Exposé Online » Reviews of releases for 2014

Items found : 327

General Mojo's Key Project - General Mojo's Key Project

This 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-06-04)

John Coltrane - Offering - Live at Temple University

As 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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2016-08-11)

Camera - Remember I Was Carbon Dioxide

Remember 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-07)

TOC - Haircut

This 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-02)

Circum Grand Orchestra - 12

In 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-27)

Temnee - Astrodiving EP & Dialectics

Temnee 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,...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2017-08-07)

Bjørn Riis - Lullabies in a Car Crash

Bjørn 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-03)

Accordo dei Contrari - AdC

This 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-28)

Fang Chia - Where Would You That We Gather?

Fang 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-06-16)

Dirk Serries - The Origin Reversal

Belgian 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2017-06-24)

The Microscopic Septet - Manhattan Moonrise

For 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....

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-27)

Kevin Kastning / Mark Wingfield - In Stories

Guitarists 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-27)

The Dead Lovers - Supernormal Superstar

I 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-07-23)

Dirk Serries - Origin Reversal

Belgian 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-23)

Steve Roach - The Delicate Forever

Where 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2017-06-20)

Grateful Dead - Dave's Picks Volume 11: Century II Convention Hall, Wichita, KA 11/17/72

Easily 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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-10-12)

Peter Frohmader - Orakel / Tiefe

Released 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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-09-14)

Gnu Quartet - Karma

Has 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-06-22)

Soft Hearted Scientists - The Slow Cyclone

Welsh 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-24)

Hugh Hopper - Volumes 1 - 4

These 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-18)

Hugh Hopper - Volumes 1 - 4

These 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-18)

Hugh Hopper - Volumes 1 - 4

These 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-18)

Hugh Hopper - Volumes 1 - 4

These 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-18)

Chicago - Live in Japan

It 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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-05-25)

The Brainiac 5 - Exploding Universe & Space Is the Place

Listening 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....

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-12-21)

Carl Weingarten - Life under Stars

With 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-04)

Braindance - Master of Disguise

This 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-05-23)

Ancient Future - Yearning for the Wind

World 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-24)

Erik Wøllo - Tundra

For 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2015-07-14)

Glasgow Coma Scale - Apophenia

Glasgow 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-29)

La 1919 - False Memory Syndrome

La 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-24)

Nuova Idea - Live Anthology

Nuova 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-07)

Markus Reuter - 6 Reflections

Maybe 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2017-02-13)

Richard Pinhas / Oren Ambarchi - Tikkun

If 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-30)

Richard Pinhas / Yoshida Tatsuya - Welcome... in the Void

When 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-26)

Led Bib - The People in Your Neighbourhood

I'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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-03)

Jack o' the Clock - Night Loops

What 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-16)

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)

Quartet Base - Le Diapason

What 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-17)

Montage - Montage

This 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-20)

Alio Die / Sylvi Alli - Amidst the Circling Spires

Alio 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....

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-01-08)

Holy Palms - Baba & Tribute to Snake Charmers Music

Many 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,...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-12-02)

Tineke Postma / Greg Osby - Sonic Halo

Tineke 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-13)

Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II & Future Sequence Live

I'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...

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-03-30)

The Allman Brothers Band - The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings

Allman 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....

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 2017-01-26)

Wang Wen - Eight Horses

By 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-08-15)

Kalutaliksuak - Death of the Alpinist

This 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”...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-11-19)

Causa Sui - Pewt'r Sessions 3

While 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:...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-02)

Wadada Leo Smith - The Great Lakes Suites

Wadada 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-11)

Stop Motion Orchestra - Instant Everything!

In 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-04)

Gong - I See You

The 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-13)

Various Artists - Songs from the Black Meadow

The 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2016-10-01)

Spoke of Shadows - Spoke of Shadows

A 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

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-03-24)

Burnt Belief - Etymology

With 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-10)

Jon Batiste / Chad Smith / Bill Laswell - The Process

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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-25)

Arti e Mestieri - Tilt & Giro di Valzer per Domani

Much 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...

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(Posted by Mike Taylor 1994-02-01)

Air Canda - Air Canda

I 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-08-05)

Curved Air - North Star

Who 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-02)

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams - A Box of Everything

From 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2016-07-11)

Billy Sherwood - Divided by One

I 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2016-06-26)

Grego Applegate Edwards - Travels in Tyme

If 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2016-06-13)

Marco Minnemann - EEPS

Most 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-07)

Red Hill - Red Hill

Free 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-13)

Alex's Hand - Alex's Hand Presents: The Roaches

You 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-04-17)

Pervy Perkin - Ink

If 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....

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-10)

Clearlight - Impressionist Symphony

This is the latest cornerstone in Cyrille Verdeaux’ ongoing Clearlight project. Those familiar with the original Clearlight Symphony, the more recent Infinite Symphony, and...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-16)

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)

Greg Segal - A Play of Light and Shadow, The Old Familiar Place & Tales of Today

With 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2007-03-01)

Greg Segal - A Play of Light and Shadow, The Old Familiar Place & Tales of Today

With 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2007-03-01)

Greg Segal - A Play of Light and Shadow, The Old Familiar Place & Tales of Today

With 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2007-03-01)

Phillip Wilkerson & Chris Russell - Vague Traces

Wilkerson 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-17)

Csillagköd - Silent World

Csillagköd 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-02)

Green Isac - Passengers

As 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-06-02)

Darshan Ambient - Songs from the Deep Field

The 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-05)

Zero Ohms - Process of Being

A 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-03)

Rudy Adrian - Atmospheres

Perfect 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-09)

Shane Morris & Mystified - Evolution

As the conclusion of the three-part “inspired evolution” soundscape series (the first two being Epoch and Emergence, from 2012 and 2013 respectively),...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-23)

DeeperNET - Impossible Landscape

DeeperNET 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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-11-14)

Matushka - II

From 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,...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-03-28)

Perfect Beings - Perfect Beings

As 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-02-18)

Alpine Decline - Go Big Shadow City

This 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2016-03-27)

Magma - Rïah Sahïltaahk

In its original version, “Rïah Sahïltaahk” was the sidelong cut that opened Magma’s second long player 1001° Centigrades way back in 1971. Magma’s...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-29)

Latte e Miele - Passio Secundum Mattheum: The Complete Work

Latte 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-09)

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)

Jaggery - For the Record - Live

Boston'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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-04)

The Ed Palermo Big Band - Oh No! Not Jazz!!

