I'm not going to say a lot about this album as it was one I picked up without doing my homework. The thing is that I was excited about finding some John Zorn music that I liked back in 2017. And all of it was music he released between 2015 and 2017. Albums like "Inferno", "The Interpretation Of Dreams", The Garden Of Delights" and "The Painted Bird". I was led to these albums after discovering ELECTRIC MASADA, a Zorn led band that blew me away. I was on the search for more like-minded music of his after hearing that one, lets put it that way.

That search led me to that '15- '17 period of his that contained some incredible music. And in my excitement I grabbed this one too called "Midsummer Moons" from 2017, only to find out it's simply two acoustic guitar players, and that's it. For the whole album. Now Gyan Riley and Julian Gage are gifted players or Zorn wouldn't have asked them to play, but I feel this is pretty one dimensional despite them changing things up at times.

This is just not my music to be honest. A beautiful cover art, and I would say the same about a lot of these melodies. The word "moon" is in nine of the ten song titles. An all instrumental album about the moon. This was one of those "oops" moments, but if your into classy, high end, all instrumental music, you need to hear this. Zorn is the composer and producer and I've seen this listed as chamber jazz and contemporary folk.

3 stars, but please read Neu!mann's insightful review.

Rush explore the various manifestations of power on their excellent mid-80s album 'Power Windows', a record that continues the band's ingenious synth-driven amalgamation of prog, pop and AOR, taking in many respects the best aspects of their previous couple of albums and delivering a more ambitious, consistent and lush work. 'Power Windows' remains quite an understudy in this catalogue, which is a shame given that this is a tight record with fabulous songwriting (you get some of the most convincing and moving 80s Rush material, definitely on par with the music on 'Moving Pictures' and 'Signals'), really good singing from Geddy Lee (I would argue among his best recordings for the band), and a very quirky, inventive and powerful use of synths, achieving a sonic balance that overshadows that of the few preceding albums.

'Power Windows' is Rush displaying everything they had learned throughout the decade and synthesizing their sound in a very melodic and accessible format - there are no weak entries on here and the all the songs maintain the same level of precision and intrigue. Once again trying out to work with a new producer, 'Power Windows' is definitely a success and an underrated piece of work that produced great tracks like the popular opener 'The Big Money', the gorgeous 'Manhattan Project', or the uplifting 'Marathon', not forgetting excellent songs like 'Middletown Dreams', one of the songs with the best production on a Rush LP and, of course, the really strong 'Mystic Rhythms'. Just great playing and writing overall, this album is a solid step up from the less focused 'Grace Under Pressure'.

Fans of instrumental music and pianos, may I have your attention please because here is an album that may keep you entertained for a very long time and I'm a bit surprised that it has slipped through the cracks. The band is the brainchild of Vikram Shankar and it is based in the USA. Everything revolves around the pianos of this much-talented musician who although is a shredder (consider the solo on Effusion) his main target is to write actual music and not solo over some chords. Did I mention there are no guitars here except a solo on the epic title-track? Who needs them anyway? It's pianos, drums and bass only, but somehow they manage to sound as a "full" band and not one- dimentional and boring. Granted, some songs are more inspired than others like the title-track which expands over 20 minutes and still it flows so naturally, the driving and versatile Miles Away or the soulful The Road Home (III). On the down side Spectral Shapes isn't something memorable (but then again, one can take it an extended intro to The Road Home (III)) and the final song Epilogue differs to all others since it features the vocals of the very Anneke van Giersbergen, but it it's totally uninteresting (it was wise, after all, to place it in the end where it doesn't ruin the flow). On a larger scale, the drums, to my ears, are a bit up-front in the mix but eventually I got used to that, although things could be better. Still, it is the inspiration that, as always, comes first and here is around in spades.

4.5 stars. Michael Giles is most known for being the original drummer for KING CRIMSON, but his musical relationship with Robert Fripp began before that, with the band GILES, GILES & FRIPP. And the other Giles is of course his brother Peter who plays bass. Sometime in the second half of the seventies Michael Giles decided to make a solo album. He enlisted the help of a dozen or so musicians, many from the Canterbury Scene to fulfill this dream. Funny thing was that he wasn't completely happy with it. Not so much with the actual music, although there was some of that, but he was concerned that this style of music wouldn't be well received in 1978. So why throw your pearls to swine.

Into the vaults it went, but thankfully not forgotten as I consider this essential for those who are into Canterbury. Two years prior to "Progress" being recorded Michael was the drummer for that John G. Perry album "Sunset Wading" and Geoff Richardson was a big part of that as well. I mention that because Richardson is like his left arm on this album, the most active musician on here besides Michael. John G. Perry also plays on this album adding bass to a couple of tracks. Geoff Richardson plays guitar for the most part, but he also adds viola, flute, and bass on one track.

Peter Giles is the main bass player, and besides his incredible performance, I have to add Michael's punchy drum work, and also the electric piano, which is on half the tracks as being the big draw for me here. I love upfront bass, electric piano and drumming like this. These three things push this album up to that five star rating. This is a recording I can't wait to put on. And very consistent. And speaking of electric piano, Dave McRae is on here adding some class. The man was with both MATCHING MOLE and NUCLEUS. John Mealing plays most of the piano on here though. But yeah, Jimmy Hastings is here and some other horn players. Michael takes care of the vocals and I like his voice. He also has Catherine Howe singing on a couple of songs. And she's great.

I spent time with this record over 5 years ago and I have to admit this just keeps getting better. No weak links, which is huge for me being an album guy. This seems like a concept album, in the sense if you read the song titles it's like a day in the life. Ten tracks and over 42 minutes. There's a couple of one minute pieces including the opener "Sunrise" a mysterious and subtle soundscape. The other is "Daydream" which I like better. It's hard for me to even keep it to a top five with the eight remaining songs, that's how much I'm into this album.

It's interesting that my top three are the three longest ones, all around 6 minutes in length. So lets start with those. First is "Midsummer Day" which has a unique sound to it with Michael playing a naive guitar it's called. It's played throughout and is the main sound. Michael sings and only gets help from Richardson here as he adds flute, guitar and bass. My third favourite tune on here. Just original sounding.

The title track is incredible. Three horn players plus guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Peter's bass sound is off the charts good but there's so much going on with this tune. It's pretty intense after 2 minutes with the horns and bass leading. And the drumming? Don't ask! Final top three is the closer "Arrival" with again three horn players but with a female singing during the second half, but it's the drums, bass and electric piano that kill. How about "Rocking"? The one track with Hastings on it, but also two more horn players. A theme here. And it's the one track where Michael adds clavinet. Thankyou! A punchy drum led tune.

Funny but "Moving" reminds me of KING CRIMSON from the early eighties. Even though this is the late seventies. The vocal style reminds me of Belew. Such a catchy tune. "Rolling" is another one that stands out. Punchy and funky with Michael singing. The bass is again so good, and it's John G. Perry this time. "Departure" the second song, but really it's the opener after that one minute intro piece. And it's worthy of being the opening track with that electric piano from Giles especially standing out, yes Michael Giles. McRae adds a piano solo here as well.

Lastly I'll mention "Shunter" because it's all Giles, but unlike the other "all Giles" tune "Nightdream", this isn't all drums and percussion or one minute long. He adds keyboards to great affect along with his drum and percussion work. It's really good. Yes I'm bumping this one up!

This band from Ferrara put out a 2022 debut album that was met with both high ratings and positive comments from the community, and well deserved as they had been a Banco tribute group which helped them hone their considerable chops, having paid their dues for 17 long years. They have now just launched their sophomore release, and it is fair to say, that a new milestone has been reached. These 'ragazzi' form a well-oiled 'squadra' that plays offensive minded prog, with little holding back or kicking the ball around without purpose. Every detail is crisp and emotive, the pace endlessly varied, and the technique flawless.

"Joker" is an urgent prog tornado, a whirling dervish opener that has all the tastiest ingredients for a full-blown magnum opus in the making. Colossal riffs and thunderous beats combine to blow away both any rust or dust, a strangulating bass carving up any opposition, and a male vocal flow two Italian steps from Gentle Giant in tone, the chorus devastating and agreeably pompous. The piano and harpsichord whip out a couple of aces, the harmony choir vocals provide a series of red queens, a bluffing drum package to outdo all the odds, and a final full house to take the tokens to the cashier and venture off into the night. Deeply rooted in the RPI tradition of blending Italian folk, medieval music, prog and storytelling of the highest order, "Il Raconto di Juan della Sua Terra" submits to this thrilling style with a fervor only a couple of 'espressi corti' could fuel. The crisp Luca Trabanelli electric guitars, the somersaulting drum patterns of Paolo Bolognesi, a wicked reptilian bass courtesy of Francesco Gigante and Antonello Giovannelli's over the top keyboard showmanship keep the audition breathless and inspirational. Intertwined with acoustic guitar, punchy piano and Andrea Chendi's evocative singing, the spirit and mood of the often-brutal Spanish conquest of America are maintained at the highest level, a true team effort that puts music into a story with operatic zeal.

Inspired by the first Christmas of World War 1, the stately 10 minute+ epic "Natale 1914" suggests a sombre mood that needed to be galvanized by the tradition of family, so very steeped in Italian lore, in order to overcome the horror of the Great War and its interminable sacrifices. An homage to the millions of young men, dying in a variety of gruesome ways, from mass artillery, bayonet charges, exploding mines and even mustard gas attacks that choked the life out of many a conscript. Ambra Bianchi adds her celestial soprano wailing to a colossal main theme that is nearly eternal, the cobra bass coiling like rolls of barbed wire, the insistent Trabanelli guitar phrasings are irresistible, as the roar of war collides with the serenity of a truce between belligerents, this is just plain wonderful music. E basta!

