Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 2006

Iona - The Circling Hour

It’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...

Iona - Iona DVD & Live in London DVD

Celtic 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...

Ozric Tentacles - The Floor's Too Far Away

One can always count on Ozrics to deliver a disc full of captivating grooves, shredding guitar solos, surreal swirling psychedelic atmospheres, unusual rhythmic textures, and clever sonic gimmicks....

Karcius - Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope is an excellent second album by Karcius. It is one of those rare releases that you know is good the very first time you hear it. Karcius is a French Canadian instrumental...

Caravan - All over You

Caravan finally takes the plunge into Unplugged Greatest Hits territory, but with mixed results. New versions of ancient tracks are really no better or worse than their two decade-old predecessors,...

Klangwelt - XOIO

XOIO 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...

Morris Pert - The Music of Stars & Desert Dances

The compositional premise for The Music of Stars is not as rigorous as Cage’s Etudes Australes or as evocative as Ligeti’s Atmosphères. Pert simply...

Koenjihyakkei - Viva Koenji!

Need to get rid of unwanted in-laws? Need to lose all the listeners of your radio show? Want to clear a party that's gone on too late? Enter Koenji Hyakkei, the royal family of bombast, the...

Koenjihyakkei - Viva Koenji!

This tight Japanese zeuhl band is led by none other than Yoshida Tatsuya (drums, keys, vocals), leader of the zeuhl punk band Ruins since the early 90s. I have to say that although Ruins invited...

Koenjihyakkei - Viva Koenji!

Tatsuya Yoshida is one busy dude. In addition to being one half of the constantly-touring constantly-releasing Ruins, working in several collaborative musical units, being the drummer for Japanese...

Spock's Beard - Spock's Beard

Nine studio albums out and three since the big event that changed the band forever, Spock’s Beard today is a stronger entity than they have ever been before. Behind door number one is a...

Klaus Schulze - Audentity & Angst

Audentity features Klaus plus Michael Shrieve (the original drummer with Santana) on percussion, Rainer Bloss (sounds and glockenspeil), and Wolfgang Tiebold (cello). The sound is clean,...

Tomasz Stańko Quartet - Lontano

Piano tinkling in the moonlight of a muted trumpet stutter, Miles Davis' lighter moments. Very easygoing and mellow music, perhaps best served with a fine cognac and some throw pillows in front...

Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third

Pure 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...

Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third

So there are quite a few versions of this album in different orders and such, but really when I think of this album, I'm primarily thinking of certain songs: "Aeropause,"...

Various Artists - Progression in Balance Vol. 1 & 2

Quebec’s Unicorn Records, founded in 1996, has been serving primarily as an outlet for Canadian prog-rock bands, though the roster has grown to include groups such as America’s Parallel...

Spaced Out - Unstable Matter

From their previous studio outings, Spaced Out is officially down to a trio now, although one wouldn’t know it from the sonic density of any of the ten cuts here, or from the seemingly full...

Billy Cobham - Shabazz

In 1974, drummer Billy Cobham took advantage of a break in activity for Mahavishnu Orchestra by putting together a band to play Montreux and other shows in Europe. His band included the musicians...

Proto-Kaw - Wait of Glory

The history of Proto-Kaw has to be one of the greatest second-chance stories in the history of rock. The band made some demos between 1971-1973, but broke up shortly afterwards when Kerry Livgren...

Strawbs - Deep Cuts & Heartbreak Hill

I don't think even the most rabid Strawbs fan (maybe not me, but I'm close, so I should know) would say these two albums represent the band's peak. That being said, there are still some...

Peter James - Footnotes to Fairytales

Bearing an intimate and individualistic style rooted both in folk music and minimalism, Bay Area (by way of England and Hong Kong) guitarist, singer, and songwriter Peter James has appeared on the...

Deluge Grander - August in the Urals

Here’s one that came out of the blue. Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, or maybe the action is half a world away from me, but somewhere out there is a prog band called Deluge...

Hatfield and the North - Hatwise Choice & Hattitude: Archive Recordings 1973-1975

The two studio albums released by Hatfield and the North sit firmly in my mind as two of the highlights not just of the Canterbury scene, but of all music recorded in the 70s. They embody so many...

Jasun Martz - The Pillory - The Battle

This 2-CD set is supposed to be a sequel to Martz’s original Pillory album, which I have not heard (anyone want to send me a copy?). This ambitious undertaking, split into the CDs...

Jasun Martz - The Pillory - The Battle

Ex-Zappa sideman and painter Jasun Martz is also a semi-classical electro-acoustic composer who has been operating under your popular music radar for sometime. His initial recording, The...

Jasun Martz - The Pillory - The Battle

Some 28 years ago Martz released his first epic, The Pillory, to great critical acclaim, with its massed Mellotrons and dreamy atmospherics, and then he drifted off the screen for all this...

Taproban - Posidonian Fields

I 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...

French TV - After a Lengthy Silence

The second album from this Louisville, KY band, After a Lengthy Silence, was originally recorded in 1987, and has now finally been re-released on CD. French TV play a somewhat eclectic...

Various Artists - Higher and Higher: A Tribute to the Moody Blues

Given their influence on the genre, the Moody Blues are a great subject for progressive bands to cover and I’m surprised something like this hasn’t already been tried. But leave it to...

Alison O'Donnell & Isabel Ni Chuireain - Mise Agus Ise

Many will remember Alison’s voice from the 1972 prog-folk classic Swaddling Songs by Mellow Candle, along with keyboardist / vocalist / songwriter Clodagh Simonds. Alison then moved...

