Review: When keyboardist Thomas Jonsson, guitarist and bassist oMar Gudjonsson, saxophonist oSkar Gudjonsson and drummer Magnus Trygvason Eliassen take the stage, they channel the raw resilience of Northern Europe's islanders who have endured long, icy winters for centuries. Their energy transcends genres and has proven to captivate jazz enthusiasts, rock fans and ravers alike. This primal, non-verbal expression predates language yet remains deeply contemporary by blending cosmic vastness with free imagination and profound mysticism. Their music is a convergence of timeless human impulses and fresh creativity. It's challenging but hugely rewarding.
Review: After Dinner is like one of those molecular gastronomy adventures, where dishes are both playful and highly complex, not necessarily revealing themselves until the very end. Done with talk of food? Let's just say this is a loose art collective led by a composer called Haco, who were concerned with taking musical plurality and splicing disparate elements together to create a kind of friendly Frankenstein's monster of sound.
And friendly it definitely is. Considered a true one-off of Japanese pop-art rock-avant garde, Paradise of Replica is jaunty, it's amusing, it's beguiling and, ultimately, incredibly immersive. There are moments where the clash of pianos plucked straight from a comedy of manners opera and rough electric guitars (to give one example of the juxtapositions) feel rather strange, but it doesn't take too long for you to get sucked right into the centre of this insane sonic universe.
Review: Alphataurus may not mean that much to a lot of people, but for anyone aware of the Milanese progressive rock titans, the fact they have a new record out will capture the imagination. After all, the outfit have been making a big impact with every album they've put out since - and including - the staggeringly ambitious self-titled 1973 debut. However, it's been a decade since we last had anything from them. Enter 2084: Viaggio Nel Nulla, then, a collection of music that marks a real turning point for Alphataurus, with the lengthy (to put it mildly) recording process ending with the departure of founding guitarist Guido Wassermann. Whether die hard fans will think what's here is worth the pain of that decision to leave is anyone's guess, but this collection is unarguably dystopian, futuristic, exploratory, cosmic and, almost conversely, accessible and catchy.
Review: Ash Ra Tempel's fifth and - in most ways of judging it - final album was really also a swan song for the late, great Manuel Gottsching. Recoded at Studio Dierks, in the small, picturesque and windmill-happy German village of Stommeln by none other than Scorpions studio chief Dieter Dierks, there's a lot happening on Starring Rosi. And all of it really pretty damn good. It's funk, it's epic. It's moody, it's upbeat. It's steeped in an air of Krautrock and space rock, yet also wouldn't sound out of place providing the slap bass and guitar licks for a 1970s movie trailer. Simply put, it's Ash Ra Tempel, from the cosmic warmup and gradual build go 'Laughter Loving', through the folk-ish serenity of 'The Fairy Dance' and warbling, warped cacophonies on 'Schizo'.
Review: 7 Up is three things; a ubiquitous energy drink brand, an infamous TV show charting the upbringing and development of various children from the ages of seven upwards, and the third studio album by Ash Ra Tempel - their only collaborative piece with notorious psychologist and psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary. Supposedly, the sprawling psych-Moog album was named after a bottle of 7 Up that had been spiked with LSD was given to the band's lyricist Brian Barritt. This new version contains the original manuscript of the album's concept by Leary, as well as photos from the recording session in Bern.
Review: Nature documentary series The Living Planet very much captured the imagination of Raoul Bjorkenheim back in 1986. It featured erupting volcanoes and plumes of molten lava and some of that drama and energy is captured in this fine jazz album which now gets a new extended reissue. Bjorkenheim studied at the Helsinki Conservatory for a year and the Berklee College of Music in Boston for three years and worked with composer and drummer Edward 'Eetu' Vesala. For this album, he played with reed virtuosos Jorma Tapio and Tapani Rinne, bassist Sampo Lassila and drummers Michel Lambert and Heikki 'Lefty' Lehto. It is a hot and raw record that contains an album's worth of previously unheard material.
Review: Denver, Colorado based progressive death metal auteurs Blood Incantation have become renowned for their overarching science fiction themes and cosmic reimagining of genre motifs, with 2019's sophomore triumph Hidden History Of The Human Race garnering immense acclaim and exposure. Unexpectedly, their 2022 follow up would rip a page right from the book of Tangerine Dream with Timewave Zero being made up entirely of ambient synth-laden pieces designed to serve as a soundtrack to passing through the stars. With this unpredictable penchant and clear lack of genre boundaries illuminated, anticipation was rife to see if the band would have the balls and brains to marry both opposing sonic guises and that's precisely what Absolute Elsewhere delivers. Named after the mid-70s prog collective (who once featured King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford), and even featuring Tangerine Dream's Thorsten Quaesching, the album is made up of two tracks, both broken into three segments each, that weave hallucinogenic death metal with synthwave prog, Krautrock, and euphoric alien ambience to conjure a uniquely transcendental listening experience. This ain't your granddaddy's prog rock, nor is it your daddy's death metal, but in a sense, it's kind of both.