A piano etude reveals the beauty of this instrument on the grandiose "?Non il Bergerac", with classy dual vocals as both Ambra and Andrea share the microphones. The overarching chorus sets in firmly as the arrangement rises into a massive anthem, every note perfectly placed, the pace resolute and the instrumental soloing blowing the roof off, a slippery synth blast followed by a bellowing axe explosion, the gears constantly shifting like the famed prancing horse known worldwide. A little traditional accordion canzone feel to finish off. Bravo!

The lovely Ambra takes over the vocally commanding "Chita", a poignant narrative of female emancipation and the long suffering of abuse that woman had to endure, being viewed as second class citizens. The central melody is bombastic and heartfelt, the piano and guitar dancing with each other in complete partnership, with a constant ebb and flow that keeps the foot squarely on the accelerator. Her final scat /wail spot is an absolute album high point, not too far from legendary Clare Torry territory, as Bolognesi syncopates a la Bill Bruford underneath with athletic gusto.

The thunder and lightning reappear on "Storie Perdute ", a rousing lesson in quality prog composition, stamped with equal amounts of vigor, contrast, mood, and passion. There is even a whistling section! Each member gets to extol the virtues of their capabilities, such as the duality of organ and mellotron, allied in work ethic, while the rhythm section wreaks havoc at every turn, like a controlled race with countless obstacles.

Already in January, with 11 months to go, this vital work has already been anointed (and added) to my very best list of 2025

5 dealer decks

It's a difficult task to produce a review about a prog rock compilation: there are always the personal prefferences of the writer/listener. And there's this tough choice of the compilation's creator on whether focusing on a specific period and/or countries, and/or styles/subgenres. Well, the responsibles for this effort chose the hardest path - contemplate on only 3 CDs the main musical forces on prog rock (at least the more accesible ones, because there's nothing from Zeuhl nor RIO). Immediately, if your acquainted of this work, you'll probably retort "but there's no ELP, King Crimson, Rush, VdGG, Gentle Giant material on this trilogy. And the Pink Floyd and Genesis original stuff isn't present - the covers don't get even close. Inadmissible!". I'm more likely to give you plenty of reason, above my counter-argument that we don't know about the copyrights involved on this production, and other elements that might have prevented the inclusion of these immortal groups. Therefore, I agree that this a true negative point about this trilogy. One positive point: the distribution of the songs is intelligent and sensible.

The booklet soothes, but just a little, this negative side. It mentions ELP, King Crimson, and "pays tribute" to some of their members, which execute some of the covers.

Musically, this trilogy probably won't present any new discover to the conoisseur. But for me, it introduced some amazing gems. Not much because of the selection, inspired many times, and not so much on other moments. But specially on the quality of the remix. I don't know if this applies to all tracks, because I don't have any Hawkwind CD, and in my collection there's only very few krautrock (certainly no Can nor Amon Guru) or electronic prog (Tangerine Dream), so it's not possible for me to compare. For the songs I didn't previously know, some seem not so well recorded. Such as "I will return", from Springwater; the two tracks from Hawkwind; and "Ultima Thule", from Tangerine Dream. On the other hand, it's amazing what they made with songs like "Tomorrow Night", from Atomic Rooster (I have a remastered edition, and it doesn't get even close on this PRT); "You keep me hangin' on", from Vanilla Fudge; "In the land of grey and pink", from Caravan; and "Orange blossom special", from Fairport Convention. Besides, almost all of the remaining unmentioned tracks are dazzling on quality.

CD 1 is called "The Greatest Progressive Songs". As a matter of fact, the songs are almost all of them superb. And because of that, the cover versions of Pink Floyd and Genesis don't fit well. But the other tracks here are really nice choices.

CD 2, "The Canterbury Scene, Space Rock & Krautrock", starts fabulous. The songs picked from Caravan and Hatfield and the North are perfect examples of the sound that distinguished them from symphonic prog, folk-prog and other subgenres. And the two Soft Machine compositions delivered here are outstanding. Continuing on the audition, there's this incredible Gong proposal. The next tracks are out of my sympathy. Nonetheless, they made a very wise choice when including "Egyptian Kings", from Brainticket, and "Sunset in the third system", from Tangerine Dream.

"The Italian Scene, Folk Gems & some Magical Prog Tunes", the 3rd CD, brings very briefly the brilliance of RPI. I regret they picked, from BMS, "L'albero del pane": even though I recognize this composition as one of its most well known (I don't know if this song represents their political thoughts by the time), for me it's far from the peak of their musicality. The folk prog tunes are fabulous, and so is the cover of "Can-utility and the Coastliners". The conclusion - to be more specific, the two last tracks - are weak. The cover of "Eclipse" is terrible.

Concluding, this effort won't bring any amazing new findings for the conoisseur, but it certainly has in almost all the tracks a superb recording, and is a very good oficial introduction to progressive rock. A person who's starting to listen the genre will have good elements to decide wether which subgenres and/or countries he/she will explore more. Better songs from Yes and other bands could've been chosen? For sure! Are there better tunes that coulb be easily picked for this effort? No doubt for me! But I don"t know about the folks who decided which songs would be part of this trilogy. Well, hey, if you want someone to hear an intro to prog rock, send him a playlist from your streaming, or one of the many youtube links with this purpose. And if by chance this person makes a point of hearing such introduction on a sound equipment, this release is highly recommended. Some other benefits can occur; for instance, to listeners that don't know anything of Canterbury, and/or anything of Folk Prog. In my case, I discovered some new songs.

So, on one point of view (of the conoisseur), this work deserves 3 stars. On the other perspective (of the layman who wants to hear on a sound equipment) I'd give it a 4.2 stars. So, my final rating is 3.6.

Review Nº 863

As we know, Marillion is a progressive rock band that was formed in 1979 in UK. They're one of the biggest names in the prog rock world. This English band was perhaps the main responsible for the style's survival in the 80's. With Fish as a member of the band, Marillion released four studio albums, "Script For A Jester's Tear" in 1983, "Fugazi" in 1984, "Misplaced Childhood" in 1985 and "Clutching At Straws" in 1987. The loss of Fish was terrible for the band and for the fans. Fish proved to be one of the best lyricists of the new generation and had a remarkable charisma on stage.

"Seasons End" is the band's first album after Fish left Marillion. The band had got Steve Hogarth as the new singer, although the band had already recorded most of the material when Hogarth joined. Only a couple of songs on it actually have some pieces written by him, "Easter" and "The Space...". A number of the lyrics were written by John Helmer, who the band had commissioned before Hogarth joined. Marillion stuck musically to the sound of the previous albums. It was curious to see how the new singer could fill the gap from Fish. Hogarth sounded different than Fish, but it was an instant hit with fans. The album was also well received by critics but couldn't keep the status of the previous albums.

So, "Seasons End" is the fifth studio album of Marillion and that was released in 1989. As I mentioned above, "Seasons End" is the first album of Marillion to feature the current lead singer Steve Hogarth. So, the line up on the album is Steve Hogarth (vocals), Steve Rothery (guitars), Mark Kelly (keyboards), Pete Trewavas (bass) and Ian Mosley (drums and percussion). It had also the participation of Jean-Pierre Rasle (bagpipes) and Phil Todd (saxophone), as guests.

"Seasons End" has nine tracks. The first track "The King Of Sunset Town" starts with the ethereal keyboards, the pulsating bass coming slowly, minimalist drums and Rothery's characteristic guitar, that slowly take on the theme. The voice of the new vocalist shows the band has maintained its identity despite a different vocal approach. The second track "Easter" is a ballad, one of the most beautiful ballads made by the band. Lyrically is excellent and musically is perfect. The totally passionate guitar solo contributes significantly to the construction of the theme. Hogarth easily fits his vocals into the song's arrangements, demonstrating intimacy with the theme. The third track "The Uninvited Guest" has a fastest tempo song and has some pop influences. It has some interesting lyrics with some quiet little Scottish references, probably to Fish. That isn't strange because it's the first song on the album fully composed after Fish's departure. Despite it has a more pop vein, I like it. The fourth track is the title track "Seasons End". It's both, lyrically and musically great, slow, dense and very melodic. Hogarth shows that, like Fish but in a different way, he could create progressive themes with passionate interpretations as Fish did. Here we have another lyrically well constructed guitar solo that fits the emotional aspects of the theme. The fifth track "Holloway Girl" is a theme that starts slowly and gradually grows and develops. Highlight again for Hogarth, and of course, Rothery's guitars that when not in evidence, appear in the background all the time involving the song. In this album we have some of the best Rothery's conceptions and interpretations. The sixth track "Berlin" is a slow and melodic track, with strummed guitars and the sullen voice of Hogarth. For the first time we have the saxophone sound in a work by Marillion. It appears here not only in the solos, but throughout the song. Hogarth manages to perfectly match his vocals exploring new musical horizons to the band. The seventh track "After Me" is another guitar-driven ballad, a song that could been a single. It's a great theme with a good keyboard work. Its music goes back to Fish's days, but the vocal melody is 100% Hogarth. The eighth track "Hooks In You" is a very short track, the shortest of all. It's perhaps the most poppy song on the album. It's very similar to "Incommunicado" one in that it's based on a line of keyboards and has a firm guitar base. It was also composed by the band after Fish left Marillion. The ninth track "The Space..." closes the album with a longer progressive epic track. This is a great song with some interesting cryptic lyrics. In a way, this is a perfect theme to finish this excellent album.

