Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 2011
Tony Levin / David Torn / Alan White - Levin Torn White
Tony Levin and David Torn are no strangers to improvisational instrumental music, but the name that caught everyone's attention in this outing is drummer Alan White. It's been many moons since Alan... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Magic Pie - Motions of Desire, Circus of Life & The Suffering Joy
Following on Karisma’s release of King for a Day in 2015, the label has gone to Magic Pie’s back catalog and re-released the first three albums. In 2005 they put out...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2017-05-05)
Soft Machine Legacy - Live Adventures
With the sad passings of Canterbury icons Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper, the reformulated quartet continues to carry on convincingly in the vein of the great icon of British Jazz. Now led by the...
» Read more(Posted by Jeff Melton 2011-06-01)
The Microscopic Septet - Friday the Thirteenth
Straight ahead jazz with a flair for the avant – that’s Friday the 13th, the latest from The Microscopic Septet. This is the band’s tribute to Thelonious Monk, featuring...
» Read more(Posted by Pam Thompson 2011-06-01)
Dave Brock - Strange Trips and Pipe Dreams
Dave Brock has been the one steady member of Hawkwind for nearly 30 years (the band's first album was released in 1971). In a band that has witnessed over 30 personnel changes over that time,...
» Read more(Posted by Steve Robey 1997-10-01)
Martin Turner - Life Begins & New Live Dates - The Complete Set
With the lawsuit over the Wishbone Ash band name finalized in Andy Powell's favor, in 2014 "Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash" became "Martin Turner Ex-Wishbone Ash." Late...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2016-09-14)
Embryo - Bad Heads and Bad Cats
As far as Embryo albums go, Bad Heads and Bad Cats is one of the cornerstones of their career in the early to mid-70s, a turning point where the band was celebrating its new-found freedom...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2018-04-06)
Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen / Seven Up & Join Inn / Starring Rosi
Here we have domestic releases of the consummate Krautrock band’s early albums. Though not as quotable to neo-Kraut hipsters as Can, Faust, Kraftwerk and Neu! — Ash Ra Tempel were...
» Read more(Posted by Tom Hayes 1999-11-01)
Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen / Seven Up & Join Inn / Starring Rosi
Here we have domestic releases of the consummate Krautrock band’s early albums. Though not as quotable to neo-Kraut hipsters as Can, Faust, Kraftwerk and Neu! — Ash Ra Tempel were...
» Read more(Posted by Tom Hayes 1999-11-01)
Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen / Seven Up & Join Inn / Starring Rosi
Here we have domestic releases of the consummate Krautrock band’s early albums. Though not as quotable to neo-Kraut hipsters as Can, Faust, Kraftwerk and Neu! — Ash Ra Tempel were...
» Read more(Posted by Tom Hayes 1999-11-01)
Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Of all the 60s / 70s classic groups out there, maybe the one I'm most fatigued by is Pink Floyd. A year or two ago I had a chance to listen to the Dark Side of the Moon box that had...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2018-05-24)
Guildenstern - Guildenstern
The story of this band begins in May 1976 when bassist and guitarist Michael Lippert and drummer Claus Lange, together with keyboard player Gerd Schmelzer and guitarist Reinhard Olschanski, all...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2018-03-12)
Blixt - Blixt
As it says on the cover, Blixt is Raoul Björkenheim, Bill Laswell, and Morgan Ågren. And in case you weren't aware of it, they are all monsters on their instruments. But technique...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Kevin Kastning / Sándor Szabó / Balász Major - Triptych & Becoming
In all the music I've heard from Kevin Kastning (both with and without his frequent collaborator Sándor Szabó), one thing that has not been present is any kind of percussion....