On 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-03-11)

Icarus Peel vs Mordecai Smyth - Barnburner

Barnburner 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),...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-03)

Claudio Rocchi - Viaggio, Volo Magico No.1 & La Norma del Cielo

In 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 more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Claudio Rocchi - Viaggio, Volo Magico No.1 & La Norma del Cielo

In 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 more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Claudio Rocchi - Viaggio, Volo Magico No.1 & La Norma del Cielo

In 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 more
(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Dewa Budjana - Surya Namaskar

Indonesian 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-05)

Tong Young (Miserable Faith) - May Love Be without Worries

More 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-12-27)

Matt Nelson - Lower Bottoms

Many 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-16)

Yes - Heaven and Earth

Yes’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...

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(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-08-08)

Yes - Heaven and Earth

Yes’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...

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(Posted by Jeff Melton 2014-07-31)

Carsick Cars - 3 & Yoko Single

A 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-08-11)

Carsick Cars - 3 & Yoko Single

A 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 more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-08-11)

7 for 4 - Splash

The 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-05)

Brainiac 5 - When Silence Was Sound

Listening 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 more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-11-11)

Bing and Ruth - Tomorrow Was the Golden Age

Beauty 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-24)

Assagai - Zimbabwe

In 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-11)

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble - Live Snakes

Saxophonist 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-22)

Various Artists - A Momentary Lapse of Vinyl

Since 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-17)

Eccentric Orbit - Creation of the Humanoids

Eccentric 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-08-14)

Eccentric Orbit - Attack of the Martians

Eccentric 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-08-07)

Pierrot Lunaire - Gudrun

Of 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....

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(Posted by Mike McLatchey 1995-07-01)

Ashley Reaks - Compassion Fatigue (1-8)

The 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 more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-15)

Roedelius - Tape Archive 1973-1978

I 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-11)

After Argument - Furs of Time

Yang 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...

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(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-07-19)

Erik Wøllo - Tundra

Erik 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-21)

We the People / American Zoo - Visions of Time - Complete Recordings

Meet 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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-06-28)

Univers Zéro - Phosphorescent Dreams

It’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...

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-06)

Eccentric Orbit - Attack of the Martians

Eccentric Orbit was founded by bassist Bill Noland, and includes Mark Cella (Pye Fyte) on drums and Madeleine Noland and Derek Roebuck on keyboards. The keyboard sounds veer heavily towards the 70s,... » Read more
(Posted by Sean McFee 2004-09-01)

Roland Bühlmann - Aineo

In a world where shredding guitarists are roughly as common as Seattle blocks with a Starbucks (for those who haven't been to Seattle, that means "really common"), it’s nice to hear one who’s not... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-05-22)

Electric Asturias - Elementals

The band that started out sounding more like Mike Oldfield than the man himself has, over the course of almost thirty years developed their own style that sounds nothing like where they began, thanks... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-05-18)

Gothik Serpent - Interloper

When I first listened to Interloper I thought I’d come across yet another prog metal band, one among thousands. But further listens happily proved that first impression very much mistaken.... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-05-06)

Simon McKechnie - Newton's Alchemy

Artists’ inspiration can be triggered by just about any experience, internal or external. (To be precise, all inspiration is internal, though it may be brought on by something in the... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-04-20)

Performart - The Art of Falling In and Out the Circle of Time

Performart is the Italian duo of Andrea Guariso (guitars, loops, and percussion) and Claudio Nicola (bass, double bass, and percussion loops). Both have been playing jazz and collaborating with other... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-04-15)

Panther Attack - Sung amongst Shadows

My basic theory regarding the new generation of progressive bands is that many of them are mostly unaware of the history of progressive rock as us old-timers know it — they arrived at their style by... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-04-14)

Dave Bainbridge - Celestial Fire

One can probably use the old metaphor about the acorn not falling far from the tree when describing this latest effort by Dave Bainbridge, probably better known to many as a founding member of Iona,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-31)

Kalle Vilpuu - Silver Lining

For those who do not love the tropes of prog metal — the chugging guitar parts, the pummeling double-bass-drums, the anthemic keyboard parts, and so on — there is some music that skirts the edge... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-03-28)

Blues Pills - Blues Pills

Like a trip back in time, Blues Pills plays hard edged blues rock of the highest calibre, just like it’s 1969 all over again. At the center of this international band based in Sweden is singer Elin... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-27)

Spectrum Orchestrum - Suburbs

Spectrum 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-24)

Indrek Patte - Thank and Share

Several years ago we reviewed this Estonian composer and multi-instrumentalist’s debut Celebration, an impressive album borne within the boundaries of classic progressive rock styles. Now,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-22)

Automat - Automat

If you find multi-textured rhythms and percussion interesting, then you will be delighted by this debut release by the Berlin trio of Jochen Arbeit (guitarist with Die Haut and Einstürzende... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-03-17)

Sava Marinković - Evocation

Sava Marinković is a Serbian composer and guitarist whose music tends to stretch out toward the ambient end of the spectrum. On Evocation, he is joined by a small cadre of collaborators for... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-03-13)

Fractal Mirror - Garden of Ghosts

The core of Fractal Mirror are keyboardist, guitarist and singer Leo Koperdraat and bassist / keyboardist Ed Van Haagen, who have been working together since the 80s along with a third member long... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-14)

The Mark Lomax Trio - Isis and Osiris

The Mark Lomax Trio features the leader on drums, Edwin Bayard on tenor sax, and Dean Hulett on upright bass. Lomax is the primary composer, though his pieces are quite open-ended, suiting the sparse... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-01)

Syndone - Odysséas

I 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 infused with a lot of... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-03-08)

Pavlov's Dog - The Pekin Tapes

In 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 guitar,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-05)

Rik Wright's Fundamental Forces - Red

Red is the second in a planned "RGB" trilogy of albums, following Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-03-06)

Ariel Kalma - An Evolutionary Music (Original Recordings: 1972 – 1979)

Ariel Kalma is a figure of contrasts: a restless spirit in search of calm, a student of tradition prone to tinkering with technology, a deep-space traveler rooted in earthly environments. These... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-03-04)

Richard Leo Johnson - Celeste

Among the true innovators, Johnson is always delivering surprises, and Celeste is yet another of many. The twelve tracks presented here were played on the “alien,” a special acoustic... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-03-03)

The Mercury Tree - Countenance

Charting 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 more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-26)

Nathan Parker Smith - Not Dark Yet

Jazz is not my musical genre, so I may not be doing this new release justice but I will give it my best shot. Brooklyn-based composer and band leader Nathan Parker Smith has assembled a large ensemble... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-02-24)

