While I don't think that this album matches the magic of their most recent release "A L'Amitie", it still casts a spell over this fan. This French trio are helped out by nine guests adding vocals, viola, violin, trumpet, flute, clarinet, organ and guitar. The latter by the way from Makoto Kawabata from ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE. Man this one grew on me a lot as it took a while for it to unfold it's mysteries. Once again we get plenty of intricate and repetitive sounds and those understated vocals. This is very French sounding and I love their sound.

Part of what took me a while to get into this album was the opening track called "La Genese" as we get laid back multi-vocals only and nothing else. Thankfully it's short at under 1 1/2 minutes. But yes this is called getting off on the wrong foot. "Un Soir Tempete" is the guitar/ drum show to start but then some very prominent bass lines arrive as it turns avant sounding, vocals follow as the avant vibe continues. We now get a run of some great sounding tracks starting with "Errance". Percussion leads early on as this repetitive melody slowly builds as the bass then horns then vocals eventually join in. Check out the horns late. Nice. "Ce Cher Serge Est Perdu" opens with what sounds like strummed bass as a beat and more joins in. Catchy stuff as the vocals arrive after a minute. Such a cool track. "Un Monde Englouti" is similar to the previous tune, at least the melody seems to be. This one has more of a psychedelic style and it becomes much more experimental when the vocals stop after a minute. This is so interesting to listen to. Horns after 2 minutes as spoken words come and go.

"Es Algues" is powerful with some screaming guitar. "Vers Le Neant" opens with intricate sounds as the vocals arrive briefly then we hear water sounds. Flute follows in this laid back start. An almost native vibe with the chanting and drums before 2 minutes but it's brief. A relaxed tune overall. "Visions" is by far the longest track at over 11 minutes. Piano and violin to start. A slow beat takes over 1 1/2 minutes in then the piano and strings return. It's building very slowly then bass joins in after 4 minutes along with some guitar expressions. It turns somewhat spacey after 6 minutes and the vocals join in as well. This is good! Love the spacey synths and sound. A change before 9 minutes with some interesting guitar as the bass and drums continue. "Retrouvailles" ends it and this is different from the rest as it brings to mind Brian Eno solo as in "Another Green World". Strummed guitar, horns and multi-vocals with plenty of energy.

I feel this is well worth the 4 stars despite paling somewhat to their 2014 release. This is a band that certainly has a sound that I can't help but appreciate in a major way.

Buckethead's Pike 13 is one dedicated to his indisposed father (who died not long after it's release), Tom Carroll. Buckethead, a guitar virtuoso who can be described as a freakshow with the musical stamina of a demigod, turned down his sound into something a bit more lackadaisical and emotional.

Pike 13 is a collection of ambient quasi-progressive rock songs which are all untitled, so they're generally referred to as "Track ___" depending on where they land on the album. They are all extremely slow and melodic, with a space rock vibe, but where most would fail with this laidback concept but Buckethead uses it to his advantage to create some pretty emotional pieces. Much of the album is very compact, usually only with Buckethead's echoing guitar doing the work. The longer parts, mainly the fantastic 'Track 6' is where he uses some simplistic yet effective drum fills for background sound.

Pike 13 is a short but sweet album from the recent years and is good for any occasion you want peace and quiet. I'd recommend to fans of soundtrack music (very Buckethead) or just soft prog in general.

This place ain't big enough for stars and stripes.

Yes was in a downward spiral in the late 80's- no-one can deny that. Drastic sound changes were starting to shake the band's ideals, and the lineup was practically broken compared to when the band started. Jon Anderson, Yes' proclaimed golden boy, was fed-up of the boundaries of pop-music presented by the eighties, and thrived to create some prog solo work reminiscent of the band's old days. However as these ideas began to take birth so did it's scope. Old Yes members eagerly started jumping on board, those being Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman, and Steve Howe, as well as King Crimson's Tony Levin. The new-old mostly Yes amalgamate renamed themselves cleverly to "Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe" and released their debut in 1989.

