Sort of like Guitar Craft gone wild, these two exceptional sibling guitarists Source K and Ryusuke that make up Adachi Kyodai offer some high-intensity listening as they intertwine their strings...
» Read moreAdiB is an Italian quartet (bass, keyboards, guitars, and drums) formerly known as Assolo di Bongo who released their first album in 2001. Their new album, Spinning Like a Top, contains...
» Read moreThis album can’t be called dull — it’s intriguing, unpredictable, quirky, sometimes disturbing, and masterful. It starts with industrial sounds reminiscent of walking up stairs,...
» Read moreComing a couple of years after the originally announced release date of July 2005 is Alex Carpani’s “progressive rock” album. I put that in quotes because Swiss-born Carpani,...
» Read moreFor this limited edition release on the British 4Zero label, San Francisco Bay Area improv-trippers Mushroom have joined forces with the soulful and seductive voice of singer Alison Faith Levy....
» Read moreOver numerous releases now, Amarok has essentially created their own musical world, somewhere between the Mediterranean-Arabic folk music axis, the medieval sounds that might have been associated...
» Read moreRevisited Records is busy reissuing classic Krautrock albums by Klaus Schulze, Kraan, Guru Guru, Holger Czukay, and Amon Düül II. These latest discs are Amon Düül II’s fourth, fifth, and...
» Read moreAnekdoten’s first release in three years finds them on familiar ground. In the 90s they pioneered combining alt rock grunge with the heavy prog of 70s King Crimson. They’re back at it...
» Read moreThe modern incarnation of Arti e Mestieri has not seen much documentation on CD, so it is nice to see this release covering a recent concert in Japan. The two main components of the group are still...
» Read moreThe genesis of this floating ambient side-project by Sam Rosenthal, founder of Black Tape for a Blue Girl, is an interesting one. It began with Rosenthal’s four year old son playing with a...
» Read moreBaby Grandmothers were a legendary underground Swedish psych trio from the late 60s who performed extensively throughout Scandinavia but only released a single in Finland. The band consisted of...
» Read moreOver the years, UK proggers Big Big Train have been migrating their sound from the Genesis-ish fare served up on early records like 1994's Goodbye to the Age of Steam to a more modern...
» Read moreColorado Art colony Biota continues to make strides in their first new collaboration in over six years. Since their last recording, the European folk elements have been put in the background in...
» Read moreThis album is likely to split Birdsongs fans. Some might consider it a brave creative statement while others may see it as a failed experiment. I’m in the first category and in my opinion...
» Read moreThe front of the package proclaims "Joe Strummer's favourite concert." Well, I'm sure it was great to be there. The Captain and his crackshot '72 touring lineup (Rockette...
» Read moreChris Hartford and his cohorts have returned for their third outing, and in a nutshell if you like what was done before you’ll probably enjoy this as well. C&R albums have always been...
» Read moreThe strummy acoustic riff and rough-cut harmonies on the title track give few clues as to what lies beyond the second index on this Danish band’s sophomore release. With “Lotus,”...
» Read moreOne of the best young guitarists anywhere in the Americas, Claudio Cordero delivers the goods on this fantastic first solo effort. The CD is all instrumental, and features exceptional playing from...
» Read moreOne of the first musical things I discovered after moving to Beijing was this band from Shanghai. Their Chinese name (Lengku Xianjing) is taken from the Chinese title of a book by Japanese writer...
» Read moreThis instrumental San Francisco based outfit started out life in 2000 as a guitar / bass / drums / keyboards quartet, adopting a somewhat psychedelic groove-based jamming style mixed with elements...
» Read moreBoth Helpling and Jenkins each have numerous masterful releases to their credit, so in collaboration one could expect only the best, and that’s exactly what they have delivered. The cover...
» Read moreBoth Martin and Verner have been regulars in the pages of Exposé over the years with their respective releases, but Anno Domini marks their first collaboration. Anyone...
