Mahorka Records normally releases bleakly dark ambient and experimental records, so this album by Sai comes as a bit of a pleasant shock. This is far more closer to progressive rock, math-rock and progressive metal than anything I’ve heard in their esteemed back catalog, and it’s as good as one Continue Reading
Progressive Rock
Gong – Gong In the 70’s
A stellar collection of live and outtake tracks. From Tim Blake’s Bandcamp site: “Compiled by Daevid from the Bananamoon Observatory collection in aid of Tim Blake. The first 9 tracks are the classic ’73 line-up sans Gilli, live and well recorded. Many things make this release absolutely worth the entry Continue Reading
Jean-Michel Jarre – Deserted Palace
Much respect to Transversales Disques who have lovingly reissued (on vinyl and digital, no less!) the first album of Jean-Michel Jarre before he became a commercial success in France and then worldwide. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Transversales Disques proudly presents the first official LP reissue of Deserted Palace, a Continue Reading
Soft Works – Abracadabra In Osaka (Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall)
MoonJune Records should be given a massive debt of thanks for preserving the Soft Machine legacy. Some of the core members are in excellent form in a live outing that happened in Osaka, Japan, and the live recording is sublime.
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
Malabriega – Frippada Andaluza
I enjoy drifting back to progressive rock every so often because, even though its detractors crow on about the death of the genre, new bands like Malabriega show up and give a fresh perspective. The instrumentation reminds me of the bigger bands like Yes, but the vocals have a more Continue Reading
OBUKHOVAUDIO – Sphärenlicht
Even down to the cover art (which looked like it would have been a fine one for a 1970’s period Klaus Schulze), it seems Obukhovaudio (a.k.a. Alexander Obukhov) has a knack for making an album that encapsulates the genre of electronic music, the Berlin School, that he loves dearly. Fine Continue Reading
Andy Summers & Robert Fripp – The Complete Recordings
No reviews today thanks to having to have a hospital visit, but I would like to announce one of my favorite guitar albums in its most complete glory. DGM Live Records offers the original albums remastered plus previously unreleased material. From the website: “‘The Complete Recordings 1981-1984’ by Andy Summers Continue Reading
Soft Machine – Høvikodden 1971
Canterbury jazz-rock legends Soft Machine need little introduction, but this release might. This release comes from a Norwegian gig the band played, and though the master tapes aren’t absolutely pristine, the sound, for a live recording, is quite good. “Soft Machine’s two concerts at the Henie-Onstad Art Center near Oslo, Continue Reading
Exit North – Anyway, Still
Exit North is a revelation to me. The instrumentation reminds of the sort of progressive rock one would expect to hear from Tim Bowness, Steve Jansen (who happens to provide backing vocals on this album), or in parts, David Sylvian, but singer Thomas Feiner is blessed with a voice so Continue Reading