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-13)
Kevin Kastning / Sándor Szabó / Balász Major - Triptych
For their fifth album, Triptych, guitarists Kevin Kastning (USA) and Sándor Szabó (Hungary) are joined by Hungarian percussionist Balázs Major. As one might expect...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-10-25)
Steve Hackett - Beyond the Shrouded Horizon
Maybe he had their honeymoon on his brain, but Steve Hackett's first studio offering following his second marriage plays out like a musical travelog, reinforced by the exotic imagery on the...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Herd of Instinct - Herd of Instinct
Herd of Instinct is a new instrumental Texas based trio featuring multi-instrumentalist Mark Cook (mainly Warr guitar and keyboards) and drummer Jason Spradlin – both ex-members of 99 Names...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Rainbow Danger Club - The New Atlantis & Where Maps End
In their promotional photos, the members of Rainbow Danger Club pose in costumes reminiscent of characters from Jules Verne stories, and I've heard they do the same when performing live. Which...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-03)
Can - Tago Mago
McLatchey's Second Tier
The first Can I heard when I was in high school was Future Days. At the time, finding any of the earlier albums wasn't particularly easy,...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-09-15)
Can - Tago Mago (40th Anniversary Bonus Material)
The 40th Anniversary version of Tago Mago (an album I wrote about in my second tier) came out in 2011 as a 2CD limited edition and disappeared soon thereafter, unfortunately in this time...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-05-04)
Boris - New Album, Heavy Rocks, & Attention Please
A few days after I got New Album, I mentioned to a friend that I was really enjoying the new Boris CD. He gave me a funny look and said, "I didn't figure you for the...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)
Boris - New Album, Heavy Rocks, & Attention Please
A few days after I got New Album, I mentioned to a friend that I was really enjoying the new Boris CD. He gave me a funny look and said, "I didn't figure you for the...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)
Boris - New Album, Heavy Rocks, & Attention Please
A few days after I got New Album, I mentioned to a friend that I was really enjoying the new Boris CD. He gave me a funny look and said, "I didn't figure you for the...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)
Cheer-Accident - No Ifs, Ands or Dogs
This is one of those reviews that won't write itself. Not that reviews ever really write themselves, but some albums I listen to and know what I want to say. Not this time. First off, I love...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Eight years since their last studio release, Floyd have come forward with another fine collection of songs, with no real surprises — their timeless style intact — this could just as...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1994-05-01)
Curved Air - Midnight Wire & Airborne
The final two albums by this seminal British band, always seeming to straddle the line between many styles, have finally been brought to CD. Unlike the early albums, which were solidly committed to...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)
Curved Air - Midnight Wire & Airborne
The final two albums by this seminal British band, always seeming to straddle the line between many styles, have finally been brought to CD. Unlike the early albums, which were solidly committed to...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)
Airbag - All Rights Removed
Airbag is a young Norwegian quintet whose 2009 debut, Identity, received positive reviews and helped garner concert appearances with Riverside and Marillion. The six songs on All...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Mike Oldhill - Elf Entdecker (Eleven Explorers)
Michael Altenberger (aka Mike Oldhill) is a German progressive rock multi-instrumentalist. Eleven Explorers is his debut release and quite an ambitious project! It is a concept album...
» Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-15)
Thinking Plague - Decline and Fall
A new Thinking Plague album is always cause for celebration, especially when eight years elapse between them. But given the defiantly un-commercial and brutally difficult nature of the music...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-14)
Opus Avantra - Introspezione, Lord Cromwell & Strata
Led by composer/keyboardist Alfredo Tisocco, and fronted by vocalist Donella del Monaco, Opus Avantra – much like their name might imply, offers a music based in avant-garde classicism mixed...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)
Gösta Berlings Saga - Glue Works
Gösta Berlings Saga occupies a no-band's-land in between the realms of progressive rock, post-rock, math-rock, and RIO, with elements of all but not fitting completely in any of those...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-07-07)
Jack o' the Clock - How Are We Doing, and Who Will Tell Us?
The East Bay area (Oakland and surrounding) has produced some interesting musical hybrids of late. A lot of that no doubt has to do with Fred Frith’s involvement with the esteemed Mills...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2011-06-01)
Markus Reuter - Todmorden 513 & Todmorden 513 Concerto
Music that pleases the head and music that pleases the heart can be very different things. (Speaking symbolically, of course — aside from the physical experience of loud sounds thumping the...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-09)
Sebastian Hardie - Blueprint
Who woulda thunk, that 35 years after Four Moments and Windchase, Sebastian Hardie's two classic albums from the 70s, the four original members could get back...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Claudia Quintet + 1 - What Is the Beautiful?
NYC-based Claudia Quintet have wasted no time following up on their critically acclaimed 2010 release, Royal Toast. This time out drummer John Hollenbeck and crew pay tribute to American...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
French TV - I Forgive You for All My Unhappiness
This is the tenth album by bassist Mike Sary and company, which this time (for the most part) includes ex-Boud Deun / current Prester John guitarist Shawn Persinger, drummer Jeff Gard, Adam Huffer...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2011-06-01)
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Darwin!
One of the most alluring aspects of Italian progressive rock from 1972-1977 is the wide array of tonal coloring, particularly due to experimentation with analog synthesizers. This was a completely...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-03-16)
Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins - A Scarcity of Miracles
The first thing to say is that I really love King Crimson in all its incarnations. But it is not unconditional, unquestioning love; I do love some of the incarnations more than others. My main...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-09-25)
Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel
McLatchey's Second Tier
This title's the first of three Ash Ra Tempel classics. It's a bit difficult to tell where Ash Ra Tempel and Manuel Göttsching begin and...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-12-03)
Atila - Intención
Best known for the incredibly magnificent Reviure, one of the best progressive rock albums all around, Atila are a Spanish classical rock group that started small and went out with a bang....
