The publicity for this release said it didn't sound like a "drummer's album," the implication presumably being that a drummer's album would be a bad thing. But for ToPaRaMa,...
» Read moreThe more one listens to this, the more interesting it gets. Gato Libre is an unusual four-piece ensemble led by Japanese trumpeter Natsuki Tamura; they’ve been a going concern for about ten...
» Read moreThe work of composer and pianist Satoko Fujii comes in many forms, and this is a large ensemble that she maintains for recording projects in New York. The opening title, clocking in at some 36+...
» Read moreLike a soft brush to massage your brain, Erik Wøllo’s music doesn’t quite fit squarely into a lot of different pigeonholes (ambient, electronic, etc.), but it does find reference...
» Read moreThe British band that released a super rare self-titled album in 1968 and subsequently disappeared should, by now, be known to all connoisseurs of classic period British psychedelic music. At the...
» Read moreWith their second collaborative release, Colin Edwin and Jon Durant have taken their previous album's title as a band name. I haven't heard Burnt Belief (the album), so I can't...
» Read moreI remember around the time CDs first hit the market back in the 80s, I went out and bought a top-of-the-line Carver receiver, and figuring that I should modernize and be an early adopter to the new...
» Read moreFans of classic Hawkwind have had plenty to celebrate in recent years. In addition to new music from various people associated with the band, Alan Davey in particular has been revisiting the...
» Read moreFans of classic Hawkwind have had plenty to celebrate in recent years. In addition to new music from various people associated with the band, Alan Davey in particular has been revisiting the...
» Read moreI've been hearing about Led Bib for a while now, but somehow actually hearing them didn't occur until this new recording arrived. This is one case where the hype is justified. This English...
» Read moreHeuchert is a western Canadian (Vancouver, BC) based singer-songwriter and multi-instumentalist, originally from Saskatoon in Canada’s midwest. Blue Rain, his second full length...
» Read moreThis new set of singles from FdM has got to be one of the most unusual packaging concepts ever released. Those of us who have been collecting and listening to music since the 60s/70s will remember...
» Read moreMostly Autumn has been around since the 90s and released a zillion albums during that time, many of which are documents of live shows in their native England, but this is the first time this writer...
» Read moreFar from just another Moraine album, this Seattle based five-piece is evolving by leaps and bounds with each new release, and Groundswell offers ample evidence of this growth. The band...
» Read moreIndonesian guitarist Dewa Budjana has adopted a much more loose and improvisational style on his seventh solo endeavor (and his third for Moonjune), much of which was recorded in Los Angeles in...
» Read moreGrok was (and still is) a Baltimore based band that never got signed during their original run in the early 70s, but nonetheless made numerous demo recordings which are all remixed and included...
» Read moreThis Danish instrumental stoner-rock powerhouse has finally released their first official live album, and given that their eight previous studio releases (or three releases and two box sets, as it...
» Read moreWhile it’s not clear if this is a third part of the Pewt’r Sessions 1 & 2 originally released in 2012, or newer recordings from this year, one thing is absolutely clear:...
» Read moreThis is the latest cornerstone in Cyrille Verdeaux’ ongoing Clearlight project. Those familiar with the original Clearlight Symphony, the more recent Infinite Symphony, and...
» Read moreMadness comes in many forms, and this, the third release by this French avant-garde trio, gives the listener a full dose and takes no prisoners. Sometimes I want to just cover my ears and run from...
» Read moreGudrun Gut is a German electronic musician who began her career in the late 70s. Along the way she was an early member of Einstürzende Neubauten. Harsh industrial rhythms and beats have been...
» Read moreI just recently discovered this Russian band, and it has turned out to be one of those “Where have you been all my life” things. Given that this 2014 release is their only album to...
» Read moreThis Russian band’s name gives a clue about their musical interests. It is named, so they say, after a goddess from the mythology of Arctic peoples, a “malicious but dull-witted”...
» Read moreI’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 moreDjam Karet’s latest (their 17th album) is meant to be something of a celebration of the band’s 30th anniversary together, featuring all the original band members – that means...
