Into the Nierika is saxophonist Elton Dean's first trio album with drummer Mark Sanders and Italian bassist Roberto Bellatalla. Sanders has a resumé which extends from his work...
» Read moreInvisible Sun is the tenth release by Aka Moon whose name derives from the band members’ experience with the Aka pygmies of central Africa. Invisible Sun is a part of Aka...
» Read moreApogee is the solo project of one Arne Schäfer, guitarist of Versus X. In past issues we have covered his two previous albums The Border of Awareness (
Better known as the leader for the wonderfully tuneful instrumental trio Forever Einstein, C.W. “Chuck” Vrtacek also has a darker side. His solo album Fifteen Mnemonic Devices...
» Read moreI have a tremendous amount of respect for both guitarist Fred Frith and percussionist Chris Cutler. They have both been involved in some tremendous music that dates from the Henry Cow days to...
» Read moreThe driving force behind Magma’s music has always been the spirited drumming of Christian Vander, a very controlled yet complex jazz-infected rock style that supports the spiritual and...
» Read moreFrom his debut in 1973 with Clearlight Symphony, French keyboardist and composer Cyrille Verdeaux has combined impressionistic soundscapes in the spirit of Ravel and Debussy with progressive rock...
» Read moreWith all the recent activity surrounding 70s experimentalists Can, vocalist Damo Suzuki has come out with a spate of new recordings. Suzuki is a firm believer in the transitive nature of art, and...
» Read moreNot sure what to make of this one. Instrumental five-piece of guitar, bass, keys, and drums with flute and sax. All musicians very talented. No original compositions, just covers of Joe Satriani,...
» Read moreLet me open by saying buy this! Why? Well Finisterre is a great band and it would be great way to say thank you to Peter Renfro. This album has been released on Peter’s Proglodite...
» Read moreOver the last few years, I’ve had several occasions to gush about how wonderful Garmarna is, namely the release of each of their three American CDs (the first two on Omnium, the third on...
» Read more[Note: This review was written upon the remastered release version of In a Glass House from 2000]
Having owned the re-issue of this album by the Terrapin Trucking Company, I...
» Read moreDespite the recent hyped press, which this Canadian performance group has received, there is still a large dose of mystery, which surrounds them. In fact, after about three plays from start to...
» Read moreA part of the Hawkwind Collector’s Series, this is Hawkwind at their best. Still reeling in dismay at the Live 79 this series offered, I am oh so pleased to report that Atomhenge...
» Read moreIs this ever going to stop? My first thought on this was it’s a Dave Brock solo record, but on further examination it appears to be a Hawkwind album. It opens with more re-recordings of...
» Read moreWhat’s a prog band from Latvia doing on Mellow singing in fluent English? Looking for an international piece of the pie, I guess, and it looks like to some degree they may get it. I sometimes...
» Read moreHugh Hopper is at that point in his career where he wants to clarify direction. He's been through a well-documented improvisational phase with Soft Machine and its offshoots. Presently he's...
» Read moreMusea has come up with an extremely impressive instrumental progressive power trio in JADE. The album is a delight for guitar fans as Olivier Freche’s wide variety of styles evokes everyone...
» Read moreTwo additional albums from John Greaves' European catalog are now available from Voiceprint. Accident is his first solo album from 1982 and features literally a bizarre set of songs...
» Read moreFear not the ethereal, new-age looking girl on the front. This set is subtitled "The Space Music of Jonn Serrie," and that is an accurate reflection of this excellent retrospective. Gone...
» Read moreI’m not even going to try to explain how this music was made – check out the web site for details. Just take it as given that Jon Rose has created a monster with violin ancestry, and...
» Read moreHailing from New York City, Joshua Charles is the driving force behind this entire disc, compositionally as well as handling most of the instruments and the production. This is most definitely one...
» Read moreI already thought that The Reason Why from Keller & Schönwälder’s 3-CD box set was excellent. But then I kept reading reviews of people who had attended the show,...
» Read moreTony Gerber of Spacecraft sent me this CD, and with it he continues to show me that I need to expand my musical horizons. I figured it would be something along space and ambient music lines,...
» Read moreAccording to many accounts, the European tour for The Construkction of Light has been nothing short of a major success. A large number of gigs sold out across Germany, and women were seen...
» Read moreJeff Greinke’s Seattle project has evolved from a small collective to a full ensemble taking on an entirely evolved format. This time out, there are smooth grooves and a forward outlook, and...
» Read moreLeo Kupper is a Belgian musicologist and vocal theorist and with Ways of the Voice he furthers his 35-year study of the sonic capabilities of the human voice. His partner for this...
» Read moreLindsay Cooper has been well known for her obtuse compositions (including the acclaimed The Gold Diggers and Oh Moscow projects) as well as her groundbreaking work with Henry Cow....
» Read moreInspired by the success of Ash Ra Tempel’s retrospective collection, The Private Tapes, Ulbrich decided to mine his solo archives as well, and the result is this 2CD assortment....
» Read moreReuter is a German Warr Guitarist creating ambient music of a very individual nature. This is definitely at the abstract end of the Hypnos catalog, a music whose sense of melody is unlike any...
» Read moreAfter leaving Soft Machine in 1971, drummer Robert Wyatt planned to record a solo album that featured his songwriting and singing talents. He then enlisted guitarist Phil Miller, Dave Sinclair (of...
» Read moreKlaus Hoffman-Hoock is one of my favorite guitarist/synthesists, and this series of live recordings does little to dispel that perception. Recording either as Cosmic Hoffman or Mind over Matter,...
» Read moreMr. Moe likes to bang on metals, and just about anything else he can get to sit still long enough in a room with him. There was a guy named Z’ev back in the 80s who perpetrated similar...
