• Music

    PoiL Ueda – PoiL Ueda

    March 9, 2023 - By 

    This is a heavy, near-monstrous release involving Japanese singer and bassis Junko Ueda and the French avant-prog group PoiL.  From their Bandcamp site: “PoiL Ueda is the result of a collaboration between Junko Ueda, a vocalist and satsuma-biwa player from Japan, and PoiL, a French rock/contemporary music band. The creation is based on the 13th-century Japanese epic tale “Heike-Monogatari.” The composition is based on traditional epic singing accompanied by the satsuma-biwa and Buddhist Shomyo chant. Through the fusion of an ancient Japanese traditional music with a hyper modern European musical formation, this project offers the opportunity to discover a unique musical…

  • Music

    Etron Fou Leloublan – Les Poumons Gonfl​é​s

    January 28, 2023 - By 

    Etron Fou Leloublan are (were?) an avant-guard rock band out of France whose main claim to fame was being one of the early bands who would end up forming the genre Rock In Opposition, a loosely-knit group of bands who opposed the business which refused to recognize their music, according to a Wikipedia article. This album was released some time between 1981 and 1982, had Fred Frith producing it, and it’s as skronky and noisy as one would expect.  For those of you who like a more free-jazz spirit to their prog rock, consider giving this a listen.

  • Music

    Zhaoze – The Life of a Dayfly | 蜉​生​记

    January 8, 2023 - By 

    I suppose one can call this post-rock with Chinese characteristics.  Zhaoze are a progressive rock/post-rock band out of Guangzhou, China, and this is the first I’ve heard of them.  Their sound is mellow, almost dramatic in a TV-theme way, yet the music, though soothing, is also engaging, especially after about the 5 minute mark, where guitars begin to shimmer.

  • Music

    handwrist – The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste

    January 7, 2023 - By 

    As we celebrate Christmas on the Julian Calendar this day, I thought it nice to share with you an album I found from a Portuguese composer called handwrist, working in the medium of psychedelic, progressive and drone rock, perhaps with lo-fi touches, basing his compositions on the aforementioned Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, whom St. Basil the Great wrote about in the 4th Century.  Merry Christmas to one and all.

  • Music - Qobuz

    Pekka Pohloja – Jokamies (Everyman)

    December 23, 2022 - By 

     Jokamies (‘Everyman’ in Finnish) is a collection of tracks for a television series of the same name composed by the Finnish bassist Pekka Pohjola.  After his work with the hard-rock/progressive outfit Wigwam, he ventured into jazz fusion (perhaps New Age as well) and made some of the most impressive albums in the genre during the 1970s and 1980s, culminating, in my estimation, in this album.

  • Music

    Gleb Kolyadin – The Outland

    November 6, 2022 - By 

    Gleb Kolyadin is the pianist of Russian progressive rock band iamthemorning, but in this release, he has no problem mixing prog rock with jazz fusion.  The album is full of guests, but perhaps the biggest one is King Crimson’s legendary bassist and Chapman stick player Tony Levin playing upright bass.  Solid.

  • Music

    La Compagnia Digitale – La Compagnia Digitale

    September 5, 2022 - By 

    This is a weird little gem.  The three tracks on this album point not only to La Compagnia Digitale’s roots as an Italian progressive rock band, but there are even elements of the Berlin School which would make Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream proud.  Think of this as a more Krautrock-infused Goblin.

  • Music

    Beat Love Oracle – Turning The Table

    September 2, 2022 - By 

    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 best to listen to the music directly and be amazed.

  • Music - Spotify

    Pekka Pohjola – Harakka Bialoipokku (B The Magpie)

    September 1, 2022 - By 

    Hands down, this is my favorite Finnish progressive rock album.  I was introduced to Pekka Pohjola early in life, and now that I am listening to this album in my middle age, I can hear how beautifully it aged.  Pekka’s bass is at the forefront, of course, and his playing is masterful, but the whole crew balance progressive rock of the 1970s with jazz fusion and touches of art-rock.  I can’t say enough good about this disc.