Dieter Moebius - Nurton

Seven years after Blotch, Moebius released his next solo album, Nurton. On this second...

Escapade - But Distractions Abound

Here's a healthy dose of psych/space/krautrock goodness for you. Escapade may not be as big a name as Ash Ra Temple or Amon Düül but they can easily be spoken of in the same breath....

Nexus - Perpetuum Karma

This 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...

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Have You Seen the Other Side of the Sky?

Makoto Kawabata and his band of madmen have been recording as Acid Mothers Temple for several years and their catalog is enormous. Many of their releases are long, unlistenable, cacophonous...

Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel

The good news is that Paradox Hotel includes a kick-ass prog rock instrumental, “Pioneers of Aviation,” that’s about one of the best things The Flower Kings have ever...

The Ministry of Inside Things - Contact Point

The Ministry of Inside Things is the Philadelphia-based space music duo of Chuck van Zyl (synths) and Art Cohen (guitar). Individually, both Chuck and Art have been involved in the Philadelphia...

Amon Düül II - Tanz der Lemminge

When I started getting into progressive music in my teens, this album could actually be found fairly frequently in record stores, but unfortunately it usually was found on (US) UA vinyl (the...

Amon Düül II - Phallus Dei

If I was to take a census of Amon Düül II fans, favorites are usually Yeti (mine), Dance of the Lemmings, or Wolf City, and then the others usually line up right after....

Panzerpappa - Koralrevens Klagsang

It’s been a few years since anything new from Panzerpappa has crossed this desk. Skillful denizens of the playful Canterbury-esque jazz-rock realm, the four-piece has undergone some changes...

GPS - Window to the Soul

As with any neo-prog superstars poised to take over the world, again, the production here is slick and smooth. Knobs tweaked and script at the ready, this one is heading for the stratosphere, of...

McGill Manring Stevens - What We Do

Much ado has been stated in the jazz press regarding the bastardization of cherished jazz standards meshed with dirty old rock and roll. The unwanted outcome: jazz-rock or fusion has been both a...

Jakko M. Jakszyk - The Bruised Romantic Glee Club

Guitarist 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...

Bread, Love and Dreams - Amaryllis

I suppose this fell into the progressive camp because: a) it's British and from the early 70s, b) it's folk rock; and c) there's a 21-minute title track. Let me break it to you slow:...

Battiato - Fetus, Pollution, Sulle Corde di Aries & Clic

Franco Battiato, as is well known, was an Italian pop singer who for a span in the 70s made a string of very experimental albums that fit in the vein of groups such as Opus Avantra or Pierrot...

Battiato - Fetus, Pollution, Sulle Corde di Aries & Clic

Franco Battiato, as is well known, was an Italian pop singer who for a span in the 70s made a string of very experimental albums that fit in the vein of groups such as Opus Avantra or Pierrot...

Magma - Mythes et Légendes 1

Not 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....

Focus - Focus 9 / New Skin

After 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...

Ultimate Spinach - Ultimate Spinach, Behold & See & III

Long before the British domination of all things progressive, progress was being made in the post-San Francisco underground scene in many US cities, among them Boston. The fact that producer Alan...

Ultimate Spinach - Ultimate Spinach, Behold & See & III

Long before the British domination of all things progressive, progress was being made in the post-San Francisco underground scene in many US cities, among them Boston. The fact that producer Alan...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Guru Guru - Seven Reissues

Guru 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...

Through a Glass - Tragedy vs Comedy

Through a Glass are a young (as in still in high school when this was recorded), Tennessee-based rock band. That’s rock as in two guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and lots and lots of youthful...

Xinema - Basic Communication

Xinema is a three-piece group from Sweden; the members originally played in a band called Madrigal in the mid-80s (not to be confused with the current band of the same name). Basic...

Daniel Palomo Vinuesa - L'Homme Approximatif

Daniel Palomo Vinuesa is a French multi-instrumentalist (woodwinds, synths, tin whistle, and guitar) who began playing various saxophones in 1977 and gained notice from his first release Le...

For Absent Friends - Square One

If you like more rock with your progressive, this is the album for you. Dutch band For Absent Friends’ eighth album is 45 minutes of solidly played (dare I say it?) neo-progressive that is...

Wayne Horvitz - A Walk in the Dark & Once Dance Alone

One of Seattle’s finest composers, Wayne Horvitz, has crafted a new ensemble album for his main quartet. Horvitz’ signature technique translates into imploring melodic constructs within...

Furio Chirico & Friends - Father to Son

This could be almost any album in a lot of respects except one – the drummer is Furio Chirico, and this is his concept album dedicated to Chirico’s son Stravos (who died in 2005). Most...

Villebråd - Alla Är Här Utom Jag

For 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...

Uzva - Uoma

One 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...

James Sudakow - Green

The 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...

Tammen / Harth / Dahlgren / Rosen - Expedition - Live at the Knitting Factory

The 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...

Stuckey/Murray - Mythical Fornication

If 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,...

Ranarim - Morgonstjärna (Morning Star)

This 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,...

Periferia del Mondo - Periferia del Mondo (3)

Their 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...

Oki Hikoki - Krinkle

From 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...

Nurse with Wound - Rock n Roll Station

Somewhere 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....

Tor Lundvall - Empty City

There’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...

Lazuli - En Avant Doute

Atendees 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...

The Bennie Maupin Ensemble - Penumbra

Bennie 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...