Conclusion: This first album of Marillion without the presence of Fish worked well. It was well received by critics and fans. When we are listening to "Seasons End", one can clearly conclude that the group recorded a beautiful album, rich in melodies, with a meticulous guitar work and impeccable instrumentals. With this album, Marillion managed thankfully to survive the shaky manoeuvre of replacing a revered front man mainly yielding good results. And although as a whole it doesn't quite manage to reach the same musical peaks as reached by some of the material from the Fish era it will, to people who give it a thorough listen, prove a strong and worthy follow on. Despite I always had some problems with Hogarth's era in Marillion, "Seasons End" remains one of my favorite Marillion's albums, even if I still sort of sorted it in my head under an imaginary other band's name. It's a successful album by a band that was looking for a new style.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The latest in the 'Sanctuary' series of albums finds Robert Reed revisiting thirteen tracks from his favourite composers, arranged and performed by Robert alongside guests Les Penning, Tom Newman, Terry Oldfield and Angharad Brinn. When I say "revisiting" I mean we get versions here of songs written and recorded by others, but I believe that all these versions (apart from, I think, "Telstar") have already been available on EP's. I am pretty sure both "Willow's Song" and "Scarborough Fair" come from the 2014 'Willow's Song EP' where Robert provided all the instruments and vocals were by Angharad Brinn who has been involved in the Sanctuary project for some time as well as Cyan, plus there have been a number of other EP's over the years.

But this is just a minor quibble, as when working in this format Reed continues to channel his inner Oldfield, and to hear what Oldfield might have done to the "Doctor Who" theme is just delicious, while any excuse to listen to David Bedford material should always be taken. His version of "King Aeolus" is a masterclass and that Bedford these days never seems to get the kudos he deserves is awful as he had such a huge impact on others, his album 'Nurses Song with Elephants' featured both Kevin Ayers and Oldfield among others and the title track is one of three Bedford songs included here. Brinn has a wonderful vocal style, providing sheer class to any song she is involved with, while Reed continues to have a very clear direction of what he wants to achieve with his music and his delight at being able to work with Oldfield luminaries is palpable.

I have a bias towards Pendragon for various reasons, so keep some salt, but this album is a jewel deserving of recognition for representing an era of Pendragon just on its own: they have The Jewel, then the trilogy World-not of this world, then the period of transition Believe-Passion, and lastly the 2 last albums. The Jewel stands out as a unique piece, a proto-Pendragon. Some of the tracks, notably Higher Circles, have that playful, joyous vibe that you'll find in The World as well; thoughout the tracks there is some garage vibe as well, and the album is not *that* dissimilar to the next album Kowtow. But already with The Pleasure Of Hope we have a playful vibe that goes beyond what the simple Higher Circles offered, with very good signature guitar notes (already giving us a touch of next years' Pendragon), simple but pleasing chorus chanting the lines: it's not the most original and profound thing, but I really appreciate it, you really spend some good time there. That's really what I'd want to highlight with this album, it's real positive energy, with some mystery veiled within it, that has not yet blossomed, some potential you can feel already, some nostalgy and romantic feelings throughout Alaska. - Alaska, probably the best piece of the album. Which would lie at the heart of a 3/5 album. Yet, there is another piece in this album, which pushes it to 4/5 stars. It even belongs to me to the top 10 of prog songs all bands considered. I'm cheating a bit, because although it's a track of this album, it's not in the version of the album. It's The Black Knight. Don't take the album's rendering, nor from live, trust me and go listen to the BBC session, available on YouTube. Believe me, it's one of the greatest pieces ever made. You'll understand why Tommy Vance was impressed by it and it really fueled the beginning of their career.

I have a very special relationship with Pendragon. They're actually the band that introduced me to neo prog, and prog. Very late actually - it was the Men who climb mountains, that remains to this day a benchmark for me of what prog can bring (leaving aside my bias for that album...and for Pendragon in general...). I was thus very disappointed by their brand new Love over fear, and it's a real mystery why it's considered their best one in here, but I guess my bias shows, I expected a lot and could only be disappointed. By Kowtow, I wouldn't say I was disappointed, it's an old album (several years older than me!!), when Pendragon was still searching their style. It's just an intriguing moment of their career that one that sees themself as a fan really should listen to just for the discovery, and to better understand Pendragon journey. Kowtow came rafter The Jewel, which to me is an underrated...jewel - not as good as some of what they did next, but still a very good album with a few excellent tracks, at the very least The Black Knight, especially in the BBC session version (you can find it on YouTube). Both albums are somewhat garage, though not in the same way. The Jewel offered some atmospheric and melodic pieces. Kowtow is... well, it looks more like a sort of balladish pop rock, something somewhat close to what BelIeve does (but BelIeve does it better). But I'm not informing anyone, this has been well remarked already by a lot of people. A few tracks are actually pretty good: The Haunting and Total Recall. I Walk the Rope is quite agreeable, though simple and rather forgettable - it seems to kinda try to be catchy.

A true concept-album with a very peculiar and rich atmosphere, very well illustrated (the artwork is superb). Rick Miller is really progressing, towards... - idk, "All paths are the same, leading nowhere"

I have discovered Rick Miller through his track "The Journey", which I thought was pretty good. Then, some time later, I came across another track, and I was like, wait, isn't that The Journey? I'm usually not that sensible to artists repeating lines or a certain style, but Rick Miller's early tracks often sound exactly the same, like he's trying again and again to express the same thing, looking for himself. Yet, it seems his music has evolved through the years. My perspective still needs more insight, I haven't listened to everything he's done, but compared to previous works, Old Souls truely stands out.

For a first, I do not feel again this repetivity. - Not that the music and atmosphere would be completely all around the place, it still retains a consistent broad atmosphere, that really defines Rick Miller in general and this album in particular.

Well, so, jumping to it. Old Souls is a true concept-album. It deals with time through its various aspects, in part the passage of time through one's life, and in part the passage of time through the ages, and how the human soul can still relate to "old souls". The writing and composing are both quite clear AND rich and fantastic, a mixture that I rarely see combined so well. The 1st track, "Time's way", introduces the overall theme of the album. A few piano notes, followed by some guitar and drums attack. It's not that original, and at this point the melodic atmosphere hasn't fully shined through. Then it starts to calm down and become weird - that kind of weirdness typical of Miller, but enriched in this album. Rick sings "Breathe in my soul", and we're not entirely sure whether he's speaking to time or to old souls, both fitting. He goes shakespearian, "To stay or to go, to have and to hold", basically elaborating on a universal theme that old souls and new souls can relate to. The following is even more transparent, and that stanza, the chorus, really represents to me the core of this album: Dream of me, a voice in the dark. / Take me home, old souls never part. / Shadows cast by sins of the past. / Time will have its way.

The rest of the album journeys through the paths of various names from literature. The inspiration drawn from literature really shines through, as one can feel that it's not random names dropped, but that there is something about them, about their character and soul, that Miller wants to express, notably Guinevere, Castaneda's Don Juan, and Don Quixote. Lost Karma also evokes Indian spirituality and transmigration, which is a way that this connection to old souls can concretize. Right before the end comes the track Don Quixote, a masterpiece where we go through the journey of Don Quixote's mind, reflecting on the modern world (his, or ours, or both) and how it's lost "its need for men / Of chivalry and moral sense". After a transition with a narrator stating "Finally after so little sleeping, / And so much reading, / His brain dried up, and he went, / Completely out of his mind." After which Don Quixote speaks (sings) again and expresses his decision to become a knight. The "reading" part really helps relating to Don Quixote, even if we're not to embrace such a lunatic enterprise, as the reading, the literature inspiration, really shows throughout the album, and listeners of this album, when they enjoy it, will typically be readers too, perhaps feeling also a disillusionment at a world where knights are gone (if they have even ever existed), where there seems to be no true point in living - "The maddest thing a man can do, / Is waiting here to die". After Don Quixote's last lines, the last purely musical passage arrives, made of about three different pieces following each other, at the middle of which one can clearly hear a windmill turning loudly. All of which leaving to the listener's imagination - but the theme is so clear that we are pushed to actually filling up with our own images.

After that comes a "reprise" of Time's Way, suggesting the circling of time and perfectly completing the album.

Five studio albums followed before Kansas released "Two For The Show" (1978), a double album that condenses their best compositions (or many of them...) performed live, at a time when the band was at its highest peak of popularity, packing venues across North America between 1977 and 1978, propelled by the essential mega-hits "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind".

A superlative set list that is built from elaborate representative symphonic structures such as the vindicatory "Song for America" (excellent despite presenting a version that omits part of the instrumental section), the mythological "Icarus - Borne on the Wings of Steel", the epic "Journey for Mariabronn", the extended version of the experimental and dark "Magnus Opus", the Genesian "Miracles of Knowhere", or the tributary "Closet Chronicles", songs where the protagonism is mainly assumed by Kerry Livgren's keyboards and synthesizers in a fluid interaction with Robby Steinhard's violins and Steve Walsh's unwavering voice, interspersed with other more direct and energetic songs like the adventurous "Point of Know Return", the questioning "Paradox", the mid-tempo "Portairt (He Knew)", or the nightmarish "Mysteries and Mayhem".

