The cover of Nurse with Wound’s debut release Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella contains the infamous NWW List of bands that Steven Stapleton,...
» Read moreSquire is a band the formed in the late 70s as part of the mod revival. They did not produce a lot of music, but have enjoyed a cult following, so much so that they have now reissued their albums....
» Read more60s jazz icon Gary Windo was a member of both the US and UK jazz scenes. This compilation of the tenor sax player's activities, produced by noted Canterbury musicologist Mike King, is a loving...
» Read moreThe recording at hand is #4 in the Buh Records Essential Sounds collection, an ongoing rescue project of several fundamental works of Peruvian avantgarde music. Subtitled ‘Pieces for tape,...
» Read moreBibi Den’s Tshibayi was born in the Province of Kasaï Occidental, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire) on February 5, 1954. Growing up in a musical family, he...
» Read moreJethro Tull has been with us now for 15 years of more. In this time, they have changed dramatically, from the late 60s flok-blues influenced rock, through their mid-70s elaborately orchestrated...
» Read moreDoes anybody remember the Velvet Underground? I don't. Sure I've heard Lou Reed and even Nico, and I've seen Andy Warhol's video for The Cars. But the Underground itself was before...
» Read moreIn the late 60s, guitarist John McLaughlin burst onto the jazz scene, playing with Miles Davis and Tony Williams at the very beginnings of jazz-rock fusion. When he formed his own group, Mahavishnu...
» Read moreWindham Hill used to be known for beautiful acoustic music, be it solo piano or guitar or small groups. Then along came Shadowfax, an eclectic bunch of electric and acoustic musicians with a style...
» Read moreI confess a weakness in reviewing XTC. I've liked all of their previous records. You might say I'm prejudiced, and it's no surprise I like the new release. But after all, it is a very...
» Read moreWhen Andy Summers, guitar wizard with the Police, and Robert Fripp, guitar wizard with King Crimson, get together, you have to expect magic. Their first collaboration, I Advance Masked,...
» Read moreOriginally released in 1984, a pretty dark time for all types of prog, this Japanese symphonic outfit put out a release that shines like the moonlight its title refers to. Mellow, smooth, and...
» Read moreHux records, the offshoot of the extinct BBC archives label Windsong, has now branched off into re-master heaven with a series of 80s releases by ex-Focus master guitarist Jan Akkerman. With each...
» Read moreAudentity features Klaus plus Michael Shrieve (the original drummer with Santana) on percussion, Rainer Bloss (sounds and glockenspeil), and Wolfgang Tiebold (cello). The sound is clean,...
» Read moreThose interested in discovering the roots of neo-prog owe it to themselves to explore the music of Twelfth Night, and I can’t think of a better place to start than here. Smiling at Grief...
» Read moreWith a seven year hiatus since Magma's previous studio album, Merci finds Vander pushing a completely new sound for the band. The influence of early 80s pop music is fairly strong...
» Read moreTwice Bitten started life in late 1982 at Nottingham University, the duo of Rog Patterson and Greg Smith, both philosophy students, guitarists, and singers, and although the wordsmith of the duo...
» Read moreAnyone who owned the original LP of this (on Cuneiform) and got to know it well will be initially shocked by this CD reissue. Indeed, However has taken great liberties with the reissue of this,...
» Read moreSometimes I wonder what I am missing about a band or album Musea reissues. North Star is a case in point. They are a derivative neo-progressive band from Pennsylvania best described as a Genesis /...
» Read moreMurray Head is one of those few mid-60s singer/songwriters who seems at home on the silver screen as much as in a recording studio. In a career that has spanned almost four decades, it's clear...
» Read moreCircles was the obscure German electronic trio of Dierk Litert (synths, sequencers, drums, bass, guitar, voice, saxophone, and flute), Mike Bormann (guitars, bass, and synths), and Busch Buchweitz...
» Read moreIn 1986, the first era of Synergy releases came to an end with Metropolitan Suite, which in some ways is the culmination of Larry Fast’s original musical vision. That does not make...