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1994-08-01)
One Shot - Live in Tokyo
At this point all our readers should be aware of One Shot, with several studio albums to their credit, an outstanding live album Vendredi 13 from around ten years ago, a DVD, and a North...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Runaway Totem - Le Roi du Monde
After close to twenty years on the scene, this Italian band continues to evolve and surprise, providing something new and unique with each new release. Le Roi du Monde (King of the...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2011-06-01)
Tangerine Dream - Atem
McLatchey's Second Tier
The final album of the Ohr years would show the solidification of the classic Froese-Franke-Baumann trio and would perhaps show the influence of the...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-10-06)
Tangerine Dream - Zeit
McLatchey's Top Tier #25
I first heard this one fairly early in the CD age after having explored Tangerine Dream through what was probably Underwater Sunlight around...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-04-02)
Reptet - Chicken or Beef? & At the Cabin
Reptet fits squarely into that stream of jazz bands that contains the Lounge Lizards, Microscopic Septet, the Tiptons, and so on: crazy arrangements, skilled playing, influences drawn from both...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)
Jack Dupon - Démon Hardi, Bascule à Vif, Tête de Chien & Les Ronfleurs Dorment
I’ve been debating with myself about how I would review this collection of music, individual reviews or one combined review. Jack Dupon’s music is difficult to describe, so instead of...
» Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-06-08)
Jack Dupon - Démon Hardi
An up-and-coming four-piece from the Auvergne region of France, there is nobody named Jack in the band – kind of like that other band that has nobody named Jethro. Démon Hardi...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2011-06-01)
Il Tempio delle Clessidre - Live in Seoul
The long-awaited and much-anticipated DVD recording of their monumental performance in Seoul, South Korea on October 8, 2011 is finally available. This two DVD set presents their entire live...
» Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-02-15)
Alpine Decline - Disappearance & Night of the Long Knives
When I last checked in with Alpine Decline (reviewing their first two releases), this LA...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-04-23)
Murple - Io Sono Murple
Murple is one of the countless Italian one-shots who released one rare album and disappeared off of the face of the earth. Their style was typical of the era – a classical/symphonic rock in...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-08-01)
Björk - Biophilia
Sometimes it feels strange to be reviewing an artist like Björk, who is well known enough worldwide to attract attention from the mainstream press and even paparazzi (swan dress, anyone?)....
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Lito Vitale - Sobre Miedos, Creencias y Supersticiones
After MIA, Lito Vitale launched his solo career with Sobre Miedos, Creencias y Supersticiones, an ambitious album of powerful symphonic rock. Here, Lito plays just about everything: piano,...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1996-03-01)
M.I.A. - Transparencias, Mágicos Juegos del Tiempo & Cornonstipicum
Belle Antique has gone all out on their most recent set of reissues — the backlog of the brilliant Argentine ensemble M.I.A. M.I.A. was multi-instrumentalist (mainly keys) Lito Vitale's...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-03-01)
M.I.A. - Transparencias, Mágicos Juegos del Tiempo & Cornonstipicum
Belle Antique has gone all out on their most recent set of reissues — the backlog of the brilliant Argentine ensemble M.I.A. M.I.A. was multi-instrumentalist (mainly keys) Lito Vitale's...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-03-01)
M.I.A. - Transparencias, Mágicos Juegos del Tiempo & Cornonstipicum
Belle Antique has gone all out on their most recent set of reissues — the backlog of the brilliant Argentine ensemble M.I.A. M.I.A. was multi-instrumentalist (mainly keys) Lito Vitale's...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-03-01)
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew Live
McLatchey's Top Tier #6
This favorite almost came about by accident to some extent. Years before this was released, the DVD called Electric Miles - A Different Kind of...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-07-30)
Orange Peel - Orange Peel
Another one of the bright spots on the shaky Germanofon roster, Orange Peel were a one-shot that put out a great album in 1970 and then disappeared. The music is typical of early German groups more...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1996-03-01)
Amarok - Gouevia 2005
This set was recorded live at the Gouveia Art Rock festival in Portugal (yes, it's spelled wrong on the CD cover), and it finds Amarok in fine form. They play some of the most memorable tunes...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-16)
Ex-Wise Heads - Schemata
In the frenzy to keep up with all the new releases that come out every month, it’s still worthwhile to keep an eye and ear out for things that slipped through the cracks and escaped notice...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-02-09)
Socrates - Phos
This is the third (apparently) and best-known release by this obscure (outside Greece, anyway) Greek band. This album was made famous by guest-keyboardist Vangelis. And while it's true that...
» Read more(Posted by Mike Ohman 1995-11-01)
Yes - Fly from Here
Thinking back to when Yes released Drama in 1980, there was some debate about whether Yes without Jon Anderson was really Yes. That question aside, the album had some great tunes on it,...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-05-12)
Korekyojinn with Tsuboy Akihisa - Doldrums
If you take the gonzo-zeuhl of Ruins and graft it onto the kind of fiery fusion played by early Mahavishnu Orchestra, you get...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-07-02)
Hiromi - Voice
That's Voice as in "finding your voice," not indicating that there is vocal music on this CD. It's the Hiromi Uehara we know and love (at least I do) with a different...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-07-25)
Spettri - Spettri
I think it was my colleague Mike McLatchey who once jokingly said that in Italy in the 70s, there were more prog bands than there were fans. As such there were plenty of fine bands who fell through...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-08-17)
Various Artists - A Dark Cabaret 2
This Projekt compilation is the follow up to their successful Dark Cabaret 1 released in 2005. This new collection consists of 12 decadent, alluring, twisted, demonic, and sometimes savage...
» Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-15)
Santana - Abraxas
McLatchey's Second Tier
Released the month after their performance at Woodstock, Santana's follow up to their excellent debut made music history. Sporting an iconic Mati...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-05-19)
Ash Ra Tempel / Manuel Göttsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar
McLatchey's Second Tier
No matter how many times a young future guitarist will plug his or her axe into an amp and echo/delay pedal in years to come, this sixth album by Manuel...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-10-27)
Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri
McLatchey's Second Tier
I've checked off Zeit, Phaedra, and Rubycon so far and have two more this round. The first of these is the group's...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-10-01)
Ash Ra Tempel - Join Inn
McLatchey's Second Tier
In many ways Join Inn could be seen as the first Ash Ra Tempel Mk II. It too had a side of intense psychedelic rock and a side bliss-out, all...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-07-28)
M.I.A. - Cornonstipicum
McLatchey's Second Tier
Crucis weren't the only brilliant Argentinian 70s group, but I'm not sure they were quite as young as some of the players in the collective...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-07-07)
Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per un Amico
McLatchey's Second Tier
I first heard PFM when I was 17 and a friend sold me a copy of The World Become the World for 50 cents. I liked it but wasn't really drawn...
» Read more(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-08-27)
The Trip - Time of Change
Another one from the Trident label. In the early 70s The Trip produced three fairly unremarkable albums as a four-piece led by guitarist/singer Billy Gray. After the 1972 album Atlantide,...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Steven Wilson's sophomore solo effort includes 12 tracks across two disks (assuming you didn't spring for one of the umpteen other editions or formats available) and the consensus opinion is that he... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Pyrolator - Neuland
Kurt Dahlke AKA Pyrolator has a long musical history dating back to the late 70s. He was a founding member of D.A.F., left in 1979 to form the German no-wave avant-garde band Der Plan, with which he... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-04-04)
Duck Fight Goose - Sports & History Single
Shanghai's Duck Fight Goose seem to have become one of the darlings of Chinese rock outside of China — they've been getting press in the US and have played SXSW. Their debut EP ((Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Ego - Evoluzione delle Forme
Here's another of the current crop of Italian progressive rock bands with a heavy influence from their countrymen of the 70s. Evoluzione delle Forme is all instrumental, and keyboards... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-10-09)
Vibravoid - Minddrugs (Deluxe)
In 2011 Germany’s psych rock impresarios Vibravoid released Minddrugs, a collection of six trippy acid-drenched psych songs: “Seefeel,” “What You Want,” “Do It Allright,” “You... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-25)
Tor-Peders - Brev fran Ederstorp
On spinning this new FdM LP, you would swear that you were listening to a West Coast 60s garage-psych band. How wrong you would be. Tor-Peders was a Swedish band formed in 2007 by guitarist Jonas... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-29)
Strawberry Fields - Strawberry Fields Live
Strawberry Fields is a project band created by Polish drummer Wojtek Szadowski (Collage, Satellite) to showcase his modern pop writing and the sultry singing of Robin (Marta Kniewska). Their sole 2009... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-06-30)
Syd Arthur - Moving World
Even though they already had a couple EPs and singles under their belts, Moving World is considered UK psych merchants Syd Arthur’s first proper release. It’s actually a “maxi-EP”... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-06-24)
Yuka and Chronoship - Water Reincarnation
Yuka and Chronoship is a Japanese neo-progressive quartet formed in 2009 by Yuka Funakoshi (keyboards and vocals). She is supported by Shun Taguchi (bass), Takashi Miyazawa (guitar), and Ikko Tanaka... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-14)
Stick Men - Soup & Absalom
It's been a number of years since the Tony Levin Band was active, though of course Mr. Levin himself has been busy, with a couple of solo albums and frequent work as bassist-for-hire. Stick Men is...
» Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)
Zubatto Syndicate - Zubatto Syndicate
Progressive Big Band? Sure, why not? Composer Andrew Boscardin has assembled a large ensemble consisting of saxophones and brass along with clarinet (of standard and bass varieties), bassoon, oboe,... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-05-19)
Pendragon - Passion
Passion marks the conclusion of a trilogy of records that started with 2005's Believe, followed by 2008's Pure. Each was part of Pendragon's "five year plan" to present a... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Funin - Unsound
Genres are for old fogeys. Who's to say music can't be electronic, folky, psychedelic, and progressive all at once? Certainly not Norway's Funin. This is one of the most wide-ranging releases I've... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
The Skys - Colours of the Desert
The Skys are a Lithuanian rock group that have been around since their 1997 debut Civilized. They stay busy as a popular live act at home and in Europe, producing albums regularly enough to... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-02-27)
Hess & Franzen - {CLOSEDLOCKEDSEALED}
Hess & Franzen operate in a zone more or less midway between electronic and rock, a bit like prog-metal only more electronic, very cinematic and with a fair amount of variety. Hans Hess (synths,... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-02-03)
Robert Schroeder - Cream & Esthétique
German electronic musician Robert Schroeder has always been on the commercial side of the EM spectrum, with some even calling his music from the 80s new age. Certainly one thing that’s been a... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-01-23)
Chris Hartford - Losing Season
I’m guessing that singer songwriter Chris Hartford has permanently exited from folk rock outfit Cathedral & Rum. Based on this solo outing it might be a good move. I often felt that Hartford’s... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-01-22)
Indrek Patte - Celebration
Patte is an Estonian composer, multi-instrumentalist and singer, and a veteran of several bands – the only one of which this writer is familiar with is Ruja. Here he delivers eight superbly arranged... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Indrek Patte - Celebration
If you ever need to know who produced progressive rock’s archetypal music just listen to the many musicians openly using them as a template. Estonian musician Indrek Patte is a case in point. It... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-01-17)
In the Labyrinth - One Trail to Heaven
Peter Lindahl has been a working musician in Sweden since the early 70s, and has always been interested in music from places like Turkey and Egypt. Over the years he’s been part of various groups... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-01-17)
Spirit - The Original Potato Land
Anyone hearing this disc for the very first time might well conclude that this is the weirdest album ever produced. On one level there is an Orwellian concept running through all the tracks, but...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-01-16)
Ian Carr's Nucleus - Out of the Long Dark & Old Heartland
One of the last incarnations of Nucleus from the late 70s featured Carr along with long-time cohort Brian Smith on reeds. Geoff Castle, Billy Kristian, and Roger Sellers rounded out this version of...
» Read more(Posted by Jeff Melton 2003-12-01)
Yes - In the Present - Live from Lyon
In the Present is a three-disk audio and video document (2 CD, 1 DVD) of Yes on stage in Lyon, France during their 2009 tour. In retrospect this was not Yes’ finest hour. Online sniping...
» Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-12-19)
Salim Ghazi Saeedi - Human Encounter & Iconophobic
When you think of Iran, all kinds of thoughts and images related to current events may be conjured up, but not progressive music. Apparently there is a small musical community there, as evidenced by... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-04-01)
Xing Sa - Création de l'Univers
Just based on the record label — Soleil Zeuhl — most zeuhl fans will open their wallet and trigger the purchase. And indeed, fans of that style will not be disappointed, even though as a trio of... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-11-24)
Travellers - A Journey into the Sun Within
Travellers was born out of necessity. Ex-Collage drummer Wojtek Szadkowski had some songs that didn’t lend themselves to his other projects, Satellite and Strawberry Fields, so he rounded up singer... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-19)
The Inner Road - Visions
The Inner Road is an offshoot of UK prog rock outfit Coalition, who released their debut, In Search of Forever, in 2010. I’m not sure what it says about the health of Coalition that two of... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-18)
The Merchants of Dream - Strange Night Voyage
Blame it on The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper’s. In the wake of that landmark concept album, everybody and their brother was trying to get in on the concept album thing, from The Beach Boys to... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-11-17)
Eureka - Silverware: The Best of Eureka 1997-2010
This is a band I knew little about before now, so I guess I’m an ideal candidate to review this compilation of songs culled from Eureka’s four studio albums that reach back to 1997’s self-titled... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-16)
Sean Filkins - War and Peace and Other Short Stories
Singer/songwriter Sean Filkins may best be known as the ex-vocalist in Big Big Train, though he’s been kicking around the British prog scene for years, having also held jobs in the groups Indigo... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-15)
Larry Kucharz - Unit IA42
New York musician and composer Larry Kucharz’s latest CD continues the artist’s embrace of modern trends in the worlds of electronic music, including dance, techno, dub and chill. When wedded to... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-09-27)
Knitting by Twilight - Weathering
John Orsi is back with another installment in what is becoming one of North America’s best-kept secrets in experimental music. Orsi — primarily a drummer — embraces a DIY creative ethic and a... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-14)