» Read moreTo be honest, before this CD arrived, I'd never heard of Kjetil Møster or Jü, but the intersection of noisy guitars and outside sax playing is something that interests me greatly,...
» Read moreFor some years now, jazz and electronics have interfaced in various ways, from the dance-oriented Blue Note remixes to the experimentation of Spring Heel Jack. I suppose you could trace the origin...
» Read moreWhile brothers Pete and Tony Levin have both had enormously successful careers – Pete as keyboard player working with jazz greats like Gil Evans, Jaco Pastorius, Lenny White, John Scofield,...
» Read moreIn 1973, nearly two years before the release of their major label debut Pampered Menial, Pavlov’s Dog from St. Louis, by that time already grown from their beginnings as a quartet of...
» Read moreIt seems like only a few weeks ago I was reviewing Sonar’s previous album A Flaw of Nature, and...
» Read moreOne recurring trope of martial arts movies is the transcendent master who has skills beyond those of normal mortals, capabilities that defy gravity and reason. Leaping buildings, executing...
» Read moreI am reaching the end of the Russian releases and Mestopolozhenie by Matushka from 2014 is one of the best. Think of a Russian Carlton Melton or Wooden Shijps and you will have some idea...
» Read moreHere we have an interesting split release by Russia’s The Grand Astoria and Argentina’s Montenegro. Each band contributed one long track — The Grand Astoria’s is “The...
» Read moreAddicted Blues is a three-way split of metal / stoner rock / sludge doom by Ukranian band Torf, Russian band Thy Grave, and Finlanders Sixpackgods. Just the band names and the album...
» Read moreБром (Brom) is the Russian trio of sax, bass, and drums with six Bandcamp releases to their credit, the most recent just released in October 2018. This review covers their third release,...
» Read moreI haven’t heard Syndone’s previous releases, but I’ve got to say they nailed it on this one. “It” being a modern take on some classic Italian symphonic prog sounds...
» Read moreSo here’s a question for you. If you didn’t understand any English, how much would you enjoy Frank Zappa’s music? (I’ll allow that for some listeners, it’s the words...
» Read moreWith Gleams, Robbie Gennet has produced a set of very appealing sophisticated songs that draw on a long history of good music. I am reminded of such classics as Goodbye Yellow Brick...
» Read moreSpectrum Orchestrum is a five-piece organic jazz-rock ensemble from Lille, France, that began their journey in 2007, Suburbs being their first full length CD release – although four...
» Read moreRussian progressive doom metal band Dekonstruktor was formed in 2014 out of the band Moon Mistress. Their first cassettes, Eating the Universe and Fuck Life We Go Further, have...
» Read moreAt the core of this trio is composer and drummer Xavi Reija, just shredding his kit with brutal complex polyrhythms, leaving the listener breathless in its wake. In close range are the heavy funk...
» Read moreLike many people around the world, I first heard of Jambinai when they played at the Seoul Winter Olympics closing ceremony in February of 2018. I was so intrigued by the combination of Korean...
» Read moreTineke Postma is an up-and-coming star in the world of jazz sax players, specializing in soprano and alto; Greg Osby, by comparison, is an elder statesman, though he's only in his 50s. Osby has...
» Read moreVirus began as one of the most powerful proponents of German psychedelic rock in the early 70s, formed after some changes in their previous band Man’s World (departure of their bassist and...
» Read moreTemnee is a hard rock / stoner / psych / instrumental band from Tver, Russia that started in 2013. In May 2014 they released their EP Astrodiving on Bandcamp. On Astrodiving,...
» Read moreNo, Thumbscrew isn't a gloomy death metal band intent on torturing listeners with the musical equivalent of their namesake. It's an avant-jazz trio consisting of Mary Halvorson (guitar),...
» Read moreCharting a course somewhere in the waters between math rock, progressive rock, indie rock, and metal is The Mercury Tree. The sound has elements in common with such diverse bands as Cheer-Accident,...
» Read moreEcstasy finds Raoul Björkenheim in a quartet setting with drums, upright bass, and saxophone along with his guitar. The band has been playing together since 2010, and they've...
