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.
Avant-Progressive
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
Revista Bastardo
No record reviews today, but I would like to point you to a Mexican blog/magazine who cover Rock-In-Opposition, Avant-Prog and Krautrock and freaky art, all written in Spanish, called Revista Bastardo. They’re a new name to me, but certainly one worth following.
Lachen Jonsson – Music For The Dying Forest
Lars (Lachen, or Lach’n) Jonsson is something of a legend in Swedish progressive rock, especially in the genre of Rock-In-Opposition. This album is a reissue of his first disc, and it is as filled with weird, jagged piano-based avant-prog.
Thierry Zaboitzeff – LUVOS migrations – EP
Legendary former Art Zoyd composer and multi-instrumentalist Thierry Zaboitzeff has a new EP. From his Bandcamp site: “LUVOS migrations is the original soundtrack of the dance film by Editta Braun and Menie Weissbacher, AT 2022. Vision of the future or images from a parallel universe? In breathtaking natural sceneries, automated Continue Reading