» Read moreDennis Rea is a Seattle area guitarist who’s worked with Jeff Greinke, Bill Rieflin and may be known to some through his participation with groups Land and Stackpole. Long before he made his...
» Read moreDino Brassea is known to many through his long relationship with Mexican prog rockers Cast. His voice and flute playing have been one of Cast’s trademark ingredients until recently when he...
» Read moreEKS has a new solo album and it is probably more out there than Melancholics Anonymous. It is always a treat to hear a new EKS release. Sometimes the new music is like visiting with an old...
» Read moreMelancholics Anonymous is a collection of EKS pieces from rare vinyl releases plus one previously unreleased track. Even with reissuing these songs to a wider audience, this CD is a...
» Read moreThere are plenty of new bands to check out these days, though there haven’t been many notable American bands in a while. These guys change all that. Electric Kompany hails from New York and...
» Read moreKaraindrou may be best known for her film scoring work since the early 80s in her native Greece. Elegy is a sprawling two-disc live set recorded at Megaron in Athens in March 2005; it...
» Read moreTwo of the late Elton Dean’s last sessions as leader and co-leader have been championed by Hux records in the UK. Sea of Infinity captures him again leading an out session careening...
» Read moreIt’s still hard to believe that Brit jazz giant Elton Dean is no longer with us. Considering how alive his performance from fall 2005 is with Belgian band the Wrong Object, it was clearly a...
» Read moreAfter 30 years Eroc’s solo albums are now available on CD and finally finding their way to the US in 2007. Eroc remastered them from the original tapes, added bonus material, and included liner...
» Read moreLast time I checked there are not many Mexican bands with an American Stick player and singer who’s also a woman, but that’s what we have here with Ezoo. Besides Linda Cushma, Ezoo...
» Read moreFit & Limo have been producing some of the finest psychedelic folk music ala the Incredible String Band since the early 80s. Astralis, subtitled New Studies on Strange Folk,...
» Read moreHas it really been eight years since Six Dimensions of the Electric Camembert? That was the last full album by this Finnish hard rock band this writer heard, more or less corresponding to...
» Read moreInstant Delivery is a concert video shot in Holland during The Flower Kings’ 2006 Paradox Hotel tour. The intent with this 2-DVD set was to present the group’s show in...
» Read moreBest I can figure, this is around the twelfth album by Sweden's Flower Kings, and across all those years they have pretty much maintained a course of prog-rock purity that stays the straight...
» Read moreAfter an initial stab at a return to action with 2002's Focus 8, Thijs van Leer is back with an almost totally new lineup that's sounding better than ever. That is, if your tastes...
» Read moreEven though this box set covers the post-Gabriel years from 1976’s A Trick of the Tail through 1981’s Abacab, it was actually the first released. As with the other...
» Read moreDuring the last decade several Italian bands which hit the big time in the 70s have got back on track. Some examples are Arti & Mestieri, Museo Rosenbach, and Osanna. Others, on the contrary,...
» Read moreThis doesn't come on the scene with threats to take the prog world by storm, but rather insinuates itself subtly, from the gentle cover art through the music itself, which wraps many styles and...
» Read moreRead the credits: “All songs improvised by GMFTPO” and (especially if you’re familiar with their other recordings) you know you’re in for a trip. A strange and disturbing...
» Read moreGuru Guru is one of the better known Krautrock bands from the 70s. In Spring 1973 they released their fourth album Guru Guru, engineered by the legendary Conny Plank, featuring drummer...
» Read moreThe ongoing collaboration between avant garde multi-instrumentalist Bob Drake and vocalist Susanne Lewis continues to confuse and confound. Drake and Lewis this time pull in more indie rock...
» Read moreSomewhere back in the late 90s, after seeing them open for the Mike Keneally Band, we reviewed this San Jose band’s earlier release, Shocks and Struts, which proved them to be a...
» Read moreThis is the second disc of all new material in Ilitch’s recent batch of activity beginning with Hors Temps in 2004 (last years’ Rainy House was mixed with older...