» Read moreThe electronic music world has expanded the sequencer style of mid-70s Tangerine Dream to almost epic proportions — in fact it's very difficult to keep up on everything that comes out...
» Read moreI was quite pleased when I discovered Autumn Electric's previous CD, but I knew their live performances were already including some excellent new material. Flowers for Ambrosia more...
» Read moreThe tentacles of Canterbury reach far and wide, but Spain is not all that far, really. This is a reissue of the Spanish quintet’s debut album from 2010, which went out of print within months...
» Read moreDespite Quimper’s multiple web sites and social media, there is a dearth of information about this London-based band. All that I can determine is that Quimper is the duo of Jodie Lowther and...
» Read moreI last encountered Deluge Grander on their 2009 album The Form of the Good, and missed Heliotians when it came out. That may be because it was released in a limited edition of LPs...
» Read moreThis Seattle-based five-piece covers a lot of ground, musically speaking, and forever keeps the listener guessing as to what will come next. In general terms (no pun intended) GMKP wanders the...
» Read moreAs I write, I'm somewhere in the middle of "Leo" on the second disc. It's a fascinating recording overall, possibly due in part to the proceedings being in Coltrane's...
» Read moreRemember I Was Carbon Dioxide is undoubtedly one of the best 2014 releases. It is a solid and consistent release from the opening beat to the dying notes. Each of the twelve instrumentals...
» Read moreThis trio, based in France, is named from taking the first letter of the surname of each of the participants: Fender Rhodes player Jeremie Ternoy, drummer Peter Orins, and guitarist Ivann Cruz. Add...
» Read moreIn 2014, with the heyday of big bands in jazz many decades behind us, it's great to hear musicians forging ahead in this venerable tradition, and not just emulating past styles. We've...
» Read moreBjørn Riis, lead guitarist and main songwriter for Norwegian prog band Airbag has just released his debut solo album Lullabies in a Car Crash. This is a very personal musical...
» Read moreThis Italian quartet had their work cut out for them this time. Topping their previous (2011) release Kublai would not be an easy task, but here just three years later they have managed to...
» Read moreFang Chia's second release is a definite step up from their debut. Once again, it's a DIY affair, but the quality of the recording is good — we are in the age of affordable Digital...
» Read moreBelgian ambient artist Dirk Serries conceived this album in partnership with Projekt Records, which carried his work from the 80s and 90s when he was operating under the moniker vidnaObmana. All...
» Read moreFor all our obsession with music as art, we sometimes forget that it is, at the most basic level, entertainment. Sure, life without music would suck, but you wouldn't actually die without it....
» Read moreGuitarists Kevin Kastning and Mark Wingfield are no strangers to collaboration, In Stories being their fourth since 2011’s I Walked into the Silver Darkness. Their music is...
» Read moreI don’t eat a lot of candy bars, but if I did, there would be times I’d want one with nuts and other times one without nuts. And with music I’m sometimes in the mood for something...
» Read moreBelgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries has a very long musical career starting at age 16 in 1984. For 23 years he created music under the pseudonym Vidna Obmana, Serbian for optical...
» Read moreWhere are we? Some subterranean grotto? An alien garden? In the hands of ambient artist Steve Roach it’s all up to the listener’s imagination. Roach – with umpteen releases under...
» Read moreEasily the best show in the Dave's Picks series so far and a pick from the winter tour which hasn't been nearly as well documented on official releases or the trading circuit as the rest of...
» Read moreReleased originally as a cassette on Dark Star International in 1986, before ending up on Auricle, this 1983-recorded album is something of a lost classic. I've always thought this was at least...
» Read moreHas the fad of symphonic versions of prog classics passed yet? I hope so. I suppose it's a no-brainer to take music that had big bombastic sounds and a heavy leaning toward pre-20th Century...
» Read moreWelsh pop-psych rockers Soft Hearted Scientists return this September with their sixth album The Slow Cyclone. Their approach to this new release is very interesting. Clocking in...
» Read moreThese are the first four volumes of material compiled for a career spanning ten-disc series celebrating the work of the late Hugh Hopper, best known as the bassist of Soft Machine during the...