Tres Gone - Outertainment, Vol. 1

The Tres Gone trio has been plugging away in the Portland, Oregon area for about five years, playing various local clubs, doing their own unique take on electric improvisation. In the course of...

Various Artists - Montreal Sound Matter / Montréal Matière Sonore

Experimental and Avant-Garde are words that should be used loosely for they reach far too wide. On the surface, that is evidently what we have here in this conglomeration of mainly Canadian...

T.A.O. - Abnormal Observations

Ostensibly once a metal band, the number of unusual sonic embellishments and trickier-than-usual rhythms make T.A.O.’s music a lot more interesting than what that label might typically...

Tanger - Ciudad

While this latest offering from the Argentinean quartet (+ guests) compares favorably to their 1999 self-titled debut and its 2002 follow-up La Otra Cara, there are few real surprises...

Slow Motion Reign - Slow Motion Reign

A fresh, youthful sound is their stock in trade, rich with melodies, hooks and energy, concise and inventive songwriting from beginning to end. Unlike many of the bands we review in...

Dino Saluzzi Group - Juan Condori

Bandoneon playing within a jazz structure is not a new idea, as it dates back to the 50s with many French and international acts, exemplified by Django Reinhardt’s hot bands. Argentinian...

Box of Frogs - Box of Frogs / Strange Land

The Box of Frogs project reunited 3/5 of the original Yardbirds: bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja, and drummer Jim McCarty. They took as their model The Traveling Willburys,...

Pienza Ethnorkestra - Indiens d'Europe

Beginning with a disclaimer that nearly anything even remotely related to Magma will receive an initial positive reception in this writer’s considerations, it was a delight to be assaulted by...

Jean-Luc Payssan - Pierrots & Arlequins

Jean-Luc Payssan is a familiar name to progressive rock fans as guitarist and founding member (along with brother and keyboard player Thierry) of French progressive rock outfit Minimum Vital. With...

Bobby Previte - The Coalition of the Willing

Powerhouse drummer Bobby Previte picks up his songwriting pen again for his new all-star combo album. Tagging along again is close friend Charlie Hunter, coerced into playing Telecaster leads on...

Toccata - Circe

The first thing that occurred to me when listening to Toccata was their similarity to Matraz. Both are relatively new progressive bands that aren’t really neo-prog; both have strong female...

Oaksenham - Conquest of the Pacific

Seems like a long time since we reviewed this Armenian band’s debut live release Woden’s Eve Live; in fact it was 2002, and since then the band has been diligently working on...

New Cars - It's Alive!

Reunion incantations of classic acts have been part of the rock and roll roadmap since the 50s. Only rarely does a group eclipse the live persona of its original instance. Todd Rundgren had been...

Jeffrey Koepper - Momentium

Etherea, his debuut album, was more than a pleasant surprise, it was a discovery of a new talent in EM in the USA. Etherea distinguished itself by soft undulations of melodic emotions or...

Herbie Kritzer - Lounge Rebel

Bay Area musician Herbie Kritzer’s previous (and only) release was 2002’s The Tree Lizard that packed quite a little punch despite clocking in at just under a half hour....

Ray Russell - Goodbye Svengali

Veteran Brit-jazzer Ray Russell has a lengthy resumé, having played with numerous famous musicians in a sideman role. On Goodbye Svengali, a tribute to the late Gil Evans, we get to...

Kayan Kalhor / Erdal Erzincan - The Wind

Merging Turkish and Persian world music influences together is the basis for this culturally compatible musical meeting. Kalhor was acclaimed for his kamancheh playing on The Rain while...

Rena Jones - Driftwood

I suppose any instrument could lend itself to electronic music given the right attitude, but there’s something about bowed strings that makes for a particularly nice pairing. Rena Jones...

Headshear - Headshear

Guitar junkies wake up! This one’s for you. I’ve had the good fortune to see this instrumental four-piece play a couple times around the Bay Area, and the varied and mesmerizing...

The Pineapple Thief - Little Man

UK-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...

Tony Harn - Revealed in Black and White

Tony Harn’s latest is another easy recommendation for Exposé readers of all stripes. After flirting with a group format on his last outing, the English guitarist’s...

IZ - E M

This Denver based heavy instrumental rock trio offers the basic g/b/d amid heavenly levels of guitar distortion and dense angular compositions that drive hard and pummel the senses. On drums is...

Lazuli - Amnésie

One of the surprises of Baja 2006 was this unique French band that, frankly, I had never even heard of before. The fact that they were being promoted by Musea may bode well for future releases...

Saga - Trust

Trust is the follow-up to 2005’s Network album and finds Saga performing with their third drummer in as many albums. This time around Brian Doerner from Helix is filling the...

Kopecky - Blood

It is indeed blood that ties the membership of this fine Wisconsin based instrumental trio together. Three siblings: Paul Kopecky, the drummer, a consummate professional who provides the framework...

Hypnos 69 - The Eclectic Measure

The Elektrohasch label has been releasing some great music of late, and this latest release by Belgian four-piece Hypnos 69 is no exception to that winning streak. Instrumentation includes the...

Imogene - Imogene

Certainly 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Klaus Schulze - Revisited Records Reissues, Part 1

Revisited 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...

Edward Ka-Spel - Eyes! China Doll

Beta-lactam Ring Records has just reissued Edward Ka-Spel’s classic second solo album from 1985, Eyes! China Doll. This reissue is its first proper CD reissue and it comes in a...

Legendary Pink Dots - Ancient Daze

Since forming in the early 80s, The Legendary Pink Dots have been quite prolific in their recorded output of 60+ releases. Initially they were part of the cassette culture releasing quite a few...