The structure of the songs on the album are what you'd consider to be progressive- multi-sectioned neo-classical rock epics that prog musicians are so fond of. Whilst these tended to be rather good in classic Yes days, they sort of fall short here. For the most part. Remember this was not two years after Yes' Big Generator, arguably their most pop-indulgent album to date, so there's still much of a trace left over. The most musically infuriating part of this era for me was doubtlessly the keyboards, where it was always a decision to either use these dinky electro-pop keyboards or over-the-top pseudo-epic synthesizers. Even the legendary Wakeman's keyboards sound horrendous here, except of course for the Genesis-like 'Birthright', which gives me the idea that I think Wakeman could take a lesson here or there how to do good pop keyboards from Tony Banks. Bill Bruford, outstanding on the skins, is reduced to using heavily programmed drums that sound nigh insincere. Levin is practically nonexistent for the majority of the album, but Howe and Anderson are the two that sort of remain consistent even if they are bleating out cheesy music. The band's cohesiveness is palpable but it doesn't have a trace of the overwhelming sophistication or supreme talent I know they've displayed. The styles bounce all over the place, from slightly subtle prog to annoying Latin-infused songs. 'Teakbois' is nothing short of an auditory insult, awfully reminiscent of Genesis' 'Illegal Alien' in 1983.

But I digress. Let's take a look at where the album shines. The aforementioned 'Birthright' is quite a creative piece and is rather rich lyrically. Has great and powerful drumming from Bruford to, for a moment abandoning the terrible robotic drums. Unfortunately the longer 9-10 minute epics can't really stay away from the 80's cheese pop style for very long, that is except for the extremely awesome 'Brother of Mine'. Other than that, the "bad" songs are pretty innocent. They aren't offensive for the most part and are I suppose enjoyable to an adjusted ear.

My rating would be higher if ABWH dropped some of the typical eighties pop style for the album they wanted to be containing less of. Like Anderson I yearned for something different from pop-rock Yes, but unfortunately ABWH just doesn't deliver that very well.

What a deceiving continuation of the album hosting the trademark of this band Bohemian Rhapsody. After they abandoned Prog and gave up themselves to the commercial and entertaining music, they appear kind of lost in this album, not knowing how to go ahead. The themes are dull and uninspired. Only the classic ballad Someone To Love stands out. One feels so sorry having lost the music by such a great composers to have this little piece of nothing. You may skip this album, whether you are a fan or just a music lover. Even the title seems to point to a complete absence of ideas, following the Marx brother's classic movies so they do not have to put the brains at work.

In this album Queen enters the commercial era, they became worldwide superstars and as it could not be otherwise, this is achieved through an enormous simplification of the music that definitely goes mainstream. There are a few winks to prog but the theatrical turnaround is a fact and becomes dominant. Spite of being the best known album it contains several fillers. The universal Bohemian Rapsody, and the entertaining polyphonic section in the Prophet's Song are the highlights of this album. A more convenient title would have been a Night at the Cabaret. We lost a great band and the world gained a lot of entertaining music.

This is a bit of a side-project for Current 93, with David Tibet stepping back to the dark ambient territories that the project had begun in but had largely drifted away from for the past decade. The inspiration for this was a chance to work with Thomas Ligotti, the legendarily reclusive horror author; the four pieces here are composed as a soundtrack to a clutch of four stories that accompanied the original release. (They have since been reprinted in Ligotti's excellent collection Teatro Grottesco).

Interestingly, going away from ambient music and coming back seems to have allowed Current 93 to produce a rather different piece from they once would have; there's a bit more drone to it and much less abrasiveness, the atmosphere - in keeping with Ligotti's style - being more of a slowly and gently developing dread than a sudden shocking terror. It shows more restraint and subtlety than, say, the all-out assault of Nature Unveiled, and on that level I find it an interesting and worthwhile exercise in returning to the old stomping ground with several years' worth of experience and growth away from it.

