Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 2011

Items found : 152

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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 1995-07-01)

Curved Air - Midnight Wire & Airborne

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(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...

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(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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2017-05-05)

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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-05-04)

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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-09-25)

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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2016-09-14)

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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2015-12-03)

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,...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-09-15)

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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-04-01)

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....

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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?)....

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(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,...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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,...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2013-08-17)

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 travelogue, reinforced by the exotic imagery on the...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-04-01)

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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2013-06-15)

Soft Machine Legacy - Live Adventures

With the sad passing 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 voices...

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(Posted by Jeff Melton 2011-06-01)

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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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...

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(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,...

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(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 ( » Read more
(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)

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 12 of his... » Read more
(Posted by Pam Thompson 2011-06-01)

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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)

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 alone does not... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)

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...

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(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...

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(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)

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 this is a very acoustic... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2013-10-25)

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)

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. They've used a wide...

» Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-13)

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

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....

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(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)

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 doom-sludge-feedback...

» 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 doom-sludge-feedback...

» 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 doom-sludge-feedback...

» Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-15)

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)

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 is... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-05-03)

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)

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)

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)

Noa - Noa

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... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2013-04-01)

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

2017-05-19
First ProgStock Festival Set for October – October 2017 will see the inaugural edition of a festival called ProgStock in Rahway, New Jersey at the Union County Performing Arts Center. With a definite slant towards neo-progressive music, the event is sure to please many fans with the inclusion of such artists as Echolyn, Glass Hammer, and Aisles. The festival will take place October 13-15. » Read more

2017-05-05
Clive Brooks RIP – Word reaches us today of another sad passing in the music world. Drummer Clive Brooks, best known as a member of such Canterbury bands as Egg, Uriel / Arzachel, and Groundhogs, has died at the age of 67. Details are sketchy at this point. The news was reported on Nick Mason's Facebook page — Brooks was Mason's drum tech. » Read more

2017-05-02
Col. Bruce Hampton RIP – The phrase "He died doing what he loved" is almost a cliche, but in the case of Col. Bruce Hampton, it couldn't be more true. Hampton, who was born Gustav Berglund III, collapsed on stage at his own 70th birthday celebration and later passed away. The event took place at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. » Read more

2017-04-16
ProgDay 2017 Announces First Bands – Flor de Loto, Sonar, and Infinien are the first three performers to be announced for the 2017 edition of the long-running ProgDay Festival. The 23rd ProgDay takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 2nd and 3rd, at Storybook Farm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. » Read more

2017-04-16
Allan Holdsworth RIP – Surely in the list of artists who have contributed to the sound of modern music, there is a special spot for guitarist Allan Holdsworth. His name is known to virtually every student of the instrument in jazz and rock, and his style has been so widely emulated that it's hardly worth mentioning anymore — we can just assume that every guitarist has Holdsworth as an influence. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Cast - Endless Signs – Cast has dropped five CDs in just over two years, yet much of that material was recorded in the 80s and early 90s, and not released until now. Endless Signs, however, is their latest release featuring... (1996) » Read more

Ritual - Live – Ritual’s first live document is a doozy. Whether it was the audience, the occasion, or having an explosive band like Anekdoten to share the bill with, the group (Patrik Lundtröm –... (2007) » Read more

Annie Haslam & Steve Howe - Lily's in the Field – The second publicly available song (the other being the rework of "Turn of the Century" from the Magna Carta tribute) from this duo is a benefit single for children orphaned from the... (1997) » Read more

Thistle - Thistle – What a pleasant surprise I had the day when I found this treasure in my mail box! Thistle is the latest release of mysterious-cosmic-eerie female vocal-electronic music from Ventricle. Up until now... (1997) » Read more

Kepa Junkera - Bilbao 00:00 h – The first I ever heard of Kepa Junkera was at the first WOMAD USA festival. He was an unknown quantity that my wife and I checked out and became enraptured with. He plays the traditional Basque... (2000) » Read more

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