Executed with a vitality that is often not fully captured in the studio, the songs flow with power and create significant space for the instrumental showcasing of the band's virtuoso members, such as Livgren's heartfelt piano on the delicate "Lonely Wind" and Phil Ehart's drum solo on the instrumental "The Spider", but above all in the extended and exacerbated guitar improvisations of the Livgren/Williams duo in the hard rocker "Child of Innocence", in the bluesy "Lonely Street", and in the boogie rock "Bring it Back", which also serves as the album's concluding piece.

"Two For The Show", whose cover was inspired by "The Charwoman", a cover published in April 1946 in the American magazine "The Saturday Evening Post", is the spirited and symbolic closing of Kansas' most glorious period, after which they would begin, with "Monolith", a closer approach to the sonorities of American AOR and at the same time move away from the progressive framework.

4.5 stars

Being the successor of 'Signals', there should not be too much separating 'Grace Under Pressure' from its predecessor and yet the tenth studio album by Rush is a steady misstep along the creative path of the Canadian power trio, and the first studio album not to be produced by their long-time producer Terry Brown. But it is not just the change in the producer, since 'Grace Under Pressure' is actually a good album, a decent-sounding one with several fine tracks - the main problem here is the lack of drive that 'Signals' had exhibited two years prior, the lack of originality perhaps, too, and the lack of the adventurous aspect that elevates many of the classic Rush albums.

Still, each band member shines as a virtuoso instrumentalist, and while 'Grace Under Pressure' tends to leave more space for Alex Lifeson, and dial down on the synth sounds, this is still not a remedial move as Rush go for a Genesis-like 80s style of synth-rock that generally does not allow them to unfold the potential of their writing or playing. On a more positive note, some of the good material on here is to be heard within songs like 'Distant Early Warning', 'The Body Electric', or 'Between the Wheels' - just the dynamics of this record are lackluster, and the album tends to be a bit too formulaic for Rush standards.

I suppose this album was my first real introduction to the world of instrumental music, and indeed one of the first prog albums I heard. Safe to say it was pretty life-altering not least because it also introduced me to the albums of Mike Oldfield, who would easily be my favourite solo artist of all-time.

As time has gone on I have found myself returning to it less and less, mostly because there are actually numerous albums in Oldfield's catalogue that I personally enjoy more than this one. That said, it's still a classic that I would never want to be without a physical copy of.

1. Don't Look Up start for the sound with LEPROUS mixed with MUSE; interesting this syncopated synth putting the rhythm on a modern sound 2. Oslo Syndrome for the heavy cottony intro, the sound that gravitates between ambient and hard rock, for the small spatial break that makes a bewitching progressive fade, Petter's guitar solo moves; return to the almost pop rock new wave vitaminized chorus 3. Utopia for the continuation of the intro, like on a concept album; after it is Geirmund who sets the mood with his voice flirting with that of Einar and Fredrik of MARATON 4. Fireflies with the latent intro and the variation recalling the structures of HAKEN; softness and eloquence, energy and progressive variation with this intense djent distilled with finesse; musical oxymoron.

5. Presence for the radio hit with the energy of the guitar and synth riff and the marshmallow rendering of the invasive vocal; a layer of keyboards and Geirmund holds the title with this 'I Can't' hakenien precisely 6. Wildflower good and redundant lacking the pep of the start 7. The Tormented with again a beautiful solemn, majestic heavy djent intro, with a lot of explosive pads from Baard; the phrasing vocal on the destructive riff which rises on a dreamlike crescendo with a rapped air which goes strangely well; mention well to Gunn-Hilde and her roaring bass 8. Still Water for the terminal ballad on the airy piano, Geirmund showing the extent of his talent; the a capella or almost highlighted by the synth for the classico-symphonic crescendo which makes you shiver to the tips of your toes! An easy but moving title which proves that in terms of emotion with new prog metal we can go very far.

Starts with a beatlesque rhythym, reinforced by the female singer. An almost dancing synth takes part on the rhytmic sections, and sometimes the synth goes solo. Nice arrangements. In its middle the composition changes to a melodic and smooth approach. Guitar gently weeps, and gradually the time signatures gain complexity. On the end they make a combination of rock and roll and beatlesque executions.

A 60's psych flavour delivers the instrumental basis for the singer on the start of the 2nd track. On the other hand, it looks like the singer's trying to bring some Sonja Kristina influences (and I'm suspicious that there's a musical direct influence of "Backstreet Luv"). Incredible vocal harmonies are present, specially when two members are singing. Good use of cymbals, and the whole work on drums creates some excellent phrasings, which make a very effusive dialogue with the guitar. More to the end the music becomes repetitive, therefore a little boring.

Emends with the next track, on a rock and roll firm execution. A bit like Bad Company. Good harmonies, speed and drum turnovers; the whole instruments are consistently dynamic. Vocals are male (the best choice this time). The end is superb, with a more symphonic prog vibe, but also with a Caravan touch. Magnific vocalizations.

A kind piano and soft-jazzy drums introduces the following music. Then the arrangements become a bit experimental and strange. Looks like they wanted to add some psychedelic touches, but they weren't succesfull. Besides that, they repeat these tunes over and over. The changes on arrangements are subtle, nonetheless doesn't improve the composition. They switch to a more pastoral mood, when it gets better, with melodic and pompous harmonies.

Next is a simple and clean pop song. Male vocals.

A more accelerated and precise rhytmyc sections and rhytmyc guitar, with cohesive and inspired synth tunes, comes over on the 6th track. Female vocals. The conclusion of the song is well crafted.

An annoying rhythmic execution comes and goes on the next track. I also didn't like the arrangements and the turnovers made by the different instruments. It ends the same way it started: from nowhere to nowhere.

At least for me, the penultimate song looks like it has a romantic proposal, and also an introspective one. Specially on the beginning. Surprisingly it gets psychedelic and a bit nervous, kind of space-rock, on other parts of the track.

The atmosphere of the last song is similar to the previous track. But turns into a kind of a Mike Oldfield/Sally Oldfield effort. Smooth, spiritual, with georgeous female vocalizations. Reminding me also some stuff from Pekka Pohjola's 1970's solo career.

This is a very regular, cohesive and criative release. Also with plenty of differences between there most well known release, "... Lifun". This last one is unpredictable and very eclectic. Undoubtedly, I prefer "Náttúra:.

And for me it deserves a 4.1 rating.

Fitting title as the début album "No Air" has now obviously climbed to an even higher plane with this sophomore release, this contrast-minded combo from Groningen led by master guitarist Gert-Jan Schurer is a force to be recognized by prog fans, regardless of their stylistic affinities. Merging classic neo-prog with symphonic tendencies, the output is heavily dependent on both male (Adel Saflou) and female vocals (Hiske Oosterwijk), backed up by a solid crew on keyboards, bass and drums. The Vlerk artwork has a well-planned continuity, as both splendid covers maintain this turquoise hue, with the band name and album title in the same fonts, as if an ongoing book in a musical library. "No Air" was unanimously well received by the prog cognoscenti and "Stairs" is an even better upgrade, in my humble yet roguish opinion.

Blasting forth on the lobby's throttling "Demon's Dance", the recipe described above is immediately apparent, blending pounding riffs with serene fluttering, as both vocalists expound their vocal duties with passionate zeal, swirling and twirling with flair. It's the harmonies that really astound, as I am a sucker for wailing voices, providing an overpowering sense of attention to detail. The slight Middle Eastern feel is intoxicating, the lead guitar seductively weaving into the soul, as intense as can be, Schurer can play with the best of them. David Klompmakers has a bass sound that is up-front and center, meshing well with Wieger Dijkstra's thundering drum paraphernalia. A sizzling and attractive opener.

Though surely expected on the mezzanine, the velvety and bass-led "Skin Deep Sky" suggest a profoundly sensorial journey that shifts the listener into an alternate plane, a brilliantly gleaming sonic horizon fuelled by romantic vocals, that veers off into an orchestral section that elevates the melodic content with instrumental flair, from the Jan Munnik synths to Gert-Jan's grizzly guitar bursts, a masterfully effective track. Level three leads to a veranda of more accessible contrasts, Oosterwijk slashing through the thick keyboard jungle with glee, "Don't Go" has a pleading quality that defines our recent times, as forced isolation has caused havoc with our once comfortable routine. This is a thudding compact track, immediately attractive and powerful, where both the drum work and the vocals are exceptional. The keyboards, the bass and the guitars do not lag far behind, a perfect option for a prog radio show. On the fourth elevation, a balcony of hopes and dreams comes in the form of "I Am Tomorrow", a rollicking classic rock track, not far from the current breed that offers immediacy, intensity and technical prowess within an ear- friendly package (Sylvan, RPWL, Nine Stones Close, etc..). Adel's growly delivery is off the charts convincing, the softer Hiske harmonies devilishly clever and Gert-Jan's inspired flick of the wrist riffs totally beguiling. This should go down a storm in a live setting.

The next plinth begins with another brooding syncopation fest from Dijkstra (Dutch drummers have a long and glorious history of exceptionally solid playing), a modern take with loads of electronic atmospherics, attention to minute details in the elaboration of the track, with intricate guitar barrages as they interweave with the drums (a Led Zeppelin quality). "Misspend", is masterclass of investigative prog, ardently scouring for new sonic territories, yet clearly appreciative of past legends (Hiske doing her Jon Anderson bit to perfection). Spine tingling stuff! The sixth-floor terrace is the title track, a vaporous affair that breezes along like a warm summer wind on the polder, superbly restrained, with Klompmakers rotund bass seducing as much as Oosterwijk's vocal prowess. When the sparkling guitar screeches forth, the arrangement shifts into cruise control, the anthemic melody is drenched in beauty and 'sweet surrender', Schurer's axe ascending higher and higher.