Tom Moto - Allob Allen

Tom Moto is not a person, but a trio from Pisa, Italy, or somewhere thereabouts, with an interesting take on the avant-crimsoid-math-rock collision, which will no doubt be labeled RIO by some, but... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-23)

Inner Drive - Oasis

Inner Drive is a Moscow based instrumental progressive rock / fusion band led by keyboardist Sergey Bolotov, who also handles all the compositions. In fact he is the only member that appears on every... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-20)

Lydia Lunch / Cypress Grove - A Fistful of Desert Blues

Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, actress, and self-empowerment speaker whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene in the mid 70s. Though you may think that Cypress Grove is... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-02-18)

Fabio Zuffanti & ZBand - Il Mondo Che Era Mio - Live in Studio 2014

One of the most prolific personalities in the current Italian progressive rock scene, composer, bassist, and bandleder Fabio Zuffanti has been a key member of many superb bands and projects, including... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-08)

Mike Segretto - The Who FAQ

Mike Segretto is not a professional writer, or even a music journalist. Instead he is the admin for the Psychobabble blog (link below). Reading The Who FAQ is essentially the equivalent of... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2015-01-31)

Kant Freud Kafka - No Tengas Miedo

Kant Freud Kafka is the name used by composer Javi Herrera for his ambitious symphonic rock project. Herrera himself handles drums, percussion, and keyboards, as well as singing, and he's joined by 16... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-28)

Syzygy - Cosmos & Chaos - 20th Anniversary Edition

Twenty years ago the band was a trio called Witsend, and they released their debut CD Cosmos & Chaos on a private east-coast label that did little to promote it, and as a result it sank... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-14)

The Instigations - Tales of the Unexplained

This is what happens when an artist has way too many diverse influences and no producer around to say “do this, no you can’t do that” and keep said artist on a single path of some semblance of... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-18)

The Sevens Collective - A Too Much Divided Heart

In 2008 The Long Dead Sevens, Paul J. Rogers et. al., released The White Waltz and Other Stories. Since then I have been waiting for their next release. While not exactly a follow on by the... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-02-03)

Anthony Pirog - Palo Colorado Dream

I first heard Anthony Pirog with the release of Where Is Home from his duo with cellist Janel Leppin. Palo Colorado Dream features him as leader of a trio with Ches Smith on drums... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-19)

Rob Mazurek & Black Cube SP - Return the Tides: Ascension Suite and Holy Ghost

Musicians often use their art as a way to process the events of their lives, to turn hardship and pain (as well as joy and hope and love) into something beautiful, or at least useful, in dealing with... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-07)

Wooden Arms - Tide

Wooden Arms is a British six-piece + guests featuring guitar, piano, violin, cello, bass guitar, drums and trumpet, with all members contributing vocals. The six songs presented here are superbly... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-02-05)

Saul Freeman - Wait : Speak

With Wait : Speak, Saul Freeman has moved well outside the popular song forms of his previous group projects Mandalay and Thieves. He's also worked with Steve Jansen and Jon Hassell, so... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-02-22)

Massimo Discepoli - Parallax

After recording a number of albums using the name Nheap (including Flying and the Silence, previously... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-30)

Legendary Pink Dots - 10⁹ Volume 1

The Legendary Pink Dots have a very long and storied musical career, dating back to the early 80s. There are certain common elements that appear throughout their musical canon, Edward Ka-Spel’s... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-28)

Brimstone - Mannsverk

Brimstone (formerly known as The Brimstore Solar Radiation Band) is a Norwegian band that's been around more than ten years, though I hadn't heard them before. On Mannsverk, they operate in... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-26)

Nick Piunti - 13 in My Head

"Power pop" is an interesting term to use for a musical style. "Pop" can bring to mind all sorts of horrors from "You Light up My Life" to "Feelings" (reaching back to the 70s), but like any genre,... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-24)

Hans-Joachim Roedelius - Kollektion 02

To commemorate Roedelius’ eightieth birthday on October 26, 2014, Bureau B released two compilations of this influential German artist’s work: the present Kollektion and a massive three... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-09)

Annot Rhül - Leviathan

Ph'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)

Osada Vida - The After-Effect

It’s only been a year since Particles was released, but in the interim Polish proggers Osada Vida have continued to revamp the lineup. To recap, Marek Makewski joined in 2012 as singer,... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2015-01-19)

Molé Trio - RGB

I'm more or less agnostic when it comes to genres in music. Their boundaries are so subjective as to be meaningless, so I look for things other than adherence to a standard when judging music. Quality... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-20)

Jü Meets Møster - Jü Meets Møster

To 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, so I had high... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-14)

Raoul Björkenheim - Ecstasy

Ecstasy 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 forged bonds of... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-05-18)

July - The Second of July

The 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 time... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-16)

The Cellar and Point - Ambit

This New York ensemble features seven regular members along with a number of guests, and the music is suitably rich and varied, with masterful arrangments of both original pieces and compositions by... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-10)

Rhys Marsh - Sentiment

Norwegian musician Rhys Marsh presents a set of music both like and unlike the band Kaukasus,... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2015-01-06)

Posto Blocco 19 - Motivi di Sempre

This is the story of a band whose day of recognition is long overdue, having formed in Parma in 1972, released one 45 RPM nine years later, and calling it a day in 1983, by which time there was little... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2015-01-04)

FM - NEARfest 2006

The fans who assembled at NEARfest in 2006 to see this Canadian trio playing one of their several reunions since they called it a day in the late 80s got a blast of the best sounds from their sci-fi... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-31)

Dan Pound - Life Giving

Dan Pound is quite a prolific electronic composer, and I am finding it difficult staying current with his new releases: Life Giving is his second full-length release in 2014. After the time... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-15)

Kong - Stern

This Dutch band has been around for a while, but their music is new to my ears. Stern gives us a really interesting mix of heavy guitar-oriented rock and electronics that holds together very... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-29)

Malcolm Smith - We Were Here

Composer and guitarist with prog-rock band Metaphor, this is Smith’s debut solo endeavor, a largely instrumental sampling of ideas that push all the right progressive buttons, yet offers a... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-23)

Faust - jUSt (Just Us)

In 2009 BBC produced an excellent Krautrock documentary featuring many of the legends including Faust and Amon Düül II. The Faust portion showed founder Jean-Hervé Peron and Zappi Diermaier at... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2015-01-05)

Gut und Irmler - 500M

Gudrun 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 her... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-30)

The Glacial Drift - Hekatombre

It was only recently that The Glacial Drift came to my attention, even though they're based in my hometown of Seattle — just goes to show how much music is out there, especially when you consider... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-25)

Gentle Giant - Live at the Bicentennial

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 more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-19)

Transit Method - Celebrate Mutations

Celebrate 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...