» Read moreCertainly one of the ways for a band to achieve a distinctive sound is to feature an unconventional lineup of instruments. Imogene takes this tack by taking a typical b/d/g/k format and...
» Read moreCeltic prog band Iona are back in a big way, not only with their recent studio release, The Circling Hour, but also with two new DVDs. This is a great set both for fans and those new to...
» Read moreIt’s been six years since Iona’s last album, Open Sky, and the good news is that everything the Anglo-Irish band had working so well for them hasn’t been forgotten. Some...
» Read moreGuitarist Jakko Jakszyk has finally come into his own with his current solo recording. After stints with Level 42, Dizrhythmia, and 21st Century Schizoid Band and numerous guest spots, the...
» Read moreThe tribal beats and pulsating electronic vibe in the opening minutes of “Black” set the stage for some amazingly incisive electric violin work as the piece slowly builds intensity...
» Read moreThe word “sonorous” seems meant for this recording. In addition to the inherently warm and pliant voicings of the acoustic guitar and the further extension of those voicings by any...
» Read moreAt first listen, it might seem like The Useless Lesson takes two paths, one of melodic avant-garde chamber explorations, and another of more spacious ambient territory, interleaved...
» Read moreXOIO is Gerald Arend's (aka Klangwelt) third CD release. Gerald plays New Agey electronic music. The majority of his music fits within the trance-techno realm making it great for the...
» Read moreWith great anticipation I waited for the release of Klaus Schulze’s 45th solo album Kontinuum and I was not disappointed. Klaus has been reissuing lots of music lately, but it is two...
» Read moreMoondawn was Klaus’ first electronic masterpiece. This was the first recording using Klaus’ big “Moog.” Beautiful scintillating abstract electronic sounds open the...
» Read moreRevisited Records continues its reissue of the Klaus Schulze back catalog with another 12 CDs. I haven’t quite figured out their rationale, but they are releasing 12 a year covering the...
» Read moreNext in the Revisited reissue series after Blackdance is Timewind, Klaus’ fifth release, the one he considers his breakout album and the one that brought him worldwide...
» Read moreThese seasoned players need no introduction for any chemistry coaxed from old bottles. The nucleus of this power trio of Larry Coryell (Eleventh House), Victory Bailey (Weather Report), and Lenny...
» Read moreAtendees of either the 2006 or 2007 Baja Prog festivals have been fortunate enough to see Lazuli do their thing live on stage. They truly are one of the most interesting groups among Musea’s...
» Read moreLo-Fi Chorus is an indie band from Dallas, TX obviously influenced by Elvis Costello. Something in the Air is their second release and one they hope will bring their music to a wider...
» Read moreIn the early 70s there was the legendary Krautrock band Mythos, led by multi-instrumentalist Stephan Kaske. Over the decades Kaske remained active as a musician, ultimately becoming a solo...
» Read moreI was going to say, “Here’s one out of left field” but that’s unfair. Mad Juana comes from somewhere outside the ballpark entirely, from some dark, candle-lit back-alley...
» Read moreMagenta has always had a healthy output of singles alongside their three studio albums. Rather than keep re-releasing singles, Rob Reed (the group’s keyboard player, composer and producer)...
» Read moreNot to be confused with their 1985 CD with the exact same title, this DVD is the first of four that are being compiled from the shows that took place at Le Triton from May 10th to June 4th 2005....
» Read moreThis second album from Mar de Robles is both a continuation and a departure from the first. It’s an example of a band honing its craft and moving on and up. The five piece features vocals /...
» Read moreBased in Mexico City, José Luis Fernández Ledesma’s projects appear every year or so quietly with little fanfare; he is definitely one of the most underrated artists around,...
» Read moreThis is the follow up to this Japanese quartet’s impressive 2003 debut, Taneshina. The jazz approach seen on the debut is carried forward here, though this time even more non-jazz...
» Read moreOne of the very best of the late 60s San Francisco bands (if not the best), Moby Grape's recordings as well as the band's name itself has long been tied up in endless cycles of litigation thanks to...
