Exposé Online

Tape Head Redux —
The Mike King Interview

I recently had the privilege of speaking to Reel Records impresario Mike King regarding his fascination with British jazz, the process of tape archiving and re-mastering, and his upcoming efforts supporting the February 23rd Queen Elizabeth Hall evening celebrating the life and music of Nucleus founder Ian Carr. Exposé is indebted to Mike, the author of the important Robert Wyatt chronology Wrong Movements, for bringing us up to date on his current exploits and his strong passion for independently produced music.  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2010-07-01)

Warm Sounds in a Cold Fairyland —
The Cold Fairyland Interview

Cold Fairyland has emerged as the preeminent Chinese band fusing traditional music with progressive rock, touching on folk, jazz, pop, and New Age along the way. The band started as a home recording project by Lin Di (pipa*, keyboards, voice) and Su Yong (bass, guitar) and soon developed into a band. The name came from the Chinese title of the novel by Haruki Murakami known in English as Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Since 2001, there have been three albums released under the band's name, two Lin Di solo albums (both of which feature band members), and another Lin Di solo album under the name Miyadudu. The band currently consists of three couples: Lin Di and new bassist Seppo Lehto; drummer Li Jia and cellist Zhou Shen'an; and guitarist Song Jianfeng and keyboardist Xi Jin'e.  » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2010-07-01)

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Interstellar Guru and Zero

I find it extremely challenging to keep up with this prolific band with their myriad lineups and bazillions of releases. This time around, the band is Tsuyama Atsushi (monster bass, tortoiseshell...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2010-07-01)

Amy X Neuburg & The Cello Chixtet - The Secret Language of Subways

Putting cellos and Amy X Neuburg’s amazing voice together seems like a great idea, and by the end of the opening track, “One Lie,” I was hooked. On it Neuburg lays bare the lyrics...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2010-07-01)

Anthony Phillips - Missing Links Volume 4: Pathways & Promenades

Subtitled Missing Links Volume IV, this is the latest in that series, which I suppose supersedes the Private Parts and Pieces series. Similarly, though, this is a collection of...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Antique Seeking Nuns - Mild Profundities, Double Egg with Chips & Careful! It's Tepid

Antique Seeking Nuns has, for the better part of a decade been a joint side-project started by guitarist Joff Winks and keyboardist Matt Baber (later joined by drummer Paul Mallyon and bassist Brad...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Arashk - Ustuqus-al-Uss

Arashk is presented as an Iranian three-piece instrumental unit covering multi-guitars, bass, keyboards and drums, though more correctly in recorded form it’s mostly the vehicle of...  » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Ars Nova - Seventh Hell

The opener “Seventh Hell” presents twelve minutes of intensely convoluted frantic bombast, busy and chaotic at every melodic intersection, though sensibly arranged; in short –...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Barry Cleveland - Hologramatron

Barry Cleveland considers his new album a departure from past efforts. I’d agree, only insofar as many of the songs feature vocals. But for those who recall Cleveland’s lauded 2004...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2010-07-01)

Between Interval - The Edge of a Fairytale

It’s been a few years since 2006’s Autumn Continent, but this latest release – his fourth altogether – is well worth the wait. Between Interval is the creative...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Bill Mumy - The Landlord or the Guest, Speechless & Carnival Sky

If 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Black Tape for a Blue Girl - 10 Neurotics

Well, I have to be honest right out of the box, here. The lyrical content of this disc is so intense, permeated in dark sexual fetishism and disturbing first-hand details of troubling personal...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Blackfield - NYC - Blackfield Live in New York City

This 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2010-07-01)

Carsick Cars - You Can Listen, You Can Talk

I wrote about this Chinese band’s debut recording back in #36, and their core esthetic...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2010-07-01)

Cathedral - The Bridge

Thirty years ago, the US progressive band Cathedral released their first album, Stained Glass Stories. That was it until Tom Doncourt (keyboards) attended a King Crimson concert in 2003...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2010-07-01)

Cathedral & Rum - The Moon Is the Lord of Twisted Trees

Cathedral & Rum is essentially LA-based singer/songwriter Chris Hartford plus a host of guest musicians, depending on the album or song. Though make no mistake: Hartford is the creative nexus...  » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2010-07-01)

Causa Sui - Summer Sessions

Causa Sui is a Danish powerhouse of spacy, extended psychedelic stoner-rock jams. With two releases to their credit – their previous Free Ride from 2007 received a glowing review in...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Christian Décamps - Psychédelice

So... what to make of this? One of the most famous lead singers in the history of European prog has recorded a solo album... of instrumental music (well, almost – there’s one track with...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2010-07-01)

Colour Haze - Burg Herzberg Festival 18.Juli 2008

This double disc set commemorates over two hours of Colour Haze’s amazing performance at the July 2008 Burg Herzberg festival in Germany. A psychedelic hard-rock trio of guitar, bass and...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2010-07-01)

Copernicus - Disappearance

If Van Halen’s David Lee Roth decided to drop it all and become an obtuse beat poet, that may create a small avenue of interest into the ramblings of Copernicus. There is no doubt that plenty of...  » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2010-07-01)