• Music

    Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel 1 (Car)

    July 19, 2021 - By 

    It’s safe to assume that the vast majority of my friends and readers know who Peter Gabriel is.  I don’t think there’s been a more important pop singer in the last 40 or so years, and it’s really a pleasant surprise to see him put the whole of his catalog on Bandcamp. This album is my favorite of the back catalog, as it was his first after leaving the band Genesis.  Car is a collection of songs that sound like Gabriel was undergoing a creative explosion, mixing heavy rock, progressive, and you could hear a strong imprint from guest musicians…

  • Music

    László Hortobágyi – The Amygdala Expedition

    June 22, 2021 - By 

    This is quite a momentous occasion for me, as áMARXE Records out of Galicia, Spain, release an album by Hungarian composer László Hortobágyi which has been shelved since 1989.  The album was programmed specifically for vinyl, and áMARXE are releasing a small edition of 250 copies, no doubt of high quality. The story with László Hortobágyi is quite an interesting one, as I used to work many years ago as an A&R manager for Tone Casualties, a record label run by the animator Gábor Csupó, he of Klasky-Csupo, who released such cartoons as The Rugrats and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, among…

  • Music - Music Promo

    Mitchell Manburg – Laplace Resonance

    June 9, 2021 - By 

    I have to say that this is a pleasantly weird EP by Mitchell Manburg, reminding me in parts of King Crimson’s early 80s era or other progressive rock bands of the time period.  It doesn’t have the incredible guitar work of Fripp and Belew, but lyrically, it feels completely in pace with albums like Discipline or Beat in some odd, familiar way. If you want to check out this album go here.

  • Music

    The Myrrors – Borderlands

    May 30, 2021 - By 

    While reading an excellent blog called The Fragmented Flâneur (I highly recommend subscribing to it, psych fans), I came across a review from a band whose words I admire a lot, but had forgotten about.  The Myrrors are an outfit from Tuscon, Arizona who manage to blend together the noisiness of White Heaven, the hypnotic dirges of Ghost or even modern masters like Kikagaku Moyo, and a violin, adding a touch that would have fit in perfectly with the Third Ear Band. Invest a few moments reading The Fragmented Flâneur’s review and then sink into these otherworldly tracks. It’s worth…

  • Music

    Albaluna – Heptad

    May 12, 2021 - By 

    Our friends at Tejo Milenario have introduced us to yet another one of their brilliant band and we are expecting to highlight quite a few more as the weeks pass by! Albaluna are a project from Portugal whose stage performances blend together music, poetry and dance, combining cultures of the Silk Road into one well-woven tapestry.  The music is a mix of electronic progressive music, pure folk forms from the Mediterranean, North Africa and even hints of Chinese music.  They literally sound like they are able to vacuum a genre of music and easily mix it into their palette.  They…

  • Music

    Alexei Aigui & Ensemble 4’33” – Alcohol

    May 4, 2021 - By 

    I have been a fan of Alexei Aigui’s ensemble work for at least 20 years now, going all the way back to his appearance on the excellent, though now defunct Russian label SoLyd (see the release here).  He has become even more innovative, more progressive, and this latest album, Alcohol, will be appreciated by those who like chamber-rock, symphonic rock or even those into avant-progressive / Rock-In-Opposition-style music.  You can purchase the album over at Apple or check it out on various streaming platforms by clicking this link.

  • Music

    Onségen Ensemble – Fear

    April 16, 2021 - By 

    I wish to thank my friend Slava, who is based in Kazakhstan, for introducing me into this avant-prog treasure.  The Onségen Ensemble are a Finnish group who have a rather open personnel, which is in keeping with their mission statement.  The sound is a mix of heavy progressive, psychedelic rock and a bit of raw, old-school metal.  I think a band like this would feel at home with American labels like Cuneiform Records, but they want to forge their own path, and it’s a very, very loud one.

  • Music

    CAN – The Singles

    April 13, 2021 - By 

    It looks like Mute Records are beginning to put more effort into their Bandcamp page, adding a lot of classic albums from their catalogue including licensed material from CAN, the legendary Krautrock band whose members all went on to do wonderful projects on their own. Though most readers here will have a favorite album they would rather feature (mine is Monster Movie), I’m posting this concentrating on my Chinese friends today so that they can sample what CAN were all about. The Singles is a decent introduction to their material.

  • Music

    Emil – Само сам знам / Only Alone I Know

    April 9, 2021 - By 

    Emil Biljarski has had a storied career, first as keyboardist of the seminal Hungarian psychedelic rock band Korai Öröm, and who continued the psychedelic, world music and even post-punk stylings in bands such as Fókatelep and Meszecsinka.  His pedigree is impeccable. He graces our blog with a new album which is a projection of music best described as a mish-mash of well-crafted pop songs, interludes which would be reminiscent of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, Bowie-esque prog-pop, ethnic music from Southeast Europe, and on occasion, the bass playing on this track reminds me of a mid-period Killing Joke.  Well crafted, well…

  • Music

    Fradejas & Fradejas – Oum

    March 10, 2021 - By 

    It’s always a pleasure when you get to announce the release of an album made by dear friends.  Amandine and Santiago Fradejas operate in two different genres of music – she, in a more ethereal and progressive rock sound​ and he in a more experimental and improvisational setting.  Both of their respective talents compliment each other well, and the record is a very pleasant creative departure for both.