» Read moreMy Sleeping Karma are four guys living in the middle of Germany hard at work crafting and playing minimal retro-psychedelic music that can easily stand up to Harmonia’s Krautrock masterpieces...
» Read moreNels Cline’s affinity for pummeling sound boundaries as well as working within jam bands and standard song structures (e.g. – Wilco) is now further realized within the works of another...
» Read moreThis Argentine symphonic band made a big splash back around the turn of the decade, fronted by beautiful lead singer with golden voice, Mariela Gonzalez, leading to invitations to Baja and...
» Read moreNovalis was a Krautrock band from Hamburg, Germany and their self-titled second album is part of Revisited Records’ reissuance of the Brain back catalog. This album is an amazing mixture of folk...
» Read moreThese pieces originally appeared on English composer and musician N.R. Hill’s first three (now deleted) albums: Romeo & the Beast, Nails, and The Triumph of Death. With...
» Read moreSomewhere within the seven pieces that comprise Rock ‘n’ Roll Station a sadly conformist aesthetic emerges, apparently in conformity with its own tradition of non-conformity....
» Read moreAlong with the reissue of this quartet's amazing self-titled debut album from '73 (which originally appeared on the Vertigo label), Long Hair has released these two collections of archival...
» Read moreFrom some Wright honorable Meddle-era keyboard plonks to pretty much anyone’s arpeggiated Telecaster (here noted to be a “Rikencaster”), Brian Packham has been listening...
» Read moreOs Mundi, Latin for “origin of the world,” was a 70s Berlin-based band that released only two albums, Latin Mass and 43 Minuten. Both of these Krautrock classics have been...
» Read moreThe ØSC web site states “totally improvised space rock!” That was quite evident on their debut release reviewed in Issue #34. A lot of “water has passed under the bridge” since then (10...
» Read moreIn my mind I picture the dancing of tanks — the cover art helps. But the only dance I can imagine is a slow, clumsy, brutish affair, most unlike the quick, dextrous, sophisticated music I...
» Read moreIt’s funny that Pendragon, who represented the “new wave” of prog rock not that long ago, have now been around long enough to be having commemorative reunion and anniversary...
» Read moreTheir third album, my first to hear. There’s a good variety of tones and influences here, not really like anything else I can think of. Some of the heavier parts remind me of the heavier...
» Read moreNot known for uplifting and cheerful music, Porcupine Tree has delivered another dose of downer prog rock. The theme of Fear of a Blank Planet is adolescent angst and the large number of...
» Read moreThis mini album consists of four songs (totaling about 30 minutes) that were written and recorded during the Fear of a Blank Planet album session but were held off for a variety of...
» Read moreA few years back this young Spanish trio left its mark on the audience in Mexicali, proving themselves to be competent purveyors of free-wheeling high-energy jamming and tightly composed math-rock....
» Read morePuppet Show’s long awaited second studio album has finally made it out the door. Squashing any blatant anticipation, the quintet jumps right to it on the opening cut, “Seasons,”...
» Read morePure Reason Revolution is part of a new breed of British Neo-progressive acts balancing neo-folk vocal phrases with familiar engaging art rock trappings. Led by guitarist Jon Courtney and bassist...
» Read moreThis tasty and rousing slice of modern Swedish trad-folk grows on the listener like a nice warm coat on a cold winter morning. This is music full of color, warmth, melody, and rich in tradition,...
» Read moreIt merits discussion as to what, in the early 80s context, constituted the difference between a Spirit album and a Randy California album. Because nearly every Spirit composition in those days was...
» Read moreIs this some long lost Gentle Giant album that I’m hearing? Just insert Patrik Lundström into Derek Shulman’s shoes and you get an idea of the sound bursting from the title track...
» Read moreRiverside's new one consolidates their position at the forefront of Polish prog bands and convincingly encapsulates what makes this quartet so effective, with few of the hamstrings that can...