This is my introduction to CARAVAN and aswell to the caterbury scene. I am astounded with the music produced on this album from the beginning to the very end, this is solid 5 stars for me in just one single listen. All the tracks on this album are solid and mark a very unique sounding and highly intelligent music like I never had listen before. You can clearly hear jazz and psychadelic elements all over the place, making it such a good combo in a album. The epic "Nine Feet Underground" is literally a ocean of music, 22 minutes of amazing musicianship, this band has amazing vocals and very clever song writting. The only bad thing about this album is that I cannot find any flaw or bad thing about it. Hehe seriously, this is a masterpiece of a album which remains as one of the most quintessential albums of the canterbury scene and to this day, it is between my favorite albums of all time without any doubt.

The second obscurity from this avant-trio down under, "Man Coda" is very much a return to form from their debut, "Nebular Trajectory". Once again an all instrumental affair, this second album sees four extended jazz compositions that veer into chaotic avant-garde territories. The music is once again very improvisatory, with a meek bass and drums rhythm section and distorted guitar from Len Henderson leading the course. The results of this expedition are less fruitful than on "Nebular Trajectory"; the opening and closing tracks tend to devolve into very sparse noodling and the overall focus of the album seems less inspired. While "Force Funk" produced a riveting opening on the debut, the only energetic playing to be found on "Man Coda" is the second track, "Zeitgeist", with its more active percussion and heavy Robert Fripp-like riffing. "The Little Prince" is also a nice tune, offering a more mellow, laid back feel that hasn't been very present in Quasar's generally eerie sound.

This one, along with the debut, is a 2-star release for me, since it has a very limited appeal; there really is much stronger avant-garde jazz out there to appreciate. In fact, I'd probably recommend "Nebular Trajectory" over this one, since it has a more varied soundscape. Nothing that you're really missing out on.

No sacred cows down this stretch of road

If some BOC fans had their way the band would have simply rehashed their first three albums ad infinitum. Many seem to base every judgment about the band through the prism of those albums. Thank God the band didn't listen to them because it is their second trilogy of albums (from Agents through Mirrors) that expanded their legacy by providing some of the most refreshing and quality music of their long career. These albums do not tarnish their name as many believe, they enhance it, they add much to the diversity of sound that distinguished BOC from some of the other hard rock bands of the day. For a brief moment we were treated to some different shimmering stars of the BOC universe.

Looking back at the most loathed "Mirrors" and allowing it to stand on its own it is amazing how it closes their second trilogy with such class. This is a moody album at times (some darkness, some light), a perfect album for cruising the highway at dusk or dawn-and thus, managed near perfection in the album cover art. While not quite the devious masterpiece that "Agents" was, "Mirrors" at first sounds like a continuation of "Spectres" but there is a noticeable shift to sonically cooler places. This makes sense because this was BOC's "west coast" album, their only 70s album made in Los Angeles. To get even further from their comfort zone they chose a new producer, the legendary Tom Werman, who true to his reputation challenged the ingrained notions (and with one band member even the musicianship) of the band. While not perfect it is a delicious 70s rock album if one can forget about things like "how progressive" it was or whether it pleases the first trilogy purists.

"Mirrors" is for the Cult as "Cornerstone" was for Styx. Released just four months apart, both presented a version of their respective bands with earnest precision and pop sentiments encouraged. Perhaps the charge of chasing FM airplay is fair but who gives a [&*!#] when the results are such ear candy? These are talented folks who didn't miss the plate much in the 1970s. There are a couple of classics on Mirrors that rival their best. "The Great Sun Jester" is full of warm acoustic guitar and an almost Lindsey Buckingham-like attention to detail. "The Vigil" could sit anywhere on Agents or Treaties and hold its own. A great mysterious vibe with a multi-section song construction, beautiful harmonies and guitar solos. "You're Not the One" is an odd but fantastic track, sounding at times like The Cars and featuring a Kim Deal guitar sound which makes me laugh when I hear it. See if you can spot the part I refer to. "Moon Crazy" is pure pop shine but listen to the killer playing! "In Thee" is a sweet track from the late great Allen Lanier who may have been influenced by Patti Smith, I actually think her vibe did creep into a few BOC albums and improve them. Same with "Lonely Teardrops" which closes the album with a beautiful musical sunset, via the background harmonies, soft keys, and great guitar solo.

