Last time we caught up with SBB (New Century, from 2006), mainstays Józef Skrzek (keyboards, bass, vocals) and Apostolis Anthimos (guitar) had world famous drummer Paul Wertico (Pat...
» Read moreTypically, the first thing that comes to mind when one hears the name Spaced Out is the superhuman bass playing of Antoine Fafard. Make no mistake, band mates Mark Tremblay (guitar) and Martin...
» Read moreThis is probably the way all concerts should be released: as a double disk with an audio-only version as well as a DVD concert video. One or the other will likely pop up on a torrent site or...
» 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 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 morePlatform One from last year is properly credited to The Wrong Object featuring Annie Whitehead and Harry Beckett, British jazz trombonist and trumpeter respectively, continuing this...
» Read moreIf his name sounds a little familiar, it may be because many will remember him from his appearance on numerous television shows going all the way back to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone...
» Read moreEvery new release by José Luis Fernández Ledesma seems to be like none before it, and his latest solo disc, Híbridos, is no exception. Primarily a solo venture, with...
» Read moreThese are two collections of duos featuring New England based Kevin Kastning and Hungarian born guitarist Sándor Szabó, the latter with a number of previous releases to his credit....
» 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 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 more“Psychedelic rock group.” Those words can describe a lot of different bands: Strawberry Alarm Clock, Hawkwind, Amon Düül, Pink Floyd, Gong, Iron Butterfly, Ozric Tentacles....
» 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 moreSigns of One is yet another industrious band trying to make a name for themselves in a crowded and competitive prog market. Innerlands is their second album, and with it they’ve...
» Read moreSkrzek is forever full of surprises, and this disc containing material hand-picked from three live performances with his East Wind quintet is certainly one of those. Most will probably know Skrzek...
» Read moreUmami is Turkish musician Murat Ses’ seventh solo album. Umami is a Japanese word meaning savory, which this new release is, not too sweet, not too sour, tangy but just...
» Read moreRotor is a power trio (drums, bass, and electric guitar) from Berlin who play aggressive hard-hitting instrumental music that is a mixture of Starless era King Crimson and stoner rock....
» Read moreQwaarn is an extremely odd name for a band, and they provide no further explanation in the package. I think that Qwaarn is supposed to be an alien; and I guess it is his picture on the CD cover....
» Read morePre-Med is a space rock band that formed in 2004 by Danny Faulkner and Hawkwind’s bassist Alan Davey. The Truth About Us is their second release and it features the talents of Eamon...
» Read moreThe Øresund Space Collective (ØSC), Sweden’s answer to Acid Mothers Temple, offers up a succulent three course culinary feast of improvised space rock on their third studio...
» Read moreMarble Sheep is a Japanese psychedelic rock band playing wild, ecstatic, hypnotic, psychedelic, and noisy rock who were formed in 1987 by ex-White Heaven guitarist Ken Matsutani, the owner of the...
» Read moreI'd guess if someone invented the time machine and had checked off all the more humanitarian things that might be accomplished with it then perhaps the remaining changed time stream would mean...
» 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 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 moreSecond Life Syndrome is Polish band Riverside’s second full-length album. It follows on the heels of their 2003 debut album Out of Myself and the subsequent 2005 EP
Following on Karisma’s release of King for a Day in 2015, the label has gone to Magic Pie’s back catalog and re-released the first three albums. In 2005 they put out...
» Read moreIt’s a big world, and many people are free to move around it, so something like a “Dutch Afro-Caribbean” jazz band shouldn’t be too unexpected, I suppose. And given this...
» 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 moreNexus are a very strong rock quartet with standard guitar / keyboards / bass / drums instrumentation. The idea of the Buenos Aires Free Experience series is to place musicians in an...
» 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 moreGary Duncan was the ‘other’ guitarist in the original Quicksilver Messenger Service. Today, with Freiberg off doing other things with Jefferson Starship most of the time, Greg Elmore...