After... - No Attachments
For their third effort, Polish quintet After... have hooked up with The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord, who has imparted his flair for introspective indie-rock on these ten tracks. Some may think... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-11-08)
Robert Rich - Medicine Box
For around three decades, Robert Rich has been making music that defies categorization. After 200 albums (ok, maybe not that many!) one would think he has done everything and exhausted all ideas, but... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-10-26)
André Balzer - Entre l'alpha & l'omega (Opus 1)
If the name doesn’t sound familiar, the voice certainly will. Balzer was the vocalist of French progressive band Atoll, and this ambitious solo concept album finds him in finest form, as composer,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-10-20)
Offenbach - Tabernac
Each time I play this sprawling two-disc live set I’m just left scratching my head, thinking ‘what happened to this band?’ The band’s two previous releases St. Chrone de Néant and... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-10-08)
Ded Ringer - Ded Eye
This long-running Bay-Area power trio packs a punch live, and their recordings have always reflected that as well, both in superb songwriting, playing, and a reverence for the classic rock sound. The... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-05)
Mark Wingfield / Kevin Kastning - I Walked into the Silver Darkness
Kevin Kastning releases a new CD of collaborative music roughly every other weekend, but this is the first I've heard with an electric instrument featured prominently. It's a duo with English-American... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-08-14)
Larry Kucharz - Unit IA42
Unit IA42 occupies a region of electronic music in between some of the more common streams. Much too active for typical ambient, it features percussive parts on most tracks, generally the... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-07-19)
Johnny Unicorn - Sweet Edith & Thinking Hard
Currently based in Seattle, by way of SoCal, Johnny Unicorn produces a twisted and offbeat take on progressive art-pop, which is at once intelligent and ambitious, full of brilliant writing, arranging... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
São Paolo Underground - Trés Cabeças Loucuras
Here's another Cuneiform release that defies description. Is it jazz? Folk? Electronica? The correct answer is all of the above. If Soft Machine had come from Brazil and were just starting today, I... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Sanhedrin - Ever After
Ever After is the debut album by this Israeli instrumental quintet founded by brothers Sagi and Aviv Barness (bass and keyboards / sax respectively), joined by guitarist Gadi Ben-Elisha,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-03-01)
Marbin - Breaking the Cycle
Breaking the Cycle jumps out at you with a catchy romp called "Loopy" - which as far as I can tell doesn't utilize loops, but is maybe referring to a feeling of dizziness or intoxication.... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-19)
WintherStormer - Ground Connection
WintherStormer is the Norwegian quartet of Terje Winther (analog synths and sequencers), Erik Stormer (analog synths and sequencers), Atle Pakusch Gundersen (guitar and electronics), and Geir Marthin... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-22)
James Bloedel - Taurus & Old Rocker
As the technology of electronic music advances year to year, it seems that artists are moving on to the next nifty toy before they have time to really explore the ones they already have. But there are... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-06-18)
James Bloedel - Taurus & Old Rocker
As the technology of electronic music advances year to year, it seems that artists are moving on to the next nifty toy before they have time to really explore the ones they already have. But there are... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-06-18)
Gus Buzbee - Atmospheric Conditions
Gus Buzbee is a Houston-based singer songwriter who has worked as a engineer and musician over the past 40 years and has been voted best acoustic guitarist by the Houston Readers' Poll....
» Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-10)
Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer - Tales of FiNiN
Back in 1968 a 21 year old vocalist named Julie Driscoll teamed with keyboardist Brian Auger and recorded some funky jazz covers of Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire" and Donovan's "Season of the Witch."... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-15)
The Norman Haines Band - Den of Iniquity
Norman Haines was the keyboardist and main songwriter in the band Locomotive on their only release We Are Everything You See, from around 1970. As things sometimes go, it wasn’t working out... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-05-09)
Trois Expatriates - Conspiracy Weary
I suppose that given who these trois expatriates are (though I'm not sure they count as actual expatriates in any legal sense), it should come as no surprise that the music is totally nuts.... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby - Old School Songs
Strawbs was always a band with many faces - both musically and in terms of personnel. Of course, Dave Cousins has been the constant, from the beginnings as a bluegrass cover trio to the heights of... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-06)
Adrian H and the Wounds - Adrian H and the Wounds (Dog Solitude)
How often have you read a music review and come across a phrase like "the Chinese Leonard Cohen" or "the punk Madonna" or "the German Fairport Convention"? I like to avoid clichés in my reviews, so I... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-07)
Sandy Denny - 19 Rupert St
This is about as intimate a performance as you can get. Sandy Denny visited friend and fellow folk singer Alex Campbell at his home at 19 Rupert St in Glasgow on 5 August 1967, and they spent at least... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-03)
Robin Taylor / Taylor's Free Universe - Two Pack