» Read moreThese are the first four volumes of material compiled for a career spanning ten-disc series celebrating the work of the late Hugh Hopper, best known as the bassist of Soft Machine during the...
» Read moreThese are the first four volumes of material compiled for a career spanning ten-disc series celebrating the work of the late Hugh Hopper, best known as the bassist of Soft Machine during the...
» Read moreThese are the first four volumes of material compiled for a career spanning ten-disc series celebrating the work of the late Hugh Hopper, best known as the bassist of Soft Machine during the...
» Read moreIt wasn't very long ago that the original CD release of this album was worth a little bit of money, but thankfully Rhino went ahead and got it out affordably. I was originally introduced to...
» Read moreListening to Brainiac 5 makes me think of Spock’s IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) philosophy, which goes to show I’m a science fiction geek as much as a music geek....
» Read moreWith an unparalleled freshness in style, slide guitarist Carl Weingarten offers up another collection of brilliant instrumental ensemble work. Call this pure Americana, informed by equal parts of...
» Read moreThis is a most elaborate package, with rows of mysterious embossed gold characters on a jet black background on the six panel CD package, with pockets inside for the two booklets – one is a...
» Read moreWorld fusion ensemble Ancient Future, led by guitarist Matthew Montfort, has been a going concern since the late 70s, although nobody could accuse them of flooding the market with product. From...
» Read moreFor electronic musicians, mixing indigenous and folk sources into their work is nothing new. At its worst it can act as a crutch to prop up or cover over uninspired compositions. That’s not...
» Read moreGlasgow Coma Scale is a band from Frankfurt, Germany formed in 2011 by brothers Piotr and Marek Kowalski. Both are classically trained musicians, Piotr (guitars and synths) and Marek (bass). They...
» Read moreLa 1919 from Milan has been around since the mid-80s, originally the duo of Piero Chianura (bass and synths) and Luciano Margorani (electric guitar and synths). In the mid-90s they began...
» Read moreNuova Idea is an Italian progressive rock band from the 70s who released three albums between 1971 and 1973. They were a keyboard-oriented rock band that played some very aggressive music. Then the...
» Read moreMaybe we can blame it on Robert Fripp. He started doing solo performances with the use of a tape recorder back in the 70s, dubbing it Frippertronics and spawning a whole new type of music. Maybe he...
» Read moreIf an album cover ever fit the music perfectly, this is it. The sound of these two adventurous masters weaving dense interleaving ambient sonic fabrics, at once abrasive and beautiful, morphing...
» Read moreWhen one considers the scope of electronic music, the archetype is generally a passive sound, often floating or sequenced, with smooth edges and colorful melodies; but over yonder in the dark...
» Read moreWhat a difference a year makes. After three excellent albums of mostly acoustic eclectic folk laced with strange pop influences, jugband, classical, chamber, and avant-garde experimentation, Jack...
» Read moreMusic 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 moreWhat starts out as the three-part “That Too Much Hurts Me” offers a muscular jazz-rock workout with pounding bass and drums, snarly guitars and squonking saxes with trumpet soloing over...
» Read moreThis is the opening salvo by this promising five-piece (g/k/b/d and dedicated vocalist) from Helsinki. Tasty guitar bits are often alternated with full-on hard rock and progressive elements...
» Read moreAlio Die is the artistic nom-de-plume of Italian ambient dronescape composer Stefano Musso, releasing over two dozen releases either on his own or in collaboration with others since the early 90s....
» Read moreMany of the Western artists who have been inspired by the music of India and the Middle East have gone the acoustic (or near-acoustic) route, others have infused those sounds into space rock,...
» Read moreI'm combining two albums here as the live CD / Blu Ray / DVD differs very little from the studio version in terms of notes — it may be slightly more intense, but everything I can say...
» Read moreAllman Brothers Live at Fillmore East fell in my second tier. It's one of the most reissued albums out there, and for good reason, it's so good it's easy to wear out copies....
» Read moreBy now it seems kind of pointless to argue that there is no such genre as “post-rock.” There are way too many bands around the world with too many similarities to not be a thing. Maybe...