» Read moreHere we have a brand spanking new full length album from Acid Mothers Temple featuring their recent addition of female vocalist Kitagawa Hao. AMT front man Kawabata Makoto claims, half-jokingly,...
» Read moreHere we have a brand spanking new full length album from Acid Mothers Temple featuring their recent addition of female vocalist Kitagawa Hao. AMT front man Kawabata Makoto claims, half-jokingly,...
» 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 moreTurn to Fall is a Seattle-based band that falls into the same general category of contemporary alternative prog that houses The Mars Volta (though less frenetic), Coheed and Cambria (less emo and...
» Read moreIn the early 90s there was this I think Florida-based label called Music Hall who were issuing rarities from 70s Argentina and would have been considered one of the earliest reissue labels if there...
» Read moreI find the collaboration of Alio Die and Zeit to be one of ambient music's most fruitful, and Raag Drone Theory could be their finest combined effort. From a lineage perspective, this...
» Read moreThey call it a Mini-CD, not because it’s smaller than a normal size CD, but because there is only about 15 minutes of music on it. But it’s among the coolest 15 minutes of 2007 releases...
» 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 moreWith the lawsuit over the Wishbone Ash band name finalized in Andy Powell's favor, in 2014 "Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash" became "Martin Turner Ex-Wishbone Ash." Late...
» Read moreAmong the finite number of prog fans who are Asia fans there is a subset that enjoys the lineup with singer/bassist John Payne (i.e., the non-original Asia that’s been on tour recently). This...
» Read moreI missed this extraordinary songwriter's debut back in 2007, but when I heard her second effort I immediately sought it out. Kismet is a stunning entry into what might be called the...
» 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 morePlenty of words have already been written on this outstanding Italian jazz-rock band in the pages of Exposé‚ so anyone wanting the historical background or a detailed synopsis...
» Read moreI love almost any album that starts with heavy organ... almost. To be a bit more objective, this self-titled album by the symphonic Polish band Quidam is like a lot of other bands: less derivative...
» Read moreDrawing a British folk icon out of semi-imposed retirement can seem like an impossible task. But contrary to many fans’ expectations, Bert Jansch not only demonstrated the delicate finger...
» Read moreGuy Manning’s latest collection of nine semi-autobiographical songs finds the English singer-songwriter consolidating his position among the current crop of Brit prog as this...
» Read moreSometimes I think that every tradition of folk music must at some point have its own Fairport Convention. Of course it’s an oversimplification, but in broad terms we can say that FC melded...
» Read moreThe Mandolinquents are an acoustic, mandolin based (how did you guess?) quartet that’s been playing together off and on for a dozen years or more, and this – documenting one of their...
» Read moreSo there I was, driving across northern New Mexico and Arizona in a car with no air conditioning. Did I mention it was June? As I was sweltering, windblown by the hot desert air and traveling at 75...
» Read moreIn 2002, Russian guitarist Nomy Agranson and keyboardist Doran Usher formed The Gourishankar, a Russian neo-prog band that now also includes vocalist Vlad MJ Whiener and drummer Cat Heady. 2nd...
» Read moreConsidering this Holland export’s inauspicious debut at NEARfest, I was a bit reluctant to investigate the group’s latest recording – I was underwhelmed with what I perceived as...
» Read moreThe Crescendo festival from 2006 featured several of today’s best prog bands, including Quebec’s Hamadryad. This album captures Jean François Désilets (bass, vocals),...
» Read moreCronico is a promising new entry in the classic symphonic proggy-prog field from Mexico City. A five piece featuring bass, drums, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and a female vocalist,...
» Read moreHere we have a brand new full ensemble live recording and a piano solo reissue from 1984 together in the same package, on separate discs no less. Langlois was a multi-instrumentalist (mainly sax...
» Read moreAbout fifteen seconds into the opening cut (or maybe even sooner), the astute listener will be reminded of the great Happy the Man, and for good reason – two of that band’s main...
» Read moreHmmm… programmed drums transmitting from another planet, ghostly atmospherics, trance-y scraps of electronica, crunchy guitars… do I detect the hand of Porcupine Tree? Germany has...
