When I recently reviewed 'Asleep or Insane' by Bakelit I explained that I have known Swedish multi-instrumentalist Carl Westholm for years through Carptree and Jupiter Society, although others will probably recognise his name more for his time with Avatarium and Candlemass. After I sent out my normal Christmas update email last December Carl asked if I would like to hear the latest releases from his two new projects, Bakelit was the first and Hollingshead is the second. Carl is the only constant between the two bands, and he again provides organ, electric piano, synthesizers, theremin, backing vocals while this time the band is completed by Tony Naima (lead vocals), Johan Niemann (bass, from Evergrey, Therion and Mind's Eye), and Fredrik Haake (drums, Meldrum, Sideburn, God Is My Co-Pilot). There has been a four-year gap between this album and the debut, during which time original singer Gidon Tannenbaum departed.

I have not heard the debut, and a new vocalist often changes things quite dramatically, so I have no idea if this is should be viewed as a continuation or a new direction, but I am aware it is very dark and deep indeed. Is there such a thing as doom prog? If not, then these guys may have invented a new musical form. Imagine if you will, a cross between Atomic Rooster and Candlemass and you may get some understanding of just how heavy this is, with Niemann playing a bass which sounds as if Lemmy and Chris Squire have come together and produced a sound as filthy as possible, yet somehow the music is wonderfully melodic. There is no guitar here, as there is no room for it whatsoever as the bass, drums and keyboards are so tight and all rammed together at the bottom end, but I can almost guarantee the average punter will not realise that as so few listen carefully these days. Then over the top are wonderful vocals which contain emotion when the time is right, not too high in the scale so it all gels together as opposed to clashing.

There will be quite a few progheads who will find this release way too heavy for their tastes, or the organ just too dated, but if ever someone wants some darkness on a bright sunny day, yet not too much to totally overpower the senses then this is it. Carl asked me to give this some time, but I enjoyed it the first time of playing and it just gets better with repeats. Not for the fainthearted though.

— First review of this album —

A post from Heather appeared in one of the groups I am a member of on Facebook, and the computer in my head started whirring and I immediately thought of a band I haven't listened to in years, Mostly Autumn. Originally signed to Cyclops, I reviewed the first three albums when they were released, but the last I had heard of theirs was the wonderful 'Passengers' from 2003. I was not aware that Heather had left the band after 13 years and eight studio albums to follow a solo career, nor that she had formed Mantra Vega and released albums in different group formats and styles, as well as books, poetry and art. What I did know, though, was that I always loved Heather's vocals and was intrigued to hear what she was doing more than 20 years after I last reviewed her.

I was soon playing 'Wildflower' and fell into a world where all that mattered was the voice, and the voice was all that mattered. This is mostly a true solo album, with Heather accompanying herself on acoustic guitar and occasional piano and percussion with just Troy Donockley (yes, I know he is in Nightwish, but for me he will always be the guy from Iona), providing a wonderfully emotional vocal and Portuguese Mandola to the lilting duet, "Still Burning". This is an acoustic album, containing a few elements of folk, quite a bit of Americana, a touch of Country and Western, and a ton of beauty. The album is bookended by Heather leaving a message on voicemail, welcoming us and reminding us we are all loved, and although there may be some who will not like this element, it works well to both bring us into the album and leave us with a positive message.

Positivity is a common element throughout this release, as while there are times when it wants us to think, it is never negative or mournful. This is particularly true of the last song, "Love Is All", which is a capella with just a few bird sounds to provide backing. It is uplifting, all-encompassing and incredibly powerful. It is if Heather is in a warm summer's glade, the birds in the trees, and we are sat entranced at her feet, caught in her spell. Although I have found myself enjoying this in the car, there is no doubt the best way to listen to this is on headphones when one has the time to immerse oneself in the world she is creating with her voice.

Having not heard any of Heather's releases in more than twenty years I can see from this that I have been missing out and will have to investigate her Bandcamp page further. For those to whom the name Heather Findlay is new I can assure you this is an album very much worth investigating. If you enjoy acoustic music with wonderful female vocals and lyrics with meaning, then this is simply essential.

1. Bracing for Impact for the prog metal intro that's searching for itself, that DEEP PURPLE-esque rhythm made me listen, it's like ZZ TOP in the distance and that divine keyboard, well, everything is in place to produce typical prog rock. 2. End of the Road for the beautiful long melodic track that lacks creativity; yes, I feel like I'm on the latest FLOWER KINGS; well, no more, it's like Neal MORSE, yes, on familiar ground. The guitar solo is heartwarming, thanks to Luke for adding some pep. 3. Cosmic Love for its latent, progressive intro, quickly erased by the new-wave electro keyboard, yes, very invigorating; with Randy and John, we get our money's worth. 4. We Got the World in Our Hands, beautiful intro and consensual track, damn! It's going around in circles, it's beautiful, but it lacks the spark to captivate, because my ears still remind me of the sound of the Albion bigwigs who had a lot of fun jamming together on consensual prog rock, ideal for prog fans not looking for new sounds.

5. All That Glitters Is Not Gold for the accordion and the captivating chorus that you'd think you'd already heard elsewhere; the best track for the crescendo that deviates into the proven prog metal side, finally showcasing Göran's voice and the guitar solos that really enjoy themselves; the sax à la 'West Side'; in short, I did well to resist. 6. Gotta Lose This Ball and Chain for the calibrated ballad that reignites the debate on the sound of yesteryear; it's beautiful but conventional, we've already heard that, and what's new? It's clean, without any smudges, but I don't find the air that would make me swoon, or rather, I can't find a sound that would distinguish them from the FLOWER KINGS or BIG BIG TRAIN, pillars of a movement losing creativity. 7. Transmutation (The Constant Change of Everything) with its intro, yes, I'll leave you with that; after that, it's the trap track that seeks to melt the listener with numerous guests... and it works. Between Steve HACKETT's guitar and Andy's Hammond, I thought I heard a GENESIS tune, with Dina's vocals and Amanda's help, Nick's pad parts, how can you remain unmoved? Yes, but too much can kill too, so let's be careful! The velvety, melting, melting mid-track disappointed me, repeating the clichés of symphonic prog; The very beautiful jazzy-ethno-crazy jam suite can be shocking to have such a diversion on ZAPPA, PATTERN, MORSE again. The finale is worth its weight and captivates, bewitches the listener. (3.75)

An album by musician Mathieu Torres, who also performs under the name String Theory, recounting the crash of a passenger plane in the Alps, a code name for a harrowing moment. Okay, let's get back to M'Z and his "Emancipés du vide?" for a musical melting pot of pop, rock, jazz, hard rock, and music shaped by genres ranging from Canterbury to Drum 'n' Bass, Rock in Opposition?in short, a diverse, ambient blend bordering on rock, pure and simple. A melancholic fusion with touches of progressive metal, a juxtaposition of complex sounds, layers of fat, invasive synths bringing a dark side, energetic, eclectic crescendi, all accompanied by guitar that is happy, sad, or both at the same time.

Ideas of emotional themes, freedom in a sick world?this is what his music takes us to; a violent and acerbic critique of our world, of our Kleenex society, translated into these singular pieces. Colorful art rock without real drawers, original and captivating compositions, an uncompromising sound, overflowing with creativity with its heroes bearing the signature of Steve VAI and Joe SATRIANI, no coincidence given the riffs and tunes offered. A sound allowing one to dream or meditate at low cost on these different instrumental pieces but brought together in a conceptual way. (3.5).

