• Music

    Úzgin Űver – Patak

    March 11, 2024 - By 

    Our dear friends at the Lollipoppe Shoppe released a stunning slice of psychedelic folk prog that came out in 2018 and holds up beautifully six years later.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “In the music of Úzgin Űver traditional folk is stretched far beyond the average world music. Of course, this calm, psychedelic, rich and scale-based instrumental process music draws from a mix of genres and methods, and has an ancient layer as well as some unique velvety emotional and electric charge. The disregard for any current trends gives the music a timeless attraction, and yet takes you on a…

  • Music

    Thierry Zaboitzeff – Le Passage

    March 10, 2024 - By 

    Thierry Zaboitzeff was for many years a member of the seminal avant-progressive/RIO group Art Zoyd, and since 1997, he has been involved in numerous solo projects and collaborations.  This is one of the bleakest records I’ve heard in recent memory, and the liner notes on the Bandcamp site sum up the mood perfectly: “Our world is in the midst of turmoil. Human madness forces Earth to defend itself with violent aftershocks, like so many distress signals. Will wisdom finally become the watchword of the times to come, clearing the path to a possible future? This is the undoubtful aim of…

  • Music

    Audion 60

    March 8, 2024 - By 

    The legendary Audion Magazine has a new (well, new to Bandcamp) edition out, and included with it is about 1 1/2 gigabytes of tracks from albums reviewed within.  They were my first doorway to progressive rock, and I am forever indebted to them.

  • Music

    Nilotika Cultural Ensemble – Ejokawulida

    March 7, 2024 - By 

    I didn’t expect Uganda to have a techno scene, and perhaps they do, but the Nilotika Cultural Ensemble, 7 expert drummers, make such precise beats that you could easily play this in a 1980’s-era Detroit or Chicago techno club and get the boots onto the dance floor.  An invigorating listen.  

  • Music

    Jazz Q – Živí se Diví: Live in Bratislava 1975

    March 6, 2024 - By 

    A new label out of Poland called GAD Records has been documenting seminal jazz and jazz-rock albums out of Poland, but now they’re venturing into the former Czechoslovakia with this release.  Jazz Q were a progressive rock band who managed to incorporate blues rock and even a bit of free jazz into their oeuvre.  This album documents them at their peak of their live powers in a 1975 concert held in Bratislavia, now Slovakia’s capital.

  • Music

    BlindººCoyote – Mycelium Sonora Outtakes

    March 5, 2024 - By 

    From my friend, the rather legendary Drem Bruinsma‘s project, BlindººCoyote manages to expertly weld together wild electronic music with a relaxed back beat, making the music adventurous but, ultimately, pleasant to listen to.  From BlindººCoyote’s Bandcamp site: “This 33-piece album consists of a deep reflection on a period, albeit a difficult one, from Covid and Confinement to hospitals and surgery, from treatment and opiates, from chronic pain to hope and fear, from social isolation to remaining in touch with the outside world by being online. With this album ends a chapter, a period with a very demanding character. I hope…

  • Music

    Saadet Türköz – Urumqi

    March 3, 2024 - By 

    Saadet Türköz is an international treasure.  Born to Kazakh and Turkish parents in Istanbul in 1961, she has developed a style that comfortably blends Central Asian traditional music with free jazz.  A very pleasant listen.  

  • Music

    Porch Kiss – Fort Stevens 2006

    March 1, 2024 - By 

    This is the first time I had the pleasure of reviewing something from Start-Track, a fine small label run by our friend Filip Zemčík.  Porch Kiss’ music is sparse and lo-fi, reminding me of a lot of British indie band from the 1980s with lower production values and fine songwriting.  Pensive music, and a great listen.