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(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-10)

Spirits Burning & Bridget Wishart - Make Believe It Real

With every Spirits Burning release, what is most noteworthy is the inclusive method of long-distance production and the vast number of musicians that are involved, whether one is into this type of... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-26)

Stefan Orins Trio - Liv

My previous encounter with pianist Stefan Orins was on the Circum Grand Orchestra release earlier this year, but... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-12-15)

Balduin - All in a Dream

Looking a bit like a 60s Syd Barrett, young Swiss psych magician Balduin has released a new LP of 16 songs in the two to three minute range and the album artwork completes the image. Most songs are... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-28)

Clockwork Orchestra - A Fish for a Heart

Right off the bat, the name Clockwork Orchestra makes me think of the phrase a clockwork orange, something ordinary in appearance but robotic in action. I’m not sure if this really applies... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-26)

Drifting in Silence - Desire

I feel like I am becoming a curmudgeon. This is the third review in a row where I am being negative. Derrick Stembridge aka Drifting in Silence has been involved in music for a number of years. I... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-24)

Rhys Marsh - Sentiment

This is a release that I am having difficulty getting into. Most of the songs are a melancholic bluesy/jazzy form of progressive rock, at times like latter day King Crimson. Something keeps telling me... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-22)

Kenso - Uchinaru Koe Ni Kaiki Seyo

For 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-13)

Tarwater - Adrift

In 1980 Graham Lewis and Bruce Gilbert from Wire released some experimental industrial recordings as Dome, a combination of electronics spoken vocals, sound bites, and found sounds. The new Tarwater... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-20)

Deutsche Wertarbeit - Deutsche Wertarbeit

Deutsch Wertarbeit is a forgotten jewel of German electronic music. Released in 1981, Deutsch Wertarbeit was the working pseudonym for a one-off project by Dorothea Raukes, the keyboard/synth... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-18)

Jonathan Badger - Verse

In 1974 Manuel Göttsching released the ground-breaking Inventions for Electric Guitar where he meticulously multi-tracked different sequences and riffs without the aid of samplers,... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-16)

Graham Day and the Forefathers - Good Things

Graham Day and the Forefathers are the trio of Graham Day (vocals and guitar), Allan Crockford (bass and vocals), and Wolf Howard (drums). These guys are no youngsters. They have been blasting out... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-14)

Mark Fry - South Wind, Clear Sky

In 1971 a 20-year old Brit painter and musician Mark Fry released a single obscure album, Dreaming with Alice, of acid-folk music that over the years achieved cult status. So much so that 37... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-12)

Various Artists - Postcards from the Deep

This 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-08)

Bobby Beausoleil - Lucifer Rising Suite - Original Soundtrack and Sessions Anthology

Subtitled 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-05)

Maston - Opal Collection

In 2013 Frank Maston released his debut album Shadows. Now with Opal Collection Maston is back with 26 minutes (11 tracks) of his earlier work. The music is a split between vocals... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-06)

Steve Roach - Jorge Reyes - The Ancestor Circle

It was February 7th, 2009 when Jorge Reyes, one of the leading lights of the Mexican ambient music scene left this world. Parallel with his participation in one of Mexico’s most popular bands Chac... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-03)

The Chemistry Set - Elapsed Memories

Hot on the heels of their reworking of Love’s classics for FdM’s 7 and 7 Is box set, The Chemistry Set have a three-track seven-inch on FdM. This new slab of vinyl features two unreleased... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-12-02)

Love - Black Beauty

Love, 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-12-01)

Rotem Sivan Trio - For Emotional Use Only

The 60s stand as an unmistakable dividing line in the history of the guitar, and it was basically the introduction of effects devices that made the difference. Previously, the tone controls on... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-30)

Living Stilts - Shipwreck

Living Stilts is yet another project band built around a keyboard player, in this case Italian composer Luca Mavilla. For his debut release, Mavilla went the concept album route, spinning a tale... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-11-25)

Prescott - One Did

Prescott is a trio on a mission, but listening to the album without knowing the mission, you might never guess what it is. Their plan is to come up with patterns, then construct pieces by repeating... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-28)

Conqueror - Stems

This Italian band was unknown to me before Stems arrived, and from the name I would have guessed they play cheesy prog metal, probably rife with fantasy references. And I would have been... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-26)

Ideal Bread - Beating the Teens: Songs of Steve Lacy

I'll admit to having only a little familiarity with Steve Lacy's music. I've heard a few albums, and liked what I heard, but his massive discography (both as leader and with Mal Waldron and others) is... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-17)

MoeTar - Entropy of the Century

Sometimes a band comes along that is doing something so stunningly original and deserving of accolades that they are hard to ignore. Case in point: MoeTar, a five-piece who have been gigging around... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-21)

Tom Chang - Tongue & Groove

Here we have an album by a jazz guitarist that features Indian percussion, but takes a completely different path than John McLaughlin with Shakti. This is more of a jazz recording that features Indian... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-22)

Bogdanov Kill Kill - Bogdanovium

I don't know much about this band — their Soundcloud page has them based in Paris, and from Facebook I learn they call Maurepas home, which is apparently in the Parisian suburbs. No listings for... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-20)

Mostly Autumn - Dressed in Voices

Mostly 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-19)

Blituri - Blituri

It has been said that progressive rock was what happened when young English musicians trained in classical music started playing rock music (and the anything-goes attitude of the late 60s helped as... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-12)

Blituri - Blituri

Blituri is a new Canadian sextet led by multi-instrumentalist Vincent Lachambre (guitars, bass, synthesizers) and this eponymous, independently produced debut is a bold and innovative statement right... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-12)

Monkey Puzzle Trio - The Pattern Familiar

Monkey Puzzle Trio is a project featuring bassist Nick Doyne-Ditmas (of Crackle and Pinski Zoo), drummer Charles Hayward (This Heat, Massacre, and others) and voice / electronic artist Viv Corringham.... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-16)

Grok - The Anthology 1964-2014

Grok 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 here,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-13)

Spontaneous Rex - Come at the King

On their first release, this Seattle based instrumental quartet finds a home somewhere in the area between experimental and progressive rock, with fluid gusts of modern jazz and bursts of jagged 70s... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-09)