Review: They may have been formed in 1967 in Long Island near New York, Blue Oyster Cult are synonymous with the 70s, scoring numerous hits and filling arenas with their neat fusion of Californian-style stoner rock and more pop/rock/metal influences. The title track of this 17 track best of is obviously their best known song, one that is almost universally known, from its weaving opening to its iconic cowbell-whacking. But there are plenty of hidden depths to the band's history revealed here. 'Shooting Shark', for instance, given a very 80s production job that goes heavy on the synths and Linn drums, is one of a number of collaborations with queen of New York punk Patti Smith. 'Godzilla', meanwhile, proves they can successfully inject an element of funkiness into their approach too, not a million miles from Frank Zappa's sublime 'I Am The Slime' in its feel. No better time to join the Cult.
Review: Sandro Brugnolini's Overground stands as a rare gem in library music and is also generally regarded as some of this artist's best work alongside his formidable Underground from 1970. Originally released on Sincro Edizioni Musicali, it served as the soundtrack to Enrico Moscatelli and Mario Rigoni's documentary Persuasione having been commissioned by Ente Provinciale Per Il Turismo Di Trento. Featuring top Italian musicians like Angelo Baroncini, Silvano Chimento, Giorgio Carnini, Enzo Restuccia, and Giovanni Tommaso, the album traverses from underground psychedelic prog rock with swirling organs and fuzzy guitars to sophisticated lounge grooves with avant-garde orchestrations. Now remastered from the original tapes, it is one to add to the racks tout suite.
Review: Live in Cuxhaven 1976 is the third release in Can's special series of live album reissues. It follows Can Live in Brighton 1975, which came out in December 2021. As with a good chunk of Can's latest releases documenting the bulk of their live appearances (which were inarguably their best performances, often outmatching their recorded material), the album consists of four instrumental pieces Eins, Zwei, Drei and Vier.
Review: Some tempos are pivotal to certain genres and 140 is one of those when it comes to dubstep. For that reason it is the title of this fine on going All Stars series from DUPLOC. Volume four is another masterful one with all niches explored starting with the low-end wobble of Mob Killa's 'Hattori' which is a brilliantly moody and late night saunter through a desolate urban landscape. Oudjat's 'Losing Control' is just as menacing and dark, and Ego Death pairs to back further to lush echoing hits and warped synths that hang in the air on 'Run It.' The flip side offers three more sparse but impactful cuts of hefty 140 bass brilliance.
Make Me Smile (Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon) (1:57)
So Much To Say, So Much To Give (2:06)
Anxiety's Moment (2:43)
West Virginia Fantasies (1:34)
Colour My World (1:48)
To Be Free (1:34)
Now More Than Ever (2:00)
Fancy Colours (4:50)
Saturday In The Park (6:02)
Mother (5:26)
It Better End Soon (17:41)
I'm A Man (6:44)
Free (7:18)
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Free Form intro) (5:22)
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (4:47)
25 Or 6 To 4 (6:09)
Review: This comprehensive special edition of this classic album comes across eight sides of vinyl and captures the iconic band at the peak of their early career. Performing in the nation's capital, Chicago delivered a wonderfully dynamic set that showcases their unique fusion of rock, jazz, and brass. It features plenty of great work from the band's well known and distinctive horn section and intricate arrangements. A magnificently captured live recording, it features hits from their early albums such as Chicago Transit Authority and Chicago II, and also takes in fan favourites like 'A Song For Richard & His Friends' and 'Beginnings.' The performance is a testament to Chicago's musical versatility and powerful live presence and this version of it takes you right back to the heart of it all.
The Continuum I: Welcome To Forever, Mr Nobody (3:43)
The Continuum II: The Flood (6:20)
The Continuum III: Tethered Together (4:32)
The Continuum IV: So It Goes (5:18)
The Omni-Voice (22:44)
Review: Talk about universe building - Coheeed & Cambria have written their own science fiction odyssey, realised it visually, and then used this as inspiration for their music. Creative self-indulgence or self-dependence, either way it's made for a compelling back catalogue of prog-leaning post-hardcore and emo-infused heavy rock bordering on metal. The Father of Make Believe is the latest episode this epic journey. And it's fully fledged Coheed & Cambria - so instantly gratifying there's a case for this as rock-pop, the slow jam 'Corner of My Confidence' perhaps taking that idea to the furthest point, although even the main stage juggernauts like 'Someone Who Can' seem to be equal parts geek-out six string solo and polished to perfection. In other hands, this might feel plastic, but the skill with which they pull their sound off is nothing but authentic.