I'm the odd man out on this title, never a surprise, but I think it is great. If you can't let your hair down and just enjoy a catchy album once in a while, you're really missing out on part of the pleasure of music. Kudos to whomever in the BOC camp was responsible for engineering this sunny Los Angeles fork in the road. The sacred cows would return soon enough.

Heart touching progressive music

Fourth opus by Peter Hammill and co., "Pawn Hearts" marks the end of VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's first era as well as its pinnacle. After three interesting but somehow uneven and still experimental albums, the band fully defines its own musical identity and proudly enters the heights of the progressive sphere, in 1971. Driven by saxophone and keyboards instead of guitars, their style and sound are unique, tortured and delicate, depressive and beautiful, exploring the depths of the human mind. This was completely different from what other prog bands were proposing at the time.

Initially planned as a double album, only the first half of the recordings was finally released as "Pawn Hearts". These three lengthy, sophisticated and varied songs were composed one year before major progressive milestones such YES' "Close to the Edge" or GENESIS' "Supper's Ready". Maybe not as accessible as the aforementioned suites, but certainly as inspired and magical.

The first mini-epic sets immediately the tone. Oppressive and frightening, "Lemmings" offers complex structures and rhythm breaks for calm floating passages and plaintive anguishing moments. Organ and saxophone create a particular troubled watery atmosphere that supports perfectly Hammill's haunting and aerial vocals. Great, easily one of the best tracks from VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR! "Man Erg" is a musical transcription of our internal conflict between good and evil. The first part alternate melancholic and glorious passages representing the opposition of the "angels" and the "killers" inside us. Opening like a piano ballad with a beautiful melody, the pace suddenly accelerates, the instruments start a brutal fury illustrating the battle between the two entities. Cosmic and jazzy ambiances then interlace until the rhythm slow downs for the ballad reprise and a quite terrifying finale. What a journey!

The record concludes with THE VdGG epic, the band's "Supper's Ready" before it even exists: the satiric "A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers". The story narrates the helplessness of a lighthouse keeper to save the stranded bodies on the coast. Its spacey powerful overture mutates into a mysterious sonic chaos, letting the listener lost through the immensity of the sea. Unpredictable, this suite features numerous changes, slow and fast sections. Sublime, dark, touching, depressive, demented are one of the few adjectives that could describe this unbelievable piece. Beware: combined with Peter Hammill's possessed voice, you'll find yourself at the gates of despair and delirium. The finale is just not of this world...

Although lesser-known compared to the other progressive milestone records, "Pawn Hearts" shines like a lighthouse inside the night of the obscure side of prog. A creative and pioneering album, that may have influenced the representative bands of the genre in 1971. The songs offers a wide range of different atmospheres as well as delightful melodies to cry for. No weak passages, every section stands at its right place.

Demanding, intimidating but not the least accessible from the band, "Pawn Hearts" is undoubtedly VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's best album, with "Godbluff". An essential and major opus, resembling no other. If you don't know Hammill and co., you'll discover a new universe of truly progressive 'non-rock' music. You may not fully appreciate it at first listen, but its treasures will reveal themselves over time...

This fourth effort will gain a surprising success in Italy. One year later, Peter Hammill will embrace a solo career and other members will go their way. Fans of this unconventional prog will have to wait three years until the band reunites...