'Profondo Rosso' is a soundtrack album to the Dario Argento movie of the same name, arranged and performed by the Italian progressive rock band Goblin, a progressive rock act led by organist Claudio Simonetti, also featuring the talents of well-known Italian musicians Fabio Pignatelli, the band's bassist, and Massimo Morante, the guitar player of the collective. This 1975 release is the first official release under this band's name and has since become one of the obscure but rather intriguing places of the Italian prog rock scene; the genre indeed has a rich history of movie soundtracks, and this happens to be one of the most ingenious and original ones to have even graced the Continent. Being a psychological horror movie, the music to 'Deep Red', as would go the translation, is quirky, intense and spooky, bringing in a variety of influences like progressive rock, fusion and even proto-metal, all making up for an eclectic work of great scope.

The original album release lasts for just about thirty minutes and features seven separate tracks, the first one of which is the title track with its menacing organ work and solid but minimal rhythm section working its way through in the background. 'Death Dies' comes second here and is a suspenseful piece that takes advantage of various percussive instruments until the main riff gets introduced, a really effective song. 'Mad Puppet' with its unusual and rather haunting opening actually develops into a trippy krautrock-inspired instrumental, unlike 'Wild Session', which is precisely where the prog rock pedigree of Goblin is completely prevalent, from the wicked introductory section to the quirky interplay between the keys and the bass, to the unhinged sax solo at the final section of this instrumental. 'Deep Shadows' is then the most experimental number on here, technical but haunting, leading to the two shorter closing pieces 'School at Night' and 'Gianna', both of which have this classical crossover feel and provide an excellent ending to this gorgeous soundtrack album from the mid-70s.

'Iron Maiden' is the 1980 eponymous debut album by the legendary British heavy metal band, a record that proclaims the initiation of the NWOBHM movement in many ways, and displaying the ferocity and aggressive approach of those very early metal albums from the beginning of the decade, being informed by and combining elements of both punk and progressive rock, it has since been received as a critical success, having also brought significant amounts of attention to the then-young metal band upon its release, lauded by both fans and critics as a "cult classic". The music on this very first Maiden album is indeed quite heavy but also very rough and unpolished, with difficult-to-appreciate production values, occasional muddy riffs and silly choruses, it is an imperfectly perfect debut album, if that makes any sense. Featuring a unique early lineup with Steve Harris, Dave Murray, and vocalist Paul Di'Anno, Maiden was also then-composed of Dennis Stratton, a guitar player who would leave the band afterwards, and drummer Clive Burr.

What is there to say about the music on here except the fact that this is an early heavy metal music that introduces a variety of interesting influences to the world of heavy rock, serving as somewhat of a blueprint for an entire movement to come. Still, as influential as 'Iron Maiden' may be, this album is definitely not universally appealing, having significant problems in the production and songwriting departments. It opens with 'Prowler', a ballsy and fast-paced number, one of the better songs off the album, followed by the catchy 'Sanctuary', a fine homage to Judas Priest (or even Motorhead) and just a tad bit banal for what concerns its contents. 'Remember Tomorrow' is where we hear the Rainbow lesson on full display, a decent number with great guitar work that anticipates a lot of what the band would go on to explore in the future. 'Running Free', or the revved up R'n'B song of Iron Maiden, is followed by the most far-reaching piece on the album, the 7-minute 'Phantom of the Opera', a more complex and dramatic entry, still played live by the band. 'Transylvania' is a great instrumental arranged by Harris, 'Strange World' is the album's ballad, a good piece of metal music. 'Charlotte the Harlot' is indeed a bit silly, also the riffs here are not as pungent as on other places of the album, and the closing title track is more forgettable than it is impressive, despite the fabulous and ferocious bass playing. A really fine and important metal album from the early 80s that has not necessarily aged too well, 'Iron Maiden' is the first step towards the crafting of the band's signature style of heavy and technical arena rock.

It's always great to hear of a new release from veteran prog rockers (I'm two months late to say this). coming back in action with their own brand of returning to form but with only two of the original three. After having two pandemically conditioned albums in the can from Yay! (2023) to Neigh!! (2024), it's time for them to get back in their spaceship once more and return flight with their latest sole self-titled release.

From prog, cabaret, krautrock, pop-orientated, alternative rock, freak-out sessions, and psychedelic adventures, the band have gone back through the adventures once more to prove themselves that they can kick plenty of butts with mesmerising punches that come out of thin air

When I mention the krautrock genre, I could possibly tell Motorpsycho were listening to bands such as AMON DUUL CAN on 'Balthazaar'. They take listeners aboard the cosmic train into halogenic improvisations that bring to mind the two Michael's; Karoli and Rother. They combine the compositions between 'Mother Sky' and 'Hero' into one. Plus, adding in a bit of Hawkwind's curricular into the bees' knees of a heavy jam session.Then, a touch of the alternative rock vibes of the 1990s and going into a sing-along gem for 'Stanley (Tonight's The Night)' and 'Core Memory Corrupt'. You can just imagine these two songs being played during that time frame in the 90's.

The starting track kicks things off with a bang as they make the jump to light speed returning back to who they were years ago. Bent's revved-up bass sets up the course to light speed as they return to the Heavy Metal Fruit-era during their Rune Grammofon years, making sure that everything in our solar system is going according to plan as Ingvald and Hans lead the way to add in elements of flaming fire inside their hearts and minds to carry on more missions that awaits them.

But, wait a minute! What's going on? Do I sense a tip of the hat towards the geniuses of Led Zeppelin's heavy riffs that come into mind when it comes to 'The Comeback?' oh hell yeah! Reine Fiske leads the charge with Olaf Olsen in hot pursuit. Boy, do they know their source materials or what? Then, everything becomes a surreal nightmare when it comes to the ominous dark, clouds that are about to come in. From the haunting, folky lullaby on the 'Bed of Roses' to the 21-minute apocalypse 'Neotzar (The Second Coming)'. Oh, they got the machine guns all revved up and ready to attack.When Thea Grant channels her Lotte Lenya approach in the Cabaret textures, she imagines herself, singing this song during the events of The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and composed by Lotte's husband Kurt Weill. You feel as if Pirate Jenny walking alone in the streets of Germany in 1928, singing alone in a brothel, knowing that things are going to be different for the first two minutes of corruption to take over.The band switches gears as Motorpsycho gets back into their space shuttle as they ride off into massive solar power. Bent's mellotron, Hans' heavy guitar riffs, and Ingvald coming back into the forefront, this is no jam session folks, this is as heavy as far as the eye can see. Somehow, the heaviness moves into a gentle, classical, and ambient under watery effect as if you're in a dream.

Like something out of David Lynch's movies, Motorpsycho imagine themselves doing a film score inside their minds, creating this dark, surreal, yet almost nightmarish terror that's unveiling in front of your eyes. It then reaches a volcanic eruption, waiting to explode at any second as all hell is about to break loose in this rumbling effect the band walk into.I can't tell if its Bent or Hans playing the lead section on the guitar. If its one of them, they are taking it to the nth degree, going on this hypnotic mode as if they're not making a stop signal by returning home to Earth whilst channeling the arrangements of America's 'A Horse with No Name' for 'Three Frightened Monkeys' that come into shape but making it a mid-fast shuffle that'll burn your brain cells, nonstop.

This is a very engaging listen the whole way through, these guys create eclectic masterpieces, lengthy compositions and overall great music. These guys produce a piece that resemble some of their earlier work while bringing in new energy.

5.0

Following the ground-breaking Mysterious Traveller--many prog and jazz-rock fusion lover's all-time favorite Weather Report studio release--was no small challenge.