Martin Kratochvíl / Jazz Q - Temné Slunce

Temné Slunce (“Dark Sun”) represents an odd and previously unreleased gem in the Jazz Q discography, a motion picture soundtrack the band did in 1980, although much of what’s here seems like... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-11)

Lunatic Soul - Walking on a Flashlight Beam

Although it sounds like the name of a band, Lunatic Soul is really the solo side project of Riverside bassist and singer Mariusz Duda, with help from drummer Wawrzyniec Dramowicz. Memories of three... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-06)

Masal - Viens des Quatre Vents

Back in the mid-80s, French composer and bandleader Jean-Paul Prat released a sprawling album-length piece “Masal” (split into two parts due to the limitations of the LP medium), meticulously... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-01)

Ego - Sistema

With their second album, Ego indulge themselves in some serious Goblin-worship. Goblin as in the Italian masters of of applying inventive rock music to movie soundtracks, be they horror, thriller,... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-11-07)

Margin - Psychedelic Teatime

With the sprawling, five-part “A Mysterious Cup of Tea” that opens the disc, clocking in just shy of 24 minutes, it becomes pretty clear that Margin’s biggest influence is post-Barrett,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-22)

Margin - Psychedelic Teatime

From the opening strains of this disc you could almost swear that Psychedelic Teatime is a newly discovered Pink Floyd artifact from the past. But this German trio Margin has produced a new... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-29)

Stop Motion Orchestra - Instant Everything!

With one foot firmly in the rich bed of Euro-folk and another in a more classic melodic proggy space, this Austin based quintet brings a lot of great ideas to the fore with a snappy and clever... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-11-03)

Superfjord / Earthling Society - Coltrane

Here is a new release that is one of FdM’s most unusual pairings. John Coltrane was a renowned avant-garde jazz musician who helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-11-02)

Various Artists - 7 and 7 Is

In 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-10)

Happy Family - Minimal Gods

Years ago in the early 90s there were a bunch of cassette demos by these Japanese cats that just blew me away (and just about everybody else I knew, including the folks at Cuneiform, who signed them... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-28)

Kalle Kalima & K-18 - Buñuel de Jour

As inspirations for music go, the films of Luis Buñuel seem like a pretty good choice, full of evocative moods, striking imagery, and surreal touches. Fittingly, Kalima's music is abstract and... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-27)

Thomas Newman & Rick Cox - 35 Whirlpools Below Sound

Composers Newman and Cox create a world of fragmentary electro-acoustic vignettes that wander and drift between structured melodic work, textural explorations and floating ambient worlds, reflecting... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-24)

Grasscut - Catholic Architecture

Grasscut is the Brit duo of composer / vocalist / musician Andrew Phillips and manager / musician Marcus O’Dair. Phillips writes and produces all of the music and he is also known for his... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-25)

Natsuki Tamura / Alexander Frangenheim - Nax

German bassist Frangenheim has been active in the European improvised music scene for over two decades, having played with the likes of Phil Minton, Johannes Bauer, and many others, and currently... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-16)

Pingvinorkestern - Push

Only a few measures into the opening instrumental “Madame Else’s Genuine Flea Circus,” the listener will certainly know they are in for something different. This is further underscored on the... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-20)

Nomads of Hope - Breaking the Circles for a While

Over the last few decades (I started noticing it in the mid-80s or thereabouts), a new musical configuration has developed, as exemplified by many trip-hop groups. This prototype consists of a man who... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-15)

Jim Pembroke - If the Rain Comes

Unless one has been living under a rock for the last fifty years, you’ve probably heard of Jim Pembroke somewhere along the way, even though it’s been a good ten years since his last solo album.... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-12)

Marbin - The Third Set

Back in the 70s, bands usually released live albums as a stopgap between studio albums to keep fans appeased (or their name in the press), or as kind of "greatest hits" packages, or to fulfill... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-17)

Michael Jon Fink - From a Folio

The seven short cinematic pieces here together barely top the 18 minute mark but pack plenty of emotion and feelings of solitude and introspection. Fink is a Los Angeles based composer who has been... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-18)

Kaukasus - I

Kaukasus is a collaboration between three prominent figures in Scandinavian progressive rock: Ketil Vestrum Einarsen (Jaga Jazzist, Motorpsycho), Rhys Marsh (The Autumn Ghost, Opium Cartel), and... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-08-13)

Levin Brothers - Levin Brothers

While 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, and... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-14)

ToPaRaMa - ToPaRaMa

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, neither is true. It... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-11)

Indigo Mist - That the Days Go by and Never Come Again

For 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 of... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-10-03)

Moraine - Groundswell

Far 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 today... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-10-01)

Regal Worm - Neither Use nor Ornament

The worm turns and Jarrod Gosling is back with a second helping of Regal Worm. There are five tunes, two eighteen minute numbers sandwiching three shorter pieces. This new serving of worms is more... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-10)

Backhand - Through the Turbulence

The 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-25)

Mats / Morgan - [schack tati]

One 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 maneuvers... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-29)

Fred Hersch Trio - Floating

The piano trio might well be the single most common configuration for a jazz group, and I expect that every jazz pianist has at some time or other performed in a three-piece with a bassist and a... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-17)

The Youth - I'll Call Your Bluff / You've Done Me Wrong

Formed about two years ago, this young Danish foursome is getting noticed for their 60s beat-pop-garage band sound. Back in June Jesper Jensen (guitar, vocals), Lasse Tarp (guitar, vocals), David... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-08)

Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York - Shiki

The 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-21)

Thumbscrew - Thumbscrew

No, 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), Michael... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-19)

Modest Midget - Crysis

This 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-15)

Iron Butterfly - Live at the Galaxy 1967, In Sweden 1971 & In Copenhagen 1971

Before 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-13)

Iron Butterfly - Live at the Galaxy 1967, In Sweden 1971 & In Copenhagen 1971

» Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-13)

Iron Butterfly - Live at the Galaxy 1967, In Sweden 1971 & In Copenhagen 1971

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(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-13)

Twin Forks - Twin Forks

Throughout the history of rock music, the role of the mandolin has pretty much been relegated to an occasional supporting role, as Rod Stewart used it in the early seventies, or John Mellencamp on... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-11)

Nick Nicely - Space of a Second

In the 80s, with the rise of inexpensive cassette tapes there was a lot of musical experimentation. Anyone with a cassette deck and some microphones suddenly started exploring the limits of music that... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-04)

