The recorded history of The Muffins goes back to 1974 or maybe even earlier – even though their first album proper, Manna / Mirage, wasn’t released until 1978. The early...
» Read moreBy 1989, 20 years on from their founding, Uriah Heep had been through a lot of ups and downs, with only guitarist Mick Box remaining from the original lineup (although drummer Lee Kerslake had been...
» Read moreSeattle in the 80s was a hotbed of musical activity, much of it centered around the heavy rock of punk-inflected bands that eventually gave birth to what the world knew as grunge rock. But among...
» Read moreBefore the recombinant U Totem ever hit the streets, baton wielder James Grigsby fronted The Motor Totemist Guild (recently reconstituted as a twelve-piece ensemble featuring members of Non Credo,...
» Read moreWindham Hill used to be known for beautiful acoustic music, be it solo piano or guitar or small groups. Then along came Shadowfax, an eclectic bunch of electric and acoustic musicians with a style...
» Read moreWhen Yellow Magic Orchestra’s first album came out in 1978, listeners around the world were treated (many for the first time) to creative music from Japan, something that wasn’t just...
» Read moreWhen considering the finest releases of the Japanese symphonic rock scene, the first two albums by Mr. Sirius come to mind immediately, not only for their apparent absence of any immediately...
» Read moreThird Ear Band from the beginning was one of the strangest sounding bands, and remains so to this day. I remember bringing home the LP of the band’s first album Alchemy (bought...
» Read moreThird Ear Band from the beginning was one of the strangest sounding bands, and remains so to this day. I remember bringing home the LP of the band’s first album Alchemy (bought...
» Read moreAt about the same time as Guerssen reissued the first two Circles albums in 2016, Bureau B issued this...
» Read moreDutch composer Michel Banabila has been recording and releasing music since 1983 and he has produced musical scores for films, documentaries, plays, and dance. This Early Works...
» Read moreIn the early 80s, with the rise of affordable electronics and recording equipment, cassette culture took off. Anyone with a few dollars could set up a home recording studio and create music....
» Read moreDuring the five years prior to the wall coming down, East German musicians, painters, poets, filmmakers, and performers began to open up new territory, crossing genres and jumping back and forth...
» Read morePulsar was perhaps the best French band in the mid-70s. In fact they were the first French band to be distributed by an English label. From 1975 to 1977 they released three albums culminating with...
» Read moreLed by composer/keyboardist Alfredo Tisocco, and fronted by vocalist Donella del Monaco, Opus Avantra – much like their name might imply, offers a music based in avant-garde classicism mixed...
» Read moreLed by composer/keyboardist Alfredo Tisocco, and fronted by vocalist Donella del Monaco, Opus Avantra – much like their name might imply, offers a music based in avant-garde classicism mixed...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
I was about to write that there aren't too many debuts as powerful as this title by Italians Arti e Mesteri but then I realized I had just written...
» Read moreJour après Jour (Day after Day) would be Vander's first all-out pure jazz assault. The trio formation of Vander on drums, Emmanuel Borghi on piano, and Philippe Dardelle on...
» Read moreMuch ink has been spilled about the drumming of Furio Chirico and for good reason: the guy is phenomenal. He is all over the place using all available musical space yet is never bombastic or...
» Read moreRecently Revisited Records, a division of InsideOut Music, has been reissuing a number of German bands from the past: Klaus Schulze, Amon Düül II, and Kraan. To date, they have released...
» Read moreLégendes is Hecenia’s first album, recorded in 1989, released in 1990, and now reissued on CD. If you’ve only heard Hecenia’s second release, La Couleur du...
» Read moreCorrenti Magnetiche was a multimedia improvisational group featuring Riccardo Sinigaglia on keyboards, Maurizio Dehò and Erika Hadju on violins, Gabin Dabiré playing sanza, balafon,...
» Read moreIt sounds like Folli di Dio just missed being on Mellow's Fruit Salad label, as it fits into that most amorphous of genres – neo-psychedelic. Neo-psych is as ambiguous as most genre names...
