IAN NEAL

Lovingly retrogressive outing from Derbyshire multi-instrumentalist. While prog has become a broad church, much of Ian Neal’s fourth album could serve as an aural guide for the uninitiated as to what classic prog is meant to sound like. Noodling Wakeman-esque keyboard tapestries, soaring guitar pirouettes, portentous spoken-word excerpts, and a vague nostalgia towards some mythical simpler time while also imagining a future influenced by sci-fi and fantasy novels. All wrapped up in a lushly illustrated gatefold sleeve. But what Barkston Ash lacks in originality, it makes up for in musical content. Highlights of the freewheeling 48-minute set include the dramatic surges of The Vale Of Linden accompanied by swooping synths and howling guitar, before rich vocal harmonies and angelic choirs accompany the pastoral, symphonic prog of Come Harvesting!. In between times, there are…