A brilliant marketing strategy here - two 3-inch mini-CDs in cardboard sleeves are shrink-wrapped back-to-back. The first features three new songs recorded in 2010, featuring Taylor on guitars, bass,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2011-06-01)
Manooghi Hi - Silence
Manooghi Hi are nothing if not ambitious, at least when it comes to sound. Every track on their second CD features lush arrangements, intense singing, and a full complement of rhythm from the bass and... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2011-06-01)
Clouds on Strings - Pomology
"Welcome to Pomology, a musical cornucopia. Come with me on a fruitful adventure through rhythm and harmony, over the hills and through the fertile valleys of your brain. Press next to... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Henderson / Oken - Dream Theory in the IE
Mike Henderson (guitars, keyboards, effects and loops) and Chuck Oken (synthesized guitars and drums, keyboards, effects, sampling and loops) are one half of Djam Karet. But what is the IE? The vast... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Various Artists - Prog Exhibition – 40 Anni di Musica Immaginifica
How can a box set that took me nearly a week to work my way through (it was a wonderful week indeed!) be condensed into a review of less than 5000 words? This writer will attempt to do the...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Omnia Opera - Nothing Is Ordinary
It’s been a long time – fifteen years I reckon, since the band's second CD release Red Shift, which itself was a full four years after their first, following two cassette releases going... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Gutbucket - Flock
Gutbucket has been around for about 12 years and Flock is their sixth release of indie, math rock, and jazz music. The four members Ty Citerman (electric guitar), Eric Rockwin (electric... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-04-01)
Gutbucket - Flock
I saw Gutbucket play much of this material live before I heard the CD. The band is pretty impressive live, with all the music's crazy twists and turns executed with seamless skill and great energy.... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Fotheringay - Essen 1970
Although they were together only about a year, Fotheringay is generally seen as an interim step for singer Sandy Denny between her tenure (first time around) with Fairport Convention, with whom she... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Acqua Fragile - Acqua Fragile & Mass Media Stars
Acqua Fragile is best known as the band that featured singer Bernardo Lanzetti prior to his joining PFM in time for their Chocolate Kings album. But in fact from their very beginnings,...
» Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Modified Toy Orchestra - Plastic Planet
This six-piece plays no conventional instruments of any kind, unless you count the Kawasaki Tiger guitar, Golden Touch book strips, Lego Bear Head, Texas Instruments' Speak & Spell, Hula Barbie,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Mars Hollow - World in Front of Me
Not content to rest on the laurels of their well-received 2010 debut, LA-based quartet Mars Hollow have returned quickly with their sophomore effort. This one has also rapidly garnered praise from... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
St Vincent - Strange Mercy
In some ways Annie Clark's third album under the pseudonym St. Vincent is a close sibling to previous efforts (2007's Marry Me and 2009's Actor). Most notably, Clark still wraps... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
D'accorD - Helike
Hot on the heels of their acclaimed 2009 debut, this album finds Norwegian outfit D'AccorD taking their retro-prog formula one step further. How better to prove that you've spent hours listening to... » Read more(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)
Operation ID - Legs
After seeing Operation ID on a bill with Moraine and Wah Wah Exit Wound in Seattle, I knew this band was something special, with a quirky and intelligent take on indie rock, too poppish for "math" but... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
The original release of this album from 1980 was not known to me until Soleil Zeuhl's reissue landed in front of me, but it's definitely not from lack of quality. This could be regarded as a lost... » Serge Bringolf - Strave
Magma has been known to lean into jazzy territory from time to time, and the Canterbury bands (Soft Machine, Matching Mole) did so even more strongly. Bringolf brings elements of both zeuhl and... » Read more(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)
Sunbirds - Sunbirds
Sunbirds was a short lived group of international jazz musicians based in Munich in the early 1970s, together long enough to record two albums, of which this is the first. Most of the members had... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Outopsya - Fake
Evan Mazzucchi (bass, cello, art) and Luca Vianini (guitars, vocals, synths, drums) are Outopsya, or OUT Of PSYchical Activity, an avant-garde progressive techno-noise post-rock collective. Across the... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Mawwal - Sight Up
Mawwal, on their third release, continue the refinement of their fusion of traditional world elements with the power of the rock idiom on these eight new studio tracks. Band leader Jim Matus (laouto,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Alabastro Euforico - Alabastro Euforico
The kingpin here is bassist Arlo Bigazzi, who has a number of releases to his credit over the years. Here he has assembled a number of musicians he has worked with in the past: woodwind player... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
For Missus Beastly - Dr. Aftershave and the Mixed Pickles
This is Missus Beastly's third studio album, privately released, although at the time the band was still under contract to their former label and producer Dieter Dierks; in order to get around the... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Eider Stellaire - I
1981 was the year that Magma released their Retrospective albums, two live LPs (one a double-set) recorded at L'Olympia in Paris, recapping some of the band's best work to date, collecting... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Moksha - Here to Go