The penthouse landing is where one meets the "Depraved Mind", as it encapsulates all of the above comments and impressions into one solid 11-minute epic ride. At times dark and stark, as the title may imply, there is a sense of histrionic inevitability verging on mania, the guitars buzzing and the synths scouring the void. The rhythm section propels like a Verstappen racer, infusing some lighter fluidity with playful voices, though Adel also knows how to raise the rage with overt impunity. A roller coaster of stylistic variations that make the time go by as if on a hurtling bullet train of sound. The mid-section that deflects towards more experimental and ambient textures is what finally truly convinced me of this band's innate quality. The sonic orgasm is to be found towards the end, where my white flag of surrender is raised, and unapologetically! I know when I am licked!

Superbly impressive and one of the great albums of 2024. 4.5 stages

After a three year hiatus, VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR make one of the greatest, if not the greatest comeback album in progressive rock history. Rather than try to top or recreate Pawn Hearts, they just played music, and they played well. The result, a masterpiece (almost) as good as Pawn Hearts.

All four songs on this album are classics. While not as chaotic, the music here is better arranged but just as complex and jazzy. "The Undercover Man" is a classic ballad about madness that segues into "Scorched Earth", a much heavier masterpiece. "Arrow" has an incredible, jazzy intro with solid drumming. The album closes with it's greatest masterpiece, the mighty 10 minute "The Sleepwalkers" with it's sophisticated melodies, dreamy organ work, and heavy breakdown in the second half. VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR is as dark as ever here. They might not have evolved their sound as much as many other bands (apart from The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome) but their unique, innovative sound driven by organ and sax makes up for it.

HAPPY THE MAN is one of the most underrated classic prog bands and probably the most interesting 70s prog band to come from the United States. They had a unique, quirky sound, and wrote technical yet melodic instrumentals, with few lyrical songs. They weren't commercial like KANSAS or STYX, but a 100% prog band. If they had been able to release more albums and get more promotion from their record label, they could have been a bigger name today like VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or GENTLE GIANT.

Crafty Hands is my favorite album of theirs, an underrated classic. While nothing on this album is as adventurous or frenetic as "Mr. Mirror's Reflections on Dreams" or "New York Dream's Suite", Crafty Hands more than makes up for it being a more polished, consistent, well crafted album while still retaining some of the dreamy atmosphere of their self-titled debut. The musicianship on here is incredible yet restrained, as if they were playing for the song, not showing off as much. Almost every song on this album is an instrumental, "Wind Up Doll Day Wind" being the only song with lyrics, and Stanley Whitaker's subpar vocals I think makes it the weakest song of the album although still a good song. That aside, the rest of the album is a masterpiece from start to finish, my personal favorites being "Service With a Smile", "Ibby it Is", "Steaming Pipes", and "Open Book".

I highly recommend this album to fans of eclectic and symphonic prog bands like GENESIS and GENTLE GIANT. This may be one of the greatest US prog albums ever released.

In this, Zelda Trixie Lulamoon's last album release reflective of her "amateur" stage as musician, one can definitely feel/hear Pony's near-mastery of all of her new equipment and recording and engineering techniques--plus the compostions are feeling way more sophisticated and mature that previous years. (Remember: this album is reflective of her 18th year on the planet.) Everything will burst into full maturity and full mastery with the next era's masterpiece album, Mystic Acoustics.

The music here is very poppy--almost bubblegum pop--but full of tons of great hooks, making each song quite enjoyable. More careful examination of the lyrical content expressed in each song might bring some understanding of the popular and private response garnered by this album--some of which will circle back to haunt Zelda and result in the 2019 release of Love Letters: Colourless. In the meantime, let's sit back and enjoy Vylet Pony's happy-go-lucky music from her carefree naïve period of first love(s).

— First review of this album —

An instrumental ambient EP released in VY's "Dropout Era" (her 22nd year on the planet this time around), it is obvious that she's feeling regrets about her public coming out--more about the loss of what she (probably) termed as "easier times." (Note the title of the album's opening song: "We Worked So Hard to Leave Equestria and Now All I Want Is to Go Back"; we all know how thinly veiled VY's Equestrian lyrics and story lines are from the events and experiences of her real life world.)

While I LOVE all of this music: it is beautiful, peaceful, healing, relaxing, enjoyable, and, of course, retains all of the mastery VY has accrued over her 15 years as a songcrafting musician, but I do miss 1) her beautiful and amazingly evocative voice, 2) her theatric and elaborately-layered "proggy" and EDM soundscapes, and 3) the intelligence and vulnerability of her wonderful lyrics.

As for the music, there is still enough lo-fi dub-step (and smile-provoking Morse code) mixed in with the Yes "Soon, Oh Soon the Light" synth soundscapes to make it uniquely Pony (and still uniquely good).

I love instrumental music and this album is right up my alley. If we exclude the last song where the interest falters slightly, this is a record I can't stop listening to. The saxophone takes over quite often the leading role to deliver the melodies, but the keyboards share equally this responsibility, too. The melodies... This is the strong point of the album. For my taste, you can hardly find one of them which is not up to the mark. Every single one is memorable, every single one is so wonderful. Aside the instruments aforementioned, the guitar also contributes nicely. It is a must for people who enjoy instrumental, upbeat music and I would strongly suggest that everyone should check out this album and not only people who are into prog rock. My favourites are Tofana 10am and Road Movie, but the flow of the album is so well-crafted that everything is where it should be. Please don't miss this one

It is strange to think that it is nearly 20 years since the debut, 'Milliontown', which had a major impact when it came out, and now Jem Godfrey (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Nathan King (bass, vocals), John Mitchell (guitars, vocals) and Craig Blundell (drums) are back with the fifth, which is a double album concept based somewhat on the band's last album, 2021's 'Day and Age'. In fact, the first track on this album starts with the end of the last track on that one, which is a nice touch. The story revolves around the main character Naio, an aimless kid heading for a meaningless future in an AI run world. He hears an old DJ talking on the ancient AM radio his mother once gave him and decides to trace the source of the signal and find "Livewire" to see if there's a better future out there. However, the All Seeing Eye is less than impressed at this bid for independent thought and fights back. Soon Naio finds himself pursued across the country by an outraged mob as he tries to locate the home of Livewire and his freedom. This story of an individual trying to find his way against a controlling world is nothing new, either in literature or music, case in point "If the thought processes of an individual can be permanently limited, To the point of strict conformity to an outside source of thought, The said individual need no longer be considered as such" ("We Are Sane", Twelfth Night).

But what makes this feel somewhat different for me is I remember having a crystal set radio as a boy in the Sixties and wondering what else was out there in the world as I scrolled through the static to hear foreign languages and music which sounded totally alien. Add to that Godfrey's skill as a composer, Mitchell's ongoing ability to make every project he is involved with indispensable, and a rhythm section to die for along with Godfrey deciding to undertake all the lead vocals himself this time means we get a very enjoyable neo/crossover prog album. The only downside for me is that it feels somewhat over produced and there is little in the way of vitality and excitement, which consequently means it comes across as single-layered as opposed to multi-faceted and while I enjoyed it, it does feel somewhat one-dimensional as opposed to having any great depth. It is just too clean, too perfect, but I am sure there will be many progheads who will disagree with me and feel this is superb. It is certainly worth hearing for anyone into modern mainstream progressive rock.

Dieter Moebius has to be included as one of the pioneers of electronic music. He arrived upon the scene with the band KLUSTER, when invited by Conrad Schnitzler to join he and Hans Joachim Roedelius. When Schnitzler left, the duo changed their name to CLUSTER. Later they would form HARMONIA with Michael Rother from NEU!, plus there were collaborations with Eno and others, plus their solo albums on top of that. And while "Tonspuren" was released in 1983 it was actually the first solo album that Dieter recorded, and in the second half of the seventies. It's pure speculation as to why he didn't release it at the time.

This comes across as a stripped down electronic pop album. We get ten tracks worth under 35 minutes. The sweetness level is a notch above what he and Roedelius did with "Zuckerzeit" when with CLUSTER, and later with some of those HARMONIA tracks. There's just no way this is a four star record in my world. Dieter had a fairly prolific solo career by the way, releasing something like 20 albums before his death in 2015. This album is all Moebius, and at times it sounds like he's using a toy keyboard, there's piano, and a rhythm machine involved I understand. But we mostly get electronic noises that move.

Three tracks stand out. "Transport" at just under 3 minutes with the piano and rhythm as electronics do their thing over top. "B 36" for the depth, plus it's catchy. This one just resonates with me more than the rest. The closer "Immerhin" just sounds good with the repetitive beats and sounds. I also want to mention both "Etwas" and "Nervos" as being two entertaining tracks as well. A good album, but not my scene.

A very average album, not quite good enough to be a good one, but also good enough to be okay. This is a loaded album, a very heavy rock sound. Each song does have a cool(not good or great) solo, but they are not enough to make the songs rise. They do however help to keep them from mediocrity. Who could possibly give this album anything higher than a three star rating? They could have trimmed the album to forty minutes and it would have fared better. The music is very uninspired and sixty minutes of this is too much. Hopefully "Woosh" and "=1" are better than this, but I won't be holding my breath.

