This appears to be the first Audion Magazine release of 2026, as far as I can tell. For those unfamiliar with this incredible magazine, it was essential reading for me during my teenage years as I sought to learn about progressive rock and its subgenres, particularly avant-prog and Rock In Continue Reading
Avant-Progressive
The Microscopic Septet – Been Up So Long It Looks Like Down to Me: The Micros Play the Blues
Cuneiform Records released this gem by The Microscopic Septet in 2017 and it has held up well. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Since storming back into action in 2006 after a 14-year hiatus, the radically old-school combo has continued to evolve and extend its reputation. The new album builds on Continue Reading
Mujician – The Journey
Mujician was perhaps one of the greatest improvisational groups to come out of England, and this album shows them in peak form. The band consisted of clarinetist and saxophonist Paul Dunmall, backed by drummer Tony Levin (not the King Crimson bassist), bassist Paul Rogers (not the hard rocker), and Keith Continue Reading
Richard Leo Johnson – The Sleeping Porch
Thanks to the ever-wonderful Cuneiform Records for offering this album by the Georgia (USA)-based guitarist Richard Leo Johnson. You can hear flashes of John McLaughlin, Leo Kottke, Larry Coryell and Ralph Towner’s influence, but Richard has carved out his own niche. A great guitar disc.
Anthony Pirog – Pocket Poem
Anthony Pirog is a guitarist from New York City whose album here, Pocket Poem, is a release that Cuneiform Records has featured on its $5 Fridays promotion. From his Bandcamp site: “Pirog has established himself engaging in genre-blurring activities in the disparate veins of indie rock, rockabilly, avant-folk, creative jazz, Continue Reading
Roz Vitalis – Dedication to BigNick
Roz Vitalis is a progressive rock band known for their exceptional technical skills on their instruments. However, they truly shine when they exercise restraint. Their music incorporates elements of Rock-In-Opposition, avant-prog, and a touch of arena rock, resulting in a brilliant album. The “BigNick” referred to is their producer, Nikolai Bogaichuk, who Continue Reading
Petyaev-Petyaev – Отсутствие
The Petayev brothers create avant-garde jazz that defies the typical reputation of the genre. While their music has a dark undertone, it retains a playful spirit. Picture a band similar to the avant-progressive rock legends Art Zoyd, but with a greater sense of humor.
COS – Pasiones
COS were an avant-progressive rock band from Belgium who were radically different from their contemporaries. From their Bandcamp site: “Pasiones is the fifth album by COS. It is a chamber opera which relates a story happening during the Spanish Civil War. The libretto tells the story of three soldiers coming Continue Reading
Brown vs Brown – Odds and Unevens
Avant-progressive is a genre that has to be taken in small chunks if you’re new to it, or the complicated time signatures and sudden violent stops might scare weaker ears off. It is fair to say that no one regularly produces such fine releases in the genre as Cuneiform Records Continue Reading
Nick Sudnick – Opera of the Sixth Hour
Zga bandleader Nick Sudnick has been busy composing his Opera of the Hours series, and this installation might be his most creative yet. It has the passion of Rock-In-Opposition with a touch of Frank Zappa’s general weirdness. This is in keeping with what I remember of the old Soviet avant-garde Continue Reading