» Read moreThere is a great volume of music that we can work to comprehend, and there is a more elusive body within the body of music that it is best to apprehend. The first, of course, is a conscious...
» Read moreRobert Wyatt must truly be the most playful world artist on the planet. His tireless efforts making strong musical statements in pop and jazz format stand up and apart from any other British or US...
» Read moreWhen a short audio sample of "Far Cry" was posted on Rush's web site it led to excited and hopeful premonitions of a return to the kind of prog rock the Canadian trio had pioneered on...
» Read moreSaturnia has been around since the late 90s, and Muzak is the latest release from this little known Portuguese psych-prog band. Saturnia is essentially multi-instrumentalist Luis Simões...
» Read moreFor their first international release, SimakDialog offers a live set recorded in Jakarta in April 2005. At this juncture, bandleader and keyboardist Riza Arshad is joined by a rhythm section of...
» Read moreI’m the last person who would insist on bands adhering to standard instrumentation, but when I listen to this one, I hear a sound that’s tinny and kind of wimpy – and wimpy is the...
» Read moreOne of the heretofore undocumented periods in Spirit's career began shortly after Epic's rejection of Potatoland in '73. Randy California left the group (for the second time)...
» Read moreYou Are Here is a companion soundtrack to Squonk Opera’s latest stage production, (put your hometown’s name here): The Opera and continues a string of theatrical...
» Read moreFor nearly 30 years many have kept on considering him only the man behind the powerful guitar solos of Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies down on Broadway; yet he has proved to be much...
» Read moreMy only encounter with Peters’ work to date has been his EP length disc From Shelter, released on Cold Blue a few years back, which had a fairly unified concept and approach, fitting...
» Read moreFor the third in this series, Roach has served up a double dose. Like much of Roach’s material, the Fever Dreams series embraces soundworlds of a floating ambient nature, but with a...
» Read moreTwo years after his debut CD Emotional Creatures – Part One, Steve Thorne has released his second CD Emotional Creatures – Part Two. In some sense it is a continuation...
» Read moreIf you are easily offended, don’t appreciate sophomoric humor, are a sensitive 90s male or a socially conscious feminist, please don’t buy this CD. If you enjoy bawdy humor (okay,...
» Read moreThe artist alone decides what music appears on their ESP Disk, and yet such is the nature of music, marketing, labels, and categorization that you and I can have fair idea what music they are going...
» Read moreI have heard Taproban’s previous release Ogni Pensiero Vola and also their contribution to the Spaghetti Epic compilation (reviewed in #32) and was looking forward to...
» Read moreBennie Maupin is primarily known for his rooting bass clarinet work on Miles Davis’ Jack Johnson and Bitches Brew sessions. Later he would cement his legacy with Herbie...
» Read moreGregg Bendian and Company are back with another take on classic Mahavishnu material. While previous efforts have dealt entirely with that band’s first incarnation, due to (as they say)...
» Read moreUK-based quintet The Pineapple Thief have built a healthy following for their brand of modern, indie-influenced prog rock. Their 2005 release 10 Stories Down sold 5,000 copies and...
» Read moreThere’s Copeland’s Quiet City and some years on The Muffins’ Open City. And countless preceding and following metaphorical interpretations of the City as a force...
» Read moreThe Trees was a British folk rock band formed in 1969 that sputtered out in 1972, barely leaving a footnote in musical history. Their two albums The Garden of Jane Delawney and On the...
» Read moreProg metal is a genre which has grown as many arms as an octopus – or more. Italy especially is famous for many bands in this genre. Not that Ubi Maior is a pure prog metal band – no,...
» Read moreOne of the best arranged recordings from last year hails from Helsinki, Finland by Uzva, a seven-piece chamber rock act with additional orchestral instrumentation. Comparisons have been drawn to...
» Read moreImpossible reunions by not-so-spring chickens are now becoming fashionable. This is due in part to both Cream and Van der Graaf Generator taking the live stage the same week for surprisingly...
