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…
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 for well over 40 years now, and are perhaps America’s best representative of avant-progressive rock, having no difficulty straddling the lines of aggressive prog rock with classical music, much like their European contemporaries Art Zoyd and Univers Zero, among others.
Lauri-Dag Tüür appeared on my previous blog in 2020 with what I believe was his debut album, and he’s gotten better since. This album clocks in at a bit over 40 minutes, and it’s one of the better examples of Kosmische Musik I’ve heard in some time done by a modern composer. The album is spacious and roomy, and takes a leisurely pace winding and unwinding while it travels around the universe, reminding me of artists like the late Klaus Schulze, Robert Rich, and in parts, fellow Estonian Sven Grünberg and his project, Mess.
I would have expected an album like this to come from England, the Netherlands or even somewhere in the Scandinavian realm, but to think that such a wonderfully played (and sung – in English!) album comes from Verona, Italy, of all places, shows that Galaverna are true students of such amazing bands as Tudor Lodge, The Trees or Kebnekajse. This is progressive folk which looks back fondly to the masters of the genre and builds on their work.
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 is the VERY high price tag for what is a normal-sized album. The economy back home must be getting ever more brutal, I guess.
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 things I’ve heard come out of Austria in a long time (barring electronic music, of course).
Vangelis has passed away in Paris at the age of 79. His reputation needs no introduction to connoisseurs of music, especially those into soundtracks. For my money, Blade Runner was the jewel in his crown. May he Rest In Peace.
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 the performances are a nice development from their studio work.
Today is a very sad day for us here at MYNTH. Klaus Schulze, the legendary composer and keyboardist, passed away on the 26th of April. He was 74. We wish to acknowledge his passing by posting one of my favorite performances.
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.