» Read moreWadada Leo Smith has been on a roll lately, producing prominent works, mainly sprawling thematic compositions like Ten Freedom Summers, and The Great Lakes Suites is a formidable...
» Read moreIn 2013 there was a viral YouTube video of an elderly lady playing drums in a Wisconsin music store. She was dubbed Grandma Drummer. Austin’s Stop Motion Orchestra used this video as...
» Read moreThe two geriatric pothead pixies Daevid Allen (age 76) and Gilli Smyth (81) are still going strong even though Daevid had some recent health issues. As it has been five years since the last Gong...
» Read moreThe Yorkshire moors have long been a land of mystery and imagination. The Black Meadow sits atop these moors where strange things have happened over the years. Professor Roger Mullins of the...
» Read moreA collaborative project led by two Texas musicians, drummer Bill Bachman and Warr guitarist Mark Cook, its genesis following the completion of the latest Herd of Instinct album
The Process gives us bassist/producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell, keyboardist Jon Batistie of The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and drummer Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers in an update...
» Read moreMuch ink has been spilled about the drumming of Furio Chirico and for good reason: the guy is phenomenal. He is all over the place using all available musical space yet is never bombastic or...
» Read moreWho would have thought that a band that’s been around since 1970, gone through numerous personnel changes (with every album), breakups, reconfigurations and reunions, would come back with an...
» Read moreFrom out of Sleepy Hollow, New York comes the strangely named and genre defying band The Slambovian Circus of Dreams aka Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams aka The Grand...
» Read moreI assume Billy Sherwood doesn’t believe in vacations. When he’s not producing albums for other musicians (or William Shatner!), masterminding tribute projects, or doing his part with...
» Read moreIf you’ve never heard of Grego Applegate Edwards before, don’t feel too bad, he isn’t exactly a household name, and if he continues to make excellent experimental music like...
» Read moreMost of us are aware of German drummer (by way of Lake Elsinore, CA) Marco Minnemann for his collaborations and work on other peoples’ releases: The Aristocrats, Illegal Aliens, Mike...
» Read moreFree jazz has been around for decades, and has taken so many forms as to defy analysis, which is of course completely appropriate given the music's nature. If there is a definition of free...
» Read moreYou read a lot these days about the rise of American "foodie culture" — Americans are getting much more diverse in their eating habits, and restaurants all over the place are...
» Read moreIf you want to make a statement of ambition, there's probably no better way than to make your debut release a double CD concept album. In spite of the silly band name, these guys mean business....
» Read moreWith his own studio and plenty of time on hand to play and experiment, all kinds of things can be committed to tape (or whatever medium), some fully arranged, some more like embryonic fragmentary...
» Read moreWith his own studio and plenty of time on hand to play and experiment, all kinds of things can be committed to tape (or whatever medium), some fully arranged, some more like embryonic fragmentary...
» Read moreWith his own studio and plenty of time on hand to play and experiment, all kinds of things can be committed to tape (or whatever medium), some fully arranged, some more like embryonic fragmentary...
» Read moreWilkerson and Russell are both new to the Spotted Peccary roster of artists, though both have numerous previous releases to their credit; if Vague Traces is typical of their work, this...
» Read moreCsillagköd is the Hungarian word for Nebula, and is also the pseudonym of Transylvanian soundscape artist Olivér Dombi on this, his first full-length album (that follows three EP length...
» Read moreAs I’ve dropped in on the work of this Norwegian duo through the years, trying to follow their trajectory through a delicate balance of electronica, ethnic percussion and folk, and their...
» Read moreThe title refers to one of the better known images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, revealing in a tiny sliver of the sky around 1500 galaxies at various stages of stellar evolution, and...
» Read moreA master of floating atmospherics, Zero Ohms is the alias of wind player and composer Richard Roberts. He has a long list of releases going back to the mid-90s, including several recent...
» Read morePerfect title if there ever was one, and atmospheres are something synthesist Rudy Adrian is a master of, on this title and so many that have come before it. This is in fact his first release since...
» Read moreAs the conclusion of the three-part “inspired evolution” soundscape series (the first two being Epoch and Emergence, from 2012 and 2013 respectively),...