Mater Thallium - Abandoned by the Sun

Abandoned by the Sun, subtitled the album to end the summer, is the new album by Scandinavian band Mater Thallium. This is a concept album about the dubious disappearance of a 15-year old... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-10-02)

Robert Reed - Sanctuary

Rob Reed of Magenta and Kompendium has released a new solo album where he performs on a huge arsenal of multi-tracked instruments, just like Mike Oldfield did in the 70s. This has been a lifelong... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-30)

Papernut Cambridge - There's No Underground

This release is challenging to describe. Lets start with the format. The LP release comes in a standard edition with the 12 main tracks, and a download card that includes extra extended/alternate... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-28)

Sendelica - Live at Crabstock Wales 2014

The success of the Fruits de Mer (FdM) All Dayer concert in August 2013 spawned several Crabstock festivals in different countries last spring. Sendelica, a long time FdM band, organized and headlined... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-26)

Jef Gilson / Malagasy - Gilson et Malagasy

Active 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-09-09)

Battery Face - What's What Stuff

Continuing my theme of noisy post-punk from the recently-reviewed Can Can Heads, we move to Scotland for Battery Face. Their debut full-length release, 2012's Addams Family Values, contained... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-07)

Can Can Heads - Butter Life

Butter Life is a collection of live recordings made mostly on four-track tape from 1997 to 2014 by this noisy Finnish band. The short-version description (adjectives, not a genre) is jazzy... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-05)

Sky Picnic - Her Dawn Wardrobe

Sky Picnic is a neo-psychedelic rock band from Brooklyn, NY, but you would hardly credit this after listening to them. Their vocals are a bit accented and resemble UK’s Crystal Jacqueline, so I... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-22)

Ziguri (Kölsch / Schickert / Erdenreich) - Ziguri (Kölsch / Schickert / Erdenreich)

In 1987 Krautrock legend Günter Schickert formed Ziguri with Udo Erdenreich and Dieter Kölsch. They actively performed for 10 years and then went their separate ways without ever releasing any... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-20)

Mark & the Clouds - Blue Skies Opening

The cover art is a great match for the band’s name as well as the album title, but it does not prepare you for what you will hear. Mark and the Clouds is fronted by singer and songwriter Marco... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-16)

Amoeba Split - Dance of the Goodbyes

The 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 of its... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-30)

FEM - Forza Elettro Motorice - Sulla Bolla di Sapone

Sulla Bolla de Sapone is a concept album based on a short story, On the Soap Bubble, written in 1887 by German author Kurd Lasswitz, the father of German Science Fiction. The 15... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-14)

Simones - Magic Ship

When Andy Bracken and Keith Jones formed Fruits de Mer Records in 2008, their goal was to release music that should have been put out on seven-inch singles, but never was. It has taken six years and... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-12)

Helio Parallax - 1

Somebody attached the phrase "Sci-Fi Dub Noir" to Helio Parallax, and it seems appropriate enough that I'll pass it along. If you'd like, picture a nightclub located in the sub-basement of a grimy... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-09-01)

Craig Padilla - Sonar

Here we have a second gorgeous FdM release. They are on a roll this year! The cover art and gatefold packaging are outstanding. This is the second time Craig Padilla has appeared on an FdM release,... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-08)

Astralasia - Wind on Water

Where do I start? The cover or the music? This new vinyl LP+EP happens to be the most ambitious FdM release to date, and the production challenges delayed its release by several weeks. So I’ll start... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-04)

Larry Kucharz - Smphncs

Longtime Exposé readers who have been paying attention will recognize Kucharz’ name as we’ve reviewed nearly all his releases going back to 1998’s Unit 25: Dark Red. Sometimes... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-26)

The Luck of Eden Hall - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

Greatest Hits editions used to be popular in the 70s and 80s to help promote an artist and generate more sales. But I don’t recall seeing one for quite some time, until now. Based on the increased... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-06)

Kermit - Litoral

Kermit is a Spanish quartet from Malaga. There is a lot of information about their music on the web, but little to no information about the band itself even on the record label web site, other than... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-09-02)

The Galileo 7 - False Memory Lane

If you are a Trekkie, you will know that Galileo is the name of a shuttlecraft on the starship Enterprise. And Galileo Seven was the title of the 16th episode of the first... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-27)

Abel Ganz - Abel Ganz

Hard 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-24)

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)

Flor de Loto - Nuevo Mesias

Capping off the first half-dozen releases for this Peruvian band in the last eight years, Nuevo Mesias is a fine effort, showing a band that alternately mixes brilliant bursts of originality... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-22)

Secret Tales - L'Antico Regno

The first thing that you notice about this CD is the artwork with its mixture of a unicorn, mystical stone wheel, night sky, and a dark brooding ice castle. It is a bit whimsical, but it does set the... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-23)

Nodo Gordiano - Nous

Whoever thought that Italian progressive rock died back in the 70s would be so wrong. Italian bands continue to send me new and interesting music. The latest, Nous, is by Nodo Gordiano, a... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-21)

Robert Wiene (dir.) / Thierry Zaboitzeff (music) - The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

The 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-19)

Quimper - Two Magpies

Despite 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 Johnny... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-08-17)

Colour Haze - Ewige Blumenkraft

The first thing and last thing one will hear on every track here is the raw 60 cycle hum of amplifiers or crappy guitar pickups. This is a reissue of Colour Haze’s fifth album from 2001, originally... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-18)

Ian Anderson - Homo Erraticus

At this point in history, the difference between and Ian Anderson album and a Jethro Tull album is more or less irrelevant. All those years when fans ridiculed the uninformed for calling that... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-08-15)

Magma - Zühn Wöhl Ünsai – Live 1974

By February 1974, the Magma lineup that recorded MDK almost a year earlier had changed considerably; Klaus Blasquiz (vocals), bassist Jannick Top, guitarist Claude Olmos and... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-14)

IQ - The Road of Bones

British neo-prog veterans IQ have seen numerous lineup changes over the past several years. Since 2009’s Frequency, original drummer Paul Cook has returned, longtime bassist John Jowitt has... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-08-12)

Steve Roach - The Delicate Forever

Long the master of contemplative floating ambient music, Roach makes a deeply introspective work here that relies as much on silence as it does on sound, integrating soft-edged minimalist electronic... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-10)

Jack Bruce - Silver Rails

It’s a family affair for British blues icon Jack Bruce on Silver Rails, his 19th overall release. On the accompanying documentary DVD, Bruce tells the story of how his son unknowingly began... » Read more
(Posted by Jeff Melton 2014-08-06)