Shimmering Ital-Symph for your Space Travel Needs

In the fall of 2012, there was an unexpected return from RPI's golden past in the guise of Pierpaolo Bibbo who, decades earlier, had released his original opus, Diapason. He hit the ground running, and Genemesi was the modern, energetic, and ultimately successful beginning to the next phase of his recording career. It was well received by the RPI fans who found it, but, in my opinion, he would only get better with time. Six years later in 2018, we got the next chapter of his return in the form of the magnificent Via Lattea, which I believe translates to the Milky Way. This time out he had a real drummer, Simone Spano, and this was a big step up from the programmed percussion of last time. Everything about Via Lattea, from the sound to the songwriting to the lyrical themes and album art, feels somehow grander. These songs shimmer.

Bibbo is a seasoned and super-talented multi-instrumentalist, and I feel the quality of his latest two albums really best his earlier two. He seems to have completely mastered the ability to produce a fully refined and ear-pleasing work that checks every box that most music fans would have. The songwriting has truly flowered into full-on musical storytelling, where you can go on a journey if you are actively listening. (While I can't understand Italian, I feel the lyrics are probably similarly weighty.) Bibbo's voice is another remarkable attribute in that it seems to have only gotten better with age. To give a brief subjective overview of the sound, this album drops some of the slightly cheesier electronic sounds of the previous albums and has less of the occasional folk vibe of the album after it. This one I feel has a spacy symphonic vibe that relates to the Milky Way theme and the album art. This album may be the one that would appeal most broadly to progressive rock fans who aren't first-and-foremost RPI fans.

Via Lattea even includes a mini-epic-length gem entitled "17 Febbraio 1943." On the heels of the raucous opener, "Dal Nuraghe Alla Via Lattea," it is a staggeringly good opening two tracks that will run you through trippy keyboard sounds that tantalize, aggressive lead guitars, and also quiet and introspective acoustic guitar parts that immediately ground you again after the interplanetary musical escapades. Very cool, bubbling bass lines pop up here and there as well. Strings and piano add elegance and breathers here and there, but this is a pretty rocking album overall. It's a great album with way-above-average production values that is perfect for kicking back with headphones, eyes closed, readied for the journey. You can find plenty of progressive rock that is edgier and more chaotically complex, but you'd be hard pressed to find modern releases with more heart than Via Lattea and Razza Umana. Both of these releases deserve SO much more attention than they have so far received. Don't miss out on them if you love majestic modern symphonic.

I've owned this as well as their debut album for 25 years, and must say that to me, this is the better of the two. The compositions are stronger and more than makes up for the lack of organs or synths. I'd even go as far as saying it's a good thing, as it gives it more of an original flavour.

I quite enjoy their unique blend of jazz and rock. With Banks having been in yes, it shouldn't surprise anyone that there are similarities. His playing is easily recognizable. However, I think the constant comparisons is a disservice to this record as it has it's own distinct flavour.

The jazz leanings, lack of organs, original vocals (which for me was an acquired taste which I've come to enjoy quite a lot), raw sound and strong song writing together makes this an album which should be enjoyed without any expectations of it being a yes album. Because it isn't, and that's a good thing.

'Signals' has to be Rush's synth-prog album, directly following-up the acclaimed and rather excellent 'Moving Pictures', this is the album that sees the Canadian trio tipping their toes into new wave territory, offering an album of eight tracks that focuses on a more melodic approach with lush synth layering, often at the expense of Lifeson's guitars (which never sounded like a good idea). Still, this album does not fail to deliver and is a great collection of accessible, melodic, lush and sometimes even "mechanical" songs that allows us to see how Rush would deal with a genre mostly unfamiliar to them, but one that had allowed them to stay relevant during the decade of the 1980s. And it is this precise sense of ingenuity, of doing things "the Rush way" that makes 'Signals' a really good entry (well, once you understand its place and role within the band's discography).

This is the album where Rush really manage to improve their choruses and we see a more seamless transition between the moody and ethereal synth passages and the rockier, more traditional riffs, definitely not abundant here. The meliorated songwriting is arguably the novelty of this album, which can end up as overlooked and underappreciated, given that it had never received the attention of the previous two albums. But songs like 'Subdivisions', 'The Analog Kid', 'Digital Man', and 'Countdown' are all very strong Rush tracks with a more predictable, recognizable and advertisable sound, if you will, and these are all qualities that serve 'Signals' well, which is a good (and eventually) logical step on from 'Moving Pictures'. Let's not forget how dense and rewarding the bass playing of Geddy Lee is here, together with the tasteful and elegant licks of Alex Lifeson. This is an album with good writing, decent instrumentation, good production and enjoyable signing, seeing Rush in a slightly different role.

'Moving Pictures' is by far the most successful Rush album and the one that produced the omnipresent hit 'Tom Sawyer', and while there might not be much room for speculation on how important this record is for the band, catapulting them to a status of stardom reserved only for a select few artists, this is also the album that marks the most drastic shift in the band's sound, as Rush focus extensively on writing shorter, more straightforward and often radio-friendly tracks, while preserving their adventurous spirit and the desire to experiment with different styles and playing techniques. 'Moving Pictures' is also the last studio album to feature a song surpassing the ten-minute mark, which is another sign of that aforementioned change in sound. For what concerns the music on this album, we often speak of some of the most accessible Rush material, relying on more predictable patterns and more streamlined, memorable lyrics that dare not to step into the fantastical territory of earlier releases.

A commendable achievement in terms of balancing their capabilities of writing good pop tunes and their overall progressive, technical approach to playing through, Rush present a collection of seven entries in a style much more presentable for radio stations than a 'Hemispheres' or a '2112'. The extensive experiments with synths, so prevalent on their 80s material, 'Moving Pictures' is perhaps the one record that achieves the finest balance between the keyboards and the sweeping guitars of Alex Lifeson. Notwithstanding, 'Moving Pictures' is undoubtedly a drummer's album - this is the LP that exhibits Neal Peart's drumming antics like no other, as his acrobatic all-around style is so upfront, cerebral and entirely impressive that you can't help but marvel at the complexity of the drum playing. There is a great unison with the bass, which never dares to overtake the space occupied by the drums on this album.

But then again, even if this album contains several iconic Rush tracks and exhibits some of the band's best playing (mostly referring to the instrumental 'YYZ' and the epic 'The Camera Eye'), this is also one of the albums that feels the most emotionally detached, often leaving the listener in the cold, with the band focusing on delivering a tighter arrangement and a playful fill at the expense of a more natural flow or a more organic unfolding of many of the tracks. It might also be the pressure exercised by the media in lauding the album ad infinitum but I do believe Rush released better albums prior to 'Moving Pictures', which is in any case a great leap forward for them into the territory of more accessible, straightforward rock music.

I must admit that Raven Sad's 2011 album "Layers of Stratosphere" left an indelible mark on my psyche, as per my review on Progarchives will attest. For unknown reasons, their follow-up ten years later, "The Leaf and the Wing" needs a return visit as it just simply did not stick in my mind enough to do an instant review, a flaw that I will correct asap, as it is highly rated and esteemed in the community. Things happen, I am not a robot, and I am happy to be flawed. This new album arrived recently, I have already given it a few whirls and I like what I know about this wardrobe. Samuele Santanna is a supremely talented guitarist, and the rest of the crew is top notch as well.

Pianist Fabrizio Trinci launches this album with ornate flair on "Andenes", as Gabriele Marconcini elegantly emotes on the microphone, very much in the Steve Hogarth mode of sensitively dense vocalizations. When the forceful lead guitar enters the fray, the stage is sonically set for a rather comprehensive roller coaster of contrasts between styles that make this album so appealing. "When the Summer Collapses into Fall" appears, the ringing the Edge style guitar is quite unexpected, a deviation that can only underline a desire to boldly stretch the stylistics, in this particular case, an upbeat track that waves goodbye to the warm months, as it heads into the grace of autumn melancholia. Punchy rhythmic workout that seeks only to dazzle the senses with raw emotion. The core quality of the album arrives to the front as the atmosphere rises even further on the 2-part section, "Coda: A Tiny Passage to Outer State", a savory instrumental introduction that captivates the listener with shimmering orchestral delight as it leads into "Point Nemo", a sensitive tour de force that instantly pleases the ear, a clearly constructed anthem with soaring melodic sorrow, brooding pace and charged vocals as it 'polarizes' the event surrounding Nautilus' last voyage .

The heavy section: "The Obsidian Mirror" and "The Bringer of Light" showcase those stylistic wanderings mentioned earlier, the first veering into a harder territory, led by a buzzing bass twirl, crunchy riffs and screeching Santanna solo while the second opts for a much heavier bluesy sound which starts with the previous piece. Laden with broiling organ and athletic rhythmic support, the stride is maintained at all costs, evoking past heavy rock masters like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. The axe solo is stunning to say the least!

Title track is a 26-minute adventure that ultimately combines into one musical chapter, all of the intricacies mentioned above. The size and scope proposes a wide berth to play with, and the musicians certainly feel extraordinarily comfortable in taking their time building this massive story. The restraint exhibited is fancifully obvious and much to be admired. The vocals, the ringing guitars, the sombre keyboards, and the tight bass/drum duo mesh together perfectly. The quieter sections are crushingly pristine, the piano work astounding and hypnotic, perfectly capturing the polar reality. Throw in slices of ornamental orchestrations when required, some forlorn vocals, and some outright blistering lead guitar form Santanna. The overpowering and complex parts are equally impressive, a river of constant change, yet firmly controlled and visionary.

