It were an obscure group from Chicago led by guitarist Todd Freeman and the keyboards of Scott Munson. These recordings are spread across the period from 1984 to 1993, with the majority of the material coming from the 1980s. Somehow these ended up in the hands of Mauro Moroni who promptly issued them on his excellent Mellow label in 1994 (though it appears The Wild Places' Michael Piper may have been involved as well). I've spoken at length on prior reviews about the Midwest progressive rock scene, and It seems to have inherited many of the traits, carefully balancing complex instrumental passages with FM radio friendly verses. In Chicagoland terms, they are by no means as progressive as Yezda Urfa or Pentwater, but not as commercial as Styx or Neuron either. And there's a bit of a modern edge here, suggesting that perhaps It was aware of what Cheer Accident may have been up to during the same period.
'The Eternal Timeclock' (9:34) from 1984 demonstrates best It's coherent mix of progressive rock and commercial sensibility. The late 1980s finds It at their most radical and progressive, demonstrated best by the 9 minute aggressive guitar driven 'Armageddon' (1987) followed by the lengthy 18 minute space rock feast 'Fictition' from 1988, and is arguably the highlight of the album.
The final 1992/1993 material (though spread evenly across the disc) shows It with a much better production but is far more introspective in nature, with a decidedly mellower tone.
Ownership: CD: 1994 Mellow (Italy). Standard jewel case release. Nice tri-fold out booklet with lyrics, dates, and interesting photography.
8/31/12 (new entry)
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