TOM PENAGUIN

The English Canterbury jazz-rock sounds of the 1970s may have yielded one of the least tread upon avenues of musical expression in the expansive world of progressive rock since its golden year origins of the late 1960s and early 1970s however the capricious, whimsical and eccentric improvisational blend of jazz, prog rock and psychedelia has garnered a resolute fanbase that has ensured a continuous stream of younger generations gravitating towards its addictive quirky charm. While classic Soft Machine, Egg, Caravan and Hatfield & The North are now legendary forces that evoke an imaginative mysterious permeation of relentless musical waywardness that unleashed a flurry of musical freedom in the 1970s, the magic continues in the modern era with no end in sight as an entirely new generation of artists such as Amoeba Split, Homunculus Res and Zopp keep the candle burning and infuse a sense of modernity to the beloved musical mojo of the past.

One of the newest unlikely Canterbury converts is the French born TOM PENAGUIN whose unlikely origins began as the keyboardist in the world of the heavy psych space rock modernity Orgöne and guitarist of the psychedelic doom and stoner metal band Djin. Utterly smitten by the Canterbury bug, PENAGUIN set out in 2020 to amass an arsenal of vintage analog equipment to create his own studio setting which would allow him to rekindle the past glories of the world of Canterbury to his heart's delight. The result is his self-titled debut release which has emerged in 2024 and a bonafide encyclopedic testament to the world of 70s Canterbury sounds. PENAGUIN is a talented multi-instrumentalist who pretty much plays everything on this album including the electric piano, synthesizers, bass, guitar, drums and tape effects. A few guests add some scant vocal sounds and an echoed flute otherwise this is the TOM PENAGUIN show!

PENAGUIN is the ultimate intrepid time traveler who has crafted his own musical time machine that revisits all those past Canterbury glories in full regalia. Leaving no rock unturned, the astute homage paid to the likes of classic Egg, Hatfield & The North, National Health, Steve Hillage, Khan and pretty much any other source of influence lurking in the fertile Canterbury world of yore is impressive to say the least. With a compositional flow that gleans musical inspiration from the world of classical music as it does the prog pioneers of the past, PENAGUIN exhibits a strong propensity for the guitar dynamics of Dave Stewart while evoking a classic Soft Machine meets Hatfield & The North keyboard flow of Dave Sinclair and Mike Ratledge. Without quitting his day job, PENAGUIN's indie approach has allowed him to simply create the album of his dreams where he reinvigorates the Canterbury tradition with a 21st zeal.

The album opens with the contemplative "The Stove Viewpoint Introduction" that slowly oozes in the proper mood setting attributes that allow the lengthiest track of the album, the seminal "Housefly Leg" with a 14 1/2 minute playing time to really showcase how PENAGUIN can strut his Canterbury creds like the big boys of the past. The passion and dedication to the craft are truly remarkable and PENAGUIN doesn't miss a beat by evoking all the innovative warmth and tone arsenal that the classic vintage equipment delivered in abundance. Through a series of carefully crafted twists and turns that amalgamate into a cohesive wholeness, the album exhibits a beautiful continuous flow that crescendoes with the rather J.S. Bach fugue sounding "Aborted Long Piece No2" which cedes into the atmospheric elegance of "Arrival Of The Great Hedgehog" which unleashes a series of valiant keyboard moves along with some of the best guitar playing techniques on the album.

As the album ends with the time signature-rich congeniality of "The Stove Packed Up And Left" you are left with a sense of deja-vous as if you had just entered a time machine and traveled back to the glory days when the Canterbury experiments were in their birth pangs. This is very much a retro album in every sense of the world with an old school approach steeped in nostalgia and a zeitgeist for the golden years of Canterbury glory. Throughout this debut album's run PENAGUIN exhibits the firmest of command on all the aspects of the wizardry of past glories and proves his worthiness beyond a doubt with his blazing passions for all those masterful moments that led to some of progressive rock's most classic moments.

While delivered impeccably, the problem with many contemporary Canterbury enthusiasts is that more often than not they are too inclined to pay homage to the classics rather than take the style into the brave new world of the 21st century. If you're looking for the next Zopp or Regel Worm who adapt the world of Canterbury to various unexplored terrain then this is not going to be your bailiwick however if a passionate tribute to the engaging charm that endures in the modern era even in its primeval unadulterated form sounds appealing, then you will absolutely adore this modern slice of Canterbury glory from TOM PENAGUIN's because his dedication to the craft is undeniably impressive with beautifully designed compositions that evoke the excellence of all those classic sounds of yore. The attention to compositional flow, the tones and the instrumental interplay as a one-man band and like are exciting and first-rate. I really hope to see PENAGUIN take a more explorative approach on future releases but for now this excellent retro prog is well worth checking out!