PROGRESSIVE ELECTRONIC

— First review of this album —

SPRING EQUINOX: MOON'S MILK OR UNDER AN UNQUIET SKULL is the first edition in the Season series of limited edition Equinox/Solstice releases by the bizarre experimental electronic act COIL. The first Season was originally released in 1998 on 7" vinyl and were limited to 1000 copies with both white and yellow vinyl. It was also released on CD and then repressed in 2001. This is a short but utterly bizarre EP that contains only two tracks and clocks in at 16:40. This Season along with the other three CD versions can all be found together on the compilation "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)"

"Spring Equinox: Moon's Milk Or Under An Unquiet Skull (Part 1)" starts out with a ghostly "hello" being uttered and then fading out and then a haunting drone buzz electrifies the background with a church organ churning out some psychedelic classically infused keyboard runs. As the music loops around itself the tape slows down and speeds up sounding like a time travel experience with ripples in the space-time continuum hitting turbulent pockets of non-linearity. There are also some sort of spectral sounds overlapping the drone sound and bubble up to the surface and drop out again. This eldritch enigmatic worship of the first season is truly an anthem on display in tripper's paradise as the track undulates like an underwater tsunami seeking a coastal community to devastate

"Spring Equinox: Moon's Milk Or Under An Unquiet Skull (Part 2)" begins some violin strings being plucked but follows suit with a darkened drone fading in and out with shifting dynamics. While this second track sounds much like the first in terms of phantasmal awakenings of interdimensional beings bringing in the new season, this one has a sad and lachrymose violin that screeches and extracts the most eerie and mystifying soundscape. The drone is more subdued and there is an ambient keyboard haze frosting the preternaturalism and lazily floats off into the ethers

Very surreal in about every way. This first Season of the series does not bring the lively feel of Easter bunnies or baby chicks, instead bringing a supernatural and transcendental spectrum of sounds that is quite unnerving and downright scary

— First review of this album —

SUMMER SOLSTICE: BEE STINGS is the second edition in the Season series of limited edition Equinox/Solstice releases by the bizarre experimental electronic act COIL. The second Season was originally released on 7" and limited to 1300 copies on honey yellow vinyl and 50 copies on green vinyl. The original vinyl from 1998 only contained two tracks "Bee Stings" and "Summer Substructures" while the CD version contains two extra tracks "Glowworms / Waveforms" and "A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)." The CD has a running time of 24:03 while the LP was meant to have side one played at 45 rpm while side two at 33 1/2 rpm. This Season along with the other three CD versions can all be found together on the compilation "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)" "Bee Stings" has a looped melody with one of those heavy distorted synthesizer sounds accompanied by spoken lyrics about the SUMMER. There is a subdued violin as well and after a couple minutes some tribal drumming joins in along with some kind of distorted sound in the background that creates a counterpoint of power chords to the melody

"Glowworms / Waveforms" also hosts more spoken poetic lyrics, a dark ambient background gaze and a goat or two making goat noises. More noises join in: a buzz, a rhythmic noise simulating a heartbeat i guess and various ringing things and other synth effects

"Summer Substructures" is very similar with a airy breezy background ambience with a violin and vocals that are actually sung but retain a British accent. This one is the longest clocking in over the eight minute mark. It oddly reminds me of Laurie Anderson and her avant-garde ways of taking a violin, a strange melody and milking for all its weirdness. The melody on this one is very odd. It is very angular, obtuse and melodically oblique. There seems to be something conjuring up in SUMMER's bounty but it remains a very strange tumbling of soundscapes that create some sort of 20th century classical avant-garde music

"A Warning From The Sun (For Fritz)" is a jarring and complete 180 from the overly subdued previous track. This is a violent industrial electronica act that sounds like a synthesizer is exploding from within. Given the title, it very much represents the violent flares of Sun activities. After random noise, a very bizarre melody emerges with sung vocals. The violent sun spot activity sounds continue to provide the chaotic percussion while the almost Hawaiian melody that can barely be made out provides the backbone to the dissonant vocal attempts to harmonize. Strange one here

This one is sufficiently bizarre but the vocals on this one just rub me the wrong way. They mar the otherwise perfectly surreal soundscapes and add a layer of goofiness to it all. It would have been much better if some attempt to create equally bizarre vocals were on board. This has always been my least favorite Season releases even though summer is my favorite season. This one just didn't make all the elements on board gel into the proper summery stew

— First review of this album —

AUTUMN EQUINOX: AMETHYST DECEIVERS is the third edition in the Season series of limited edition Equinox/Solstice releases by the bizarre experimental electronic act COIL. The third Season was originally released on 7" and limited to 100 copies on dark red vinyl and 40 copies on light blue vinyl. The original vinyl from 1998 only contained two tracks "Amethyst Deceivers" and "Switches" while the CD version contains three extra tracks "Regel," "Rosa Decidua" and "The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant." The CD has a running time of 23:36. This Season along with the other three CD versions can all be found together on the compilation "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)"