» Read moreHere in the West Wing of Exposé Headquarters (AKA my house), Thinking Plague occupies a place of honor as the preeminent American avant-prog band, their reputation tainted only...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
I'm actually fairly impressed at the longevity of the Celestial Harmonies / Fortuna label; they seem to have been going for decades at this point...
» Read moreFor 1973, Odissea's sole album was far surpassed in innovation, and the collection of shorter songs here seems fairly dated. Regardless, there are some nice moments – symphonic flights...
» Read moreHere is another rarity from the vaults. Zauber was a five-piece who produced only this single album in the late seventies, until their recent reformation (see Mike's New Italian article in...
» Read moreRecorded several months before the album Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh, but not released until 1989, Mekanïk Kommandöh is an interesting early version of...
» Read moreFor those of you wondering who in the world is Fred Baker with the familiar middle name, please allow me to provide background on the educated virtuoso. He’s a Birmingham College of Music...
» Read moreIt's great to finally see this album on CD, the vinyl debut of the underappreciated Tangle Edge. While the band's sound has changed considerably since it came out in 1989, adding sax and...
» Read moreMetamorfosi were more or less a keyboard oriented trio with the addition of a lead vocalist. Their debut album was a very 60s psych/beat album with progressive touches – an overblown concept...
» 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 moreEveryone should at least be aware of who Kit Watkins is. His first gig was keyboardist with the acclaimed Happy the Man, who released two outstanding albums in the late 70s, for which Kit penned...
» Read moreEach track on this compilation integrates spoken text and sound manipulation, with results both mysterious and captivating. On "A New Dress" Nurse with Wound layers shifting, hypnotic metallic...
» Read moreThe miniscule amount of Forrest Fang's music I heard before this reissue arrived was mostly electronic ambient stuff, which is nice enough but not something I'm going to seek out very often. I was...
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2021-04-01
New Aristocrats Live Album on the Way –
No foolin'! These supreme musicians toured Europe early in 2020, just before touring ceased to be a thing musicians could do, and there were some hot performances captured. On May 7, some of these will be releases as Freeze! Live in Europe 2020. »
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2021-03-25
Return of Jerry Lucky's Progressive Rock Files –
After much consideration and surprisingly, positive feedback, Jerry Lucky is announcing the launch of the progressive Rock Files podcast, featuring the latest progressive rock music from around the world. »
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2021-03-14
Jewlia Eisenberg RIP –
The sad news has come out that Jewlia Eisenberg has died. As a founding member of Charming Hostess, Eisenberg changed the face of music, bringing together Balkan klezmer, American folk, and experimental rock in a distinctive blend that garnered much praise. »
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2021-03-11
RIP Roger Trigaux –
The sad news has come to our attention that Roger Trigaux, the guiding force of Present and former member of Univers Zero, passed away on the evening of March 10, 2021 after a long ilness. »
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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. »
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Hot Tuna - Double Dose – Long unavailable on CD, this full-length live disc (originally a 2LP set) is a superb summary of Hot Tuna's career up to that point; in fact the band split up shortly after the album hit the street in... (2008) » Read more
Eric Roberts - In a Silent Place – Eric Roberts is a bassist who has logged many hours supporting big name acts over the years and this is his recorded debut as a guitarist. Although largely a solo effort, he does get help from a few... (2006) » Read more
October Equus - October Equus – October Equus is a new progressive quartet from Spain comprised of Victor Rodriguez on keyboards, Amanda Pazos on bass guitar, Txema Fernandes on drums, and Ángel Ontalva on guitars. On their... (2007) » Read more
David Cross - Testing to Destruction – This album is the answer to the question, "Whatever happened to that guy who used to play violin in King Crimson?" Don't get your hopes up, though, Larks' Tongues it ain't. I really hated this album... (1995) » Read more
Keith Jarrett - The Carnegie Hall Concert – Recorded live in September of last year at the most prestigious hall in New York, this collection of one multipart improvisation and five additional songs can be seen as a crowning statement of... (2007) » Read more