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO - Power House of Holy

To complement their 2006 USA Tour, Acid Mothers Temple released Power House of Holy as their tour CD. This CD contains two live tracks recorded in 2004, “Dark Stars” and...

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht, Dune, Dziękuję Poland, Miditerranean Pads, Sequenced? & Crime of Suspense

Revisited Records continues reissuing the Klaus Schulze back catalog. The past twelve months have seen seven more albums released with another batch due Fall 2006. Revisited is holding true to the...

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht, Dune, Dziękuję Poland, Miditerranean Pads, Sequenced? & Crime of Suspense

Revisited Records continues reissuing the Klaus Schulze back catalog. The past twelve months have seen seven more albums released with another batch due Fall 2006. Revisited is holding true to the...

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht, Dune, Dziękuję Poland, Miditerranean Pads, Sequenced? & Crime of Suspense

Revisited Records continues reissuing the Klaus Schulze back catalog. The past twelve months have seen seven more albums released with another batch due Fall 2006. Revisited is holding true to the...

Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht, Dune, Dziękuję Poland, Miditerranean Pads, Sequenced? & Crime of Suspense

Revisited Records continues reissuing the Klaus Schulze back catalog. The past twelve months have seen seven more albums released with another batch due Fall 2006. Revisited is holding true to the...

NR Hills - Eleven Nails in the Coffin

These 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...

Hail - Hello Debris

The 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...

Gösta Berlings Saga - Tid är Ljud

This 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...

SimakDialog - Patahan

For 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...

Goad - In the House of the Dark Shining Dreams

During 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,...

Crime in Choir - Crime in Choir, The Hoop & Trumpery Metier

This 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...

Janet Feder / Fred Frith - Ironic Universe

The 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...

Gogglesphere & Lafcadio - Babies in Hell & Sham Duvet

One might ask why these two discs are being addressed in the same review; it’s because both Gogglesphere and Lafcadio are essentially the same band – or that is to say they have the...

Gargamel - Watch for the Umbles

Gargamel is a sextet from Norway whose aim it is to revive complex prog rock from the past, but also to be different without modernizing the sound. Beside a core of guitar, bass, and drums, flute,...

Espers - Espers, The Weed Tree & Espers II

Beautiful music delving into mantric excesses in protracted light is a nice way to spend an afternoon. Percolating effluvial melodies encroach upon sensibilities of newfound mellifluousness setting...

Les Claypool - Of Whales and Woe

Bassist Les Claypool (Primus, Oysterhead, Sausage, et al) is a busy guy these days, with his first book and feature film making news, plus recent touring with Primus keeping him occupied. Then...

Cardboard Amanda - Cardboard Amanda

Lip snack-smack chimp chimney. Purple-brown roasted retroflex. Gargled gaggle troll cushion flow tickle ping-pong lollipops. Eke a freak dash jumbo strum throe, go grab a packed Peak Freen, these...

Canvas Solaris - Penumbra Diffuse

Canvas Solaris is another gifted prog metal trio for the Laser’s Edge offshoot label Sensory who combine the proficiency of well thought out technical chops with clever execution. The...

Greg Segal - A Play of Light and Shadow, The Old Familiar Place & Tales of Today

With his own studio and plenty of time on hand to play and experiment, all kinds of things can be committed to tape (or whatever medium), some fully arranged, some more like embryonic fragmentary...

Bone Daddy - What You Wanted

This Idaho band has been working the jam band circuit for a few years now, and this is their fourth full-length album. They play a moderately rootsy brand of rock, comparable to Big Head Todd and...

Chimpan A - Chimpan A

Don’t read too much into the Simpsons reference in the name of this group. It’s all business with these guys, being Rob Reed (keyboards) from Magenta and Steve Balsamo (vocals) and Rob...

Birke / Leykam / Panasenko - Bewitched Revelations

Bewitched Revelations is the first album I am aware of from the American trio of Martin Birke, Roman Leykam, and Daniel Panasenko. It features thirteen instrumentals, mostly improvs,...

Between Interval - Autumn Continent

This is one of those discs one could play on endless repeat for days on end and just flow with it. It doesn’t demand anything from the listener, but instead slowly overtakes the psyche and...

Dwight Ashley - Ataxia

Ataxia offers a defining example of the way in which musical forms, and especially the way we tend to want to categorize music, continues to exhibit restlessness and the need for change....

Vlor - A Fire Is Meant for Burning

Oh so much is expected of the electric guitar. It seems always to be trying to be something else and sound like something else. Not to belittle the new ground staked out by so many musicians, but...

Viima - Ajatuksia Maailman Laidalta

Viima is a Finnish four-piece, with vocals (female), keys / drums, bass, and guitar / flute. This is classic “proggy prog” but with female Finnish vocals. Vocals from different...

Umphrey's McGee - Safety in Numbers

Umphrey’s McGee is still an anomaly in the jam band void left open by the disbanding of Phish. Umphrey’s fills that gap for fans largely due to their prominent self-deprecating humor...

The Tunnel Singer - Cenote

Cenote is a welcome return to the pure vocal and natural reverb effects that The Tunnel Singer (Lee Ellen Shoemaker) employed on her earlier releases like Water Birth and...

Tungsten 74 - Binaurally Yours

Binaurally Yours is the fourth release from Tungsten74. The group is a three-piece guitar / bass / drums outfit, but plenty of synth sounds abound. As opposed to all their previous...

