More info: http://www.idguinness.com/home.html
Verdict: Intelligent progressive rock
Id Guinness is a Canadian artist who has performed with a number of Canadian artists and bands such as KD Lang, Randy Bachman and The Wyrd Sisters. He is a touring member of the Wyrd Sisters. He has previously released a 6-song "Beat The Heat" EP, but is his first full album release.
His list of influences includes Roxy Music, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, U2, The Beatles and Radiohead. That is quite a diverse set of influences and it also covers quite a few decades of music. The obvious question is will this retread old ground or will Id create something new and interesting.
Thankfully the latter applies as Id fuses all these influences into creating what at times reminds me of a less intense Porcupine Tree sound. However, whereas Porcupine Tree's music is clearly identifiable as them, Id's influences tend to be to the fore on many tracks with the listener left wondering what is the core Id Guinness sound lurking underneath. A minor criticism and one which if often levelled at debut albums. An identifiable sound is something that needs to developed over time.
For all the talk so far of retro influences opening track, "Rising River", actually has a hint of U2 about it. Clearly Pink Floyd are a big influence and this shines through on "The One That Got Away". "Jade Garden" slows the pace with a down beat track that at first reminded me of Coldplay ,but surely they don't write songs with a decent chorus. Bowie is another influence that crops up a couple of times, such as on next track "I Have Seen The Future" and most obviously on the cover of "Always Crashing In The Same Car" from "Low". "Down To This" & the title track remind me of artists like Camel and Barclay James Harvest, with ELO also cropping up whilst listening to "Negative". "The Joke" is a ballad in a form of a duet with a female vocalist. It is a cross between a Pink Floyd song and a modern country ballad. The atmosphere is chilled out a little more with the delicate "Beaches". "Beautiful Goodbye" picks up the pace, and needs the guitar work to help it keep it's head above water. "25 Watts" on the other hand is a much better version of a straight catchy rock song. The final track, "Wailing Wall", is a spacey affair that pays homage to Pink Floyd.
This is an intelligent progressive rock album that has been well constructed and like all good progressive rock albums each play seems to reveal more of it's beauty.
