Back in stock: Progressive Rock

Review: Recorded in 2021, The Road to Tibooburra marks The Winged Heels’ second album: an eclectic, inspired collection of Steve Kilbey’s songs, loosely converging in the middle of outback Australia. Originally conceived as a musical during Kilbey’s journey through the backblocks, four intense days in the studio later conceived an album as the mode of choice, whereafter the band would commit their signature fusion of pop-rock to ancient, medieval, and classical troubadour influences. Kilbey’s 12-string and vocals form the album’s core, with additional bass and electric guitar on select tracks; Gareth anchors much of the bass work, alongside classical and resonator guitar, while Roger provides keyboards and cello.

Review: The newly re-mastered release of Pink Floyd's legendary Pompeii performance from 1972 - released as a film initially and recorded without an audience - immerses the listener in the eerie grandeur of the ancient Roman amphitheatre. Steven Wilson, in charge of reworking the audio, breathes fresh life into the familiar, giving tracks like 'Echoes Part 1' and 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene' a heightened sense of space and detail. The alternate take of 'Careful With That Axe, Eugene' and the unedited 'A Saucerful of Secrets' show the band's ever-evolving approach at this most productive stage in their career. A raw, expansive reflection of Pink Floyd's creative journey as they morphed from psychedelic garage stars to prog rock giants.

Review: Phaedra is the fifth studio album by German electronic group Tangerine Dream, recorded in November 1973 at The Manor in Shipton-on-Cherwell, England, and released in 1974 through Virgin. An icier, tempoless departure for a band otherwise better recognised for their sequencer-led, soundtrack-bred sound, this was a hidden moulin for frost-drone fanatics, and a deviant pupil of the otherwise strict Berlin School. Despite receiving little to no airplay, Phaedra gained significant traction through word of mouth when it was released by a rather more hippified Richard Branson's fledgling Virgin label, eventually reaching number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and remaining on the charts for 15 weeks. Its long-form pieces, such as 'Sequent C' and 'Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares', represent an indifference to constraints of timing, instead washing over the ears as diachronic, swirling, crisp ice ambient smirrs.

Review: Krautrock is a long established genre whose name has recently been questioned. Whether or not it is a slur is an ongoing conversation. The music labelled as such has become iconic, with books like Julian Cope's Krautrocksampler and Alan and Stephen Freeman's Crack in the Cosmic Egg diving deep into its nuances. The debates over 'Krautrock' v 'Kosmische Musik' only add to its allure and Krautrock Eruption by Wolfgang Seidel explores some of these distinctions. The compilation presents tracks from twelve albums, focusing partly on Bureau B's catalogue, and entirely essential for fans of this sort of sound.