A Triggering Myth - The Remedy of Abstraction

Rick Eddy and Tim Drumheller have been driving around the progressive rock block for over 15 years. By continually evolving and assimilating new influences the duo has arrived at another...

Janick Top STS - Système Solaire

Janick is back... The monstrous and legendary bassist of the 1973, 1974 and 1976 Magma issues his first solo effort, after years of session-work with variety singers and composing film scores. His...

Taylor's Free Universe - Manipulated by Taylor

The ten tracks here were sourced from a September 2005 live show in Copenhagen, then processed and remixed in the studio. Taylor is of course jazz / experimental guitarist Robin Taylor, and TFU...

The Tangent - A Place in the Queue

With their third album, The Tangent has consolidated tightly around writer / singer / keyboardist Andy Tillison. Fans of Roine Stolt might be disappointed to hear he’s no longer around,...

Soft Machine Legacy - Soft Machine Legacy

Elton Dean’s last recording with these long-time associates results in a tour de force of elegant power and inspired interplay. Across ten evenly paced songs Dean together with musical friend...

Soft Machine Legacy - Live at the New Morning

With the passing of Elton Dean earlier in 2006, this late winter live performance from 2005 serves as the sole representative of one of the best reformed bands from the 70s. Fronted jointly by Dean...

Soft Machine - Grides

The translation of Grides means “To cut with a grating sound; to penetrate or pierce harshly.” That’s exactly what this classic fusion quartet was doing on the live stage...

Terje Rypdal - Vossabrygg

The Norwegian guitarist has been a fixture on the ECM label since around 1970, and probably few have not heard at least some sampling of his work along that 35+ year trek, but probably even fewer...

Steve Roach - Storm Surge: Steve Roach Live at NEARfest & Immersion: One

Steve Roach’s appearance at NEARfest 2005 was a landmark event. Any live performance by Roach is a rarity, but to be exposed to such a large audience — and one largely unfamiliar with...

Steve Roach - Storm Surge: Steve Roach Live at NEARfest & Immersion: One

Steve Roach’s appearance at NEARfest 2005 was a landmark event. Any live performance by Roach is a rarity, but to be exposed to such a large audience — and one largely unfamiliar with...

Steve Roach - Kairos: The Meeting of Time and Destiny

Subtitled The Meeting of Time and Destiny, this package includes a 74 minute CD and companion DVD that feature essentially the same audio program: eight tracks mixing floating ambient...

Ritual - Live

Ritual’s first live document is a doozy. Whether it was the audience, the occasion, or having an explosive band like Anekdoten to share the bill with, the group (Patrik Lundtröm –...

Non Credo - Impropera

It won’t take more than about twenty seconds of the first track for the listener to know they are in for an unusual treat, one which the remainder of this 60-plus minute epic bears out....

Nattefrost - Absorbed in Dreams and Yearning

Nattefrost (AKA Bjørn Jeppesen, not to be confused with the Norwegian black metal band of the same name) is from Denmark, and the title refers to cosmic electronic music from yesteryear. The...

Moving Gelatine Plates - Removing

Yeah, my jaw dropped in astonishment too when I saw a new MGP disc come falling out of the package. Who woulda thunk, after all these years? But on closer examination I only saw one familiar name...

Scott McGill - Awareness

Guitarist Scott McGill’s newest recording is an updated forum for recently acquired song stylings that mesh well with his acclaimed technical proficiency. Across twelve new tracks McGill...

Mindgames - Actors in a Play

Actors in a Play is the second release from this Dutch quintet, following 2002’s International Daylight. The lineup here is the same (though since the album was released...

Magenta - Home, New York Suite & Night and Day

My goodness this band has been busy. Or I should say: Rob Reed has been busy, since he’s the creative engine that runs this group. He’s had time to do all this plus the Chimpan A side...

Magenta - Home, New York Suite & Night and Day

My goodness this band has been busy. Or I should say: Rob Reed has been busy, since he’s the creative engine that runs this group. He’s had time to do all this plus the Chimpan A side...

Magenta - Home, New York Suite & Night and Day

My goodness this band has been busy. Or I should say: Rob Reed has been busy, since he’s the creative engine that runs this group. He’s had time to do all this plus the Chimpan A side...

Magenta - Home, New York Suite & Night and Day

My goodness this band has been busy. Or I should say: Rob Reed has been busy, since he’s the creative engine that runs this group. He’s had time to do all this plus the Chimpan A side...

Lizard - Spam

Lizard is a Polish “neo” band influenced by King Crimson and UK originally. After 1996’s W Galerii Czasu and a subsequent official bootleg, they laid low for a few years...

Larry Kucharz - Electro Engravings

Up until now, most of the works we’ve reviewed by Kucharz have fallen into a few categories: those of pure floating ambient tonal color that evolve slowly in three-dimensional sound...

Kotebel - Omphalos

Omphalos is the fourth album by Spanish band Kotebel. Their instrumentation includes drums, bass, guitar, two keyboards, vocals, and flute. Vocalist Carolina Prieto sings softly in a...

Tim Hodgkinson - Sketch of Now

We are far from done with the extremes of 20th Century music. Sketch of Now explores a large number of ideas, both perceptual and conceptual, in conceiving and performing these six pieces...

Paul Ellis - The Infinity Room

Isn’t time a subject that has fascinated and haunted mankind from the beginning? Ellis pushes through the barriers and finds endless space in a yet confined room. Isn’t this the perfect...

The Cheebacabra - Exile in the Woods

The Cheebacabra is a project driven by keyboardist and producer Cheeba, where funky grooves meet overtly synthetic melodic interplay and a cool jazz feel over a steady, mostly programmed drum beat....