The Cosmic Couriers Meet South Philly Willy (5:27)
Kinder Des Alls (I) (3:49)
The Electronic Scene (5:55)
Kinder Des Alls (II) (3:28)
Interplay Of Forces (1:53)
Planeten Sit In (3:10)
Review: Cosmic Jokers recorded some now legendary jam sessions back in the 70s. They were split up and made into two compilations, Planet Sit-In and Sci Fi Party, and were both put out in 1974. Amongst the high-class talents who were part of those seasons were legends of the kraut scene like Manuel Gottsching, Klaus Schulze, Jurgen Dollase, Harald Grosskopf and Dieter Dierks. It was Dierks who took care of the recordings, arrangement and mixing as well as being a musician in the seasons. These have been transferred from the original analog tapes and remastered for the first time.
Review: Northampton-based psychedelic rock band Dark formed in 1968 while founding member Steve Giles was still at school. They quickly became popular on the live circuit and worked up a tight playing style that they managed to capture when in the studio. Their debut album is their most well-known but a long series of compilations have also been issued. However, this is the first-ever accurate reproduction of one of the last surviving original twelve gatefold copies of the band's debut with the full-colour gatefold sleeve.
Review: There's a juxtaposition of gravel and soaring, almost-gliding quality to the epic guitar work that welcomes you into Eden Gardens. It's as though the refrains and chords are so expansive they envelop everything from ground level to stratosphere. The work of Papir and Cause Sui members Martin Rude and Jakob Skott, the result is both technically impressive and spiritually beneficial. Post-rock that makes you feel genuinely freer than before pressing play.
As grand as it sounds, there's also something very real happening here. For some, this kind of stuff may come across overblown and inflated, but then there's no pomp and pageantry present. And by that we mean the parts that exist are well balanced and you can understand why they are there without necessarily knowing. Everything feels right, and in the correct place, which is probably the best recommendation we can give.
Review: This work by Alf Emil Eik is a serene and soothing soundtrack for moments of relaxation, meditation or peaceful ambience. Eik's ethereal melodies transport listeners to a realm of inner peace and timeless beauty. Each track blends intricate layers of sound and evokes serenity and wonder while the harmonies resonate deeply within your soul. Uplifting yet introspective, the music invites reflection on the beauty of life and the mysteries of existence. A fusion of classical, ambient and new age influences abound here and prove Eik to be a master composer.
Review: If you type ELO into Google today the first suggestion is Elon Musk. Sure, he might have cracked, to some extent at least, the mass-marketed electric car, and all the best to him in the space race. Nevertheless, it's disputable whether or not he was ever quite the visionary Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan were in the early-mid-1970s. The undisputed heyday of Electric Light Orchestra, fourth album Eldorado was arguably at the peak of their creative force. Already having firmly established their sound - a surreal hybrid of bar rock, soul, blues, and grand strings - this record really sees them explore the possibilities of that abstract brew. Better yet, ears were open enough at the time to ensure they didn't languish in obscurity, sole reserve of the obsessives or deliberately contrary listeners, and instead claimed a spot in the upper echelons of British pop at the time.
Review: As well as his prog rock god status as part of ELP, English musician Keith Emerson is well known for his soundtracks for the likes of Dario Argento's 1980 movie Inferno. This Murderock album was written in part as a tribute to the master of Italian horror Lucio Fulci and was first released in 1985, described at the time as being like Flashdance meets Psycho. It's a mix of dance tunes for the day and some dramatic scores and was first reissued in 1993. This version adds four never before released tunes which were used in the backing to the most macabre scenes of the movie.
Review: Oakland, California. Present Day. Although you might not believe it when you hear it. Justin Pinkerton, or Futuropaco, certainly knows how to drop a red herring, conjuring a cacophony of psychedelic funk-jazz-rock stuff that feels like it has always been here but is brand new, and implies it took a full entourage locked in sweaty jam to realise what is really a one-man-band triumph. Hone in squarely on the rhythmic aspect to understand the core strength. Those drums, and those drum solos, seem to invoke percussive legends without demanding you listen for 20 minutes to their patter and thud. The guitars lunge and drive and chug with the intent of early metal or slo mo druggy electronic dance. And the melodic elements veer from disorientating crescendo to the best of the Spaghetti Western scores.