1. "Man in the Green Shirt" (6:28) I really love the interplay of drumming, percussion, bass, and electric piano in this song. The horns are nice, and the weird synthesized Nature sounds entertaining, but it's the great coordination of high speed play from the rhythmatists that impresses and engages me the most. (9.375/10)

2. "Lusitanos" (7:24) opening with quirky comi-funk before synth, keys, and horns present a WR-type of melodic/chordal statement. Between regular repetitions of this chorded theme Wayne and Joe take turns adding their respective solos but the sonic field is so layered that it's almost full: practically burying any soloist's attempts. But then the band thins it out, keeping only the bare bones, so that Wayne and Joe can trade solos on soprano sax and piano, respectively--Joe even going so far as to solo twice: as if duelling with himself! Then Wayne takes a turn on his tenor sax: first within the full band weave, then with the open field laid out for him. No matter who's soloing, Joe is always adding quirky little sound injections from his circus collection of synth and hand tools. Alphonso Johnson's bass is creatively effected but it seems to handcuff him into playing some rather simple lines and a lot of single tone repetitions. (13.125/15)

3. "Between the Thighs" (9:33) the Weather Report circus show continues as Joe seems pretty set/obsessed with incorporating as many unusual quirky sounds and instruments into his songs as possible. So far in three songs, almost 24 minutes of music, there has really never a minute passed without some randomly fresh sound being injected haphazardly into the mix. It's almost like he's going for a citation in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most instruments played (or included) in a single song (or album). (Being a big fan of Andreas' Vollenweider's "busiest multi- instrumentalist I've ever encountered," Pedro Haldemann, as well as Pat Metheny's legion of upper-stage multi- instrumentalists, Mr. Zawinul may find that he has a little competition.) So many times on this album I'm hearing riffs and samples that predict the cumulative breakout that 1977's "Birdland" will be for them. The best funk and groove in this song is, for me, in the song's final minute. (17.75/20)

4. "Badia" (5:20) reaching into the orient for inspiration. (It's okay: the band had now been there--on their tours-- several times.) Odd percussion, reeds, sqealy synth, pregnant bass couplets, cymbal play, and treated horn and mzuthra make for an interesting and very spacious weave. Melodica and oud are also prominent. How confusing it must have been for dynamic creatives like Alphonso Johnson and Leon Ndugu Chancler to have been so shackled like this. (8.75/10)

5. "Freezing Fire" (7:29) funk that finally taps the tremendous skill and potentialities of the relatively untested and untried bass funk master. A song that grooves and flows, feeling a little more like a Jazz-Rock Fusion tune, despite the continued barrage of incidentals injected as accents throughout the length of the song. Again, it's the drum 'n' bass unity that interests and impresses me, not the parade of creative sound injections that Joe (and Alyrio?) can muster. Just give me Alphonso and Ndugu and I'd be a happy camper! Great foundation; weird and "novelty" level entertainment. (But, Joe: I don't come to your albums for surprise and novelty: I come for the grooves and weaves!) (13.3333/15)

6. "Five Short Stories" (6:56) one of those interesting-but-ultimately-off-putting musical equations (or masturbatory exercises) that Joe and Wayne like to work through with their band. Slow and methodic, sometimes melodic; definitely cerebral and mathematical. Quite the challenge to stay engaged/interested--especially over seven minutes. (13/15)

Total Time: 43:10

The smooth, careful, and calculated side of Jazz-Rock Fusion, here presenting a lot of interesting ideas (many of which will be more fully developed on future albums). With Joe and Wayne monopolizing all of the compositional duties I think they still had not realized what they had on their hands with the recent acquisition of 24-year old bass genius Alphonso Johnson. As demonstrated on Eddie Henderson's Sunburst album that was recorded and released at about the same time as this one, the kid is nothing short of a creative genius; he has ideas, he has the chops to star--to lead-- and he has a bag of his own compositions bursting at the seams (two of which ended up on that Sunburst album). Don't get me wrong: the compositions on Tale Spinnin' are all fine, mature, presenting ground for a lot of great performances and some rather memorable songs and riffs, they're just not quite as dynamic and powerful as those on Sunburst. I think it a terrible thing that Joe and Wayne "wasted" so much talent that came their way (though many would look at it as "mentored," "groomed," or "developed"). There is some great music here, just too much entertainment-oriented circus noise.

B/four stars; an album of sophisticated, busy, multi-layered music that is often overly-gilded in what amounts to circus entertainment tricks. Too bad! as I LOVE the bones and richly constructed first layers of a lot of this music.

Beginning around "Pyragony X", Amon Düül II began embarking on a more streamlined prog sound - more accessible, less weird, and generally less interesting, if still quite good. By the end of the '70's, however, this lineup pretty much petered out, leading to the far more intriguing version known as Amon Düül (UK). But II still had one more album to do, and "Vortex" was the result. And you know what...a lot of fans dislike this one (as they do all the '80's Amon Düül releases), but forget all of that. "Vortex" is a fantastic album, easily the best one Düül II had made since "Hijack". It is still more (cough) commercial (cough) than that one, but what on earth. It is really one outstanding work and a great way for Düül II to go out. Of course, Amon Düül II would return in the '90's, but this was a fine swansong for them and a fitting signpost for what Amon Düül (UK) would go on to achieve.

4.0

"Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" is the second full-length studio album by Norwegian black/avant-garde metal act Fleurety. The album was released through Supernal Music in 2000. It´s the successor to "Min tid skal komme" from 1995, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 1999 "Last-minute Lies" EP. Fleurety consists of the duo of Alexander Nordgaren (guitars), Svein Egil Hatlevik (drums, synths, vocals), but in addition to the core duo "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" also features a host of prolific guest appearances from artists like Maniac (Mayhem, Gravetemple, Sinsaenum, Tormentor), Garm (Ulver, Borknagar, Arcturus), Einar Sjursø (Virus, Infernö), and Hellhammer (Mayhem, Shining, Arcturus, The Kovenant), among others.

"Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" opens with "Exterminators" and right off the bat it´s audible that Fleurety have completely changed since the black metal days of "Min tid skal komme". If you´re familiar with the musical direction of the "Last-minute Lies" EP, the avant-garde metal style of "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" probably won´t come as a surprise, but if you come to "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" directly from listening to "Min tid skal komme" and expect that "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" will sound anything like the debut album you will as a minimum be very surprised and in some instances (depending on your tastes and open mindedness) very disappointed by the highly experimental and ever changing avant-garde metal style of "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs".

The vocals vary between semi-jazzy female clean vocals, male clean vocals (of many different types), and more aggressive snarling male vocals. In that respect Fleurety have brought back a few of the extreme metal elements they had otherwise left behind on "Last-minute Lies", but other than a few heavy riffs and punchy rhythms here and there and the aggressive raw vocals, there isn´t much here which reveals that only 5 years before Fleurety were a black metal playing unit. It´s fellow contemporary countrymen Ulver, Atrox, and to a lesser extent Manes that Fleurety have something in common with. The bass, guitars, drums, and vocals are complimented by programmed drums and effects, keyboards, and saxophone, making "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" quite the interesting affair in terms of instrumentation.

"Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" features a decent quality production job, but the distorted guitars at times sound a bit powerless. I´m not sure they are meant to be massive and heavy, but it would have been nice with a bit more punch and power when the music occasionally features heavy riffs. Heavy riffs aren´t the dominant musical element of the album though. That´s instead dissonant lead- and (dis)harmony themes, odd jazzy interludes, and all sorts of other weirdness and abrupt musical shifts. To my ears most tracks have a musical red thread, but there are moments where the avant-garde nature of the compositions almost overpower the songwriting and become weird for the sake of it. Upon conclusion "Department of Apocalyptic Affairs" is a bold sophomore studio album from Fleurety. They certainly don´t cater to their original fanbase with this one, but I respect that this ws their musical statement at that point in their career. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Fantastic OST for a fantastic video game where you explore an infinite universe, the first disc here is prime 65dos, bringing a full set of their trademark post-rock with some electronics. There is no compromise here, this plays like a 65dos album. The 2nd disc is called Soundscapes and is what it says it is; ambient/electronic sound textures (but still featuring some of their trademark post-rock). I imagine this disc is more of what the music in the actual game might sound like. Altogether, this is a great set. It is incredibly long, running almost 2 hrs long (both discs combined) but fans and newcomers alike will find something worthwhile here. Disc 1 is the better of the two but I like Soundscapes as well, especially "Borealis/Contrastellar" which could have fit on disc 1 easily. It's one of the best songs on the entire set. I'm very pleased with this and I think most people will be as well. It is very well written and you can tell the band was really inspired by the game to make this music. This is extraordinary and it matches perfectly with the theme it tries to capture.