Ron Boots - Acoustic Shadows

Boots loves to do albums with themes – here he has tried to capture the atmosphere of the battlefield. It’s a darker album than one is used too, but of course Boots’s optimism...

David Bagsby - Hallucinographs

David Bagsby’s latest release, Hallucinographs, is an electronic album created from just one synthesizer and a drum machine. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that means...

Lightwave - Mundus Subterraneus

There’s no question that this electronic ensemble is one of the best exponents of original music around today. This is their third CD after several superb cassettes and is the first release...

Ut Gret - Recent Fossils

This Louisville, Kentucky based ensemble (pronounced Oot-Greet) has been around about as long as I can remember. Over that long period they have gigged a lot but released only a few...

La Maschera di Cera - LuxAde

The stunning Il Grande Labirinto from 2003 made me a confirmed fan of this group, one of the finest retro groups making the rounds these days. La Maschera di Cera use every technique of...

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...

Tunnels - Natural Selection

Part of the fun of listening to every new Tunnels release is listening to all the sounds, and wondering in amazement: “How does Marc Wagnon make all those sounds with only his...

Paatos - Silence of Another Kind

After tinkering with electronic sounds on their last album, Kallocain from 2004, this Swedish band has taken a bit of a turn towards a more “live” sound. Maybe it’s just...

The Ed Palermo Big Band - Take Your Clothes off When You Dance

Legend has it that Uncle Frank once said, “Never kiss a toad from the short forest after it’s been sleeping in a jar with a rutabaga.” Well, that may or may not be true, but what...

Jadis - Photoplay

Gary Chandler has consistently led the banner for Jadis for the past ten years, making the group a solid player in the melodic rock, neo-prog camp. The current line-up has been pretty consistent...

Fern Knight - Music for Witches and Alchemists

Nothing short of amazing transformations towards the ineluctable. You will wonder where this music has been all your life. Leaves floating upward, swirling weightless, it is the sensation of...

Adrian Belew - Side Three

The last phase of Adrian Belew’s trilogy of contrasting approaches winds up the series on a firm up note. The Prophet Omega provides the opening rap to kick of the disc in a similar flair to...

Clogs - Lantern

The high finish that contemporary chamber and smaller scale orchestral works exude in their discipline, precision, delicacy, and complexity has typically received only a cursory and sideways glance...

Advent - Cantus Firmus

I have not heard a new release this year that evoked so many conflicting emotions. The first Advent release in a decade, Cantus Firmus is also their first output I have heard. A quartet of...

Legendary Pink Dots - Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves

Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves is a Dots album released in honor of their 25th anniversary. Over 25 years the band has gone through a number of changes and today the Dots...

Legendary Pink Dots - Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves

2006 marks the 25th year of this band's existence, and this CD marks some ridiculous number of releases I won’t even speculate about. This venture finds them in a fairly calm mood, and is...

Volcano the Bear - Classic Erasmus Fusion

If you thought the weird bits of Ummagumma weren’t weird enough, have I got a band for you. We’re mostly out in Residents territory, only with a psychedelic edge, and you can...

La STPO - Tranches de Temps Jeté

There’s just something about the sound of a marimba. No matter how much it sticks to minor keys, no matter how it tries to be dissonant, it ends up sounding cheerful. I don’t know if...

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - The Birth of a Band - Isle of Wight Festival 1970

Having seen bits of the footage floating around, I was excited to learn that Emerson Lake & Palmer’s live debut at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival was finally going to have an official...

Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors

Palace of Mirrors is Estradasphere’s fourth full-length release and first to feature the new lineup with Lee Smith on drums, Kevin Kmetz on shamisen/guitar, and Adam Stacey on...

Mujician - There's No Going Back Now

Considering the arduous nature of free jazz, it’s always a welcome gift to hear telepathic ensembles continue on (despite lack of money or marketable fan base). The ensemble of Tippett /...

Nels Cline - New Monastery: A View into the Music of Andrew Hill

Nels 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...

Larry Coryell / Victor Bailey / Lenny White - Traffic

These 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...

Margarita Botello / José Luis Fernández Ledesma - La Paciencia de Job

Based 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,...

J.A. Caesar - Kokkyou Junreika & Shintokomaru

J.A. Caesar – this is obviously not his real name – has been an enigmatic figure in Japanese rock and avant-garde music dating back to the early 70s. His music is impossible to...

J.A. Caesar - Kokkyou Junreika & Shintokomaru

J.A. Caesar – this is obviously not his real name – has been an enigmatic figure in Japanese rock and avant-garde music dating back to the early 70s. His music is impossible to...

Henry Cow - Concerts

Another Henry Cow re-release which has much more information in the expanded liner notes which detail the proceedings. The first four tracks were taken from a 1975 BBC Peel Session and...

Rush - Replay x3

Rush fans have been salivating for these early concert videos to see the light of day in DVD format for ages, so to have all three in one collection is manna from heaven. Other than a few promos,...

Alan Davey - Captured Rotation

Alan Davey has been a key member of Hawkwind for quite some time, playing bass, synthesizers, and writing the occasional song ("Wings" from their 1990 album Space Bandits is a...

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band - Live at Bickershaw Festival - North West England 1972

The 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...

Eleni Karaindrou - Elegy of the Uprooting

Karaindrou 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...

Tangle Edge - Serpentary Quarters

Tangle Edge is the household name for one of the best improvised rock groups in the world. Born in the mists of the 80s, they survived the pushing and shoving over the years and nowadays are more...