» Read moreDeeperNET is the nom de plum of Oregon-based musician Andrew Miles. For his sophomore outing he mines the same heavily layered electronic sounds that infused his 2013 debut, One. Fans of...
» Read moreFrom a distance of thousands of miles away from Russia, it seems that there’s a burgeoning psychedelic rock scene there. I don’t know how real that impression is – after all,...
» Read moreAs far as band names go, this is a hard one to live up to, even if we all had the same idea of perfection. That said, this Southern California five-piece packs an impressive punch on their first...
» Read moreThis is Alpine Decline’s fifth outing – I’ve covered their previous reverb-drenched dark psychedelic releases in previous reviews, and Go Big Shadow City doesn’t...
» Read moreIn its original version, “Rïah Sahïltaahk” was the sidelong cut that opened Magma’s second long player 1001° Centigrades way back in 1971. Magma’s...
» Read moreLatte e Miele were an Italian symphonic progressive band that released three or four albums, depending upon on how you count them, in the 70s. Passio secundum Mattheum (1972),...
» Read moreThe 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 moreBoston's Jaggery have developed a sound that is wholly unique, and it's only partly due to their unusual instrumentation: piano (usually acoustic), bass (often acoustic), drums, viola, and...
» Read moreOn three previous releases, and on half of this one, we hear bandleader Palermo and his big band (eighteen players plus guests this time) covering the music of the late great Frank Zappa. This time...
» Read moreBarnburner is the new split release by two of the UK’s neo-psych proponents. There are six songs on this disc, three from each artist (Side A Icarus Peel and Side B Mordecai Smyth),...
» Read moreIn many ways, Claudio Rocchi can be best described as the Italian Donovan – in music, lyrics and even artwork. His career that began with Stormy Six on L'Idee di Oggi per la Musica di...
» Read moreIn many ways, Claudio Rocchi can be best described as the Italian Donovan – in music, lyrics and even artwork. His career that began with Stormy Six on L'Idee di Oggi per la Musica di...
» Read moreIn many ways, Claudio Rocchi can be best described as the Italian Donovan – in music, lyrics and even artwork. His career that began with Stormy Six on L'Idee di Oggi per la Musica di...
» Read moreMore than a decade on from their founding, Miserable Faith presents an album completely void of any Nu Metal style, but the result is far from mellow or sleepy. May Love Be without Worries...
» Read moreMany of us are familiar with the kind of avant-garde music that can be created by a solo guitarist. Players from Fred Frith and Derek Bailey to Bill Horist and beyond have shown just what's...
» Read moreYes’s first album of the post-Jon Anderson era, 2010’s Fly from Here, was a strong effort even if large chunks were based on leftovers from the early 80s. Singer Benoit David...
» Read moreYes’s first album with Jon Davison can be viewed as both a happy blessing and a saddled curse. The band’s second set of recordings with their fourth lead singer on paper reads like a...
» Read moreA change in personnel for Carsick Cars has not resulted in a change of style — singer/guitarist Zhang Shouwang remains the driving force of the band. 3 is perhaps more refined than...
» Read moreA change in personnel for Carsick Cars has not resulted in a change of style — singer/guitarist Zhang Shouwang remains the driving force of the band. 3 is perhaps more refined than...
» Read moreThe world has no shortage of technically difficult instrumental music, and the genre of jazz-rock fusion supplies a significant portion of it. Difficulty on its own is neither a positive nor a...
» Read moreListening to these recordings, which date from the late 70s, is kind of a strange experience now. That was a time when stripped-down punk rock was in the ascendant and complex progressive rock was...
» Read moreBeauty can be a dangerous thing. Especially when it comes to music. The line between beautiful and sappy is a thin one, but it's fuzzy in that it's located in different places for different...
» Read moreIn the early 70s with the international success of Osibisa, there was plenty of record company interest in signing other expat African bands, and Assagai was the beneficiary of Vertigo’s...
» Read moreSaxophonist Ken Field’s Revolutionary Snake Ensemble is basically a seven to fourteen-piece portable jazz party, a big band sound with a huge nod to dixieland and numerous other styles, as...
