By this point, I hope all Exposé readers have gone out and purchased at least a few Steve Tibbetts albums. If you have, and you love them as much as I do, you probably...
» Read moreIn Real Time, Aka Moon's 11th CD, contains the original music composed for Anne-Teresa de Keersmaeker's dance theater production of the same name. This theatrical production combines the...
» Read moreBack when I was in my early teens, I went through a phase where I liked heavy metal. Black Sabbath’s Paranoid was my favorite LP. That phase didn’t last very long, and I...
» Read moreGerman synthesist Apeiron had two excellent Berlin school electronic music albums in the early 90s, Imagic and Twilight People. He has resurfaced, this time with collaborator...
» Read moreI’ve been a big fan of Béla Fleck for quite a while, so I’m not sure how this one slipped under my radar for so long, especially given the stellar list of guest artists....
» Read moreUpon the demise of Delivery (Phil Miller's quartet augmented by Janis Joplin stylized blues vocalist, Carol Grimes), Grimes moved off to join another blues-based, less improvisational group,...
» Read moreCape Verde has a long and varied tradition of popular music, and Cesária Évora is one of the shining stars, garnering a lot of attention in the American press in the last few years....
» Read moreThe packaging of this release is a tad confusing, and the title may well be Chrysaldor The Legend, with the musicians being named Zen’s and El Jice. Whatever. This is a release on...
» Read moreThis sophomore CD from University of Errors starts with “Iced Tea Overture” and gets your attention with a chunky beat, free-form guitar, and spaced out effects. Then Allen gets going...
» Read moreOne of the most prolific and highly-sought drummers in avant-prog, Dave Kerman, has returned with an album from his own project 5uu’s. Abandonship features the most stripped-down...
» Read moreDo you ever wish you could indulge in some honest, healthy, head-banging and rocking out but just can¹t bring yourself to put on any Led Zeppelin or AC/DC? Well your time has come, RIO-freaks....
» Read moreDave Kerman is making a concerted stab to become the Christian Vander of the Cuneiform banner of groups. Not only is he doubling up between his percussion responsibilities with Present and Thinking...
» Read moreWell, the Exposé credo is to spotlight the boundaries of rock, so that must mean this young American group fits the mold. Unlike the mostly Euro-prog based music we cover, EDM has a...
» Read moreI’ve heard Brazilian Eloy Fritsch’s name before, but had not heard him until now. Nicely layered arrangements float serenely by. The emphasis is on orchestral-sounding synthesizers,...
» Read moreWhite Worker is Eric Mertens’ latest release and a follow up to his first CD Spleen. White Worker is a wonderful collection of 11 contemporary chamber music...
» Read moreJ.G. Thirlwell’s reputation preceded him like a plague, and I knew I had to be in the right frame of mind to listen to the kind of pounding, intense onslaught he dishes out. But eventually I...
» Read moreLeave it to Geoff Downes to seek out another bassist, vocalist heavyweight talent as a possible big time collaborator. I honestly don't think the ex member of the Buggles and Yes has ever lived...
» Read moreHábitat is the Argentine duet of Aldo Pinelli (vocals, bass, guitars, percussion) and Sergio Raffaghello (keyboards), with the assistance of Enrique Hittos (guitars, keys), Roberto Sambrizzi...
» Read moreHemisphere are a duo of electronic musicians Ralf Knappe-Heinbockel and Thorsten Reinhardt. Their latest CD is a seven-track album, each track named after a color (with “Red” having a...
» Read moreWho is Mick Greenwood, might you ask? Apparently the man is American and made a ploy to become a pop star in the UK after being discovered in a New York club in the early 70s. He issued three LPs...
» Read moreMiriodor is one of the truly outstanding avant-prog bands of the last two decades, and this new release shows them in as strong a form as ever. This time the core trio of Falaise, Globensky, and...
» Read moreI¹d lost track of this French Canadian group since I first heard their debut release, Rencontres, several years ago. I was impressed with what I heard then and I remain impressed with...
» Read moreIn the first few seconds of Miriodor's latest work you'd almost think the French Canadian group had fallen into an Aphex Twin dub experiment. But it's just a short introduction into...
» Read moreThose people who assume that anything coming out of Italy is worth purchasing should check this one out. This is a concept album (I guess) about the planets, with tracks about the Sun, Mercury,...
» Read moreYes, that’s the way it’s credited on the cover. The is a very odd collection of odds and ends basically centered around the band Mushroom, including soul covers, taped phone...
» Read moreI’ve always had a weak spot for Nash the Slash. His goofy horror-show imagery and violin showmanship just bring a smile to my face. A soundtrack to the silent film classic Nosferatu,...
» Read moreWhile this current Magma line-up offshoot began their side career with a fusion album that barely hinted at their Zeuhl progenitors, the quartet of Emmanuel Borghi, James MacGaw, Philippe...
» Read moreGet in line, put down your money and get yer Zeuhl fix right here. Satisfaction guaranteed. One Shot, featuring Emmanuel Borghi (keyboards), James MacGaw (guitar), and Philippe Bussonnet (bass),...
» Read moreAnyone who has seen Magma play recently has seen three of the four members of One Shot. The leader of the band is Emmanual Borghi on keyboards, and his compatriots are James Mac Gaw on guitar and...
» Read moreHere’s another entry in the one-man electronic music genre, in this case Otso Pakarinen of Finland. He’s got a couple of interesting twists on the conventions of electronic music. One...
» Read morePain of Salvation are one of the few bands that comes along every now and then and redefines their genre. I mean, I don’t even care much for this particular avenue of melodic prog-metal, the...
» Read moreHave Present evolved from Univers Zero to Art Zoyd? Well, not quite, although Dominic Ntoumos' trumpet strongly reminds me of Gerard Hourbette's approach on Art Zoyd's early albums such...