Dennis Rea - Live at the Forbidden City

Dennis 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...

Squonk Opera - You Are Here

You 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...

Picchio dal Pozzo - Picchio dal Pozzo & Abbiamo Tutti i Suoi Problemi

Slight changes in style between albums is common for most all groups, but Picchio dal Pozzo is not like most groups. Upon listening to their second CD after hearing the first, I did a double take...

Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem

Don Caballero is one of those bands that is probably better off not being categorized. They’re often thrown into the post-rock or math rock bins, though if you ask me, what they play is...

Green Milk from the Planet Orange - You Take Me to the World

Read 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...

Born Again Floozies - Novelties, Addenda & Ephemera

Clever britches with tap steps to replace the skittering of a drum kit flittering. High-spirited hijinx abound throughout. A sideshow demeanor springs forth for busting chuckles to as bobbling neck...

M.A.S.S. - Mysteria

In 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...

Talking Heads - 2006 Rhino Reissues

Now that CBGB's has finally closed its doors in New York City, it's a good time to explore the reissued back catalog of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of...

Talking Heads - 2006 Rhino Reissues

Now that CBGB's has finally closed its doors in New York City, it's a good time to explore the reissued back catalog of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of...

Talking Heads - 2006 Rhino Reissues

Now that CBGB's has finally closed its doors in New York City, it's a good time to explore the reissued back catalog of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of...

Talking Heads - 2006 Rhino Reissues

Now that CBGB's has finally closed its doors in New York City, it's a good time to explore the reissued back catalog of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of...

Talking Heads - 2006 Rhino Reissues

Now that CBGB's has finally closed its doors in New York City, it's a good time to explore the reissued back catalog of one of the few valid early inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of...

Colour Haze - Tempel

While there are numerous bands out there breaking new ground and never looking back, there are just as many others breathing new life into tried and true styles of decades long gone. For vintage...

Flower Kings - Instant Delivery

Instant 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...

Maneige - Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle & Libre Service

Of all the Quebecois bands that came to prominence in the 70s, one of the most unique and universally appreciated is Maneige. During their career which spanned from around '72 through the mid...

Maneige - Ni Vent... Ni Nouvelle & Libre Service

Of all the Quebecois bands that came to prominence in the 70s, one of the most unique and universally appreciated is Maneige. During their career which spanned from around '72 through the mid...

Lonely China Day - Sorrow

In the midst of all the noise found on the Beijing music scene, where feedback reigns and screaming is preferred to singing, there is one band that stands out from the crowd. Lonely China Day...

Incandescent Sky - Paths and Angles

Since their second release Glorious Stereo (reviewed in #28), Incandescent Sky has further carved out an identifiable niche for themselves in the guitar-driven jammy instrumental...

The Mackrosoft - Antonio's Giraffe

Aja West and company return with eight new slabs of sweet funked-up instrumental jazz, more emphasis on the latter than the former this time, apparently a tribute to the late Antonio Carlos Jobim...

Steve Hackett - Wild Orchids

For 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...

John Hackett - Velvet Afternoon & Checking out of London

John Hackett has long been in the extended shadow of his brother Steve, who has seen high profile both in and out of Genesis. The flautist has finally stepped out on his own in both duet and full...

Crowell, Doles & Quinn - Don't Look Down

This collaborative effort is something of a minimalist supergroup; American composer Dac Crowell and Scottish composer and Suilven recordings main-mover Daniel Patrick Quinn have teamed up with...

Bill Bruford / Tim Garland - Earthworks Underground Orchestra

The peers of drummer/composer Bill Bruford are few and far between; only Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, Will Calhoun, and Claudia Quartet mastermind John Hollenbeck spring to mind as drummers who...

Citay - Citay

Led Zeppelin’s “Battle of Evermore”; Black Sabbath’s “Planet Caravan”; Heart’s “Soul of the Sea”; Uriah Heep’s “The Wizard.”...

Ice - The Saga

Dutch proggers Ice are a spin-off from the outfit Maryson who released a couple albums guided by the writings and keyboards of W.J. Maryson (aka Wim Stolk). The good news is that if you liked what...

Robert Rich - Electric Ladder

Always a beacon of unpredictability, Robert Rich has trained this writer’s ears to expect something unexpected with each new release. This time out it’s a bed of pulsating modular...

Free Love - Official Bootleg Vol. 1: Concert 2005 Sapporo

This is a live recording from the Japanese band Free Love, taped during their concert in Sapporo in 2005. Free Love are Hiroaki Shibata (vocals and guitar), Hiroki Matsui (organ and synth), Yuji...

Gargantua & Cashmere - Kotegarda & Cash Romantic Music Machine

These two surprising releases come to us by way of Poland, both prominently featuring violinist, vocalist and songwriter Tylda Ciołkosz, who is also a member of the more keyboard oriented group...

Various Artists - Psychedelic Underground 11 - 15

Beginning with its first year of operations, Garden of Delights has released a yearly limited edition Psychedelic Underground sampler containing the best track from each of their 9...

Ezra - Songs from Pennsylvania

Orbit Service - Songs of Eta Carinae

Hoven Droven - Jumping at the Cedar

Maudlin of the Well - Bath

McLatchey's Top Tier #17

Before Kayo Dot there was Maudlin of the Well, a group that in comparison was much more inside. This is a good example of how favorites don't have to be...

