I’ll admit a slight prejudice against bands with unpronounceable (or questionably pronounceable) names, but a brief review is probably not the time to get into a discussion of the philosophy...
» Read moreThe duduk is an amazingly expressive instrument, sounding like a cross between a flute and an androgynous human voice, sometimes with reedy clarinet or oboe tones, and Djivan Gasparyan is a master...
» Read moreFirst the cheap shot: My initial reaction to this music was, “Different.” I’ve heard a fair amount of electronic music, and none of it sounded much like this. There are elements...
» Read moreYou have to hand it to Mike Sary and Co., every French TV seems an improvement on the last, a feat impressive considering the strength of 1999's The Violence of Amateurs. Album number...
» Read moreThe early exploits of Giles, Giles and Fripp have always been a footnote considering the impact of the first King Crimson album on unsuspecting English and US audiences. Their only album, The...
» Read moreMusically, Gongzilla is the branch of the Gong family tree which favors instrumental fusion with heavy guitar and vibraphone. Historically, Gongzilla is the descendent of Pierre Merlin’s Gong...
» Read moreFor this release, the “band” Greenwall consists entirely of keyboardist / programmer Andrea Pavoni. The tracks were all composed from 1994 to 1998, and comprise an interesting spectrum...
» Read moreAwake Like Sleep is a lazy psychedelic exploration of interior spaces, and comes off a bit like a very introverted Meddle-era Pink Floyd without lead guitar. Greg Weeks has a soft...
» Read moreOne of the things about blues music that always loses my interest is the relative lack of harmonic sophistication: the blues almost by definition stick to a set of three or four chords for each...
» Read moreIn Focus, Jan Akkerman was one of the most interesting and distinctive rock guitarists of the 70s, and with this solo album, originally released in 1973, he showed an amazing range. Six of the ten...
» Read moreBassist Jeff Johnson is one of the regulars in the Origin Records stable, and these two releases see him as leader, first of a trio with drummer Billy Mintz and reedman Hans Teuber, then with a...
» Read moreJohn Martyn has been writing personal songs and singing them in his inimitable style for quite some time now, and while he has never become the household name that Van Morrison or Joe Cocker has,...
» Read moreFans of Happy the Man, beware. These three live CDs are more in the realm of ambient space music than progressive rock. Taken together, they document the musical happenings on the night of March...
» Read moreLooking back thirty years later on the “golden age” of jazz-rock fusion, we tend to focus on the super tight unison lines and complex rhythmic structures of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and...
» Read moreThis album sees Marble Sheep back together in the studio for the first time since about 1993, and a finer example of heavy Japanese psychedelic music I could not name. There are bits of Hawkwind,...
» Read moreMainland European Jazz is a true mystery looking from this continent eastward across the Atlantic. To keep tabs on what is happening, what impact there is, and how volatile a jazz scene may be,...
» Read moreChoices under Pressure is a career retrospective done in a rather oblique (and typically Blegvadian) manner. He has rerecorded more-or-less acoustic versions of some of his best songs from...
» Read moreAt long last, a legitimate live release of Pink Floyd’s The Wall is available! The band played this magnum opus in full a mere 29 times, in only four cities. Even bootlegs of it are...
» Read moreComing off the success of their first three albums, and facing the rise of the punk esthetic with its corresponding decline in the popularity of complex music, Pulsar began to work within the...
» Read moreThe only other release by Raoul Björkenheim I’ve heard is the collaboration he did with Nicky Skopelitis from 1997. I liked that a lot, but with two guitarists, you never know...
» Read moreThe legacy of the early Soft Machine has been chronicled by many bootlegs and re-releases of the band's first album demos by Giorgio Gomelsky. What so far have not surfaced are official...
» Read moreSince Steve Hackett walked away from the Genesis rainbow, it's been a well-kept secret to fans that his live shows carried forward the finesse of that group. Adding further proof is a new four...
» Read moreHere we have another in the continuing series of electronic concept albums from French synthesist Jean-Luc Hervé Berthelot. This one tells the story of an interstellar conflict between an...
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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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Spirit - Salvation... The Spirit of '74 – One 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) and moved to... (2008) » Read more
Angel'in Heavy Syrup - III – Angel’in Heavy Syrup is a four piece band from Japan. The group is composed of Mineko Itakura on bass and vocals, Mine Nakao on guitar and vocals, Fuseo Toda on guitar and chimes, and Tomoko... (1996) » Read more
Lightwave - Tycho Brahé – The duo of Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman, otherwise known as Lightwave, have been active since the mid-80s. Composing electronic and synthesized music along the lines of early Tangerine... (1995) » Read more
The Long Dead Sevens - The White Waltz & Other Stories – The Long Dead Sevens, an interesting name and an interesting band. Picture if you will, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds covering Leonard Cohen with a dash of Tom Waits thrown in for good measure and you... (2009) » Read more
Phil Manzanera / 801 - Live at Manchester University – 801, lead by guitarist Phil Manzanera, deserve a pretty lofty place in the Prog hall of fame. The band was a veritable supergroup, fronted by Phil and Brian Eno, blending quirky pop songs with... (2000) » Read more