"Regel" starts with a high pitched undulating freaky sound accompanied by wolf call vocals and some chanting but only lasts 1:13 so ends fairly quickly

"Rosa Decidua" starts off slow, sensual and lugubrious and then is joined in by the diva vocal duties of Rose McDowall and the male spoken poetry of Robert Lee. This one has a beautiful floating melody that is only expressed by synthesizer sounds that flow around each other like oil and water in a lava lamp but keeping each other in check to provide a larger sum of the parts. The intensity ratchets up. This one is like a more tripped out percussion-free version of Dead Can Dance. There is some sort of underlying folk music to it but it is properly obfuscated by the undulating synthesizers and vocal tapestry

"Switches" changes the mood from ethereal and floaty to more dark, dank and industrial. A monoambience permeates the sonicscape and remains floating for a while before synthesized scary sounds start to "talk" to each other. One is deep and kind of buzzing in sound while the other is more like a cat's meow on helium. There is also a train whistle type of sound that joins them. Emphasis is on sound dynamics entering and exiting the stage. No melodies here. This is just plain weird and otherworldly

"The Auto-Asphyxiating Hierophant" is yet another bizarre creation. It has a tom-tom drum beat that irregularly beats and keeps the synth sounds that are swirling about from creating a complete collapse of sanity. There are electronically processed vocals that are narrating some sort of tale but fairly unintelligible. The drum beat actually makes me think of a giant walking towards me as i try to hide under any suitable object in his oversized castle. It's hard to believe but every single track on this one outweirds the next. It ends with some kind of pulsating synthesized sounds that would actually feel at home on a Pink Floyd album but they cede way to the avant-chamber music again. The tension on this one is almost unbearable!

"Amethyst Deceivers" feels like standing in a sandstorm and having the grains of sand blowing start to sing but then once it all settles we hear a bizarre angular melody on synthesizers with a swooshing sound in the background. A freaky vocal begins to narrate a tale. This is not only my favorite of the Season series but one of my favorite COIL albums overall with one totally freaked out mind bleep after another. These guys really had a way of taking the listener to an entirely different musical dimension and messing with your mind like no one else

— First review of this album —

WINTER SOLSTICE is the fourth edition in the Season series of limited edition Equinox/Solstice releases by the bizarre experimental electronic act COIL. Unlike the other three seasons that were released in 1998, this one was delayed and came out in 1999. It was initially released limited to 1000 copies on clear vinyl with another 45 signed copies on fluorescent orange vinyl. A second pressing of 300 copies was released on white vinyl. The original vinyl releases contained only the two tracks "A White Rainbow" and "Christmas Is Drawing Near" while the CD versions added the two extra tracks "North" and "Magnetic North." This Season along with the other three CD versions can all be found together on the compilation "Moon's Milk (In Four Phases)"

"A White Rainbow" initiates a industrial drone sound that slightly slides up and down in pitch and then is joined in by an irregular percussive beat and an almost folky type synthesized lick and sung vocals in the foreground with an echo effect of background vocals. This one reminds me of Dead Can Dance in many ways. It has a very strange mix of folk elements and electronica

"North" is focused on creating a harsh ambient background. It almost sounds like a helicopter. A sinister organ slowly joins in and becomes dominant. This is a bizarre dungeon synth track with a steady rhythmic pulse and what sounds like processed vocals shrieking out from the abyss. The vocals become less process and more intelligible while the undulating rhythm pulse continues to stomp about like a mammoth on the frozen tundra

"Magnetic North" is a much calmer track with placid keyboards lulling ambience and spoken poetry. The drone keeps an eerie feel as the poetry becomes more forceful. This is in fact nothing more than ambient backed spoken word poetry that goes on far too long

"Christmas Is Now Drawing Near." While nothing surprises the listener when listening to the surreal musical world of COIL, no one would expect a traditional Catholic Christmas song from them! This one features the extra vocal contributions of Rosa McDowall and Robert Lee. Despite this one being a traditional COIL manages to give it their own personalized freaky feel however this is probably one of the least bizarre tracks on all of the Seasons releases. This one reminds me more of a Loreena McKennitt song than COIL because of the Celtic folk feel but what the hey

— First review of this album —

2016 has been an interesting year for progressive-electronic/ambient icon Steve Roach. A few months back, the artist released two wildly different collaborative works with younger electronic musician Robert Logan, `Biosonic', which fused distinctively modern twitching liquid beats to subdued ambience, and `Second Nature', a sparse and pinpoint-fragile piano-based work. After a free download release `This Place to Be', `Shadow of Time' sees the artist back on his own and returning to the lengthy droning minimalist pieces of contemplative atmospheres and meditative moods he is often associated with these days, but still evolving and refining his work with the precision and subtlety that only a master of the genre can so carefully deliver.

