum parts. "CatAtomic" is vibrant and melodic (love the violin and electric piano), while the churning arrangement of tracks like "Startling Over" and "Master Moot Meets The Unwashed Cousin" will instantly bring to mind Yes and Gentle Giant. Spooner's keys are often the star of the show, as he goes from fusiony electric piano to Mellotron to heavy organ and glorious synth blasts, often all within the same song. Having Olsson here is a blast, as his brilliant drum work fits right in, especially on the wonderful "Throne Rubber", a quirky, intricate little beast of a song with busy percussive work from Olsson, soaring trumpet, and nimble guitar licks.
So far, Isobar has not disappointed yet with any of their releases, and IV is another winner from them. If you lean towards the instrumental side of progressive rock, this is a must listen release for you.
Track Listing
1.
Rational Anthem 07:16
2.
CatAtomic 07:24
3.
That I Know Of 06:21
4.
Startling Over 05:29
5.
Master Moot Meets The Unwashed Cousin 07:31
6.
Strangling Dandelions 05:41
7.
Partial Zero 06:22
8.
Throne Rubber 06:39
9.
Phonosphere 06:15
10.
Telephone Game 07:51
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