Review: Dutch gothic doom metal turned shoegazing prog collective The Gathering are one of those artists of two consequential halves. Superheat; their live album released at the dawn of the new millennium and recorded primarily in the classic Amsterdam Paradiso, sonically deposits the group half a year before the release of their seminal sixth full-length If Then Else, by which time they had made the full transition to alternative auteurs. Here the material is a complimentary myriad of cuts from their acclaimed opus How to Measure A Planet?, interspliced with material from their darker, heftier albums such as Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.
Review: A 13-track selection from the Genesis headline set in front of 50,000 fans at Knebworth on June 24, 1978, closing a day's entertainment which also included Jefferson Starship, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and - somewhat inexplicably - eccentric US new wave mavericks Devo. This is the sound of the early Phil Collins-fronted era reaching its peak - they'd released the album And Then There Were Three earlier in the year, straddling the prog stylings that made them famous with more pop-slanted moments like 'Follow You Follow Me'. Collins proves himself capable of handling vocals on Gabriel-era classics like 'I Know What I Like' and 'The Fountain Of Salmacis', but mainly the tracklisting bears witness to the sound of a band ringing the changes and shooting into the stadium rock stratosphere as a result.
Review: Prog rock - even in its most shiny 80s pop incarnation - doesn't do thing by halves and so we shouldn't be surprised this double album is only one of two sprawling releases containing the 1986 LA gig by Genesis. This is the threesome in their Invisible Touch era, so there's plenty from that album here - yes, even their often overlooked electro-styled instrumental 'The Brazilian' - plus highlights from its eponymous predecessor (the Grandmaster Flash-referencing 'Mama', 'That's All') and other back catalogue big hitters such as 'Follow You, Follow Me' and 'Abacab'.
Review: Erlend Viken's first outing as Giant Sky - 2021's self-titled debut - was part epic prog rock overture and part major statement about the state of the music business. Only available in physical album format, for some time just a single track was doing the rounds on streaming services, which wasn't really a track at all, but instead a message about the evils of major streaming platforms and their role in ruining the artistic economy. Second time around, and the music itself is no less powerful. Moving from 'Origin Of The Species' and its floating-through-the-cosmos atmosphere, to the rousing call-to-unity of 'The Pensieve' and the industrial-noise-cum-delicate pop on 'Imposter', the vision and scope are incredible, new ideas seemingly presenting themselves at every twist and turn on this 13-strong track list.
The Curse (Blood Of An Innocent Is Spilled) (5:38)
The Bird Of A Thousand Voicesf (3:28)
Areg's Calling (Towards The World Above) (5:06)
The Quset Begins (4:40)
The Path Of No Return (3:12)
Areg & Manushak (He Saw Her Reflection In The Water) (3:59)
The Saviour Is Condemned (1:54)
Guidance (Areg Meets Zaman) (2:21)
Flaming Horse & The Thunderbolt Sword (From The Depths Of The Sea) (3:46)
Red, White & Black Worlds (6:14)
Bells Of Memory (2:05)
Only The One Who Brought The Bird Can Make It Sing (5:23)
Prophecy Of A Sacrifice (4:10)
The Demon Of Akn Anatak (2:16)
Temptations (Follow The Luminous Feather (2:34)
Forty Days In The Realm Of The Bottomless Eye (He Brings Light Into The Soil Of Evil) (3:56)
He Refuses To Be Immortal (The Goddess Of Paradise Gives Him The Enchanting Bird) (4:27)
The Return (Through Vast Deserts, Seas & Dark Mountains) (2:59)
Betrayed By Brothers (1:55)
The Well Of Death & Resurrection (4:41)
Sing Me A Song When You Will Be At The Place Where All Is Bliss (2:30)
The Eternal Bird Sings & The Garden Blooms Again (5:57)
Postlude: After Seven Winters (2:23)
Review: Tigran Hamasyan's latest album, The Bird of a Thousand Voices, is his most ambitious work yet and one inspired by a traditional Armenian tale. This transmedia project includes a staged play that premiered at the Holland Festival back in June of this year plus two cinematic music videos, a documentary video, and an online game. The ancient firebird tale, passed down through spoken word over the generations, symbolises the modern world's quest for connection amidst ecological, psychological, and spiritual challenges. By blending Armenian traditional music with jazz improvisation, Tigran, who himself is one of today's most innovative jazz pianists, continues his artistic collaboration with filmmaker Ruben Van Leer to create unique musical experiences.