5.0

'You Go Now' is the second solo studio album released by Dream Theater founding member and original keyboard player Kevin Moore, under his Chroma Key moniker. It is well-known that Moore had left DT to pursue his personal musical interests, which unlike the branch of progressive metal developed by the US-based band, had inclined much more towards the world of electronic music, and this 2000 release is precisely about Moore's exploration of this style, blending elements of ambient, lo-fi, lounge music, rock and psychedelia, the fascinating underground prog pioneer brings a collection of finely-tuned and mellow pieces, with half of the album being instrumental, and another half focusing on the vocal tracks. 'You Go Now' is quite similar to what Moore had done previously on the first Chroma Key album, although this time there is a greater focus on programming, effects, and production, while his first album was more piano-based and song-oriented.

The music is incredibly moody and mellow, kind of like a contemporary electronic rock rendition of Alan Parsons, but significantly more elegiac and occasionally desperate. Moore proves to be a master of feel and texture as he explores both of these elements in depth on 'You Go Now', as the album offers some of his most memorable songs (the opening track 'Get Back in the Car', 'Another Permanent Address', and 'Astronaut Down', all of which have an incredibly elusive ambient texture to them, yet manage to remain faithful to the structure and expressive force of rock music, with Moore punctuating the atmosphere with bits of psychedelia). On the other hand, this record also goes into some instrumental ventures, and these turn out to be rather enjoyable more often than not - 'Lunar' is quite laid back, while 'When You Drive' introduces some lounge soundscapes. 'Subway' and the title track seem to be a bit muddy, but this does not undermine the quality of an album that is rather unusual. Kevin Moore can be sufficiently eclectic to keep you interested in what comes next and his emotive approach to composing music is what renders his work so potent and evocative.

— First review of this album —

Somehow I came across the band Lunar Mistake and when I asked them for more information I was sent this, "Lunar Mistake is a prog/post-punk/new wave band from Oakland. It features long-time members of the Bay Area music scene, including Matt Lebofsky (Secret Chiefs 3, miRthkon, MoeTar) on keyboards, Steve Lew (New Zombies, Eskimo, Ebola Soup) on bass, David Shamrock (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Free Salamander Exhibit, Slombis) on drums, Drew Wheeler (Free Salamander Exhibit, Young Has Beens) on guitar, and Jackie Wheeler on vocals and percussion. Points of reference may include: Devo, Thinking Plague, Danny Elfman, Rush."

The more observant of you may have seen a couple of musical genres listed which surely could only mean one thing, and you would be right, as here is a pronk band which Tim Smith would surely be proud of. I cannot believe I don't see a mention of Cardiacs in their influences (is it really more than a quarter of a century since "Sing To God"?) as here is a band who have taken pronk and run with it to make something which is RIO, Avant, yet somehow commercial at the same time. Jackie may not have a great deal of experience in bands but she is happy with everything the band is throwing at her, whether it is the Devo-style punk of "Infinite Loop" or the more comical "Fishies". This is a load of fun which could have come from the stable of either Cardiacs or Poisoned Electrick head and is a blast of punk prog fun which is so very different indeed to what is in the current scene where prog often seems to be quite involved at gazing at one's navel.

What we have here is a band producing music which was underground thirty years, and now is even more so as they are so very different indeed, yet their jagged angular melodies and guitar riffs are literally music to my ears.

From the City to the Sky

Foschia (Mist) is the perfect name for this young band from the Bologna area of Northern Italy. It describes their conflicted---sometimes mysterious, sometimes hopeful---sound pretty well. All band members were born around 2000, making them about 19 years old when they released this debut, Dalla Citta al Cielo (From City to Sky). I found that remarkable because, while there is a youthful perspective in the passion and sense of wonder, there is also a real maturity and patience in the pacing. This is an album for prog rock fans who appreciate the pacing of "Echoes" more than, say, "Blackest Eyes." While there are no 20-minute tracks herein, the first three songs do sort of melt together into one long piece in my own head.

In fact, as tiring as Pink Floyd comparisons can be, I do feel these guys bring a bit of '69 to '71-era Floyd to mind, as well as a bit of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" to mention a later song. In many of the songs, there are sections of slow development built around distant-sounding guitar leads---lone notes, soft bends, and space between each---with the same being true of the keyboards and piano that build around thoughtful, sometimes brooding chords. This approach brings an unhurried, contemplative approach that used to be more valued in progressive rock circles. The emotional release and payoffs will come, but they are in no hurry to give you a quick sugar high to sing along with. That space between the somber moods and the hopeful ones play out over the course of the album. The psych and sometimes bluesy feel of the electric guitars overshadow a "typical RPI" vibe generally, but the heartfelt Italian vocals help retain the experience. This debut reminded me most specifically of a 2011 album called Hanblecheya by Labirinto di Specchi, which was roundly enjoyed my many PA regulars at the time. I would say that Dalla Citta al Cielo is similar though less experimental, but perhaps even a better balance.

Love the trippy opening to "Il Viaggio" (The Journey). The wind sound effect is perfect behind the clean guitar, and it acts as a de facto intro to the 10-minute "Entrance." More environmental sound (rain, birds) augment the dreamy guitar opening. Drums enter and eventually a long synth section and electric lead. A beautiful piano solo closes what is perhaps the most Floyd-inspired track. "Il Delirio" (Delirium) continues the hazy guitar and piano meditation style, and it became my favorite track. The haunting romanticism of "Vite appese ad un filo" (Lives Hanging by a Thread) changes gears a bit, modern RPI and yet somehow it could've been written by Jackson Browne or Conor Oberst. Go figure. "Dio Della Morale" has a bit of a Doors or perhaps Traffic vibe. I heard a Mazzy Star vibe in a few corners of the room. I love that there is so much space in these songs; this is Exhibit A that great music need not be overly complex, overly dense, or overly loud. The pure emotion of a standalone voice, guitar note, or soft piano chord are given the space to be nakedly heard, which is powerful. I think that philosophy is now so rare that it truly stands out when a band does it, and it's part of what makes this album so great.

A few minor quibbles: the distorted rhythm guitar tone lacks presence, lacks oomph. It's just a bit thin, and it's more noticeable with the rhythm guitars than the leads. Everything else sounds great, including the drums, which I almost always have issues with when listening to modern bands. Also, I'd say that the album could have ended with "Il paroliere" and been stronger for it. The tracks that follow, a bit more pop and ballad, are fine songs indeed, but they feel unnecessary as they deviate from the sound style of the rest. Being a fan of shorter "vinyl length" albums, I appreciate a tight tracklist. That said, this is without question a compelling and appealing debut, simply luxurious listening. I loved it. I do hope there will be another album someday. The cover artwork could not be more appropriate. It perfectly captures the mood and personality of the music you will hear.

Miss this album and you are missing out.

This is the second and final album by this Canadian trio based in Toronto. And what an unusual setup of electric sax, keyboards and hand percussion. The self-titled debut was released in 1970 and was dominated by synths. The electric sax and hand percussion certainly weren't given equal billing by a long shot. They were more like guests on that one. No dynamics either, and as we know the result is no nose bone. A 2 star record in my world.