» Read moreSatellite are a Polish band who try to fuse modern rock and production methods with prog of the not so distant past. The songwriting has powerful dynamics and moments of clarity in the melodic...
» Read moreOpening with an unadulterated nod to the analog synth sound, The Range lets loose with some overtly modulated white noise, trailing into trilling piano and finally settling into a pleasant...
» Read moreLundvall seems stubbornly drawn to subject matter already covered. His 2006 Empty City drew context and settings from a topic covered by composers as disparate as Aaron Copland and Henry...
» Read moreFor some there seems an inseparable bond between sound and place. For the avant and drone practitioner this tie is usually realized through field recordings and subsequent signal re-coding –...
» Read moreIn #34, I likened Volcano the Bear’s previous outing, Classic Erasmus...
» Read moreSometimes music is a journey. Sometimes it’s maybe even more a journey than it is music, as is the case with Soriah’s work. He (I think that’s the appropriate pronoun) is credited...
» Read moreA new French band, right? Not exactly, although this Japanese quintet of guitar, piano, violin, accordion and contrabass could give many a European folk-jazz-RIO band a surprisingly good challenge...
» Read moreIt’s good to see some new releases on SZ again, after what seems like a long hiatus. Setna is a French six-piece of drums, bass, soprano sax, two keyboards (Rhodes and Mini-Moog), and female...
» Read moreWe’ve covered bassist Erik Baron’s releases in these pages before, and all have been exceptional, but there’s never been one quite like this. Here he has assembled an army of...
» Read moreHugh Hopper hardly ever misses an opportunity for a group improvisation. Given his time spent with sax player Simon Picard doing Soft Machine tributes and keeping tabs on keyboardist Steve Franklin...
» Read moreThe subtle influences of the Soft Machine’s legacy are inherent in many European acts from Bill Bruford’s Earthworks to Theo Travis’s working ensembles. The Delta Saxophone...
» Read moreMusically speaking, it’s a big world out there, and there are lots of different instruments that have been developed over the centuries to fill it. But that doesn’t mean there’s...
» Read moreAvi Belleli has been on the Israeli fringe working with the likes of Tractor’s Revenge as well as doing stage and soundtrack work for quite some time. Longtime friend and collaborator Udi...
» Read moreGuitarist Henry Kaiser is heavily steeped in the allure of classic jazz. As proven by his Yo Miles! joint projects with Wadada Leo Smith, Kaiser has been on a mission to find the essence of the...
» Read moreAfter our feature interview with drummer Pat Thomas in issue #32, all readers should be at least be aware of Bay Area psychedelic jazz-rock improv ensemble Mushroom; trumpeter Eddie Gale is...
» Read moreThere was no lack of insight at the 2006 Victoriaville festival where Wilco guitarist Nels Cline met with co-improvisers Andrea Parkins and drummer Tom Rainey for an explosive, heated exchange. The...
» Read moreKeyboardist Bernie Worrell is no stranger to making friends while making music. Since his initial ground breaking work as keyboardist and synthesizer innovator for Parliament / Funkadelic, the...
» 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 moreNovember 20th, 2007 is the date, one of three shows in Brazil that year. Daevid Allen and Josh Pollock (University of Errors) are joined by a number of Brazilian musicians (members of the Invisible...
» Read moreA couple of weeks ago I realized I needed to reevaluate the early Fairport Convention albums — every so often I try to do this with major groups and artists that I don't seem to rate so...
» Read moreOne of the big surprises of Baja 2008, Alonso Arreola and his band/project LabA tore up the opening slot at the theater on the first night with his funky 8-string bass maneuverings and avant-garde...
» Read moreSpace Ritual is a new band formed from the remnants of Hawkwind. Consisting of Nik Turner (sax, flute, and vocals), Dave Anderson (bass, electric guitars, acoustic guitar, and vocals), Terry Ollis...