Review: Back in the depths of the global Coronavirus pandemic, Nick Hoppner and Alex Kassian decided to join forces to record an album, one that would set aside their club credentials and instead focus on their collective love of krautrock, ambient and 'guitar-driven music'. The result is The Big Melt, the duo's first missive as H.A.N.K. Beginning with the immersive, enveloping sound world that is 'Cruise' - a slow-build, effects-laden dreamscape that offers nods to classic Tangerine Dream, shoegaze and 1990s ambient electronica - the album bobs along attractively, with exotic rhythms and intoxicated electronics ('A Useful Fever') sitting side by side with shuffling Balearic instrumentals ('Azul's Garden'), kosmiche epics ('Jag Aar Jag'), sitar-laden wonders ('While My Tar Gently Weeps'), and analogue-rich nods to Neu!, Can and Dunkelziffer ('No Harm').
Ouais, Marchais, Mieux Qu'en 68 (Ex: Le Voyageur) (4:24)
Circulus Vitiosus (8:27)
Ballade Pour Puig Antich, Revolutionnaire Assassine En Espagne (2:16)
Review: Commonly regarded as the first official release from avant-garde prog/space rock outfit Heldon; Electronique Guerilla (also known as Heldon 1), served as a pioneering piece of studio experimentation and manipulation, utilising a myriad of guitar effects, tape delay and electronics, collated together by the genius of Richard Pinhas. Building the pieces from a Schizo (the earlier incarnation of Heldon) track together with solo guitar loops and electronic works, while warping elements from another collaborative cut with guitarist Alain Renaud, the fruitful, cosmic, proto-wave machinations are often credited as some of the earliest influences from King Crimson's Robert Fripp (who Pinhas cited as a major influence and master of the guitar) and Brian Eno, yet while in no way shying away from their inspirations, Pinhas has since specified that "Heldon 1 was released in '74 at the same time Muff Winwood released the first Fripp & Eno", so while similarities and comparisons are welcome, more attentive ears should be able to extract the nuanced differences with which Heldon crafted their hallucinatory, boundary-pushing early opus. Originally released on Pinhas' own Disjuncta Records and limited to 1000 copies, this long overdue reissue won't stick around anywhere near as long as these swelling brain-pieces.
Review: Takeshi Inomata is a pioneering drummer in Japan's jazz scene who launched the band Sound Limited in the late 1960s and set to work blending jazz and rock in a vibrant new direction. Influenced by the brass rock movement, Inomata sought to create music full of energy and free from the constraints of modern jazz. He brought together young, talented musicians to play with vitality and envisioned a large-scale sound. Their debut album, The Sound of Sounds LTD back in 1970, became a classic filled with dynamic performances, including the iconic 'Theme~Mustache,' a track that continues to define the band's legacy.
Review: The third full-length from Los Angeles-based progressive, jazz-tinged post-metal giants Intronaut was originally released in 2010 and celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Further embracing the fretless bass, jazzgazing style of its 2008 predecessor Prehistoricisms, the material found on Valley Of Smoke was the first from the band to slightly eschew the use of exclusively harsh vocals and instead utilise the harmonious cadences of dual vocalist/guitarists Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick, conjuring a hypnotic balancing act reminiscent of the synergetic fusion of Alice In Chains' Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. Featuring Tool bassist Justin Chancellor on the epic title-track, providing double bass flourishes, as well as the pitched glitching vocal processing similar to that of progressive death metal legends Cynic (both of whom the band would subsequently tour with), Intronaut have always deserved to be spoken of within the same breath as the likes of Mastodon, Baroness, Deftones, Hum, and any other respected boundary pushing group connecting the mercurial dots between grandiose, conflicting sonics.
Review: Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa's blistering 'Uganda (Dawn Of Rock)' makes a piognant claim as to the origins of rock n' roll, blending traditional African drumming workouts with the futuristic tropes belonging to psychedelic rock and fourth world music. Consisting of just four movements ranging from formless to the watery and rhythmic, its recording lies in the basis of just one legendary drummer, but in all its sonics sounds as though an enormous ensemble were behind it. A well-sought J-psych rarity.
Review: Originally released in 2009 and celebrating its 15th anniversary with this half-speed remaster on lush red marbled vinyl, Night Is The New Day serves as a genre-bending meander through progressive Scandinavian metallic sonics whilst pulling on elements of gloomy doom rock and synth-laden coldwave. Often spoken in the same breath and with equal credence paid to the likes of Opeth, Ulver and Porcupine Tree, the album is a work of sublime, depressive beauty with ever-shifting pieces like the bombastic-turned-mercurial 'Forsaker' offset by the post-folk vulnerability of 'Idle Blood', leading many to consider the eighth full-length in the Katatonia catalogue to be the finest summation of their expansive vision. The work would also notably be the last to feature the Norrman brothers handling rhythm guitar and bass duties.