» Read moreThe bleak occasion of Roger Trigaux's seventh nightmarish vision is filled with extreme trauma. This time out, the composer has seen fit to fill an orchestral gap by adding sax, trumpet, and...
» Read moreFor their latest release, Present pays tribute to REO Speedwagon's classic 1980 album. Their remake of "Keep on Loving You" just rocks!! Oh wait... that's just a terrible...
» Read moreThis quartet from Verona, Italy plays a freewheeling experimental grunge-jazz infected rock, driven by dual guitars, tenor sax and drums. Half the time they are out on the edge, the other half...
» Read moreGo to your favorite record store, to the world music (or international as some of them call it) section and look for Africa. Most of them will have a fair number of CDs, usually separated by...
» Read moreRemotion is musician Richard Stuij assisted by engineer Arjan Steenbergen. Like contemporary Ron Boots, Stuij is profoundly influenced by Berlin school electronic music in addition to the more...
» Read moreA whole new genre has developed since about 1995, one that consists basically of a soft-voiced female singer and a programmer / keyboardist / arranger. It probably started with Portishead, then...
» Read moreThroughout the 90s, Sheila Chandra recorded albums of solo voice, basically drones with refined, studied melodies and tones above them. That was interesting enough (since I love her voice), but...
» Read moreAfter two years of playing astounding shows in the Bay Area and with a national tour under their belt, this band finally has an album out! Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is a Bay Area supergroup of...
» Read moreThe grand opening and closing of the Sleepytime Gorilla Museum is an event one would hope they would repeat ad infinitum. First there was Idiot Flesh and, somewhere in between, Charming Hostess,...
» Read moreIt sounds cheesy to admit but the cover art for this CD is what I thought most impressive about it. Independent releases are usually fraught with problems in presentation. But SGM come at you with...
» Read moreJohn Coxon and Ashley Wales take advantage of their Thirsty Ear jazzy label mates by diving head first into a maze of grooves, pulse and mood. But don’t expect a clever ambient dub from these...
» Read moreNeo-progressive act Tea for Two’s first album is appropriately titled 101 since this work is very much a freshman endeavor. The core of the group stems from vocalist Stephan Weber...
» Read moreThe Champs are an unusual trio of twin lead guitars plus drums that cranks out a heavy uptempo rock sound with plenty of meaty riffs. On many tunes they sound like an instrumental version of Thin...
» Read moreThe Red Masque is a five-piece of guitars, bass, drums/percussion, keyboard+harp, and lead voice. Their promo package proclaims “...An intense and angular blend of avant rock...” and...
» Read moreThe Underground Railroad was formed with the express intent of playing music in the style of Genesis, but they have luckily strayed from the strict observance of that intention. There is a remnant...
» Read moreTriakel is a three-piece consisting of Garmarna’s Emma Härdelin singing with Hoven Droven’s fiddler Kjell-Erik Eriksson, along with Janne Strömstedt on harmonium. They stick...
» Read moreHere we have the long-awaited reissue of Marc Bolan’s earliest recordings, back when Tyrannosaurus was spelled out in full and electric guitars were unusual coloring rather than the...
» Read moreThe All Saints label began as a veritable home for the electronic, ambient inclined artist who needed a new vehicle to deliver a powerful message. Music for Films III is a sampler of these...
» Read moreThe label has chosen to list this disc under “Various Artists” but that’s an inaccuracy. All the tracks are in fact by the same band: a rhythm section of Liam Genocky and Steve...
» Read moreDavid Vorhaus truly counts as one of the pioneers of electronic music. His first White Noise album came out in 1969, and while he has not been prolific, his infrequent releases have all pushed the...
» Read moreI first started listening to world music back in the early 80s, when there wasn’t a whole lot of it released in the US. You could find a few African artists if you looked around, and there...
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2021-02-14
SoundQuest Fest 2021 –
SoundQuest Fest, first experienced as a live festival in Tucson Arizona in 2010 was created by ambient music pioneer Steve Roach. This 2021 event will unite a worldwide gathering of artists and audience members together for a 3-day online event unique in the realm of ambient music. From March 26-28th a continuous flow of streamed performances, audio-video wonder worlds and deep immersion zones will burn bright on Roach’s YouTube channel. »
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2021-02-10
Chick Corea RIP –
The sad news has reached us that Chick Corea has Returned to Forever, so to speak. The innovative keyboardist and composer died on February 9 at the age of 79. With a career that spanned from the 60s until shortly before his death, Corea touched many listeners with the incredible variety of music he produced in his lifetime. »
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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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Seven That Spells - Cosmoerotic Dialogue with Lucifer – Is it a dialogue or one-way harangue? That's what you might ask emerging from this full-bore psychedelic freak-out of ferocious proto-metal fighting to stay alive (or conscious) against some... (2010) » Read more
Philharmonie - Nord – It seems like only about six months since the last Philharmonie disc, these guys are a hard working group for sure! The original guitar trio of Frederic L'Epee, Laurent Chalef and Bernard Ros are... (1994) » Read more
Slava Ganelin and Ned Rothenberg - Falling into Place – Pianist and composer Slava (Vyacheslav) Ganelin is known for his assertive power trio in Russia and his leadership within the Israeli free jazz scene since emigrating there in 1987. In contrast, New... (2005) » Read more
Finisterre - In Limine – Finisterre surprised us last year with their debut album. In Limine is an excellent follow-up. Compared to their first, we find here in most pieces more of an acoustic atmosphere. Time is given to... (1997) » Read more
Mickey Simmonds - The Shape of Rain – Mickey Simmonds' debut as a solo artist presents a well-traveled craftsman in do-it-yourself mode. I'm not certain if this is due in part to his inability to supply material for a group... (1997) » Read more