Russian experimental band Disen Gage have collaborated with some of the country’s most notorious experimental musicians. Alexei Borisov, for instance, has been featured on these pages before. MOX and Voronovsky are new names. The music is an impressive mix of early-era Tuxedomoon-influenced music supported by a avant-prog bass, drums and Continue Reading
Avant-Progressive
Eclectic Maybe Band – Bars Without Measures
With the exception of Christian Vander, I cannot think of too many people whose name would be so heavily associated with zeuhl and avant-progressive rock in general than Guy Segers. The former bassist of the legendary Univers Zero has collected some of the finest names in avant and progressive rock Continue Reading
Beat Love Oracle – Turning The Table
Our friends at áMARXE Records out of Galicia in Spain have released a really heavy album influenced by Canterbury Music, Zappa and jazz-rock in general. There are so many twists and turns in Beat Love Oracle‘s album that it’s one I’d have trouble finding words to describe, so it is Continue Reading
Y Bülbül – Fever
What a charmingly weird discovery this is! Yiğit Bülbül is a London-based musician whose roots are in Turkey, and this mini-album combines the experimentation of artists like Holger Czukay with the dulcet sounds of Serge Gainsbourg’s backing band in their calmer moments. A surreal release this one…
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic – The Iridium Controversy
Cuneiform Records offered this album as a half-price release this weekend, and though I already had the album, I thought it would be good to note what an amazing album this was back in its prime. Birdsongs of the Mesozoic are a band from Boston, Massachussets who have been active Continue Reading
Adrian Belew – Elevator
Legendary King Crimson and David Bowie guitarist Adrian Belew returns with a brand new progressive rock album that emphasizes rock loudly. It sounds like a very complicated version of power-pop if the song a13 is any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like. The only off-putting thing Continue Reading
Ellipsis Quintet – Avoid The Void
This is something of a revelation for me! The music produced by the Ellipsis Quintet, led by trumpeter Vasilis Nalbantis, mixes traditional Balkan, Greek and Levantine melodies inside a framework that would appeal to fans of the avant-progressive and Rock-In-Opposition genres. Theirs is a prog-world-jazz stew that’s one of the freshest Continue Reading
Roz Vitalis – 20 Years – Alive and Well
Roz Vitalis are a progressive rock band out of St. Petersburg, Russia, who have wowed audiences worldwide by blending symphonic prog with slightly more avant-garde tendencies. The tracks here are recorded live, but don’t let that dissuade you from trying out this album. The sound is crisp and full, and Continue Reading
Frutería Toñi – Tengo Mis Días Buenos
Frutería Toñi seem to be the one band I’ve heard which balances the Rock-In-Opposition sound with symphonic rock. Quite an impressive feat.
Kombinat M – Hybrid Beat
Cuneiform Records has a great program where they announce that an album in their back catalogue gets offered at half-price, and as I had been wanting to hear this band (they feature drummer, composer and friend Lukas Ligeti) for a long time, I decided to risk it. It was well Continue Reading