» Read moreThe four latest Klaus Schulze reissues include one from the 70s and three from the new millennium, bringing the total to 34 and closing out the first 21 Schulze albums. As Virtual Outback...
» Read moreThe four latest Klaus Schulze reissues include one from the 70s and three from the new millennium, bringing the total to 34 and closing out the first 21 Schulze albums. As Virtual Outback...
» 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 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 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 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 moreMoondawn was Klaus’ first electronic masterpiece. This was the first recording using Klaus’ big “Moog.” Beautiful scintillating abstract electronic sounds open the...
» 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 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 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 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 moreThese two closely related bands represent Beijing's current underground rock scene quite nicely. Both are trios, and they share two musicians: Li Weisi (bass) and Li Qing (drums in Carsick...
» Read moreThese two closely related bands represent Beijing's current underground rock scene quite nicely. Both are trios, and they share two musicians: Li Weisi (bass) and Li Qing (drums in Carsick...
» 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 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 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 moreWhen you hear the name Mani Neumeier you think of his body of work with Guru Guru and his zaniness in concert. In addition, when you hear that he has released his first solo album,...
» 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 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 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 moreDuring their short career, which spans the late seventies, Swedish band Dice (never to be confused with the Swiss neo-proggers Deyss) released only one self-titled album, an excellent testament to...
» Read moreFour years after their debut, and with an almost complete change in the lineup (only the singer / flautist and drummer from the first album remained), Fromage released their second album...
» Read moreWho is the King of the Endless Riff? This Croatian band makes a credible case for their royal status on this release. The five tracks here, named simply with Roman numerals, flow without much...
» 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 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 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 moreDalton were another beat group turned "progressive" in 1972, and yet another one with an adventurous bent on a well-worn style. Dalton were very similar to bands like early Metamorfosi, I...
» Read moreBrothers Alan and Steve Freeman have been long time fans of Krautrock etc. as well as record shop owners specializing in this and similar music, and publishers of Audion magazine. This...
» 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 moreEn Rak Höger is the debut release by a progressive rock quartet from Uppsala, Sweden formed in 2004. The CD opens with cheesy sounds and rhythm, but soon evolves into a progressive...
» 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 moreIf there are any terms in music more meaningless (or perhaps just misused) than “progressive,” they must certainly be “indie” and “alternative.” And come to...
» 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 moreAlthough Rocchi is probably better known for his earlier material on other labels, his offering on Cramps from 1977 A Fuoco (originally Cramps CRSCD 023) is a good showcase for his own...
» Read moreSmokin' hot fusion is the specialty delivered by this instrumental five-piece of keys, winds, guitar, bass, and drums from Firenze. Comparable to some other Italian jazz-rock bands like Perigeo...
» Read moreEven further from what might be called the typical Artis/Cramps experimental/ progressive sound, here we have Roberto Ciotti, a blues guitarist/singer in a three-piece g/b/d format. His album...
» Read more1972 was the year that Genco Puro released their one and only album, the fairly rare and fairly commercial album Area di Servizio (reissued as Artis ARCD 040 in 1992) originally on the...
» Read moreFabbri is probably best known for his tenure as violinist with PFM in their post-Passpartù period, and with Claudio Rocchi, and also for some of the work he's done with Demetrio...
» Read moreHigh Wheel is a relatively new German outfit with two albums solidly in the neo-progressive vein. While both are private releases, the band would fit very comfortably on the SI label as the music...
» Read moreHigh Wheel is a relatively new German outfit with two albums solidly in the neo-progressive vein. While both are private releases, the band would fit very comfortably on the SI label as the music...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
There's a lot of historical information missing if you chart the evolution of Gong from You into Shamal and Steve Hillage's...
» 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 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 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 moreDuring the last decade many British rock musicians either went classic or strengthened their classical roots: examples range from Jon Lord to Roger Waters, from Mike Oldfield to Sting. Steve...
» Read moreIs there anyone out there who does not know what to expect from a Planet X album? Insanely complex instrumental music that melds metal, prog, and fusion, played with precision that would put to...