This followup from 1971 sounds more like I thought that trio would sound like. Everyone is getting their moment in the sun, very much an equal billing thing happening. We have nose bone as well. Now I must admit that I really don't like the tone of the electric sax. So it becomes be careful what you wish for at this point. We get eight tracks over almost 38 minutes. They brought in an orchestral string section which is heard briefly on "Syren" but in a much greater way on "December Angel". Strings later on "Ibistix" as well, and it's the second longest song at 8 minutes.

The opener and closer feature a memorable melody, but that's it. We do get some experimental sections that I like. And I like that eerie start to the longest tune "December Angel" which is 9 minutes long. The 3 1/2 minute closer called "Aurora Spinray" might be my favourite. It's just nice to have some warmth in the form of those organ sounds. And there's some vocals very late. I should mention the short "Tillicum" which was recorded for CTV and the TV show "Here Come The Seventies". It does sound slightly familiar as I no doubt as a kid heard this opening theme for that show. We were only able to get two TV channels back then, so the odds are pretty good I heard it and saw that show.

So a much better album than their debut, but this just fails to do much for me at all. This just isn't a band that I was able to get into unfortunately. Maybe I still have a bad taste in my mouth from my recent time sent with their debut. I like that other trio from Toronto though that would arrive a few years after this release.

Hard to Love

Hesse Kassel is another Chilean band that released its debut in 2025, alongside Chercan. They bring a splash of color to the often repetitive sounds of some progressive bands, offering freshness and a high level of musicianship. Hesse Kassel is a hard-to-classify group and a source of pride for Diego Portales University. Formed in Santiago in late 2022, the band consists of six members: Renatto Olivares (guitar, saxophone, vocals), Luca Cosignani (guitar, vocals), Mauricio Rosas (guitar), Matthew Hopper (bass), Eduardo Padilla (drums), and Joaqu'n Gonz'lez (keyboards, backing vocals).

A big part of what makes this band special is Renatto Olivares. His vocals are stunning'emotional, raw, and dynamic'often shifting between tenderness and intensity with natural ease. His guitar work is just as vital, cutting through or weaving into the mix exactly when needed. And when the saxophone appears, it's not just a novelty'it's perfectly placed and tastefully arranged, adding texture and depth without ever feeling forced. His versatility gives the band much of its emotional and sonic range, and his presence is felt on nearly every track.

Their debut album, La Brea, has received critical acclaim for its ambitious and emotionally charged compositions. It features eight expansive tracks'including 'Postparto,' 'Anova,' and 'Yo La Tengo'' marked by dynamic structures that move from discordant tension to euphoric release. The lyrics use a present, direct tone and explore sensitive themes like sexuality, adolescence, love, poverty, and identity. The production isn't perfect, but it fits the music well and contributes to the album's overall feel. The cover art is intriguing, beautiful, and mysterious'much like the music itself.

I never expected a clash of two Chilean bands at such a high level, much less that I'd be writing about them. Chile is a complicated country when it comes to music. It's not hard to record an album here'but it's hard to get noticed, especially if you're not making urban music, trap, cumbia, or reggaet'n. That's why I think what these guys are doing is truly commendable and deserves more exposure and recognition.

La Brea is a weird album, in the best sense of the word. It never lets you get fully comfortable, even in its most comforting moments. And that's a strength. It achieves something rare: it moves from lament to rage to peace, evoking a wide range of sensations through intricate musical work. It reminds me of many things, but I don't feel the need to classify or categorize it. If I had to name a reference, I'd point to 'Viva Chile! (1986), the debut masterpiece by Chilean legends Electrodom'sticos'just to give you a rough idea. At times, the band also approaches the monumental scale of Swans' The Seer (2012). That comparison isn't made lightly'it's just to help you imagine the intensity and ambition at play.

The album opens with 'Postparto,' a tense, mantra-like piece that sets the emotional tone. 'Anova' follows with ambient textures and sharp social commentary. 'Americana' stands out for its improvisation and shifting intensity. 'En Tiempo Muerto' leans toward jazz, with brilliant guitar work. 'Moussa' showcases the band's full power, moving between chaos and calm. 'Vida en Terranova' is cryptic and emotional, ending with an open wound. 'A. Latur' blends jazz fusion and folk, while 'Yo La Tengo' closes the album with raw emotional weight'it's the loosest track structurally, but also one of the most powerful.

This is an amazing record. Not perfect, but great. Possibly one of the best albums released this year. It's not for everyone'it's challenging, complex, and deeply emotional. But if you're into avant-garde, post-metal, dissonance, or just music that pushes boundaries, this is worth your time. I may be biased, but even so, La Brea stands out as an extremely interesting and important addition to any serious music collection.

For me this is the best Blackfield album. The first two set the bar but this one went far above it and has more emotion and great ideas. This whole album needs to be listened to as a complete concept and it is very beautiful in its execution. The essence of the ideas is everything is based on water and we are just prisoners of a world that we swim in. The air is water, the earth is water and water is water. Water is the base and we are just people who try to live and start families and become useful in the world. However, the world is not a very forgiving place and we may find happiness but more likely we will suffer. Blackfield may now be over but they put out some really great music. Aviv is a great songwriter and his collaboration with Mr. Wilson really gave the two of them a marvelous symphony of beauty. This album is 4.5 stars.

— First review of this album —

Sophisticated, smart neo-soul jazz-pop from NYC. Like hearing KOOP 20 years after the fact: Koop 2.022! (I love the band's own descriptor of "kaleidoscopic sense of time and texture"!) A big shout out to Progzilla's Epileptic Gibbon for making me aware of these amazing artists and their stunningly beautiful album!

1. "Cicadas" (5:08) strings--multiple tracks filtered through delay and echo and then woven together. So cool! (And so Jean-Luc Ponty like!) Synth pop keys and drums join in as do dreamy horns, vocalize and bass. When Hannah Selin begins to sing with verbal articulation at 2:10 her breathy ingenue voice comes in with such a sexy innocence. Totally reminiscent of 2001 KOOP with the vocal talents of the great contributions of chanteuses Cecilia Stalin Yakumi Nagano. What a refreshing, incredible start! (9/10)

2. "Bear" (1:53) opening as a very folkie tune reminding me of both HANDS OF THE HERON and A FORMAL HORSE, the music soon expands to become a more happy-go-lucky pop song with some jazzy nuances. (5/5)

3. "Dreamhouse" (5:46) a song whose complex rhythms only gain in sophistication and complexity as the song goes. Absolutely brilliant! What a great vocal performance. My favorite song on an album of great songs. (10/10)

4. "At Play" (4:05) representing more of the pure torch singing jazz vocalist, beautiful music/accompaniment certainly helps. The creative Burt Bacharach-like contributions of the horn section really change things; this is not the song I was expecting to unfold from those opening bars. I am very much reminded of the compositional skills and creativity of Philadelphia band iNFiNiEN as I listen to this. (9.5/10)

5. "Makeup" (4:16) a very pleasant jazz torch song. Hannah's breathy voice is so perfect set against the piano-based spacious jazz instrumental accompaniment. (8.875/10)

6. "Ocean's Children" (4:41) this one reminds me of JULIA HOLTER. Such creative genius coming from this vocalist! Another song that benefits so much from the horns, solid rhythm section and wobbly Herbie Hancock-like Fender Rhodes. (9.25/10)

7. "Tides" (4:42) the plodding rhythm line is a bit confusing, but then Hannah's DIANA KRALL-like vocal performance starts and I'm in a totally different universe. (What rhythm line?) I love the way the band/horns swell with the end of Hannah's vocal lines! Absolutely brilliant! Then there's a dramatic switch to a new jazzier blues motif at the three- minute mark, but things seem to settle back a bit for the final minute. (9.25/10)

8. "Prove to You" (4:44) despite Hannah's rock-like core vocal performance, I have to admit that the contribution of the Xanthoria (string) Quartet here is incredible--especially around that gorgeous chorus. (9.25/10)

9. "City Lights" (3:53) on this song Hannah's vocal performance is "hidden" somewhat within/behind the horns and piano. A pretty song, it doesn't quite live up to the amazing effectiveness of the others. (8.75/10)

Lead vocalist Hannah Selin's voice (and the effects the band & engineers have chosen to soak it with) reminds of the singers the Swedish duo calling themselves KOOP used on their 2003 album Waltz for Koop--though more Yakumi Nagano than Cecilia Stalin, though, in actual fact, more like a blend of the two. Gadadu's music is similar, as well, but much more sophisticated.

For as much as this band has excelled at eclectically gathering and blending from pop, jazz, folk, fusion, and avant garde musical traditions, I feel as this is the first album on which the band has most adventurously and confidently expressed their own musical style(s)--as if they have finally begun to express musics of the future more than syntheses of the past.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and definitely a wonderful addition to any prog lover's music collection.

"Kinship" is the second full-length studio album by Danish metal act Iotunn. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in October 2024. It´s the successor to "Access All Worlds" from 2021. There have been no lineup changes since the predecessor. Iotunn formed in Copenhagen in 2015 and released the promising "The Wizard Falls" EP in 2016 and with the release of "Access All Worlds" they started making headlines.

Stylistically the material on "Kinship" is a natural successor to the material featured on "Access All Worlds". Progressive/power metal combined with both death, black, folk, and even doom metal elements, and all delivered in an epic and atmospheric package (it´s one of the better combinations of melodic tinged metal and extreme metal I´ve heard in a while). Lead vocalist Jón Aldará (Barren Earth, Hamferð) performs both epic clean semi-operatic vocals (both low end and high end cleans), death metal growling, and black metal snarling, and as a result the vocal part of the album is quite varied. The material on the 8 tracks, 68:23 minutes long album is both eclectic in style, epic in sound, but also powerful, heavy, and massive. It´s relatively polished, but still with enough rawness to pack a punch when that is needed. Other than the paatos filled and skilled vocal performance, one of the other great assets of "Kinship" is the harmony- and lead guitar work of the two Gräs brothers, Jens and Jesper. The album is loaded with soaring epic leads that´ll have you picture great mountains and beautiful valleys, fantasy castles and dark wizards. The scope of the music is almost cinematic in nature.

"Kinship" features a high quality production job courtesy of prolific Danish producer Jacob Hansen. This is a perfect sound production for this type of music. As mentioned above the sound is relatively polished and you can hear all details clearly in the mix, but there is still bite and rawness enough for this never to become a sterile listening experience. Combined with the intriguing, sophisticated, and powerful songwriting, and the high level musical performances, this results in a high quality sophomore studio album from Iotunn. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

This may be Deep Purple's greatest album, and if not it still certainly has their masterpiece on it: the brilliant epic Child in Time, a ten-minute musical journey featuring my favorite guitar solo of all time. Blackmore plays with such emotion on this track, not to mention speed and technicality, it just amazes me. Gillan's vocals are so awe-inspiring it is hard to believe. It is not natural how well he sings here. The dueling guitar/organ solo in Speed King is quite fine too. My second favorite track, however, would have to be Hard Lovin' Man, which also includes a brilliant solo by Blackmore.

Rightfully proclaimed one of the first true heavy metal albums, In Rock is one heavy mother. Blackmore moves to the front of the mix, while Lord creeps further below (but still with a strong presence). Let us not forget Gillan's first (and one of his best) appearances. Another must get.

All in all, one of the greatest hard rock albums of all times. It is a landmark of rock 'n roll music. 5.0

I saw two other PA users review Stereolab albums so I decided to review one of my favorites by this art pop six-piece.

This is where all those consolidated sounds and styles in Stereolab's earlier albums suddenly splintered, separated and were given their own space (they hinted at it in Mars Audiac Quintet, but here it sounds charged). They still approach each song with the heavy hand of a rock sensibility (as opposed to their later smoother electro-jazzy- groovy-esoteric stuff), and cram it with experimental and inventive arrangements. A grab bag of unpolished gems. Equal parts orchestral pop, proto-punk, moog rock and funk, without actually adhering to any prefab formula. Yet to a lot of people in a lot of ways, it's the only Stereolab LP where you don't have to develop a whole new philosophy about the structure of popular music in order to appreciate it. But your parameters are challenged and broadened anyway. Take "Spark Plug", a funky number with meat, its groove offset by the robotic chant "auto production / auto organization". Or the buzzing Suicide pulse of "OLV 26", given a melodic warmth. Or the odd rhythm coupled with a Steve Reich-like vibraphone trance in "Tomorrow is Already Here". Like I said, it's heavy-handed. This ain't EZ listening. Even forays into schmaltz like "Monstre Sucre" have a weighted off-kilter quality. While tunes like "Metronomic Underground" and "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" are so catchy, so instantaneously addictive, you'd never guess they were built around riffs lifted from Yoko Ono songs. Everyone should own this, even to see just how influential they were. Subversive in its intelligent sense of fun.

4.5

Most of this CD is great, reminds me very much of the better works the band Yes put out in the 90's which isn`t surprising since three (that I know of) members have worked with Yes in the past.

The big concern for me wasn't about what the music was going to sound like as I expected it to be great, more so I was concerned what the vocals will sound like would they attempt to try and clone the Jon Andersons style (I hoped not) They only sound like Anderson a bit in the harmony vocals, but the lead voice is more like a mixture of Rabin and Anderson in its application with a slight Peter Gabriel sound to his voice (hard to explain what I mean you need to hear it)

There's the odd "throw away" song that to me wasn`t adding to the rest of the collection of well written pieces "INFORMATION OVERLOAD" went over my head I`m afraid .. but the rest of the CD is well played well executed prog rock which sounds very experienced yet fresh and not too overly ambitious. I especially liked "Look inside" and 'Brotherhood of Man".

This is not the Next "Close To The Edge" but it certainly is a pleasant surprise 4.0

Godley and Creme left 10cc at the beginning of the sessions and Eric Stewart, Greg Gouldman and Paul Burgess would give us Deceptive Bends. Obviously, they gave the world a great gift by doing so. I am quite sure that the annoying musical trickery that ruined Sheet Music (excluding "The Wall Street Shuffle") and most of The Original Soundtrack (definitely excluding "I'm Not in Love") was a Godley & Creme thing. Instead, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart were excellent songwriters who, at this point, needed to lose the shadow of the trickery to stick with the real thing. The result, Deceptive Bends, features the good sides and has lost the bad sides of the 'old' 10cc. This brings it closer to Supertramp, Wings, or ELO with a witty sense of humour.

The opening track "Good Morning Judge" is not very special, but the following three ? "The Things We Do for Love" (the wonderful hit single, a classic), "Marriage Bureau Rendezvous" and "People in Love" ? are all pure gold. "Modern Man Blues" is very different, more rocking, less harmonious, but its rhythmic changes stay within the limits of good taste. The lyrics of "Honeymoon With B Troop" turn annoying now and then but the music is very good. It is followed by a hilarious piece called "I Bought a Flat Guitar Tutor", a more ordinary (but still good) number titled "You've Got a Cold", and finally the magnum opus of the album, "Feel the Benefit" which sure is overlengthy, but sounds good enough to carry the listener through all the way.

Despite not having heard each of those so far, I am very sure that Deceptive Bends is one of he best 10cc albums in my opinion. The quality of the music on this album is very high. Recommended for everyone who likes Breakfast in America, A New World Record, or Band on the Run. It also helps if you like "I'm Not in Love." Stay away if you are looking for a '70s British Mothers of Invention album. At this point that band no longer existed. If you play this you will feel the benefits. 5.0

IN BRAZIL THEY CAN PLAY FOOTBALL, AND THEY CAN MAKE MUSIC, WOW!