» Read moreSince its inception, Fruits der Mer has been releasing an annual exclusive members only release. To qualify as a member, all that you have to do is purchase all FdM releases for the year directly...
» Read moreEccentric Orbit’s second album finds the band with a revised lineup and a solid bump upwards in sophistication. They’re still a keyboard-heavy entity focused on vintage instrument...
» Read moreEccentric Orbit announce their intentions right out of the gate. Their debut album begins with some big Mellotron chords, then a theme on organ leads into a section where Mellotron chords are...
» Read moreOf the avant-progressive scene in Italy – i.e. Opus Avantra, Alfredo Tisocco, Franco Battiato and many others – Pierrot Lunaire's second has to rate as one of the very best....
» Read moreThe motivations or plans an artist has when setting about recording an album are not always clear to the listener, and to some extent, not even important — it's the end result that is...
» Read moreI would be honored if someone were to commemorate my 80th birthday in the same fashion as Bureau B has done this year for Krautrock legend Hans-Joachim Roedelius! Just like his electronic musician...
» Read moreYang Haisong, the lead singer of P.K.14, is emerging as an influential figure in China's independent rock scene. Aside from his main band, he's been producing other artists in his own...
» Read moreErik Wøllo is no stranger to those familiar with electronic music. He has been composing and performing music for films, theater, ballets, and exhibitions since the late 90s. This past July...
» Read moreMeet four teenagers from the mid-60s whose perseverance paid off, though all in due time. When the group We the People released their debut single “Feelings of My Emptiness” b/w...
» Read moreIt’s been a full four years since the band’s last release Clivages in early 2010, and a lot of evolution can occur within four years; in this case it seems like a well needed...
» Read morePh'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
(In his house at R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming)
– H.P. Lovecraft from The Call of Cthulhu» Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-23)
Ask any group of Gentle Giant fans which album is the best and you'll get a variety of answers, but I'd bet that 90% or more of them land on something from Octopus (1972) to...
» Read moreCelebrate Mutations is the second release by Austin-based Transit Method. Originally hailing from Belle Mead, New Jersey, they released their debut disc in 2011. They moved to Austin in...
» Read moreFor anyone who’s never heard anything by this Japanese (mostly) instrumental five-piece led by guitarist Yoshihisa Shimizu, it can be said that they carefully walk the line between symphonic prog...
» Read moreSubtitled Original Soundtrack and Sessions Anthology, this four disc set contains everything that was recorded for the Kenneth Anger film, whether used in that film or not. The...
» Read moreLove, with Arthur Lee at the helm, were the undisputed kings of psychedelic rock in Los Angeles in 1966 when they were originally signed by Elektra along with the Doors. Their first album was...
» Read moreIn the late 60s there was a lot of experimenting (drugs and music) happening on the West Coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco), as well as a little place on the third coast called Texas. Many of...
» Read moreThe eleven minute multi-part instrumental opening cut “Introspektion” by this Venezuelan five-piece featuring Canadian singer Phil Naro (of Druckfarben) is like a calling card that features a...
» Read moreThis Amsterdam-based band led by Israeli expat Lonny Ziblat has been completely rebuilt following their disintegration after the tour that followed the first album The Great Prophecy of a Small...
» Read moreBefore one considers these three recently released live archives on Cleopatra’s Purple Pyramid imprint, it would be worth a moment to examine the other live Iron Butterfly releases that have come...
» Read moreBefore one considers these three recently released live archives on Cleopatra’s Purple Pyramid imprint, it would be worth a moment to examine the other live Iron Butterfly releases that have come...
» Read moreBefore one considers these three recently released live archives on Cleopatra’s Purple Pyramid imprint, it would be worth a moment to examine the other live Iron Butterfly releases that have come...
» Read moreActive throughout the 60s, 70s and beyond, Gilson made waves as a jazz pianist, composer, and big-band leader with a knack for recognizing and breaking new emerging talent; to this end he can be...
» Read moreHard to believe it’s been over 25 years since this Scottish band’s debut The Dangers of Strangers, and while drummer Denis Smith is still behind the kit and contributing vocals, key...