A thoroughly enjoyable release, the final track being a serious masterstroke, perhaps not unseating my love for "Layers" but most worthy of discovery from avid listeners of this style. If you enjoy Moongarden, Clepsydra, Gran Torino, FEM band etc?, this will go down as an arctic storm. 4 Tuxedoed Penguins

I fell in love with this band after hearing their 2005 release 'Revoiced', a compilation of tracks from their first two albums, re-recorded with then-current vocalist Roland Stoll. Yeah, you could get away with calling it "generic progressive metal", but whatever, I think it's fantastic, regardless. So going back through the bands discography, the first two albums were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but certainly worth owning. I think with 'Revoiced' they definitely picked out the best tracks both had to offer. Which brings us to their third studio album, 2004's 'End of Silence', and the verdict is not good.

I do really like this band, and I wanted to give this a fair chance, but it's been on my playlist for well over a year now (maybe even two), and it's just not working! I'm struggling to really get into it. The musicianship is fantastic, the production is great, everything is as it should be. Except? well, the songs are pretty boring.

Of the nine tracks, there's only two that I like, or that I can even recall for that matter, and that's 'Short-Time News' and 'You Don't Know Me'. Both have some nice melodies and vocal lines, but overall, are still pretty passable. I don't know what I'm missing. It just feels like everything else plods along at the same pace, with nothing overly interesting happening. Just a horrible, sludgy mess of some poorly executed prog metal ideas.

Sorry Dreamscape. Think I'm going to skip this one and listen to 'Revoiced'.

A "dream prog" album of songs based on a near-death experience, I'm glad for the "kick in the butt" event that somehow prompted these talented artists to get their act together and produce a full-length album together after some years of floating around in their own other projects.

1. "Like Lazarus" (2:41) a very dreamy opening with layers of swirling synths and a heavily-treated single male vocal using a WIPPY BONSTACK melody line to present his words about perception, dimension, and the feeling of reincarnation. Mushy drums, bass, and synths join in for the second half. It's really like a little intro to what's ahead. Great opener! (9.3333/10)

2. "Cherry Violence" (6:42) nice melodies and pacing as the band seems to have been recorded through a muting sound stage of mashed potatoes. I love the Shoegaze sound, wonderful chord progressions and melodies and female- dominated choral vocals, but it is a bit tight and dense--as if the band is performing while free-floating underwater. There is a guitar solo in the fourth minute that reminds me of something CURE-ish. Then the music beefs up as WEST INDIAN GIRL-like layers of vocals, male and female, enhance the psychedelia, if that was even possible. Weird to have the fast-set oscillating volume control providing the pace and rhythm more than the drums. (9/10)

3. "Over" (6:30) This one brings out the MEW-like sound I'd heard so much about in other reviewers' writings (especially with the CURE-like bass and vocal tracks). The rest is a little too reliant on lyrics, as if the band is not caring to make the music more interesting or dynamic for fear of detracting from the vocalized words. Despite some instrumental theatrics in the second half the song never really climbs into greatness. (8.875/10)

4. "Dreamsong" (5:09) Surprise: a much clearer, cleaner sound )! It's still dreamy, but much more of a standard pop song with clean vocals, female background "aahs," forward low bass note play and distorted guitar and keys. The chorus is killer-gorgeous! I also love the thinned out section in the fourth and fifth minutes with its solo vocal chant from Ellie Richards. A top three song. (9.25/10)

5. "Viscera" (6:30) more abrasive and loose than the previous songs (very much like some of Oceansize's more monotonous songs), the drums by now are really bothering me. The muting and minimalist effect on the instruments and palette in the sixth and seventh minutes are interesting. (8.75/10)

6. "Red & Blue" (7:28) this time it's the bass and guitar that feel too muffled; the vocals and drums are a bit clearer and cleaner--the former despite being presented through multiple voices (not unlike some of PURE REASON REVOLUTION's debut album). The subdued interlude in the fourth minute is interesting: delicate and fragile in the vocals while feeling tense and potent in the gated instrumental performances beneath. The drums and guitars build slowly with a kind of Post Rock form before dropping back at the five-minute mark into open space--which is then filled by a group vocal chant and, eventually, guitars. The motif becomes full-on CURE rock at the six-minute mark as the vocalists switch phrases to repeat over and over to the end of the song. Kind of cool--though it feels, somehow, a bit unfinished. (13.3333/15)

7. "Wayfarer" (4:33) industrial computer-processed sounds are woven into the Buggles-like techno music that gently accompanies singer Ellie Richards' pensive, reflective solo lead vocal performance. Lots of atmospheric droning of guitars and synths shifting and morphing beneath Ellie as the song goes--and creative b vox arrangements layered beneath and around Ellie as the song evolves. (Anybody remember the theme song music to the WB television series Felicity that broadcast from 1998 to 2002? That's what the music of this song reminds me of.) Though not the greatest earworm of a song, the construction here is truly remarkable--even genius! Probably my final top three song. (9/10)

8. "All Endings" (5:29) prominent bass and drums stand out above the murky guitars-and-vocal textures presenting the two slightly-conflicting melody lines. Here I am reminded of some of the Australian Shoegaze-influenced musicians like Kevin Parker/Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard well as early psychedelic rock experimenteurs like Blue Cheer, Kaleidoscope, King Crimson, and Nektar. Chris Anderson's continuous Robert Smith-like guitar soloing throughout the song is quite enjoyable--probably my favorite element of this (along with Taran Ali's Mark Heron-like drum rhythms). Smooth and satisfying despite its intentional murkiness. (9/10)

9. "Slow" (4:54) pure MEW with slow ands steady co-lead vocals from Ellie, Nic and Chris, the music remains hypnotically slow and steady, almost flat, but enjoyable from start to finish. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 49:56

There's something in this British band's sound and spirit that feels like a reincarnation: the reincarnation of one of my favorite bands from the Naughties that, sadly, discorporated in 2011, that is, OCEANSIZE. There's also a strong sense of Kevin Shields/MY BLOODY VALENTINE in the heavily reverbed and effected sound treatments and overall production value and perhaps a strong debt to THE CURE for the song construction style and bass guitar stylings. The engineering choices do, unfortunately, render some of the vocals a bit murky and the "soft" snare drum sound used throughout the album make me think of someone playing through mashed potatoes. After my third run through this album--while trying to give the lyrics a little attention (I'm a sucker for anything numinous--anything suggestive of the possibility of there being anything "more" than this perceptual field we call "reality") I've found myself wondering if the band has created this murky "underwater" sonic field from the intention of trying to reflect or even replicate the foreign, ethereal, and often tough-to-make-sense of textures of the "otherworlds" we are exposed to in dreams, trance and mystical states, and other contextual fields similar to those reported from near-death experiences.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of intriguing and mood-setting Crossover Prog (or "Dream Prog" as reviewer "Warren" categorized it).

At the beginning of 1977, after a successful winter Yugoslav tour with pop singer Zdravko Colic, Indexi recorded a new single, which is associated with two fun facts. First, Indexi returned to the Zagreb record label Jugoton. The details of this transfer are not known, but it is interesting that with this move they did not leave Sarajevo's Diskoton, so that during the next few years (until 1981) they would record in parallel for both labels. In addition, although this is unverified information from the Internet, it seems that Ivo Mojzer, a multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter from Maribor, a member of several Slovenian groups, the most famous of which are Kameleoni and Pepel in kri, participated in the recording sessions of this single as a guest drummer. Namely, after the departure of Milic Vukasinovic Mica in October 1976, Indexi were without a permanent drummer for the next few months, so this position was filled as needed by Perica Stojanovic, Mojzer (he also went on a Soviet tour with them at the end of 1976), and veteran Djordje Kisic. The latter settled in the lineup during the spring of 1977, and would remain with the group until its very end in 2001. This situation is also reflected on the cover of the new single, on which Indexi are presented as a quartet, without a drummer. The photograph comes from a photo session by Dragan S. Stefanovic from the previous year and shows the members of the group in glittering, glamorous suits. Although Mica was a member of the band at the time, his figure was omitted so that the cover would represent the current line-up, and since Mojzer was not a full member, he is not in the picture either. The songs for the single were recorded, again according to unverified information, in Zagreb, probably in the Jugoton studio, and the matrix for the record was cut on March 24, 1977. "Samo jednom" (Only Once) is Indexi's 18th release in the 7" format (7th release on the Jugoton label), and the 14th single overall (not counting EPs).

The main song "Samo jednom" is composed by Bodo Kovacevic with lyrics by Miso Maric, which poetically describes the romantic longing for the return of an old love. After a short introductory solo on electric guitar, the composition is taken over by acoustic guitar, with a slow tempo and synthesizer accompaniment by Nenad Jurin. The chorus is catchy, somewhat in the style of ABBA, and Mojzer, in addition to drums, proves himself on high backing vocals. In the bridge, Fadil extracts impressive high notes from his bass guitar during a short solo, and then the song returns to the basic gentle melody with guitar and high vocals, and ends with a fade-out. It is a solid ballad stylistically positioned somewhere between progressive pop and soft rock.

