Iris' sole release is one of those albums that doesn't look good on paper. Essentially it's an instrumental one man project led by former Arrakeen guitarist Sylvain Gouvernaire bringing the rhythm section of Marillion along for the ride. And the CD makes sure you know that latter fact in the hopes it would generate more sales (and it probably worked too). I mean these guys can keep a beat but they don't shine in any other way. So the entire album falls on the shoulders of Gouvernaire. I have not heard the French group Arrakeen myself, though the name rings a bell from that era. In reading about them they sound like the kind of band I was avoiding in the late 80s and early 90s, but probably would love today. With all of that, and an overly digital production, I would predict Iris has little chance of making the grade. Shelf space comes at a premium these days.
As the music starts out, my self-fulfilling prophecy was going as expected. But you know, the guitar is very melodic, and I kind of like those Tangerine Dream middle 80s synth tones. And there's some real songwriting going on here. I had wondered why I picked this up in the first place, because by 2010 the days of trying every prog rock album under the sun were way behind me. Something had to impress me about it. It's sort of like the 3rd Malibran album that I just spoke about. You just have to let this one rip - and it grows from there. The song placement is particularly adept as the album builds quite nicely in intensity. Gouvernaire is completely embroiled into this work, and I enjoy his guitar style very much. I can see why only one album was released from this project. The idea was spent.
A pleasant surprise throughout. The CD earned its keep here at Casa UMR.
Ownership: CD: 1996 private (Germany). Jewel case with colorful booklet. Acquired much later (2010).
8/28/10; 12/6/11; 9/7/23 (new entry)
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