PoiL - Brossaklitt

Madness 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 the... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-08-02)

Johnny Unicorn - Angels in the Oort Cloud

Having heard Johnny Unicorn's previous recordings, Sweet Edith Manton, Thinking Hard to Overcome... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-08-05)

Gato Libre - DuDu

The 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 years or... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-28)

Way José - Stay in the Light

Stay in the Light is an interesting EP of five songs from San Francisco multi-instrumentalist Daniel DeMento. Daniel styles himself as a psychedelic independent rock artist, but for me he is... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-30)

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)

La Piramide di Sangue - Sette

Infusing rock music with influences from the Middle East can be as simple as using a drone underneath a melody in a scale not generally found in European classical music. But when it's done right,... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-25)

Tohpati - Tribal Dance

I really liked Tohpati's album with Ethnomission from 2010, and when the news came that he would be recording in the US with Jimmy Haslip and Chad Wackerman, I had mixed feeling. While Tohpaiti's... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-23)

InterStatic - Arise

Right out of the gate, you're greeted by a gnarly guitar doing a twisted variation on a standard rock 'n' roll rhythm part, and soon there's a tasty lead line to go with it. A minute or so later you... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-21)

Retsam Suriv - Danger

I've seen Retsam Suriv called a progressive metal band, so the opening track, "Alto Voltaje," took me a little off guard. It's a solid slice of modern instrumental progressive rock with some piano... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-07-17)

Grandpa Egg - Praying Mantis

For Grandpa Egg’s second album (following 2011’s Songs for My Cat), the creative nexus of singer/songwriter/musician Jeb Morris and his brother Bart (resonator guitar, bass) has been... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-07-14)

Proud Peasant - Flight

Proud 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-13)

Sleepyard - Black Sails

Sometimes lethargic music can be beautiful and idyllic, paralyzing the listener and creating a magical yet introspective world of stillness and wonder. It’s hard to fit Sleepyard into any convenient... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-07-04)

Victor Peraino's Kingdom Come - Journey in Time

Arthur 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-07)

Spoke of Shadows - Spoke of Shadows

Spoke of Shadows is the Dallas-based collaboration between drummer Bill Bachman and Warr guitarist Mark Cook (Herd of Instinct). Not having any idea what a Warr guitar is, I was curious. A little... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-07-01)

Ut Gret - Ancestors' Tale

The follow-up to 2011’s Radical Symmetry is a further refinement of Ut Gret’s unique musical vision. Ancestors’ Tale represents the crossroads of many different seemingly... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-06-19)

Wrupk Urei - Kõik Saab Korda

With sure-footed mastery, this Estonian seven-piece instrumental ensemble navigates through treacherous waters of rock, jazz, funk, art-punk, psychedelic, and all combinations thereof with finesse and... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-06-28)

Octopus Syng - Reverberating Garden Number 7

Octopus 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-29)

Tír na nÓg - I Have Known Love

Tír na nÓg is the Irish folk duo of Sonny Condell and Leo O’Kelly. They were one of the first progressive folk bands, recording three albums in the early 70s: Tír na nÓg (1971), A... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-26)

Syd Arthur - Sound Mirror

For their first major label release, modern day Canterbury heroes Syd Arthur have consolidated the gains made on their debut LP On an On, plus they’ve made some smart choices in terms of... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-06-21)

Dan Pound - Eros Thanatos

It is hard to keep up with Dan’s output. I had barely had enough time to absorb his previous Spherical before he sent me his next CD Eros Thanatos. Not being familiar with the... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-06)

Loren Nerell & Mark Seelig - Tree of Life

The ancient and the mystical, the ethnic and the spiritual. They all come together at this tribal / ambient meeting place where the two principals bring together their concept, a logical follow-on to... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-06-12)

Huis - Despite Guardian Angels

Huis brings to mind once again the question of "originality" as a virtue in music. I put the word in quotes because, while it may seem to be an ordinary word with a meaning that's understood, in this... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-06-13)

Djam Karet - Regenerator 3017

Djam Karet has been around for 30 years and they’ve just released their 17th full length album Regenerator 3017. The core members Gayle Ellett, Mike Henderson, Chuck Oken Jr., and Henry J.... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-17)

Nomadic Orchestra of the World: Nuove Tribù Zulu & Gypsies of Rajasthan - Banjara!

Although they’ve been dubbed Nomadic Orchestra of the World for this project, at the core of this colorful album is the Italian world-folk-rock trio Nuove Tribù Zulu, consisting of Andrea Camerini... » Read more
(Posted by Paul Hightower 2014-06-05)

Osanna - Tempo

Tempo 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 more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-06-03)

Trimtab - New Model

At last year's Seaprog festival, Trimtab was one of the surprise crowd favorites. At the time, those who had heard them only had the band's » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-05-30)

Strange Turn - Pink Litmus Paper Shirt

There is a dearth of information about Strange Turn. All that I can determine is that they are a UK-based band that has just released their debut hot pink vinyl 7-inch on Mega Dodo. The A-side is... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-05-27)

Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig - Intention

Trance music means different things to different listeners, and this latest collaboration between drummer and percussionist Byron Metcalf, and bansuri flute player Mark Seelig plus guests is a case in... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-22)

Atomic Ape - Swarm

Led by composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Schimmel, also a current member of Secret Chiefs 3, and formerly of Estradasphere and the short lived Orange Tulip Conspiracy, Atomic Ape... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-20)

Necromonkey - Necroplex & A Glimpse of Possible Endings

Necromonkey offers up some interesting and often challenging sounds, from the duo of David Lundberg and Mattias Olsson, the former a keyboard player for Gösta Berlings Saga, the latter the original... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-13)

Bora Yoon - Sunken Cathedral

Sunken Cathedral is ample evidence that avant-garde music needn’t be abrasive, off-putting or alienating. Korean-American composer, sound artist, and vocalist Bora Yoon has created many... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-17)

Crystal Jacqueline and the Honey Pot - Crystal Jacqueline and the Honey Pot

This new slab of FdM vinyl is Crystal Jacqueline’s second release on the label. What started out as a cover of the Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” rapidly grew to seven songs across a... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-02-25)

Maurizio Abate - A Way to Nowhere

Sometimes obscurity is the seed of wonder. So it is in the case of guitarist Maurizio Abate, a practitioner of ambient, experimental, and psychedelic sounds, and occasionally one might find some... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-08)

Druckfarben - Second Sound

While the most imitated and emulated classic prog bands are probably Genesis and King Crimson, third in line is probably classic Yes, with Gentle Giant somewhere in the top ten. Druckfarben is a... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-07)