» Read moreLaugh China Doll was Edward Ka-Spel’s first solo release, recorded in 1984. This first release was a limited issue of 2000 LPs on the In-Phaze label that quickly disappeared,...
» Read moreSince 1984, Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard have created seven albums that stand the test of time: Dead Can Dance (1984), Spleen and Ideal (1985), Within the Realm of a Dying...
» Read moreThis two-disc set collects both of Swiss band Debile Menthol's early-80s studio LPs (1981's Emile au Jardin Patrologique and Battre Campagne from '84) into a single...
» Read moreThis two-disc set collects both of Swiss band Debile Menthol's early-80s studio LPs (1981's Emile au Jardin Patrologique and Battre Campagne from '84) into a single...
» Read moreSagittarian were a Japanese primarily-instrumental six-piece that put out one obscure album in the early 80s (in a limited edition of 100). The dominant sound is a Camel-influenced progressive...
» Read moreCheese jokes aside, this band was active throughout the eighties, and released two regular albums. Their approach was symphonic, featuring guitar, bass, keys, drums and flute, and female vocals,...
» Read moreOnce in a while comes a disc that is surprising by its nature. Magicorò is issued on the Italian Kaliphonia progressive label, but it is a gripping work of chamber music and...
» Read moreI don’t think anyone would argue against the idea that the Mahavishnu Orchestra’s peak was long past by the time John McLaughlin put this version of the band together. McLaughlin...
» Read moreTepid 80s symphonic rock certainly doesn’t do a lot of head turning in the pages of Exposé, and Swiss group The Foundation may not do anything to change one’s mind. The...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Second Tier
This Belgian group followed up their classic third album...
» Read moreBahrain is a small group of islands in the Persian Gulf. Of all the places one wouldn't expect as a source of progressive music, it has got to be near the top of the list. But think about it,...
» Read moreArtificial Dance gives us the entire original Savant LP plus seven additional tracks from singles and so on. This welcome reissue brings to mind a number of thoughts. First is the fact...
» Read moreAt some point in the past I had heard this obscure Danish five-piece compared with IQ. In fact, after finally hearing it, that assessment seems to be quite inaccurate. Yes, there are some...
» Read moreMarco Antônio Araújo was an accomplished Brazilian cellist/acoustic guitarist, much inspired by classical music. What strikes me in Araújo's work is the seemingly intemporal...
» Read moreMcLatchey's Top Tier #21
I'm not sure there's any musician alive who has a discography as long and deep as Robert Rich, and as I continue to make posts there's going to be quite a...
» Read moreAfter Spirit’s first four classic albums, the band entered a period of fluctuating personnel, style, and success. The double-LP Spirit of ‘76 had marked the revitalization of the band...
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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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2020-09-09
Simeon Coxe RIP –
Simeon Coxe, best known for his experimental electronics in the band Silver Apples, has died at the age of 82. The band's 1968 debut album set the stage for both German electronic music and experimental punk music a decade later. Coxe died on September 8 from pulmonary fibrosis. »
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Groovector - Darklubing at Tavastia – From time to time I see a band criticized for not realizing what their own strengths are, for moving out of the area where they shine. I’m wary of that kind of reasoning, as it should be the... (2005) » Read more
Quantum II - Quantum II – Anyone remember the Brazilian band Quantum? They had an outstanding self-titled album released around '82, an instrumental blend of euro-progressive symphonics laced with tight jazz fusion elements... (1995) » Read more
Steve Hackett - Wild Orchids – For nearly 30 years many have kept on considering him only the man behind the powerful guitar solos of Foxtrot and The Lamb Lies down on Broadway; yet he has proved to be much more than this. He... (2008) » Read more
Fifty Foot Hose - Cauldron – Here's another one of those "I never thought they'd release that on CD" reissues. San Francisco's late 60s legacy left behind a volume of obscure bands, many with some really... (1995) » Read more
Brunnen - Swoon – <crickets> — that’s either the typical response to the question “Any Brunnen fans in the audience?” or an accurate description of the third track on this CD. Brunnen is... (2011) » Read more