Deep space music has a lot going for it in the modern music world. There are many viable variations to explore and expand on as well. Stephen Parsick and Frank Makowski are composers whom make...
» Read moreOf all the genre labels ever devised, math rock has to be one of the most annoying. It’s an insult both to rock and to math, and seems to me borne of two mistaken beliefs. First, that math is...
» Read moreRandy George (who may be more widely known due to his recent work with Neal Morse) is the leader of Seattle-based Ajalon. Vocalist Will Henderson is also an important focal point for this...
» Read moreAlexander Vogel is your atypical teenager with an affinity for percussion and English improvisational icons. In late 2004 he took it upon himself to begin solo home recordings which soon evolved...
» Read moreAsia’s first tour of the US in 1982 was one of discovery for fans. From the ashes of Yes, Steve Howe and Geoff Downes merged musical intentions with John Wetton and Carl Palmer and a new...
» Read moreI always thought of Atoll as being the number two French symphonic rock band in the 70s, after Ange. Like Ange, they applied the ideals and techniques of progressive rock to French culture and came...
» Read moreThis band will forever be remembered as Janis Joplin’s backing band, though their relationship with the singer only lasted two years and two albums. After Joplin’s departure, they...
» Read moreIt has been said that jazz is all about Swing. I’ll go along with that — as long as I get to define Swing my own way. Swing is more than just a particular rhythmic feel; Swing, to me,...
» Read moreAfter UK’s rookie tour of the US, Eddie Jobson and John Wetton fired Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth, thus removing the pervasive jazz element from their soon-to-be transitory super group....
» Read moreThere are several reasons to expect the worst from this release. Many “reunions” and “reformations” of bands from the 70s have not turned out well; a look at the credits...
» Read moreLike so many British bands of the 60s, Colosseum suffered from label meddling when it came to the release of their albums across the Atlantic. Their first album, Those Who Are About to Die...
» Read moreFrom the name of the band, you would probably guess they have Gothic tendencies, and you’d be right. But rather than the heavy, depressive kind of Goth you often hear, this French band has a...
» Read moreElton Dean’s recent associations with Hammond organ specialist Alex Maguire (as heard on HUX’s excellent release Psychic Warrior) have been gradually building over time....
» Read moreLed by former Beefheart guitarist Gary Lucas (Doc at the Radar Station, Ice Cream for Crow) and saxophonist / arranger Phillip Johnston (NYC downtown scene regular), Fast...
» Read moreIn 1988, this upstate NY trio (then a quartet with dedicated vocalist) released their debut album Parents Tend to Oxygen First, a fairly typical slab of late-80s keyboard strong...
» Read more[Note: This review was written upon the release of the albums on DRT in 2005.]
DRT is Derek Shulman’s US based label, which has taken ownership of the band’s North America CD...
» Read moreI try to maintain a certain openness about the various musical genres, feeling that quality is a factor only marginally related to style, so I’m happy to find something good where it’s...
» Read moreSome 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...
» Read moreEx-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...
» Read moreThis 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...
» Read moreCount me as a supporter of the proposition that the world needs more hot electric violinists playing jazz-rock fusion. Jean-Luc Ponty has moved on to other things, and someone has to take up the...
» Read moreThis may be one of Kit Watkins’ most sensual efforts to date. The creative foundation for most of the album’s 12 tracks is a percussion and synth track or groove that Watkins then solos...
» Read moreMarvin Ayres is a string player (cello and violin here) who specializes in using electrified instruments to build ambient clouds of sound (see
Marvin Ayres has a different approach to ambient music, using electric violin, viola, and cello instead of keyboards (with the exception of a bit of organ on one track). I suppose it’s a bit...
» Read moreBy now I guess it’s safe to say more people know Matraz from their second album (Gritaré, reviewed...
» Read moreThis concert focuses mostly on Opeth’s “mellow” album Damnation. For the first set, it is performed in its entirety in order (with one other song interpolated). Then they...
» Read moreOpossum is another of Garden of Delights’ wonderful finds. The band was a precursor to Morpheus, and never actually released any recordings during their existence (1971-75), though these...
» Read moreI haven’t heard Shingetsu’s studio album, so this concert recording is my introduction to their music, and it’s quite a surprise. And like many surprises, it has both good and bad...
» Read more1977 was the year that Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Peter Baumann conquered North America and Canada with a massive twenty-plus city tour (and on select dates performing with Laserium). The April...
» Read moreThe Collectors hailed from Vancouver, Canada, not exactly a hotbed of the worldwide psychedelic scene, which maybe helps explain why they didn’t make a bigger impact. Their two albums, though...
» Read moreIf you need a Christmas album to scare your family and friends, look no further. The 12 Days of Brumalia was released as a downloadable album on the Residents web site in December of 2004,...
» Read moreTim Burness is an English neo-progressive composer who has existed under the threshold of most music consumers’ radar. The childlike toy count into the first piece, “Open Man,” is...
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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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Ivory - Sad Cypress – Ivory was an obscure German band that recorded and released this album in 1979. What made Ivory unique was their leader Ulrich Sommerlatte, a 65 year old musician! At the ripe old age of 22 Ulrich... (1994) » Read more
Golden Avant-Garde - Golden Avant-Garde – Existing from around 1986 through the early 90s, Golden Avant-Garde was formed around mainstays Chihiro Saito (bass) and Takeshi Naganuma (drums), the former having played with Katra Turana and his... (1996) » Read more
Various Artists - Sombient Collections: The Throne of Drones & A Swarm of Drones – Asphodel's sombient collections are amongst the finest in the field today. Compiling both distinguished synthesists and relative unknowns, it's a surprise how coherent and homogeneous the... (1996) » Read more
Jim Gilmour - Great Escape – Jim Gilmour is well known to Saga fans as the long-time keyboard player of the group. His compositional skills as well as his nimble keyboard playing have been crucial keys to the band’s... (2007) » Read more
Drama - Inspiración – It’s only been in the last couple years that I’ve started hearing any of the progressive music originating in South America, and while I’m reluctant to make broad generalizations,... (2003) » Read more