This is a four track EP, and is basically a Tom Newman album. It's confusing, I know. This is some of that stuff you know Oldfield and Co. did for laughs (when perhaps beer and worse entered the...
» Read moreLuz is the instrumental solo project of keyboardist Alejandro Lomelin, of the Mexican band Caja De Pandora. For the most part this is a work of simpler repetitive piano figures and...
» Read moreFor quick reference you might call this "Gothic Ambient". Amber Asylum is Kris Force (Swans), Martha Burns, and Annabel Lee, but Force is the major songwriter. Several other musicians...
» Read moreThe strains of an acoustic guitar, a soft vocal, then comes the barrage. If I were to contain this review to only word, it would be: Metallica. Ancient Curse do not appear to make any claims at...
» Read moreRecorded one night in Cozmoz, Sweden in 1996, this short EP is a solid testament to the raw power Anekdoten exude in the live setting. Four tunes are included: "Nucleus," "The...
» Read moreRecorded over two nights of the band's recent trip to Japan, this double-CD live set captures perfectly the confident and relentlessly energetic live sound Anekdoten has developed. The set...
» Read moreWhen Bill Bruford is on break from his drum duties with King Crimson, what would you expect him to do? Should he go on vacation or work in another less hectic, but rewarding mode? If Summer Had...
» Read moreUpper Extremities serves as one of the new Crimson off-shoot projects while the next incarnation literally plays its way into existence. Bill Bruford and Tony Levin have conceived and executed a...
» Read moreYou really have to ask yourself: what kind of credible artist wears a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head and a Friday the 13th mask? Most people would think he must be somewhat of...
» Read moreRaw, jazzy, abrasive, avant, noisy, and yet oddly smooth. That's Curlew rapped up in a nutshell. Led by the blaring sax musings of George Cartwright, Curlew forges on strongly with this new...
» Read moreThis disc is sectioned into three distinct perspectives of composition, using an unfamiliar primary instrument for each composer: the piano. First up is Steve MacLean, who in the course of four...
» Read moreTwo seasoned British sax players: just them, no keyboard, guitar, bass, or drums for accompaniment. Uh-oh! Eight songs of duets and free jazz performance? God, I need some Tylenol, just thinking...
» Read moreThose who have checked out Escapade’s previous two releases, Searching for the Elusive Rainbow and Inner Transluscence, may have some idea of what to expect from this...
» Read moreGentle Giant was at its best when adding polyphonic arrangements to aggressive rock music. Determining who was responsible was merely a scan of the writing credits, where "Shulman, Shulman and...
» Read moreIt's a prog chill-out! Phew! I made it. The disc is over! God be praised! What we have here is a techno / ambient version of Gong's masterpiece, You. 16 different "bands"...
» Read moreA live album from the Alien 4 tour, featuring Dave, Alan, Richard. and Ron Tree. Judging from the photos in this neat little package, the tour props were pretty good. A Terminator...
» Read moreHave you ever heard Japanese cult band After Dinner? Not another (neo-)prog oriented band from Japan, I reassure you, but one of the most simply beautiful melodic RIO and avant-garde groups from...
» Read moreIf Holger Czukay continues to bring forth projects of the caliber achieved here, he will continue to keep my attention. For Moving Pictures is much more delicate on the sensitive ear than...
» Read moreThe Scandinavian psych scene seems to be alive and well as the end of the millennium approaches. Tangle Edge is back in business, Spacious Mind has a new one on the way, the Kundalini album is...
» Read moreSadly this will probably be the band’s swansong, as they played their final concert on March 13, 1998 (yes, Friday the 13th) in San Francisco. But if all one ever knows of this band is their...
» Read moreWord is out that Thijs Van Leer has reformed golden age prog band Focus with a flashy new lead guitarist. Clearly, where would Focus be without original shredmeister Jan Akkerman, who earned 70s AM...
» Read moreAlbums this peripheral and ambient are rather rare in my opinion. Roach and Rich have both done albums in this vein, the latter in his early days, and of course Brian Eno did his pioneering work in...
» Read moreWhen I reviewed Channel Light Vessel's recent disc, Excellent Spirits, I...
» Read moreHollmer has been producing solo albums long enough to garner him attention beyond that of being Zamla's keyboardist and one of their main writers. His music still, after all these years, defies...
» Read moreHaving lost interest in Dream Theater after their second album many years ago, this writer wasn’t certain what to expect from an instrumental collaboration between two guys from that band...
» Read moreLydia Domancich is a pianist whom most zeuhl fans around the world should be acquainted with. Sister of Sophia Domancich (who leads an intimate post-Coltranian jazz trio), Lydia formed this quartet...
» Read moreGuru Guru drummer Mani is still going strong, to which two recent Japan visits will attest. Through the 80s and 90s he has kept busy with projects such as L.S. Bearforce, and Tiere de Nacht. This...
» Read moreThis Swedish duo may be known to some for their featured participation in the 1991 Zappa's Universe performance. On this new 2CD set, Mats Öberg, on keyboards, and Morgan Ågren, on...
» Read morePrior to Khan’s death last year, several artists were at work remixing several groundbreaking pieces that Khan and Brook together had recorded on their last successful album from 1996,...
» Read moreBorn in 1932, accordionist / musical philosopher / teacher Oliveros has been hailed a champion of the avant garde in America, ever since instigating the field of meditative music. Founding the Deep...
» Read moreA slice of the past, but certainly one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Pearls Before Swine was essentially the vehicle of guitarist / composer / poet / singer Tom Rapp, which over the course of...