Review: London might be seen as one of the hottest places for new, urban jazz sounds, but this album Second Light from Kepler Is Free shows that Greece also has its own vibrant scene. Their debut album was a quickly sold out success and now the jazz rock ensemble is back with more expansive work that traverses the 60s, 70s, soul jazz, hip hop and experimental in all new ways. The band was founded in 2018 and though all members are relatively young, they show their maturity here with more widescreen and entrancing sounds that come in collaboration with LEX, one of Greece's best-known rappers.
Review: King Crimson of the 1970s sounded very different from the band that made this Discipline album with a newly formed line-up of Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew and Tony Levin seven years after the band first broke up. It is now 40 years young so gets the requisite reissue treatment and has also been remastered for the occasion. It comes on a mighty hefty 200g vinyl so can be played extra loud, just as it should. The record mixes up electronica, funk, pure pop, modern avant-garde and much more and was a chart success in many different countries around the world.
Review: Izumi Kobayashi's fourth ambient solo album, Ik I, was produced by German visionary Holger Hiller and is now getting a long-awaited reissue. Originally released in a rare Netherlands-only pressing after Kobayashi's move to the UK in 1989, this album captures her unique blend of ambient soundscapes with Hiller's innovative production techniques. It's a real hidden gem of atmospheric music and intriguing Eastern Melody, dainty string patterns and exotic percussive sounds that celebrate Kobayashi's groundbreaking work and are sure to connect with a whole new generation of fans.
Review: "Of all the many noble attempts of the prog rockers to create a grand compositional style which blended elements from classical music with rock, none, in my view, ever reached the intensity, complexity and raw savage excitement of the great Magma masterworks." When you make music that feels like the love child of a rock & roll musical, gospel choir, Frank Zappa and Ziggy Stardust, why should anyone expect you to be even remotely humble when describing your own back catalogue. Magma's 1974 epic is nothing short of batshit crazy in the true sense - bordering, perhaps sprinting well beyond, the point of genius and capable of rendering any room speechless. A stunning example of how wild, exploratory and experimental the music industry was once so proud to be.
Review: We're just gonna put it out there - everyone is jealous of Quentin Thirionet. He once worked as a rope access worker (AKA an industrial climber), which sounds interesting and exhilarating. Now he grows organic veg. Which sounds delightful. He's also refused to stylistically confine himself at any sound, hence you might know him from Dhavali Giri or Pairi Daeza, gypsy jazz, Auvergne folk song, experimental electronics or something else entirely. Despite that experience, Sumer Is Icumen is Thirionet's debut LP, and takes us further into those strange, otherworldly noises that are only possible when human and machine work together perfectly. Much of this feels as organic as the artist's farm, but really it's about the natural and mechanical, manmade and synthesised, painting evocative audio pictures that invoke images of evolution, growth, hidden systems at play and equilibrium.
Review: The debut album from hotly-tipped London/Oxford self-dubbed 'Flowerkraut' collective Mandrake Handshake comes eagerly-awaited as they've built up a strong following from playing live. As the album cover suggests, the overarching feel of this album is quite blissed out and psychedelic. The Stereolab-esque 'Hypersonic Super-Asterid' is a case in point as it combines a motorik beat with lead singer Trinity Oksana's Laetitia Sadier-esque vocals. 'Find The Tree and Dig (Deep)!' is their darkest number with overdriven guitars offering an ominous undercurrent to the lush dream pop vocals and resplendent flute flourish. It's an adventurous collection by a band that sound refreshingly removed from the zeitgeist and are operating in their own parallel universe.
Review: Larry Manteca's Zombie Mandingo album arrived back in 2013 and in the danced plus has only ever been available digitally. Now it makes its debut on wax and remains a bold listen that was devised as a soundtrack to a non-existent exploitation film. It fuses funk, jazz, and Afrobeat influences with plenty of niche cinematic references such as the zombies in Lucio Fulci's horrors and Umberto Lenzi's cannibalistic adventures. The resulting mash up is beguiling to say the least with horror-tinged exotica next to Fela Kuti rhythms and elements of Italian Library music and colourful psychedelia. A boundary pushing work to say the least.