Despite press release statements comparing this new work to two of Roach's defining early releases, `Quiet Music' and the landmark 1984 dreamy and comforting electronic classic `Structures from Silence', `Shadow of Time' also flirts with darker reflective moods and the most careful of softly melancholic ambience. The title even has a somewhat ominous hint of confronting some inevitable things in life that no-one is eventually immune from being faced with, but the music finds a common ground of the dark and light so that the album is neither too airy or too stark.

The opening 38-minute title track, devoid completely of any sort of percussive elements as is the entire disc, unfolds with an aching and reaching sweeping melancholy, but careful repeated listens reveal some skilfully subtle reprised themes that effortlessly weave in and out of the piece, with hopeful slivers of light teeming with life and reassurance beginning to break through and bring a delicate balance in the second half. Caressing synth washes glide through each-other in dreamy, drowsy embraces in the almost 24-minute `Night Ascends' (which is also available in an extended and reworked 78-minute digital download version that will hopefully see a stand-alone CD release in the near future), bringing a sensation of winding down as the day ends and finding solace in sleep with the promise of a new day ahead. `Cloud of Knowing' probably comes closest to the above mentioned important Roach titles (as well as lightly reminding of the opening title-track off his 2014 classic `The Delicate Forever', just without the psychedelic trickles of that one) with approaching and retreating ebbing fuzzy waves that quickly glisten with warmth, and it provides the close of the disc with a sense of hope and contentment, a quality slowly but constantly revealing itself throughout this entire set.

It's sometimes hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of the back catalogue of music Mr Roach has, or the amount of effort it takes for one of his works to gradually sink in. But given enough patient listens where the music is allowed to seep into your consciousness, `Shadow of Time' proves to be utterly captivating and deeply moving, a subtle and timeless work of great depth and genuine emotion that grows in power with each new closer listen. Only time itself will reveal if this is one of his true modern electronic classics, but there's every indication it will go on to be counted among his very best.

Four and a half stars (and add an extra star for Michael Karcz's mesmerizing cover art).

— First review of this album —

'Cosmic Ground III' already... how time flies. Mind you, Tangerine Dream believed that Zeit was motionless and only existed in our own minds. If that sounds implausible, try listening to this album in a dark room.

I found Bandcamp's email alert about this album just after listening to Airbag's first album, 'Identity' and it set me thinking about 'mimic' bands. For those who don't know, Cosmic Ground is to Tangerine Dream what Airbag is to Pink Floyd. On the one hand, it is easy to disparage mimic bands, but on the other (and this is how I feel) they provide refreshing exposure to sounds we love from the Old Masters. And both Airbag and Cosmic Ground have taught me the same thing - the depth of invention of the Old Masters in elaborating their compositions. Because this extra dimension is absent in the Airbag/Cosmic Ground compositions - both bands recreate the Old Masters' sounds continuously but develop them less. I don't know if that makes sense or if I have been listening to 'CG III' too long now.

To get to my assessment, 'CG III' is another very definite four-star album in this series. Because of the lesser symphonic overlay compared to Tangerine Dream (see above), all Cosmic Ground tracks are even more hypnotic - and actually sustain their mystery in repeated plays because of the relative lack of landmark episodes. And the recreation of the phonic infrastructure is very, very impressive.

Verdict: If you liked the first two albums, you will like this one - without feeling it repeats material.

— First review of this album —

Deep dream like dronescapes flowing through sky level highs and expansive earthly widths.

Lambwool & Nicholas Dick- "POST", 2014.

This release shamelessly shows out how high Lambwool's music composition talents are evolving. Maybe the addition of well known Nicolas DICK (Kill The Thrill/ Stream of Consciousness) atmospheric guitar adds up an electric/earthly touch, enhancing the perfect structuring of each track and their explosive outbursts. (Featuring also Bertrand Schacre / additional guitars on "Factories", track 5).

A seven track release in the electronic music tenor of the Fripp & Eno's, or better yet, Fayman & Fripp's experimental cosmic music recordings, to place it somewhere in the collective progressive electronic minds, but only as a reference in its music-geographical location.

Each track is increasingly hypnotic but above all they are full spirited, energetic and endlessly creative. Beautiful without vanity, deep and spiritual to the core in any shade it comes.

Each track travels its own route and as the perfect vacation, each place outdoes the other and so on, until you just want to start the whole trip again, from the beginning.

Flawless!

*****5 -FULL- PA stars.

Give yourself some adventurous pleasure!

As I mentioned in my previous Lambwool review, this musician has a knack for symphonic structures as for the orchestral sound. In the hands of less creative musicians this whims become over pretentious and insignificant, but in the hands of electronic music composers Cyril Laurent aka Lambwool this possibilities grow accordingly to his talent and means of expression.

