It isn't hard to find listeners who aren't huge fans of progressive rock on the whole but are passionate followers of certain prog bands -- and if you ask them why they enjoy
Pink Floyd,
Yes, or
the Moody Blues so much more than they enjoy other prog bands, they'll tell you that their favorites have mastered something that the others haven't: great hooks. And without a doubt, hooks are a major reason why some of
IQ's most devoted followers are people who don't necessarily buy a lot of prog rock CDs. Hooks are certainly a major plus on
Frequency, which has an immediacy that a lot of prog recordings lack. This 2009 release is quite listenable, and the influences that have served
IQ well in the past (including
Yes,
Pink Floyd, and pre-1980s
Genesis) continue to serve them well on
Frequency. This is, for the most part, a very moody album, but it is also very accessible -- and appealing tracks such as "One Fatal Mistake," "Closer," "Stronger Than Friction," and "Life Support" are easy to absorb even if one isn't a seasoned prog rock listener. It should be noted that
IQ have had their share of personnel changes along the way; on
Frequency, their 2009 lineup consists of
Peter Nicholls on lead vocals,
Michael Holmes on guitar,
John Jowitt on bass, Mark Westworth on keyboards, and
Andy Edwards on drums. Thankfully,
IQ's many personnel changes haven't affected them in a negative way -- and even though
Frequency isn't among their essential albums, it illustrates
IQ's ability to continue providing memorable and very digestible progressive rock 28 years after the band's formation.