» Read moreThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is one of the most influential films of the German Expressionist movement and it is also considered to be one of the greatest horror movies of the silent movie...
» Read moreProud Peasant is an Austin-based progressive rock band led by multi-instrumentalist Xander Rapstine (guitars, mandolin, ukulele, Melodica, glockenspiel, percussion). Their debut release is...
» Read moreArthur Brown has had a very long and varied musical career starting back in the 60s. In the early 70s he formed the band Kingdom Come to continue his theatrical histrionics and craziness. Kingdom...
» Read moreOctopus Syng is an obscure Finnish band formed in 1999 that is now gaining international exposure through the efforts of Fruits de Mer (appearing on the Keep off the Grass compilation in...
» Read moreTempo is a double DVD housed in a beautiful book with lots of photos from Italian theatrical proggers Osanna. Disc One is a concert recorded in Naples at the Trianon Theater on October 24,...
» Read moreThis long-time FdM band is back with another slab of vinyl. This time around they cover two songs from cult 60s films. Side one is probably my favorite Goblin track, “Suspiria.” Schizo Fun...
» Read more
2021-02-14
SoundQuest Fest 2021 –
SoundQuest Fest, first experienced as a live festival in Tucson Arizona in 2010 was created by ambient music pioneer Steve Roach. This 2021 event will unite a worldwide gathering of artists and audience members together for a 3-day online event unique in the realm of ambient music. From March 26-28th a continuous flow of streamed performances, audio-video wonder worlds and deep immersion zones will burn bright on Roach’s YouTube channel. »
Read more
2021-02-10
Chick Corea RIP –
The sad news has reached us that Chick Corea has Returned to Forever, so to speak. The innovative keyboardist and composer died on February 9 at the age of 79. With a career that spanned from the 60s until shortly before his death, Corea touched many listeners with the incredible variety of music he produced in his lifetime. »
Read more
2021-01-18
Asia Minor Third Album on the Way –
On January 29, AMS records will be releasing the long-awaited third album by classic Turkish-French band Asia Minor. Released last year in Japan, this will be the widespread debut of Points of Libration. The album features original members Setrak Bakirel (vocals, guitar) and Eril Tekeli (flute, guitar). »
Read more
2020-12-09
Harold Budd RIP –
Harold Budd, one of pre-eminent American composers of avant-garde and minimalism, has died of complications from the coronavirus. Budd came to prominence in the 70s, championed by Brian Eno on his Obscure Records label, with music that blended academic minimalism with electric jazz and electronic music. Much of Budd's best known work was done in collaboration with other artists, including Eno, Daniel Lanois, Robin Guthrie, Andy Partridge, John Foxx, Jah Wobble, and many others. »
Read more
2020-11-20
25 Views of Worthing Finally Gets Released –
A while ago, we wrote about the discovery of a "long lost" Canterbury-style gem by a band called 25 Views of Worthing. And now we're pleased to find out that Wind Waker Records has released their music on an LP. »
Read more
Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante – Mr Bungle? In Exposé? Aren't they the group the lead singer from Faith No More is in? Yes this is Mr. Bungle, a group radically changed from their debut several years ago and a rather... (1996) » Read more
L'Ange Vert - Vol de Nuit – Following quickly on the heels of Tempête et châtiments (reviewed in #20), l’Ange Vert’s fourth CD showcases live material from their 1999 tour. This French band’s lineup... (2001) » Read more
Christian Vander - Wurdah Ïtah – Originally released as a film soundtrack credited solely to Christian Vander, Wurdah Ïtah was recorded by a quartet extracted from the 1974 lineup; one of the smallest incarnations of Magma ever.... (1995) » Read more
Swans - Cop/Young God, Greed/Holy Money – For those of you unfamiliar with this ensemble on this reissue two disc set, Swans is an artsy cult band who blazed a trail of punishing punk metal which is fairly popular in certain circles. The band... (2000) » Read more
Bernie Worrell - Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth – Keyboardist Bernie Worrell is no stranger to making friends while making music. Since his initial ground breaking work as keyboardist and synthesizer innovator for Parliament / Funkadelic, the artist... (2008) » Read more