» Read moreThose of us who grew up listening to Popol Vuh in the 70s recall a sound that was at times haunting and other times shimmering and uplifting. Regardless of the album, Popol Vuh created atmospheres...
» Read moreSpace-rockers from Columbus, Ohio, Quarkspace are back with volume three in their Spacefolds series. This four track EP, while rooted in traditional space rock a-la Hawkwind nevertheless...
» Read moreTake a simple repeating ascending pattern of three notes and run it through a dense whirlwind of heavy processing, changing patterns and directions from time to time, and one might get a rough idea...
» Read moreOriginal Dixie Dregs drummer Rod Morgenstein and new Dregs keyboardist Jordan Rudess have teamed up to produce this album of all-instrumental music exclusively using keyboards and drums. ...
» Read moreSabah Habas Mustapha is (so the story goes) the Western-educated younger brother of the more famous (at least within Indonesia) 3 Mustaphas 3. He’s basically a singer / guitarist / songwriter...
» Read moreCould this be the soundtrack for an alien abduction? Last year the Apples bounced back with original leader Simeon after almost 30 years, with a new disc Beacon, an album of songs, some...
» Read moreThe classic four-piece lineup that recorded Third and 4 is captured here live in concert from March 1971 in Bremen, Germany, only weeks before drummer / vocalist Robert Wyatt...
» Read moreTake a woodwind player and the early 80s rhythm section for Peter Gabriel (circa Security), put them together in a cave and you'd be surprised what they come up with! The second...
» Read moreTeru's Symphonia is a Japanese band lead by guitarist and composer Terutsugu Hirayama, but it's the vocals of Megumi Tokuhisa that get your attention. She's a great singer. On...
» Read moreAn unusual fusion of musics from across a wide variety of influences, The Reptile Palace Orchestra seem an anomaly for an American band. They draw their repertoire of melodies and stylisms from...
» Read moreCleopatra keeps churning out these space compilations — they are getting a lot of mileage out of their acts and property. Area 51 features all the same bands you've seen the...
» Read moreThe second of two tributes to rock's most misunderstood progressive band is another hodgepodge of tracks from the Gentle Giant catalog. Most bands seem to adopt the policy of covering the...
» Read moreI was really looking forward to this one, and when I laid my eyes on the cover, a collage of artwork from various Italian rock albums, the first thing I though was, "Cool, Semiramis...
» Read moreForget that you ever heard of Virgil's last Cuneiform outing Distracions on the Way to the King's Party, because this album simply has nothing to do with that whatsoever. Virgil is...
» Read moreYou Are Here are a new band out of Toronto with this eponymous EP as their debut. First off, I should point out that while a keyboard player is present, this quintet have a much newer and younger...
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2021-01-18
Asia Minor Third Album on the Way –
On January 29, AMS records will be releasing the long-awaited third album by classic Turkish-French band Asia Minor. Released last year in Japan, this will be the widespread debut of Points of Libration. The album features original members Setrak Bakirel (vocals, guitar) and Eril Tekeli (flute, guitar). »
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2020-12-09
Harold Budd RIP –
Harold Budd, one of pre-eminent American composers of avant-garde and minimalism, has died of complications from the coronavirus. Budd came to prominence in the 70s, championed by Brian Eno on his Obscure Records label, with music that blended academic minimalism with electric jazz and electronic music. Much of Budd's best known work was done in collaboration with other artists, including Eno, Daniel Lanois, Robin Guthrie, Andy Partridge, John Foxx, Jah Wobble, and many others. »
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2020-11-20
25 Views of Worthing Finally Gets Released –
A while ago, we wrote about the discovery of a "long lost" Canterbury-style gem by a band called 25 Views of Worthing. And now we're pleased to find out that Wind Waker Records has released their music on an LP. »
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2020-10-14
Audion Is Back in Business –
Our esteemed colleague Alan Freeman has restarted Audion Magazine after a seven year hiatus. The new incarnation is available online on their Bandcamp site. Audion's history goes back to 1984, and included 58 issues up to 2013. Issue #59 is available now, and #60 is in the works. »
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2020-10-06
Romantic Warriors IV – Krautrock (Part 2) Is in the Works –
Zeitgeist Media, the people who have brought us the great series of documentary films chronicling the history of progressive rock, are working on the second installment of their examination of German music. Krautrock 2 will focus on artists from Münich such as Guru Guru, Amon Düül II, Xhol Caravan, Kraan, Witthüser & Westrupp, and Popol Vuh. »
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The Mother Hips - Kiss the Crystal Flake – The Mother Hips have been kicking around the Bay Area for at least a decade, having a half-dozen or so releases to date, though this is their first in a few years. Their stock in trade is great... (2008) » Read more
Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen - Two Rainbows Daily – Another example of re-issue heaven? This album is (to my knowledge) the only bass / keyboard duet album made from a Canterbury link (Gilgamesh / Soft Machine). Originally released in the UK/USA in... (1996) » Read more
Squonk Opera - Howandever – Ready for something different and very original? First off, forget the Squonk, it's not a reference – these guys sound nothing like Genesis! In fact they are a totally new six-piece from the... (1995) » Read more
Chance:Risiko - Sleep Talking – The first thing I’d have to say about this four-piece from Bologna is that they really don’t sound Italian, which of course is an absurd thing to say, since a whole country can’t be... (2011) » Read more
Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street – Jon Hassell's first ECM recording as a leader is long overdue, but it is an understated ambient percussion mix consistent with the acclaimed trumpet player’s most pervasive recordings. Tone... (2010) » Read more