"Henry Fool are that rarest of things, a contemporary UK progressive act who don't want to be Marillion or It Bites. At long bloody last. Put together by No-Man main man Tim Bowness, they mix various influences together, coming on like a sort of Floyd/Radiohead thing with extra added ambient textures. Thankfully, Henry Fool is a million miles away from the whole British neo-prog thing, and is all the better for it, being probably the most 'out there' release on Malcolm Parker's Cyclops label.

The compositions ebb and flow, picking up speed here and there, particularly during the epic 'Lateshow', or the freeform jamming of 'The David Warner Wish List', though tending towards the mellow end of the spectrum. There's an almost late-night jazz feel to it in places, though that's not to say it's actaully jazzy. Er, it's slightly difficult to describe, really... Stephen Bennett's Mellotron playing abounds (I'd guess it's the same machine you can hear on the Porcupine Tree albums, as Steven Wilson also plays in No-Man), with much strings, and bits of flute and choir here and there. 'Poppy Q' is especially recommended on the 'Tron front, as is 'Grounded' from 'Lateshow'.

So; a damn' good album, modern but with traditional touches. This is unlikely to upset either your dinner party guests or your prog mates (in the unlikely event of your having both); probably enhanced by 'relaxing' substances, though I wouldn't actually know. No, really. Wholeheartedly recommended for both music and Mellotron. Excellent.

****½ / TTTT½
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness."