MUSIC FOR WASTELANDS

Norwegian band OSSICLES was formed in 2011 by cousins Sondre Veland and Bastian Veland. Their debut album "Mantelpiece" was met with praise from some noteworthy musicians, such as Steven Wilson and Mike Portnoy, and the latter invited them to perform at the Progressive Nation at Sea event in 2014. "Music for Wastelands" is their second studio album, released by the Norwegian label Karisma Records in the late fall of 2015.

Elegant and often accessible progressive rock with a distinct jazz-rock undercurrent is what this Norwegian duo provides us on their second studio album "Music for Wastelands", with a few detours into landscapes more aligned with purebred progressive rock and occasional lapses into territories of a more challenging general nature. Those who tend to admire compelling and careful blends of progressive rock and jazz-rock strike me as a key audience for this album, and then especially those in that crowd who appreciate the occasional left turn into landscapes somewhat more demanding.