A surprisingly superb second release from this Las Vegas based quintet (g,b,d,k,voc), finding a musical home somewhere between rock, funk and jazz, with some solid bluesy and progressive elements in... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Kotebel - Concerto for Piano and Electric Ensemble
Opening this latest offering from Carlos Plaza's Kotebel is the 43-minute, four part title suite, which is ostensibly a piece of serious symphonic music arranged for piano (played by Adriana Nathalie... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Electric Asturias - Fractals
Asturias began in the late 1980's as essentially the solo project of bassist Yoh Ohyama, who played nearly all the instruments on the first three albums Circle in the Forest, Brilliant... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Eter-K - Watching the Universe
Fasten your seat belts. Hailing from Peru, Eter-K is a trio of guitar, bass and drums, loops, grooves and effects, their stock in trade being a heady contemporary take on classic psychedelic rock,... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Govea - Raíces
Raíces is the follow-up to Govea's 2009 debut Danza Urbana. Somewhere in between there was a DVD (titled Danza Urbana also) that featured most of the material on the debut, plus... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Niklas Barker - El Último Fin de Semana
Most will know Barker as a founding member and longtime guitarist of Anekdoten. On El Último Fin de Semana (Our last Weekend), he was... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Luz de Riada - Cuentos y Fábulas
Cuentos y Fábulas is the debut album by Luz de Riada, a new collective from Mexico City featuring woodwind player Ramses Luna (Cabezas de Cera) and Hugo Santos (Saena) on Stick and... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Dan Pound - Medusazoa
Dan Pound is a California based ambient electronic and new age composer. He has been featured on Hearts of Space and Stars End among other shows. Medusazoa is a collection of seven blissful... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-04-01)
Seven That Spells - The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock: AUM
Hailing from Croatia, Seven That Spells redefines krautrock by extending its simple riffs and motorik drumming into dark stoner and doom-laden corridors. Make no mistake; this is loud and aggressive... » Read more(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-04-01)
Druckfarben - Druckfarben
A five-piece from Toronto, Druckfarben uses the standard four-piece (gbkd) instrumental format with a dedicated lead singer. A couple other members also provide vocals, and guitarist Ed Bernard... » Read more(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)
Latest news
2019-03-20
Freedom to Spend Unearths June Chikuma's Archives –
Jun (June) Chikuma is well known for her video game and anime soundtracks, but she also released an album of experimental electronic music back in 1986 called Divertimento where she indulged the kind of spontaneity that wouldn't work in a soundtrack. RVNG Int'l label Freedom to Spend is bringing this overlooked item to broader attention with a deluxe reissue. »
Read more
2019-03-03
Seaprog 2019 Lineup Almost Complete –
The Seaprog festival in Seattle is scheduled for June 7-9 this year, and they've announced their lineup of performers. The revitalized Trettioåriga Kriget will cap Friday night, perennial favorites Marbin are on Saturday, and District 97 will finish off the fest on Sunday night. In support, they've booked a stellar variety of artists from the Northwest and around the world, including EchoTest, Markus Reuter and Trey Gunn, and the live debut of the amazing Troot project. »
Read more
2019-02-21
You Can Be Part of an Ambient Electronic Project –
The Gesture of History is a new electronic project put together by Sam Rosenthal of Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Steve Roach, and violist Sam Shadow. The music started as an instrumental track Rosenthal was working on for a Black Tape album, but took on a life of its own and demanded further enhancements. The majority of the funds raised will go to manufacturing costs for LP and CD editions, as well as other items as detailed on the Kickstarter page. »
Read more
2019-01-31
Keyboardist Ingo Bischof R.I.P. –
Keyboard player Ingo Bischof, best known as the longtime keyboard player of German band Kraan, passed away on January 29th, 2019. Bischof was born January 2, 1951 in Berlin-Kreuzberg and joined Kraan in 1975. »
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2019-01-11
Jazz Composer Mark Lomax, II Releases Epic 12CD Set –
In addition to being a fine jazz drummer, Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a composer in residence at Ohio State University, where he has been very busy on the compositional front. The year 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first ship bringing African slaves to North America, and in commemoration of this, Lomax has produced 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12 volume set of CDs featuring a variety of different musical ensembles. »
Read more
Previously in Exposé...
Carmen - Fandangos in Space & Dancing on a Cold Wind – It's about time that these albums received a proper re-release after the butcher job the German Line label did with them in the late 80s (large parts of tracks missing, track indexes in the wrong... (2007) » Read more
Stinkhorn - Stinkhorn & Tunguska – Stinkhorn was one of Seattle’s most challenging modern jazz quartets, blending John Zorn style motifs and English fusion approaches. Strong comparisons to George Cartwright and Curlew can be made... (2006) » Read more
Kraan - Through – Here’s another prog band from the 70s reformed. I’m not familiar with the band’s back catalog, so I can’t make comparisons with where they’ve been. I hope I don’t offend anyone by saying... (2003) » Read more
Philippe Lenfant de Dagobert - Suite Mégalique Apocalyptico Foulfuitique – Well, what can I say? His name sounds pompous, as does the hyperextended title of the album (and 20 minute opening track), and three guesses what the music sounds like? Imagine early Vangelis on... (1996) » Read more
Rob Levit - Touch the Spirit – When this one arrived in my mailbox, I was not thrilled. “Oh, joy,” I thought, “a whole CD of New Age acoustic guitar.” I finally gave it a chance, and was pleasantly... (2007) » Read more
Listen & discover
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