Review: Known as much for their outlandish costumes as their constant musical evolution, Martin Circus were one of France's most intriguing bands of the 1970s and 80s. Originally formed in 1969 as a psychedelics-inspired progressive rock combo, they later successfully turned their hand to wonderfully camp, over-the-top disco and synth-sporting new wave. Evolution Francaise 1969-1985 does a brilliant job of charting that remarkable musical evolution, dashing between tail end of the 60s prog sounds ('Tout Tremblant De Fievre', 'Facon de Parler'), early Black Sabbath-esque heavy rock ('Annie, Christine ou Partricia'), gritty, Rolling Stones style rhythm and blues ('A Bas Tous Le Privileges'), psychedelic disco-rock ('Les Indiens Du Demier Matin'), Cerrone-ish throb-jobs ('Mon Premier Hold Up', Francois K re-editing 'Disco Circus') and synth-pop ('J'tai Vu Dans Le Canoe?').
The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral (instrumental) (9:25)
Ghost Of Karelia (instrumental) (5:35)
Crack The Skye (instrumental) (5:51)
The Last Baron (instrumental) (12:47)
Crack The Skye (Blu-ray)
Review: .Originally released in 2009, Crack The Skye would serve as the fourth full-length and creative rebirth of sludge-indebted alternative metal behemoths Mastodon. Inspired by the suicide of drummer Brann Dailor's sister in their youth, the album takes cues from prog classics such as Pink Floyd's Animals and King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King to craft a monolithic sonic journey spread across seven tracks. With their later material taking on a more instantaneous approach to composition, whilst coming off the back of the harsh dynamics of 2004's Leviathan and 2006's Blood Mountain, the mercurial middle point the band found themselves on this LP emboldened them to add Dailor as a third lead vocalist, providing a melodious fulcrum between the snarl of bassist Troy Sanders and nasal croon of guitarist Brent Hinds. A hallucinogenic, astral projecting prog epic in the search for peace accumulated through unprocessed grief, the project has been held near and dear to the hearts of the band and their fanbase in the fifteen years since initial release and now celebrates such a milestone with this definitive boxset. Spread across gold vinyl 2xLP with a bonus blu-ray, poster, magnet sheet and 12-page booklet.
Review: Moshe Fisher-Rozenberg returns to Altin Village & Mine with Cosmic-Astral, his second album as Memory Pearl. Inspired by a 1970s psychotherapeutic music program used alongside LSD, he reimagines its classical compositions through electronic manipulation and using MIDI transformations of works by Strauss and Scriabi. He crafts new landscapes enriched by improvisations from Sam Prekop, Joseph Shabason and others and, as a psychotherapist and musician, he blends that expertise with musical creativity to shape a delicate trip across nine tracks that form a pathway to sonic healing.
Chariot Of The Sun - To Phaeton On The Occasion Of Sunrise (Theme From An Imagined Movie) (22:05)
Review: Five tracks of madness and mayhem from one of Norway's most critically acclaimed and domestic-Grammy (Spellemannprisen) award-nominated bands, with several wins too. Which should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. Motorpsycho have always defied expectations, not least by offering up sounds that are contrary their name - less metal, more progressive and psyche rock with shades of jazz, post-rock, country and pop.
Ancient Astronauts represents their latest sonic incarnation, which is destined to keep the devout satisfied. Opening with a combination of grit and opera descending into a cool cat, wavy day-tripper of a swagger tune, 'The Ladder', 'The Flower of Awareness' then offers contrast by introducing huge power riffs, solos and crescendos, with even more intense guitar-made atmospheres offered on the closing two tracks.
Review: Neu! 75 was the third and final studio album from Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, and many years on it stands proud as a great piece of electronic rock history. Released in, you guessed it, 1975, the album's signature insistent rhythms, phased guitars and propulsive drums continue to sound fresh and retain a vitality that feels futuristic even decades later. This official reissue is a great way to get back into the raw energy and precision that made Neu! 75 so influential with their groundbreaking fusion of motorik beats and experimental soundscapes. It was their finest work, frankly.
Review: Legendary kraut and prog rock duo NEU! aka Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger make the 50th anniversary of their self titled debut album with a special reissue all formats. This limited edition picture disc format is one for the collectors for sure. The music still sounds fresh with its mix of heady ambient and lazy grooves, driving motor kicks and psyched out sounds all making for perfectly immersive listening. Weird and wonderful and unbelievably avant garde for 1972, it remains one of the most impressive debut albums of the era.