Luiz Alvim is a Brazilian keyboardist and composer with a background in classical piano. He has performed live and recorded with a diverse range of artists. Progressive rock is often defined by intricate compositions, virtuosic performances, and a willingness to push boundaries. The LAB Experience, led by Luiz Alvim, takes this philosophy to a new level by completely omitting guitars, one of the genre's most fundamental instruments. The result is an album that challenges conventions while maintaining the depth and complexity that fans of progressive music crave. The album consists of a mix of original compositions and reinterpretations of previous works, enriched by contributions from various guest musicians.

Well, as a huge vintage keyboards aficionado it took very little time to get excited about this instrumental first album by The LAB Experience (only keyboards, bass and drums), what a great sound, and what a skilled musicians.

The first 3 tracks A Long Time Ago, m.a.r.i.k. and Parallel Dimensions deliver bombastic mid-tempo beats featuring dazzling synthesizer runs and swirling Hammond organ, backed by a powerful and dynamic rhythm-section, the interplay is awesome, often Japanese Gerard (the era as a trio) comes to my mind.

The fourth composition The Mind starts with a fat synthesizer sound, then the music delivers more variety, with several breaks, including Mellotron violins, blended with a fat bass sound and propulsive drums, and a short but swinging bass solo.

Next Future Dreaminess, first an ominous spacey climate, like horror soundtrack, then accellaration with Hammond, followed by soaring strings and slow rhythm, spacey synthesizer flights. Halfway a mid-tempo beat and lots of keyboard pyrotechnics, fuelled by a powerful bass. In the second part a break with Mellotron violins and a growling bass and propulsive drums, how exciting.

Then the epic composition Astral Zenith. It opens with a majestic Hammond organ and tremolo Leslie sound and concludes with tender piano runs, in between lots of shifting moods (from dreamy to bombastic) featuring Vintage Keyboard Heaven: Mellotron violins eruptions and soaring Mellotron flutes, dazzling pitchbend driven Minimoog synthesizer flights and spectacular Hammond organ soli, topped with amazing work on bass and drums, wow!

And finally the short The End, a beautiful piece built around tender Grand piano, tastefully blended with soaring Mellotron violins, dreamy bass work, and a churchy Hammond sound.

What a stunning debut album, highly recommended to all keyboard aficionados!

For me this kind of new bands is the reason that I stil write about prog since 1992, obrigado Luiz!

Recorded in December of 1974 in Oslo's Arne Bendiksen Studio with Jan Erik Kongshaug sitting behind the engineering console, it was released during the following year by ECM--perhaps as late as September. Many consider this album as a defining moment--even one the crowning achievements--of Manfred Eicher's ECM label.

A1. "Oceanus" (10:58) a very cool, very fresh sound with Jon Christensen and Ralph Towner keeping busy on their respective instruments while Eberhard Weber almost drones away on his bowed electric bass (or cello) and Jan Garbarek fills the front with periodic exhalations from his sonorous tenor sax. The quartet amps up the intensity and volume a bit in the fifth minute before Ralph enters into a jazzy 12-string solo. I'm hard pressed to tell you whether or not the syncopated rhythm 12-string work is the same track with Ralph playing it all at once or whether there is a completely separate track dedicated explicitly to each (lead and rhythm). Jon Christensen's infinitely-nuanced cymbal and snare work is so patiently deployed, responding to Ralph's guitar work that it almost feels as if the two were joined at the brain. And Jan and Eberhard's contributions are so respectful, so reactive and ego-less. (I think that would be the quality I can claim to like best with regards to Jan's saxophone playing: his patient response to both external and internal "calls to action.") Brilliant and enjoyable song despite lacking much in the way of melody. (Weird to think that Eberhard's drone-like bass notes may have been the most melodic in the song--at least in terms of a Western sensibility of what is "melodic.") (18/20)

A2. "Visitation" (2:32) an exercise in Nature and primordial recreation. (4.333/5) A3. "Drifting Petals" (6:56) Ralph on solo piano playing a playful, gentle, introspective pastoral tune is joined in the second minute by Jan's flute. In the third minute, drums, reverberated fretless electrified bass, and Ralph's 12-string guitar step forward to creepy-crawl an exercise in hypervigilance--one that each of these ECM masters are completely up to task. The whole-band dynamic interplay in the fifth minute--both loud and soft--provides a real emotional peak. And the return to gentle piano arpeggi and guitar flute for the final minute is a display of sheer perfection in symmetry. (13.75/15)

B1. "Nimbus" (6:25) here is where I see fodder and inspiration for Pat Metheny's own solo acoustic guitar work. My favorite song on the album: it's absolutely gorgeous music. After 2:30 of exquisite solo acoustic guitar work the band is slowly coaxed into joining Ralph: first Jan's flute, then a slow entry of Jon' beautifully nuanced drumming, along with more tracks of Ralph's guitars and two tracks of Eberhard: one on bowed cello and one on upright double bass. Once full speed has been reached Ralph's awesome 12-string play is met face-to-face with Eberhard's dynamic double bass play and the entry of Jan's perfectly-balancing tenor sax. I don't always like Jan's work (or that of any saxophonist) but this is amazing--and powerful! Great, rousing band interplay over the course of those final couple minutes. Wonderful music even acoustic musicians can make thanks to the magic of multi-tracking! (10/10)

B2. "Winter Solstice" (3:58) Ralph playing near-Spanish style classical guitar with Jan meeting and matching him all along the way with his soprano sax. Man! These two are so in sync--so attuned! And both are definitely putting their full virtuosity on full display. Though I'm not such a fan of the melodies chosen/played by the two, I am so incredibly impressed by their astonishing timing in conveying them that I can't help but be won over. Standing ovations for this one! (9.75/10)

B3. "Piscean Dance" (3:33) funk in acoustic jazz?!? Jon Christensen and Ralph are definitely trying their best to demonstrate its possibility! Definitely a song that both impresses and endears both artists to me even more. (9.3333/10)

B4. "Red And Black" (1:12) electric guitar, volume-controlled whale sounds from Eberhard's electrified bass, and Ralph's acoustic guitar explorations--all coming together as if purely intended as an exploration of a certain sound possibility. (4.375/5)

B5. "Sand" (4:07) droning (and, probably, heavily-effected) sustained bowed cello notes joined by double bass notes with soprano sax splatterings and, eventually, Jon's funky drum play and effected 12-string guitar strums and gentle pickings all come together to create a sound palette that sounds remarkably similar to that which Corrado Rustici, Elio D'Anna, Percy Jones, Renato Rosset, and Narada Michael Walden will be creating for their 1976 NOVA album, Vimana. (9.33333/10)

Total Time: 40:57

I am emotionally and mentally blown away by the music Ralph and his virtuosic friends (and Manfred Eicher's production crew at ECM) have created for this album!

A/five stars; a masterpiece of some of the finest, most creative guitar-centered acoustic jazz you are likely to ever hear.

Much of what I think here is similar to what I said in my 'Pictures from the other side' review. No matter how much I listen to the main track I fail to find it 'Proggy' enough. Yes, there are the subtleties, but given 24 minutes one expects more of an memorable journey with a grand finale. I mean, it's all very listenable, but it doesn't really grab you. 'All around the World' seems to end up being blues number, which just leaves me cold. 'Cyan' is an instrumental which developes into a Steve & John Hackett type of song, which is good. Ultimately, despite the musicianship and production being superb, they can't hide what is ultimately a weak primary track.