Lambert and Nuttycombe - Eternal Rivers: Demos 1969-71

Dennis Lambert and Craig Nuttycombe were a folk duo from the late 60s and early 70s, mostly remembered for their minor hit “Morning,” or their debut 1970 album At Home from which it was... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-30)

Causa Sui - Live at Freak Valley

This 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 may... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-30)

Panic Room - Incarnate

A band with an impressive roster of musicians, all with impeccable pedigrees, having served in some of the most refined and talented British bands of the 90s, it’s no wonder that Panic Room has... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-30)

Factor Burzaco - Factor Burzaco 3

This Buenos Aires based ensemble is back with a third helping. While their first eponymous album from around ten years ago was sort of a raggedy yet charming facsimile of the Thinking Plague sound,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-01)

It's a Beautiful Day - Live at the Fillmore West

I 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 more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-05-03)

Shotgun - Dallasian Rock

Back in the early to mid-1970s, before the dance, punk and new wave sounds completely overtook the music industry, there was plenty of room for straight-up rock and roll bands that presented a... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-26)

Autumn Electric - Flowers for Ambrosia

I 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 than... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-04-21)

Schnauser - As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still

Schnauser is a new band for me and also a new addition to the Fruits de Mer stable of artists. They are a band from Bristol who has been knocking around the scene for all most a decade playing oddball... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-04-16)

Bronco Bullfrog - Time Waits for Norman

In the mid-90s Andy Morten (drums and vocals), Mike Poulson (vocals and guitar), and Louis Wiggett (bass and vocals) formed the neo-60s band Bronco Bullfrog, named after the 1970 b&w film of the... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-04-14)

Schizo Fun Addict - Theme from Suspiria

This 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
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-04-15)

Us & Them - By the Time It Gets Dark

This new slab of FdM vinyl is Us and Them’s third release on the label. Label owner Keith Jones has been secretly wishing for quite some time that Us and Them would cover a Sandy Denny tune; his... » Read more
(Posted by Henry Schneider 2014-04-13)

Xavi Reija - Resolution

At 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 bass... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-10)

Polska Radio One - Cosmos Inside

Polska Radio One is in fact Russian, not Polish, and they're diving into the realm of psychedelic space rock with their debut on Trail Records. These mid-tempo tunes often remind me of a somewhat... » Read more
(Posted by Jon Davis 2014-04-09)

Urban Sax - Inside

The saxophone is most often associated with jazz, a lead instrument that’s strong on melody and a potent vehicle for improvisation. Urban Sax puts all those ideas to bed. For those unfamiliar, Urban... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-04-04)

Aalto - Ikaro

The world music frontier hosts a seemingly endless array of combinative variations pulling in diverse influences from many different cultures. Add to that the influence of jazz, psychedelic music,... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-03-22)

Djam Karet - Regenerator 3017

Djam 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 Henry Osborne on... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-03-07)

Simon Mayor - The Art of Mandolin

British mandolin master Mayor offers this collection of fifteen tunes, a selection of four centuries worth of classical adaptations and traditional pieces, a half dozen originals, a beautiful Django... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-02-10)

Erik Wøllo - Timelines

Like 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 points within... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-02-07)

Steve Roach / Kelly David - The Long Night

This new collaboration between Steve Roach and Denver based ambient composer Kelly David hits the nail on the head. The Long Night is an hour-long, five-part piece designed to take the... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-01-12)

Sonar - Static Motion

It seems like only a few weeks ago I was reviewing Sonar’s previous album A Flaw of Nature, and much of... » Read more
(Posted by Peter Thelen 2014-01-02)

Latest news

2017-10-18
Phil Miller RIP – Sad word reaches us today of the passing of another of the great musicians of the Canterbury Scene — guitarist Phil Miller. His distinctive sound added greatly to Matching Mole, Hatfield and the North, and National Health, and he also contributed to albums by Caravan, Dave Stewart $amp; Barbara Gaskin, and many others. He was 68. » Read more

2017-10-13
Moonjune to Distribute Tony Levin's Back Catalog – It has been announced that Moonjune will now handle distribution for Tony Levin's catalog of releases. These great albums will now be a bit easier to get hold of, so check out the site and see what you're missing. The veteran of King Crimson and Stick Men worked with a host of great players on these albums, and we've reviewed most of them over the course of the years. » Read more

2017-09-26
Bandcamp Shines Light on Niches We Like – Bandcamp has developed into one of the best places to discover new music, and even a lot of old music is showing up there. In addition, their staff has been producing periodic articles spotlighting some interesting stylistic areas. On 20 September, they published one called "The New Face of Prog Rock" which bears checking out. » Read more

2017-09-06
Holger Czukay RIP – Holger Czukay, a musical experimentalist without boundaries who has been involved with expanding the sound palette of rock music since the late 60s, has died at the age of 79. After studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen in the early 60s, he became fascinated with the possibilities of rock music, and was a co-founder of the pioneering group Can. He leaves behind an impressive body of work both as musician and producer. » Read more

2017-08-22
John Abercrombie RIP – Another of the greats of jazz guitar has left us. John Abercrombie plied his way through a beautiful series of albums on the ECM label as well as bringing his talent to bear on albums by many of jazz's greatest artists. From his early work in the group Dreams to Gateway and outstanding work with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Wheeler, and many more to his own trios and quartets, he brought a unique instrumental voice to the world. » Read more

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Previously in Exposé...

Dragon - Scented Gardens for the Blind – This reissue is probably shaky in the legitimacy area, getting hard to find, and has a "Japanese" price tag on it. It is also transcribed from vinyl but it's a good job and chances are... (1995) » Read more

Mike Oldfield - The Songs of Distant Earth & Hibernaculum – Here is the latest release from Mike Oldfield and what an innovation it is! The Songs of Distant Earth is the first CD I've encountered that marries CD-ROM with audio CD. In addition Mike Oldfield... (1995) » Read more

Carl Weingarten - The Acoustic Shadow – For fifteen years or so, guitarist Carl Weingarten has been active, releasing several albums under his own name, and collaborating on several more with the likes of Joe Venegoni, Kit Watkins, Walter... (1995) » Read more

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 on... (2011) » Read more

Magenta - The Gathering – Magenta’s first live DVD was filmed in their native Wales in 2005 following the tour for the Seven album. Material from the Home album is previewed, though the set is mostly taken from the... (2007) » Read more

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So spoke the wizard: "Uriah Heep rock"

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