» Read moreWhat is Roine Stolt doing? First he leaves The Tangent and now he's flown the coop from Kaipa, a band he helped form in 1975. I can only guess he's focusing his efforts on getting Flower...
» Read moreCousins' latest two solo releases have the masterful Strawbs leader and songwriter in two very different settings, yet his muse is entirely comfortable in both. Throughout these two discs, his...
» Read moreChris Squire's second solo album since 1975's classic Fish out of Water is actually the third Christmas album from a Yes alumnus... In tow is ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett who...
» Read moreMaybe I'm just imagining it, but I swear this time out Ahleuchatistas are sounding more accessible than ever. Still crazy as hell, but maybe a little less abrasive. Or maybe I'm getting...
» Read moreThis California trio seems to have sprung fully formed from the brow of some musical god. The music is undeniably "progressive" in a number of ways, but rarely reminds me more than very...
» 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 moreHmm, Golden Death Music. Not your usual Black Death Music, or any other color, but Golden. There is a certain glow to the sound, and while it’s not exactly morbid, it’s certainly not...
» 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 moreAs a follow-up to their previous disc All Intertwined from a couple years ago, Wood Knot shows a definite growth and maturation for this excellent Maryland based instrumental...
» Read moreThese 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...
» Read moreOpera comes with all sorts of preconceptions: large women breaking glass with their voices, too much vibrato, bombastic music. Edward Artemiev's opera Crime and Punishment (based on...
» Read moreBeginning 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...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #23
This album had a massive impact on my teenage brain; it was often the soundtrack of many... voyages. "Bayreuth Return" is still one of those pieces that...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #24
Picture Music and Timewind have been on my (top) favorites list for decades at this point, but for some weird reason it took a little...
» Read moreOmniem is the third release by the Argentinean band Jinetes Negros or Black Riders in English. This is an odd release. Interspersed between excellent progressive music, there are cheesy...
» Read moreLe Città Invisibili is the debut release by Obscura, an Italian neo-prog band consisting of vocals, guitar, flute, bass, keyboards, and percussion. The title comes from the 1972 novel by...
» 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 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 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 moreThe second and third albums from Dutch band Finch have recently been digitally remastered and reissued on CD, closely following the reissue of their debut album Glory of the Inner Force....
» Read moreKollektiv, an obscure Krautrock band, released their self-titled album in 1973. Three months later they recorded an hour-long session for SWF radio in Baden-Baden. Long Hair released this session...
» Read moreRufus Zuphall is a German band from Aachen that first hit the stage in 1969. They released three albums in the early 70s and then disintegrated. Because of reissuing their albums on CD, there was...
» Read moreMikhail Chekalin is a Russian keyboard artist and a composer who has an impressive body of work dating back to the early 80s. He has been called the Russian Klaus Schulze, but these three new...
» Read moreMikhail Chekalin is a Russian keyboard artist and a composer who has an impressive body of work dating back to the early 80s. He has been called the Russian Klaus Schulze, but these three new...
» Read moreMikhail Chekalin is a Russian keyboard artist and a composer who has an impressive body of work dating back to the early 80s. He has been called the Russian Klaus Schulze, but these three new...
» Read moreMotis is a talented French group who create what might be called medieval progressive rock. They are deeply influenced by the literature and myths of the Knights of the Round Table, the...
» Read moreMotis is a talented French group who create what might be called medieval progressive rock. They are deeply influenced by the literature and myths of the Knights of the Round Table, the...
» 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 moreRevisited Records has now released the fourth Eroc solo album, recorded in 1982. For those of you who don’t know, Eroc is the pseudonym of Joachim Heinz Ehrig who was Grobschnitt’s drummer...
» 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 moreHow do you celebrate Easter in rural Finland, especially when you are a foreigner? All the shops are closed and the locals are home spending time with their families. It so happened that three...
» Read more2007 has seen some interesting musical pairings of young and old. First there was Acid Mothers Temple and Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru) and now we have Faust and Steven Stapleton (Nurse with Wound)...