Let me dig a little bit on the symphonic and orchestal terms. By symphonic , I do mean the classic music structures and partitions and by orchestral I mean the multiple arrangement of instruments but in Cyril Laurent's electronic world these varied instruments also include electronic sounds, effects, field-recordings, piano & synths. That mentioned, let me continue my review.

MONO, 2009,compresses Lambwool's music composition possible highlights into two single tracks, therefore reducing both pieces to their brighter and perfect pitch flow and progression. No wastelands nor fillers, both pieces are a constant fluctuation of creativity both in rhythm and melody. And there exactly lies the real deal about this release, its music composition moves in that kind of level where mere composers turn into magicians.

Lambwool's electronic dronescaping musical language is friendly (which does not mean sugarly),it is rich yet constantly experimental even obscure at times and it is intelligent as it is attractive thus enticing. His "orchestral" arrangements work wonders in their structuring, counterpoints and moods, as his perfect distance of over doing them.

The string like sections in their epic depictions may turn a bit too passionate, but not the point of becoming cliches, although quiet close, once or twice, which is in fact the only reason I am not rating it with the 5 stars medal, besides that this is a must in any Progressive Electronic collection.

****4.6 PA stars.

— First review of this album —

As a review, which was recommended by the Cloudland Canyon's founding members themselves mentions, this work is a total groundbreaking point in this band's career.

No explanations needed on why or how this transformation in music composition came upon, this "Aureliua", 2012, EP is great!

Progressive Electronics which are launched from an unothodox Berlin/West Coast departing point, blending micro-minimalistic melody lines with deep and attractive electronic environments.

The real deal, as in all great works, has to do with music composition or plainly how able are you to create musical structures which will be listened with the same enthusiasm they were originally written with.

No dense smoked atmospheres as previous works, opposite to that in this release, the structures are up front clean.

3 tracks travelling parallel yet asymmetrical paths. Each one depicting its own world. The 60's fashion has been stripped out to an undetectable minimum, in favour of a more contemporary electronic environment. No preachings nor prayings, mostly instrumental if not for some high- tec choruses and an 80's like scream in its best track "Light Falling", track 3, more there than here. All 3 tracks run in a mid/fast paced motion through pulses and electronic drum rhythms .

Fairly unique in its electronic music approach, perfectly structured and wrapped tightly around its enticing melody lines which keep you hooked till the last drop.

Made accessible by the band through their SoundCloud plattaform, to even out its limited edition publishing, this release is a sure ****4 PA's stars Progressive Electronics release.

— First review of this album —

I waited a while to give this Cloudland Canyon, 2008, "Lie in Light" a good listening due to the fact that I was quiet mesmerized by their later, 2012 EP "Aureliua".

Well, from these ashes they rose....

Lie in Light / track by track >

"Krautwerk" , its first track blends , as it title implies, Krautrock, with Roxy Music's made up "Strand" and bits of synth pop. Although it obviously was intended to be high spirited, things get tangled up along the way and "the fun" seems quiet artificial. 2 stars.

"White Woman" , track 2, also holds a retro 60's fashion, involving high pitched wind instrument like sounds and noise while a praying like voice throws some Hippie like lyrics. Much in tune with the USA's Flower Children's West Coast vibe in those days. 2.5 stars.

"You and I", third track, is far better than its elder siblings and by far. A bit of psychedelics mixed with Progressive Electronics among an under recorded voice which follows the synth/pop rhythm to then disappear to leave a droning/noisy environment as its epilogue. 3.5 stars.

"Scheise Schatzi, Auf Wiedersehen", the 4th track, explores those instrumental, cacophonous, high pitched noises in between some industrial, sweeping and triggering synth's flashes. Experimental and quiet successful in its results. 3 stars.

"Herme", track 5, continues this instrumental experimental ideas in a nice blend between noises, the 60's hippie styling in voice, rhythm and guitar, which actually ended up founding the Krautrock sound, but doing so without the USA's blues colors which were an integral part of that style, which is quiet fine. 3.5 stars.

"Lie in Light", a noisy dronescape with a high dosage of quirky and twisty synth noises which have as a background a kind of spiritual and massive melody line with some unintelligible choruses yet subtly funny and irreverent, as early good Kratrock was. 4 stars.

"Mothlight" the final track, plays in a more song like tradition. Wah Wah guitar, a super dense and noisy atmosphere, chanted riffs and an obscure constant electric guitar soloing. Again the cross between the 60's styled underground rock and the contemporary whirling sounds construct the piece. The melody line is just average but true to its nature. 3 stars

All in all, I would recommend it to the dense Rock crowd or as they are now known as Stoners and the Krautrock/Psychedelic listeners who enjoy up to these days, the now highly fashionable then underground, 60's music unwritten protocols.

***3 PA stars flat.