» Read moremoe. returns to the studio to find a new collection of tunes, rejuvenation and even a notch forward into jam stardom. 1999 saw the band extend the grooves of their live stage persona about as far...
» Read moreFlashback to 1989: KeithTippett had traveled to the remains of the Soviet Union to recruit some local talent for the prestigious Bath International Music Festival. Little did he expect at the time...
» Read moreScotland’s Phil Jackson is the man behind Paradox One, and this initial release has been crafted over a number of years, based mostly on themes from science fiction. He starts out with...
» Read moreTenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall has followed his acclaimed release from 1999, Bebop Stardust, with the next logical step, Great Divide. As a jazz composer, it's a challenge to...
» Read moreThis is the first solo effort by Paul Ellis, one of the two brains behind Dweller at the Threshold. It’s immediately clear that this is a professional musician who knows what he’s doing...
» Read moreGuitarist Miller, no doubt best known for his tenure with Hatfield and National Health, continues his mission with his band “In Cahoots,” represented here by two distinctly different...
» Read moreOne look at the cover and it should be clear that producers Simon Napier Bell and Ray Singer (who also penned about six of the tracks here) were trying to capitalize on the look and feel of...
» Read moreMark Hewins’s longtime jamming project released a disc in 1996 after many years of existence in local obscurity. The band had a floating set of players as wide ranging as Richard Sinclair and...
» Read moreRainbow Serpent has really caught on among Teutonic enthusiasts, and it’s easy to see why on their latest release, a great blend of pinpoint sequencing and strong melodies. Bright piano is...
» Read moreWhen I first put on a Rick Ray CD (I don’t remember which one of these it was), my first reaction was, “Do I have to listen to the whole thing?” An endless series of fairly stock...
» Read moreBack in 1999 I fell in love with Sorten Muld’s first NorthSide release, Mark II (reviewed in...
» Read moreHaving been associated with the likes of Ashra and Klaus Schulze, these three guys decided to venture out on their own and see what they could come up with. The result forms a highly successful...
» Read moreThe emerging electronica scene has been a source of many innovative and progressive talents, such as Squarepusher and Aphex Twin, and one of the highlights of this scene would have to be Talvin...
» Read moreBack in Exposé #18, I reviewed the first Psycho-Audible release, Alpha Centauri by Zapotec. This Psycho-Audible disc features the same key players: guitarist Bill Curtis, violinist...
» Read moreThe release of Frank Makowski’s latest work under the Tranquillity moniker was originally anticipated last year. It was worth the wait until spring. Makowski presents a vast array of...
» Read moreSweden's Valinor's Tree has come a long way since their last album, Kingdom of Sadness which I reviewed in #19. The quartet still walks a high wire between balls-out modern hard...
» Read moreI've been wading through this four CD monster for months, marveling at the scope of an English band that has never been readily accessible. Most certainly this group was not a kindred spirit to...
» Read moreFor most of us, Captain Beyond is a sort of footnote in the history of progressive rock, having achieved little apparent success or recognition for the three records they released between 1971 and...
» Read moreWe all know that one cut off of a sampler can’t possibly give an accurate picture of a band’s full breadth and quality. But if the purpose of a sampler slot is to shine positive light...
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2019-11-07
Glenn Smith RIP –
Glenn Smith, founder, mandolinist, and primary composer of the DeLand, Florida based prog / fusion band Magnatar, passed away on October 18th 2019 at the age of 68, after a brief illness. »
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2019-11-04
Dino Brassea RIP –
Word reaches us of the passing of Dino Brassea, who sang and played flute in Cast for many years. By our count, Brassea appeared on 11 Cast albums between 1994 and 2002. He also released music as a solo artist. »
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2019-10-06
Ginger Baker RIP –
Legendary English drummer Ginger Baker has died at the age of 80. After coming to fame with Cream in the 60s alongside Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce, he became one of the most recognized and influential drummers of the rock era. On September 25, his family announced that he was critically ill, and on October 6 his death was confirmed. »
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2019-08-20
Alex's Hand Seeks Spa Treatment –
American / European band Alex's Hand has a new album in the works called Hungarian Spa, which looks to be their biggest and best yet, featuring a large roster of guest musicians. They're seeking funding to take the project on the road, and are looking for help from the crowd of wisdom. »
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2019-06-05
Legendary Co-Founder of The 13th Floor Elevators Passes Away at Age 71 –
Sadly, Roky Erickson passed away on May 31, 2019. Known as the father of psychedelic music and co-founder of the ground breaking 13th Floor Elevators, Roky had a profound influence on music from the 60s to today. Plagued by his own personal demons, Roky had a difficult life and is now free of these burdens. »
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Realm - The Path – Realm is not a new band: well over ten years ago a nearly identical lineup produced an almost unlistenable (due to the muddy mix and horrible vocal arrangements) keyboard album under the name System,... (1994) » Read more
Spirits Burning & Bridget Wishart - Earth Born – Some may remember Wishart from her brief tenure as a member of Hawkwind in the early 90s (she was featured on the Space Bandits studio album, and the live Palace Springs and Live at Nottingham 1990... (2008) » Read more
Gong Matrices - Gilli Smyth - Parade – For many of us who attended the IPMF in San Francisco in 1999, the long wait in the lobby while Porcupine Tree had ‘technical difficulties’ was rewarded with the unique spectacle of Gilli... (2007) » Read more
Mastermind - III - Tragic Symphony – Ever wonder what happened to progressive rock? Especially the rock part? Wonder no more. Mastermind has returned with a third album that is every bit as potent as one might expect after the heavy... (1995) » Read more
Franco Leprino - Integrati... Disintegrati – Although armed with an arsenal of synthesizers, Leprino's album isn't really a true electronic album in the same sense that Tangerine Dream is, but a very individual music with avant garde... (1995) » Read more