» Read moreThe Barock Project is the name of a relatively new Italian progressive rock band led by keyboard virtuoso Luca Zabbini. Their desire is to promote baroque music in a progressive rock context with a...
» 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 moreShawn Phillips is a Texan guitarist with an incredible three-octave vocal range. But Shawn is not your typical Texas musician. He went to England in the mid-60s: he played sitar on Donovan’s...
» 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 moreKarfagen (means Carthage) is a Ukrainian band that plays an odd mixture of New Age, cabaret, jazz fusion, and TV variety show instrumental music. The Space between Us is their second...
» Read moreMore Than a Dream is probably the best of the recent Unicorn Digital releases, and that is saying a lot! Unitopia hails from Down Under and they independently released More Than a...
» 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 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 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 of his...
» 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 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 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 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 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 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...
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2018-04-05
OBEY Convention XI Set for May 24-28 in Halifax –
As the 2018 festival season rapidly approaches, we’d like you to be aware of a real treasure of diverse and creative music that’s going to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, next month. The OBEY Convention is on its 11th outing, and features a wide range of artists from around the world. From avant-industrial noise to experimental takes on Classical Chinese music, from chamber jazz to doom metal, from ambient soundscapes to Canadian First Nations drumming, you’d be hard pressed to find a festival with more variety in sound anywhere in the world. »
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2018-04-04
Close to the Rain Festival in Bergen Announces Lineup –
Now in its second year, the Close to the Rain Festival of progressive music is scheduled to take place in Bergen, Norway, on June 7 - 9. They've got an amazing slate of bands lined up, including such powerhouses as Anekdoten, Major Parkinson, Arabs in Aspic, Tusmørke, and many more. »
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2018-03-01
Seaprog 2018 Artist Announcements Raise Festival's Profile –
Seattle's Seaprog festival has been going since 2013, and the 2018 edition features a slate of artists that's sure to bring more attention to the event. Cheer-Accident, Bubblemath, and Free Salamander Exhibit are in the first round announcement of performers. In keeping with their tradition of focusing on regional artists, they will also present a number of artists from Washington and Oregon. [Edit: Just added: Inner Ear Brigade] »
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2018-02-26
Adelbert von Deyen RIP –
Word reaches us that German electronic musician Adelbert von Deyen has died. His recorded legacy reaches back to 1978, when Sky Records released Sternzeit. Von Deyen, who was born October 25, 1953 in Süderbrarup, was also known as a painter and graphic artist. »
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2018-02-18
Didier Lockwood RIP –
Word reaches us today of the death of one of France's great jazz musicians, violinist Didier Lockwood. His playing bridged many worlds, from traditional jazz to fusion to progressive rock, and his talent can be heard on recordings by Magma, Clearlight, Pierre Moerlen's Gong, and many more. Lockwood was 62. »
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Five-O-One AM - 21st Century Dream – Somewhere between Marillion (Season's End) and the SI label bands Lies Five-O-One AM. That is, song oriented pop with elements of prog. Combine that with WMMS's reputation and Five-O-One AM... (1999) » Read more
Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind – Do you like Jethro Tull? Curved Air? Flamenco dancing? Did you ever wish for a combination of the three? Your wish has come true, and its name is Carmen! And if you don't think they could pull off... (1994) » Read more
Rumblin Orchestra - Spartacus – Spartacus by Rumblin' Orchestra is led by Hungarian keyboardist and composer Ella Bela. This release is technically fine, but is somewhat a rehash of things that have been done better before. Bela is... (1999) » Read more
AoMusic - Grow Wild – Ao, which is a Polynesian word for light and illumination, is the duo of Nahoo (aka Ric Gannaway) and Jojo (aka Jay Oliver), a pair of Mid-Westerners with a strong affiliation for New Age... (2001) » Read more
Christian Vander - A Tous les Enfants... – A children's album from Magma founder and leader Christian Vander? Precisely. I was more than a little skeptical when I first heard about this, and was even more hesitant to buy it when I heard... (1995) » Read more