Forrest Fang & Carl Weingarten - Invisibility

Chas Smith - Descent

Platurno - Núcleos

Platurno is a young Chilean progressive rock trio of guitars, keyboards, and drums. Núcleos is their 2006 debut release of 11 mostly instrumental songs. Each song is different, but has a...

Peter Hammill with Stuart Gordon - Veracious

Peter Hammill - Singularity

FM - NEARfest 2006

Ange - Live Tour 2003-2004 - Par les Fils de Mandrin

The Frankenstein Consort - Classical A-Go-Go

George & Caplin - Things Past

Richard Pinhas - Metatron

Davison/Coleman - Forward Motion

Amon Düül II - Yeti

McLatchey's Top Tier #2

Here is the second album by Amon Duul II, Yeti. First, this is as flawless a double album as you can find. Second this is a very heavy record, I'm...

Basilwink - Payoffs, Kickbacks, and Other Great American Traditions

Richard Leo Johnson - The Legend of Vernon McAlister

Black Bonzo - Sound of the Apolcalypse

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic with Oral Moses - Extreme Spirituals

Apostolis Anthimos - Back to the North

Areknames - Love Hate Round Trip

Alpha Wave Movement - The Regions Between: Unreleased Tracks 2001-2006

White Willow - Signal to Noise

Yeti Rain - Discarnate

Various Artists - Psychedelic Phinland: Finnish Hippie & Underground Music 1967-1974

This archival collection presents the music of 24 Finnish bands, most unknown to Western ears. Disc One contains 19 psychedelic/progressive rock songs and Disc Two contains ten experimental/avant...

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - 2001 Live Birds

Bill Holt - Dreamies Program 12

Believe - Hope to See Another Day

Time's Forgotten - A Relative Moment of Peace

Time’s Forgotten is a new progressive band from San Jose, Costa Rica. Formed in 2004, the band consists of Juan Pablo Calvo (keyboards, samples, background vocals, programming), Jorge Sobrado...

My Sleeping Karma - My Sleeping Karma

My 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...

Saturnia - Muzak

Saturnia 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...

Øresund Space Collective - It's All About Delay

The 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...

AdiB - Spinning Like a Top

AdiB 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...

Lady Lake - Unearthed

Mark Feldman - What Exit

Mark Jenkins - Live in the USA

Khatsaturjan - Aramed Forces of Simantipak

Vidna Obmana & Alio Die - Echo Passage

Øresund Space Collective - Øresund Space Collective

Sebkha Chott - Nagah Mahdi - Opuscrits en 48 Rouleaux

Unto Ashes - Songs for a Widow

David Gilmour - On an Island

The Source - All Along This Land

Slava Ganelin and Ned Rothenberg - Falling into Place

French TV - This Is What We Do

Secret Oyster - Vidunderlige Kælling

Ahleuchatistas - What You Will

Martin Gordon - God's on His Lunchbreak (Please Call Back)

vidnaObmana - The River of Appearance

Light - The Story of Moses

Sparks - Sparks & A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing

Sparks - Sparks & A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing

Blodwyn Pig - Ahead Rings Out

Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind

The Moody Blues - The Magnificent Moodies

Lubimov, Trostianki, Rybakov - Misterioso

Scott Mosher - Deep Horizon

Gods of Electricity - Sundiving

Ded Ringer - Ded Ahead

Danielson - Ships

François Couturier - Nostalghia - Song for Tarkovsky

The Atomic Bomb Audition - Eleven Theatres

Andy Timmons Band - Resolution

La Tulipe Noir - Nostiman Hemar

Paul Simon - Surprise

The Fiery Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark, Blueberry Boat, Rehearsing My Choir, EP, & Bitter Tea

The Black Noodle Project - Play Again

Akron/Family & Angels of Light + Meek Warrior

Legendary Pink Dots - 25th Anniversary Single

Astralis - Bienvenida al interior

Phased - Medications

Ken Field - Under the Skin

JPP - Artology

David Gilmour - Remember That Night - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

Sarcasme - Mirage

Mark Jenkins - This Island Earth

The Jeff Gauthier Goatette - One and the Same

Charlemagne Palestine - A Sweet Quasimodo between Black Vampire Butterflies for Maybeck

Hectic Watermelon - The Great American Road Trip

Birch Book - Vol. II: Fortune & Folly

Horslips - Roll Back

Lolli Zan - Ancient Girl

Genre Peak - Ends of the Earth

Roger Powell - Fossil Poets

Gift - Awake and Dreaming

Pinnacle - Meld

Supay - Confusion

Kurt Rongey - With Form It Threatens Silence

Stan Whitaker / Frank Wyatt - Pedal Giant Animals

Little Tragedies - Sixth Sense

Whitechapel - Le Masque d'Arlequin

Ex-Vagus - Ames Vagabondes

XII Alfonso - Claude Monet, Vol. 2 - 1889-1904

Emiliano Sicilia - Devotion Materialize

Antiklimax - Plus loin vers l'est

SSI - E Pluribus Unum

Walt Ribiero - I.I

Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites - Friesengeist Part π - Ascendances

The Art of All - Morgan

Mooch - Gaiaspace

Gravity Tree - Ultimate Backward

Beggar's Farm - Itullians

A.C.T. - Silence

Flëur - First Four Albums

Phideaux - Fiendish, Ghost Story, Chupacabras, 313, & The Great Leap

Phideaux - Fiendish, Ghost Story, Chupacabras, 313, & The Great Leap

Level ∏ - Entrance

Ashes Are Nutritious - Frustration +

Seamus - Zealotry Sterblichen Schizophrenia