Album of Yesterday

Crossing the Desert, by Iris (1996): Iris is a side project shepherded by the guitar player from the French band Arrakeen. It came to my attention because he recruited Marillion's Pete Trewavas and Ian Mosley as his rhythm section. The album could basically be categorized as instrumental neo-prog, although with a much more prominent focus on guitar (the Frenchman doubles on keys). No long Banksish widdly synth solos here, and no real extended bits of guitar hero stuff, either. The compositions are all fairly strong, but only a few ("Tap on Top" and the title track) really stand out.