» Read moreChristmas is my least favorite holiday of the entire year, a month-long season of unbridled commercialism and indulgent spending, nearly completely stripped of its original meaning as the birthday...
» Read moreFor those of you who miss Landberk (I know I do) I urge you to give this album a listen. Villebråd, who hail Uppsala, Sweden, have been together for three years and were formed by brothers...
» Read moreWaldteufel is the German duo of Markus Wolff (primarily vocals, drums, and percussion) and Tyrsson Sinclair (other instruments, vocals, etc.) and this is their fourth full-length release. Their...
» Read moreEach successive White Willow album finds the band further along their evolutionary path, establishing their own unique sound amid numerous Scandinavian symphonic retro-prog bands. And each new disc...
» Read moreThis ambitious concept album by Maryland duo Xcross is based on H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath,” eleven purely instrumental tracks following a brief spoken...
» Read more
2021-02-14
SoundQuest Fest 2021 –
SoundQuest Fest, first experienced as a live festival in Tucson Arizona in 2010 was created by ambient music pioneer Steve Roach. This 2021 event will unite a worldwide gathering of artists and audience members together for a 3-day online event unique in the realm of ambient music. From March 26-28th a continuous flow of streamed performances, audio-video wonder worlds and deep immersion zones will burn bright on Roach’s YouTube channel. »
Read more
2021-02-10
Chick Corea RIP –
The sad news has reached us that Chick Corea has Returned to Forever, so to speak. The innovative keyboardist and composer died on February 9 at the age of 79. With a career that spanned from the 60s until shortly before his death, Corea touched many listeners with the incredible variety of music he produced in his lifetime. »
Read more
2021-01-18
Asia Minor Third Album on the Way –
On January 29, AMS records will be releasing the long-awaited third album by classic Turkish-French band Asia Minor. Released last year in Japan, this will be the widespread debut of Points of Libration. The album features original members Setrak Bakirel (vocals, guitar) and Eril Tekeli (flute, guitar). »
Read more
2020-12-09
Harold Budd RIP –
Harold Budd, one of pre-eminent American composers of avant-garde and minimalism, has died of complications from the coronavirus. Budd came to prominence in the 70s, championed by Brian Eno on his Obscure Records label, with music that blended academic minimalism with electric jazz and electronic music. Much of Budd's best known work was done in collaboration with other artists, including Eno, Daniel Lanois, Robin Guthrie, Andy Partridge, John Foxx, Jah Wobble, and many others. »
Read more
2020-11-20
25 Views of Worthing Finally Gets Released –
A while ago, we wrote about the discovery of a "long lost" Canterbury-style gem by a band called 25 Views of Worthing. And now we're pleased to find out that Wind Waker Records has released their music on an LP. »
Read more
Apoteosi - Apoteosi – The Mellow label, run by Mauro Moroni, has probably released more discs in the last year and a half than Musea, Kinetic, Cuneiform and Syn-phonic put together. Dedicated to re-issuing long-lost... (1994) » Read more
Jean-Philippe Goude - Drones – Jean Philippe Goude played keyboards in Bernard Paganotti’s band Weidorje until 1979. At that time he recorded Drones and involved the various musicians he had worked with: Klaus Blasquiz,... (1994) » Read more
Älgarnas Trädgård - Framtiden Är Ett Svävande Skepp, Förankrat I Forntiden – Swedish ensemble Älgarnas Trädgård in many ways were the Scandinavian equivalent of Pierrot Lunaire and were an incredibly unique and inventive group of musicians. Their sole album... (1996) » Read more
Presence - Black Opera – Giuseppe Verdi, 1813-1901. Not exactly a household name among proggers, but his operas rank among some of the best of the 19th century: La Traviata, Aida, Don Carlo, Rigoletto, and others. He's... (1997) » Read more
Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland – With Cuckooland Robert Wyatt changes direction once again, this time toward jazz. Perhaps “Old Europe” is an early clue to the disc’s orientation, with its lyrical jazz references to... (2004) » Read more