It's difficult to know what to say really. The overriding thing for me is that much of it isn't strictly Prog, but then what is Prog? If the sound is too familiar then we'll criticise it for not being new, but the vehicle here seems to provide the basis for Love songs/Ballards, which surely isn't Prog. Whatever, if you listen to the album a lot then you'll find plenty of Prog subtleties to enjoy, as both the production and the musicianship are first class. The real winner here, and perhaps the most important musical instrument being used here is Peter Jones's voice, which never fails given the tasks thrown at it. These are heightened with the accompaniment of the female voice of Anghared Brinn, and when the pair of them sing together it's absolutely faultless. Overall, it's a pleasant enough listen, but probably not what you are expecting. Sadly, I feel that I can only award it 3 stars because I don't feel that there's enough of what I define as 'Prog' music to justify giving it more.

With the auspicious and revitalizing "Burn", it seemed that the winds were blowing again in Deep Purple's favor but, as in other occasions in the band's history, particular situations ended up influencing the final result of the following album, "Stormbringer" (1974), the ninth of their discography. The personal problems of Ritchie Blackmore immersed in a hard divorce process derived in his little implication in the creative process of the album, assumed mainly by David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, inclined towards more Funky and soulful sonorities in demedro of the hardrock rispidness.

Although, as in "Burn", the auspicious beginning with Blackmore's guitar deployment in the homonymous and robust "Stormbringer" (the best song of the album), the proposal is nevertheless heading towards more accessible harmonies, as with the cloying "Love Don't Mean A Thing", the innocuous "Hold On", or the inconsequential "You Can't Do It Right", accompanied by the lightened boogie rock of the agitated "Lady Double Dealer" and "High Ball Shooter", the latter featuring one of the sporadic appearances of Jon Lord's hammond on the album.

And both the peaceful semi-ballad "Holy Man" with Hughes' spirited vocals, the misty half-time of "The Gypsy", and the melancholic "Soldier of Fortune" with Blackmore's delicate acoustic arpeggios and the best Coverdale on vocals, balance a little more a work that Blackmore belittled with insulting terms.

A few months after the recording of "Stormbringer", whose imposing cover is a colored adaptation of a photograph of a tornado in Minnesota (USA) in July 1927 complemented by the winged horse 'Pegasus' from Greek mythology, the irascible man in black would leave Deep Purple for the first time to form Rainbow.

2.5/3 stars

What a fun album! The most exciting DB live collection you can find, in my opinion. The man himself is in great voice & in an even better mood, and his band simply smoke. Thanks to master drummer Dennis Davis (who does wonders throughout) the climactic third part of 'Station to Station' sounds incredibly funky, and let's not forget lead guitarist Stacey Heydon, who joined Bowie just for this tour and was never heard of thereafter. Who needs Earl Slick when you can have Heydon? In the hands of this particular band, 'Stay' sounds about three times as exciting as the original studio version, and Bowie's performance of 'Word on a Wing' (which I always skip when listening to STATION TO STATION) finally acquires the depth it so sorely needed. It's a pity the 1976 live band never attempted 'Wild is the Wind'; I would have loved to hear Carlos Alomar's elegant guitar stylistics, which also dominated the delightful 'Golden Years' - another '75/'76 tune that's missing here... Alomar seems to be taking a back seat; during the set's highlights (such as 'Queen Bitch', 'Panic in Detroit' and 'Diamond Dogs') it's Stacey Heydon's heavily distorted guitar that stands out. Tony Kaye gets to play the piano part that was devised for 'Life on Mars?' by his eventual successor in Yes - wonder how he felt about that? As you can imagine, he leaves out most of Rick Wakeman's rococo flourishes, and generally speaking his keyboard accompaniments are subtle but highly effective.

Are there any problems with this collection? Well, I guess you could claim that 'TVC15' goes on for a little too long (though it features a splendid little bass solo by George Murray) and the same probably goes for 'The Jean Genie', the final number... (And if I have to be perfectly honest, I should add I could never stand 'Rebel Rebel'.) But let's be grateful for what we've got! Was Bowie still in the throes of addiction when this was recorded? If so, you just can't tell; he sounds like a man who's fully in his element.

(Originally written in 2022)

It seems like I am starting to make a trend of sorts where I review albums with a very similar sound, Yoshimi, Long Season, and now Dots and Loops. A trifecta of sorts of more dreamy psych rock with mixes of experimentation it's sort of funny to review three albums from three of the biggest continents, America, Europe, and Asia. Kinda unique how things manage to work out like that. Anyways, I was recommended to check this album out, so thanks.

So, about Stereolab. They are an English French band formed in the 90s with Tim Gane (Guitar, keyboards), and Lætitia Sadier (lead vocals, keyboard, guitar, percussion), both of whom were involved in the 80s pop group, McCarthy. Members throughout the band's history would come and go, some of which were from bands before, sort of and sort of not making Stereolab a supergroup. The band is considered to be one of the early post-rock bands, mostly from the first wave of post-rock, before the likes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and modern-day Swans took the world by storm. They, Slint, Talk Talk, and Cul De Sac are considered to be forefathers in post-rock in a way, and while I could argue bands like Faust or Neu (or any krautrock group in general if you really think about it), generally speaking, the late 80s through early 90s is when post-rock was born, and bands like Stereolab are rather popular in small internet circles for this reason alone. However, do I like this record? Yeah, but not entirely.

The album begins with Brakhage, and this is when we have to get familiar with this sound right from the get-go, because the entire album is very closely similar to this one song. It is very easy to listen to, and when I say that I do not mean it's bad, I just say that in general, it is probably one of the most pop-sounding post songs to be conceived. The guitars are lush, the vocals are smooth, and the general vibe of this song is very soft and fuzzy. You can feel that this song is meant to be comfortable in a good way. It is relaxing, never too complex, and very easy to settle into. Not a bad start to the album, though I wish they did experiment a bit more.

Miss Modular, the next track on the album, is sort of the same. It is very easy to listen to and get a hang of, and while I like the song, this shows one of the faults this album has. Every song here doesn't change all that much, they do add new elements to slightly spice things up, but they never experiment with their sound. Each song feels the same, with no new emotions or thoughts and feelings, almost cookie-cutter-like. It feels weird to never see this, especially for an album that is very artsy and is considered one of the early examples of a genre that loves to bend and experiment with each passing song. I cannot say I entirely dislike it. I feel like they knew what they wanted to achieve, and with that, they have achieved their main goal of creating a very easy listening experience, so I do applaud them for that, however, their main goal should have a little more weight. It frustrates me to hear talent not being utilized to create something that could bend and shape rock or pop music, but instead never actually try to be unique or different.

This is an example of the 17-minute long song, Refractions in the Plastic Pulse. When I think of 17-minute songs I think of some big names that are very experimental, very groundbreaking, or very sonically enriched. Stuff like In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly or Ocean Cloud by Marillion comes to mind in which both songs try new stuff throughout, experimenting with the band's sounds to create a new sonic experience like never before in music. That is why I generally call 15+ minute songs epics because they break the mold, they try new things that previous songs might've not had the chance to do before in the album. Here with this song though it all just continues what the album did before, the only difference is that it has elongated itself into the double digits. Due to this reason, I felt immensely disappointed with this one track. It feels almost cheap to not have a long song that has at least some kind of new sound or something along those notes. It is clear they still can create good music with songs before and after this, with Diagonals being my favorite example with it adding horns to the mix. If this track did stuff like that and tried new things more often then I would say it's a great track, but as it stands it doesn't stand well in the face of so many other long tracks.

The rest of the album is again still very solid. Lush and harmonic sounds galore here. However, I have to say I find it odd this album is so popular with its very apparent and needless flaws. Quite frankly, the reception garnered feels undeserved. I do not hate this album, but it doesn't do much for me to love it. I'd say skip this one since for the first wave of post-rock there are much better, much more ground molding and much more diverse albums out there than this one.