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Izz

I Move (Anniversary Edition)

Review by Gary Hill

I like Izz quite a bit, but I have to admit that I never heard this particular album before. This is a 20th Anniversary edition release. The first CD includes a re-mastered version of the actual album, while the second has a whole range of rarities including demos, live performances and more. I have to say that this unique brand of progressive rock really works very well here. I think they packed enough worthwhile extras into it that it should please those who have the original edition, too.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023  Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review
Disc 1
               
Spinnin' Round

This drives in feeling almost metallic after a rhythm section introduction. The cut has an intriguing modern prog sound.

I Move
Driving hard-edged prog is on the menu here. There are a couple guitar breaks later that have some King Crimson-like angles to it. The cut works through a number of twists and turns along the road. I really love the rhythmic element of it. There are plenty of King's X angles  on this. It also has some very traditional prog keyboards at play.
Weak Little Lad
Combining modern King Crimson sounds with those of Peter Gabriel's solo career will get you in the neighborhood of this track. The cut has killer twists and turns, though. There are some Beatles-like references at times, too.
I Already Know
This is dramatic and powerful in its more melodic groove. This is packed with emotion and has some intriguing changes and different. I love the soaring instrumental section later.
I Wanna Win
I love the bass work that gets us going here. The track evolves into a killer rocker that makes me think of Saga to some small degree. I really like the guitar dominated soaring jam later in the piece a lot. That section goes through quite a few changes, with some intriguing moments. There are some spoken vocals amidst that movement that have an almost hip hop vibe. It works back to the song proper to take it out.
All The New
A stripped back acoustic guitar and vocal mode starts things here and holds it as it grows. There are definitely some hints of Pink Floyd on this. This is fairly short and quite consistent.
Star Evil Gnoma Su
They bring some serious fusion on this cut. It grinds and drives with so many cool jazzy twists and turns. It gets into more pure prog zones as the keyboards begin to dominate. Then guitar takes it into some crazed, Crimsonian zones. This just keeps reinventing itself, though. This  instrumental is a real powerhouse along all it's side trips. I really love some of the keyboard sounds so much.
Another Door
Piano brings plenty of jazz at the onset of this song. The vocals come in over the top that backdrop. They keep expanding and evolving this number.      
Something True
I love the intricate and evocative power ballad vibe of this cut. At just over two-and-a-half minutes long, this is fairly short and pretty straightforward.
Believe
I really love the building, dramatic prog angles on this song.
Knight of Nights
Dramatic and potent, I love some of the powerhouse prog jamming on this thing. The keyboard sounds are cool, and the shifts are intriguing. There are some ELP-like moments later, and the cut has plenty of symphonic angles. Some of the synthesizer work further down the road makes me think of Rick Wakeman.
The Mists of Dalriada
There is a driving, bouncing, Celtic rocking vibe to this instrumental. It's another killer prog  piece.
Oh, How it's Great!
There is an energetic, bouncy sort of groove to this. There are some definite Beatles-like elements at play. A break mid-track has some seriously Chris Squire like bass work at the heart of it. This continues onward with hints of things ranging from Klaatu to Jellyfish. a more symphonic prog motif closes the number.
Coming Like Light
At more than 11-and-a-half minutes of music, this is another epic cut. A killer ELP-like piano section brings this into being. They work this out into some killer prog jamming as it continues. The piano really does take much of the spotlight as it does so. The ELP concepts are all over it. Even when it drops back a little for the first vocal section, it seems like something that would have fit on the first ELP disc. The tune works out into a powerhouse jam that seems to merge that ELP angle with some King Crimson. That KC thing becomes the more prominent angle as this continues. The fury gives way to a gentle and pretty balladic motif of vocals over a piano backdrop. As it builds back upward from there it retains the mellower sense of beauty. It grows upward ever so gradually. It gets into faster paced prog zones as it continues. Parts of this reminds me just a little of Jon Anderson's first solo album. This evolves back into stuff that's more along the lines of the earlier portions of the cut.
Light From Your Eyes
This is quite the prog ride, with a modern prog opening section that features the vocals followed by killer instrumental movement.
Disc 2
           
I Move (Live)

This opens noisy and quite loud, but it moves to melodic modern prog from there. The vocals don't work as well in this live take as they do on the studio recording, but the song is effective.

From Here I Can See the Horizon (Alternate Version)
Soaring female vocals are the main feature of the early portions of this piece. They are accompanied by female vocals. The track get other instruments on the break. It drops back to a different subdued section for the next vocals. They take this through a number of varying modes as it continues. It really is a powerhouse prog number.
Weak Little Lad (2022 Acoustic Version)
Based on piano and vocals, this is powerful and evocative. It's a very dramatic piece.
I Already Know (2022 Acoustic Version)
Set in the same kind of arrangement as the last one, this is also effective this way.
I Wanna Win (2022 Acoustic Version)
This isn't all that big a change from the previous piece, feeling an extension of it.
Piano Themes (2022)
Dramatic classical piano soloing is on the menu here.
Confusion Jam (Live)
I love the piano as this gets underway, but the jazzy, spacey guitar is even a bigger allure. This tune really grooves with a lot of style and charm. This instrumental is a real powerhouse. It has some great contrast and turns seriously hard rocking for the closing section.
Spinnin' Round (Live in Studio)
I dig this modern prog groove a lot. It has a lot of drama and style. It's also packed with tasty twists and turns.
SEGS (OG Intro)
Some studio banter gives way to unusual keys and bass near the end. This is less than thirty seconds long. 
Star Evil Gnoma Su* (Live at NEARfest Early Mix)
The introduction on this works through some great twists and turns with an emphasis on the keyboard side of things. This cut runs nearly nine-and-a-half minutes, and is a serious powerhouse. It shifts and changes an there is some intense guitar dominated stuff later.
Another Door?
This is an eight second spoken thing.
With the World Away (Previously Unreleased)
Shifting this way and that via a vocal heavy first section, the cut turns toward mellower zones for the song proper. This is a powerhouse modern prog number that works very well.
Lifecycle (Alternate Mix)
coming in fairly understated with guitar as the backdrop to the vocals, this builds up gradually from there. This has a lot of fast paced Celtic edged jamming built into it later.  That section has a prominent acoustic contingency. It also has some great energy.
I'll Never Finish Loving You (Previously Unreleased)
This is a balladic number. It has plenty of intricate acoustic guitar built into it. It's a tasty number. The vocals have an almost soulful vibe to them at times. This gets more soaring and keyboard oriented later, and there is a real jazz angle to the song.
Oh How it's Great (Alternate Mix)
I really love the keyboard textures on this. The cut has a great energy and groove, too.
Coming Like Light (Live)
Almost 12-minutes long, this is the epic of the second disc. It comes in very fusion-like. That aspect is a definite part of the arrangement going forward, too. This thing is a real powerhouse tune, working through all kinds of shifts and changes along the road, and they give it a potent live performance. I love the dropped back mellower section on the tune, too. It takes it in some great melodic directions. The closing section is more powered up, but not as crazy as some of the rest of the track. It's catchy and particularly effective.
What are we Playing?
This is a short piece of stage banter.
Oh, that one / Mists of Dalriada
There is plenty of Celtic music built into this as it gets underway. It turns toward more screaming hot hard rocking sounds further down the road, but that Celtic thing is still ingrained. This instrumental is very classy.
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