Review: RONIN's latest album marks the band's ninth release since its inception in 2001 and the first to feature bassist Jeremias Keller, who joined in 2020. The group, led by Nik Bartsch and joined by founding drummer Kaspar Rast and longtime reeds player Sha, continues evolving its unique style here with an album recorded live in the studio. It sees SPIN blend new compositions like 'Modul 66' with reimagined classics such as 'Modul 14' and 'Modul 23'. Balancing intricate structures, groove-driven energy and improvisation in equal measure, these sounds are a reflection of RONIN's signature zen-funk style, now enriched with indie and post-rock influences.
Speaking For Myself, Personally, In My Own Opinion, I Think (6:43)
Persephone's Jive (2:13)
Review: Headed up by the revered trumpeter and visionary composer Ian Carr, Nucleus have penned many a seminal album and Elastic Rock certainly is one of them. It was a real milestone for the jazz-rock fusion scene and marked a stunning debut in 1970 that has been hard to find ever since. Saxophonist Brian Smith, guitarist Chris Spedding - who wouold later go on to produce the Sex Pistols' first recordings - drummer John Marshall, bassist Jeff Clyne and sax, oboe and pianist Karl Jenkins all brought energy and invention in equal measure on this one with cuts like the title track offer lovely electric blues, '1916' featuring heavy drums and melancholic horns and 'Striation' being more serene. Be With have remastered this reissue from the original tapes.
Review: Be With are busy reissuing a number of Nucleus albums and Alleycat sure is one of their best. It is packed with stone cold rhythms as well as having a red hot sleeve. The band put it out in 197 and it was their last for the Vertigo label, all meticulously produced by Jon Hiseman. It's as good as any of their work with its funk fusions of prog, jazz and rock all ageing brilliantly well. There are big riff-laden tunes, cop-funk chases and more lush and laidback pieces that will have you deep in the groove. It has all been remastered from original tapes so sounds as good as ever.
Review: The brainchild of Olli-Pekka Laine (Amorphis, Barren Earth, Mannhai), Beyond The Aeons marks the debut full-length from psych-death-prog entity Octoploid. Rounding out the line-up with several long-time collaborators including vocalist Mikko Kotamaki (Swallow The Sun) and keyboardist Kim Rantala (formerly of Amorphis), the collective live up to their namesake by pulling from several eras of rock simultaneously with a sonic bedrock built upon 70s prog and psychedelia, 90s death and black metal, as well as the myriad Venn Diagram-like intersections where these styles have crossed paths over the decades. Equal parts King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Opeth, on their debut statement Octoploid deliver a fuzzy, bombastic ode to all things heaving, hypnotising, hefty and hallucinogenic.
Review: Originally released in 2005 and celebrating its 20th anniversary, Ghost Reveries would serve as the eighth full-length from Swedish progressive metal legends Opeth. Following the 2002/2003 two-part project which showcased their most malevolent form on Deliverance and then a resolutely pleasant prog rock opus with Damnation, this follow up sought to rectify one side with the other; coalescing into a masterwork which simultaneously was regarded by longtime fans as a career height, whilst the expanded distribution from signing with major label Roadrunner opened them up to an entire new wave of unsuspecting ears. Marking their first album since 1999's Still Life to not be produced by Porcupine Tree's Steve Wilson, instead duties fell to Jens Bogren (Katatonia, At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir) who helped Mikael Akerfeldt and his cohorts to rediscover their death metal origins yet channelled through their more melancholic sensibilities. Boasting some of their most vital pieces from the epic 10-minute opener 'Ghost Of Perdition', to the even lengthier fan favourite 'Reverie/Harlequin Forest', as well as the equally adored 'The Grand Conjuration', the album has long since been held aloft as the perfect modern entry point to the world of Opeth. The project would also be the first to include keyboardist Per Wiberg as a "permanent" member while serving as their final endeavour to feature both drummer Martin Lopez and long-time guitarist Peter Lindgren.
Review: Marking their first album in five years and follow up to 2019's criminally overlooked In Cauda Venenum, Swedish progressive death metal legends Opeth return with their fourteenth full-length The Last Will & Testament. Marking the return of vocalist/guitarist/primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt's signature death growls; the first project to feature the inhumane bellows since 2008's Watershed, the work is the band's first concept album since 1999's Still Life, with the narrative based around a wealthy, mysterious patriarch in the post-World War I era whose death leads his family to congregate at his estate to learn horrific secrets as his last will and testament is unveiled. Whilst retracing some of their gloomier, more macabre sonics, musically the compositions continue to embrace the 70's psychedelia of Heritage and Sorceress yet with a notable rediscovery of their harrowing, frosted death metal origins. Pressed on limited marbled 'rough seas' vinyl 2xLP..
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