The B-side is again occupied by a song in the folk-rock manner, although this time such a fusion is somewhat weaker compared to "Kad se hoce sve se moze" (When There's a Will, There's a Way) from the previous single. Fadil provided both music and lyrics for "Kupala se cura jedna u potoku pod planinom" (A Girl Was Bathing in a Stream Under the Mountain), which brings a somewhat humorous erotic story about a young man who secretly takes clothes from a girl who is bathing, so that he can watch her naked. The melody of the folklore atmosphere produced by Jurin's synthesizer sounds quite cheesy and banal, and almost foreshadows the manner in which this instrument will be misused during the eighties in "newly composed folk" music in Yugoslavia. This agony is, fortunately, interrupted by an aggressive, almost heavy intrusion of electric guitar and bass, employing an abrasive sound with fuzz or similar effects. The song musically and topically relies on the style of the so-called "shepherd's rock" of Bijelo dugme, but also sounding like a rock version of the folk-pop of Kamen na kamen. Davor, in the process, once again shows that he can sing in the folk manner as well, although this is a mediocre song, which deservedly did not catch on with the audience.

Although "Samo jednom" has almost fallen into oblivion over time, it should be recalled that after the release of the single it was a minor hit, which remained at the first position of the Top-10 domestic singles chart of "Politikin zabavnik's Hit-strana" magazine from April 15 to May 6, 1977, and spent a total of 14 weeks on the chart from March to June of the same year. This single is not one of Indexi's more significant achievements, but it is worth listening to.

Personal rating: 3/5 PA rating: 2/5

Having recently been bowled over by the live set A FLARE ON THE LENS, which has Alberto Bravin on lead vocals, I was bowled over all over again by SUMMER SHALL NOT FADE, the ideal concert collection from what must be considered Big Big Train's classic line-up, the combination responsible for delightful studio albums such as THE UNDERFALL YARD, ENGLISH ELECTRIC, FOLKLORE and GRIMSPOUND. Admittedly, by the time BBT got to play Loreley, founding member Andy Poole had left the band, but in fact Robin Armstrong turned out to be a perfect replacement. All of BBT's strongest albums are well represented here, and the result is almost overpowering: two (occasionally three) expert keyboard players, a brilliant violinist, two wonderfully inspired guitarists and a highly accomplished rhythm section create a sound that, in my opinion, has never been surpassed in this century's progressive rock. And let's not forget the vocalists: lead singer David Longdon is in splendid voice throughout, and at least four band members (possibly more) deliver deeply moving backing vocals. Indeed, it makes me nostalgic to see this particular combination of players in action: Longdon died in 2021, and Rachel Hall, Danny Manners & Dave Gregory were to leave BBT soon after. (Just for this particular band, Gregory wrote some of the most riveting guitar parts in prog history, thus ensuring BBT's name would live on, well, ALMOST forever.) I'm not the kind of reviewer who'll award five stars carelessly, but let's face it: this is a masterly live set by one of the greatest 'crossover prog' bands at the top of their game. Strongly recommended.

— First review of this album —

This CD is maybe even more impossibly rare than the original pressings of her early albums, available only at her increasingly infrequent gigs, or for inflated prices on sites like Discogs.

After 40 years away, her voice is still immediately recognisable - a bit lower and thicker, but the phrasing, resonance and timbre are still there. There are no additional instrumentalists, just Shelagh and her (impressive) acoustic guitar. In the absence of any credits on the sleeve, I'm assuming these are all her compositions, other than three traditional songs. She sings one of those traditional songs unaccompanied ("The Snows They Melt The Soonest") and provides creative guitar arrangements for the other two (particularly the dramatic "Down By The Greenwoodside"). There's a swing jazz influence for "The Big Easy", the other new songs mostly harking back to her earlier style. I'm still assimilating the lyrics for this album, but her poetic skills certainly appear intact, and some songs like "Nocturne" and "Pirates" bring a drama that wasn't always apparent in her earlier songs. There are new recordings of two of her early songs, which highlight most the deepening of her voice.

Again, is this prog? Probably not by most people's definitions, and certainly less easy to argue so then previous tracks like "Stargazer". She does display an ambitious harmonic language that lifts this above the average folk-pop or singer-songwriter fare - just don't come here if you're looking for 15-minute epics.

I initially gave it three stars just because of the 'is this prog' question...but no, she's getting four!

I did not expect this album to be that good.

The things you can hear on this record, intimate piano, rich guitar motifs, warm bass tone and diverse percussive moments to name a few, are of the highest quality in Neo-Prog, Rock Progressivo Italiano and Symphonic Prog Rock. Very emotional, sometimes dramatic voice of Sergio Calafiura does great job in accompanying the lush and whirly instrumental passages. From the first notes you can tell these musicians are classically trained. They sustain a great melodic flow throughout the album which gives it a great organic feel. The mix is nothing less than good. There is a lot to talk about here, but I think it would be better for music to take over, not everything can be put to words. Consistent composing, refined sound, strong melodies and memorable performances make this one of the best releases from 2024 for me. Highly recommended!

MR HYDE were formed in 2007 by the drummer and guitarist of this band. They would self-release an EP in 2008 before releasing their official debut in 2011 on Mylodon Records. There's a new bass player on "Reflejos De Un Encierro" and he's very impressive. But then so is the whole band as these are players to say the least. A muscular record that drifts into Prog Metal at times, but there are a lot of synths and contrasts on this album.

This is an all instrumental record with the theme of loneliness. Check out the album art in that regard. We get some guest concert flute on "Vigilia", as well as some vibes and percussion from another guest. KING CRIMSON did come to mind, as well as Fusion at times. Under 48 minutes over nine tracks, and I feel the opener and closer are my favourites, with that track with the concert flute being my least favourite. Other than that one this is a very consistent album. I really enjoyed spinning this last week.

I do like that opener called "Despertar" where we get 2 1/2 minutes of spacey atmosphere until that repetitive guitar line kicks in. Bass too but it's still spacey. Drums follow and man this is good, a nice build here. The closer "Claustrofobia" is fairly short at under five minutes and there are four tracks in total around this length. This one gets heavy at times as in heavy duty. I like the light show from the guitar when the song brightens around 1 1/2 minutes in. Piano and heaviness before 3 minutes and the ending is fairly explosive before drifting into space.

The song I'm not that into with the flute is actually pretty good, but it's the one I'm not "all in" on. I have to say that the keyboardist is the wild card here. Just a real nice display of synths on here plus piano and organ. It seems like there's always synths adding atmosphere. And the drummer is so crisp and precise, I really like his playing. The guitarist is fairly melodic most of the time but I like some of those heavier expressions. And the bass is great, especially on that fifth and eighth tune, but throughout.

One of my favourite memories in my exploration of new music was my journey through Chile and the many talented bands. EXSIMIO and MAR DE ROBLES also from Chile might be the closest as far as "sound" goes with MR HYDE.

Italian progressive rock band Entity was formed in the early 90's by Gianluigi Longu (bass and guitar) and Mauro Mulas (keyboards). They had the normal issues with band members and released some promos during this period (including one with the same title as this album), but it took until 2013 for their debut album, 'Il Falso Centro', to be released. It then took another 11 years for the follow-up to come out, with the title coming from a painting by the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. Apparently, this is continuing with the lyrical themes started in the last album, although actually going all the way back to the band's inception, but given it is all in Italian I cannot comment.

We have the same line-up as for the debut, with Sergio Calafiura (vocals), Marcello Mulas (guitar), Gianluigi Longu (bass), Marco Panzino (drums) and Mauro Mulas (keyboards), but the result is somewhat mixed to say the least. It does not worry me that the lyrics are in Italian, I listen to a great deal of music where I cannot understand the words, but I do have issues with the overall quality of the performance as there are times when the vocals are spot on and others where they should just be scrubbed and removed altogether. That is a real shame as for the most part we have a band who are somehow attempting to link classic RPI with Neo and Crossover to create something which at times evokes the great Italian bands of the Seventies, at others it might be ELP or Steve Hackett with touches of Kansas, classic Galahad or even Big Big Train. One could certainly see them performing with the likes of Dim Gray and having a very pleased audience indeed. Yet there are moments within this where it just does not gel and given it has taken so long for the album to be released that is really not acceptable.

There is promise here, and some real sparks of delight, so let us hope the next one has overall better quality control.

Back in the Nineties a young man from Wales released two albums on SI Music before moving to F2 Music for the third. Back then I was getting all the material from those labels and reviewed his debut all the way back in May 1993. At the time Robert Reed was a one-man band, but he changed that with 1994's 'Pictures From The Other Side', bringing in other musicians, before getting involved with other bands such as Ezra and Fyreworks before forming Magenta which led to the demise of Cyan as an entity. He decided to revisit both the band name and music in 2021 and invited Peter Jones (Camel/Tiger Moth Tales) on vocals, Luke Machin (The Tangent/Maschine) on guitar, and Dan Nelson (Godsticks/Magenta) on bass. Firstly they reworked the debut album, with a few guests such as Angharad Brinn on backing vocals, before tackling 'Pictures' with the above quintet. One of the issues of revisiting old material is that it tends to be changed and morphed, which meant that when they came to compile the album, they realised it was now 95 minutes in length which was too long. Did they really want two epics or was it too much? They decided it was too much, so they cut both "All Around The World" and the original opener, "The Guardians", which used to be twelve minutes long and now had more than doubled in length. These songs form the basis for the new album, along with the newly recorded "Cyan" which is made up of two instrumentals the band used to play when they were originally formed in school in 1984.

Looking back at the review I wrote of 'Pictures' more than 30 years ago it is obvious that "Guardians" made a huge impact on me, so much so that I wrote one of my longest reviews of the time, finishing with "Take it from me, this Cyan album has a lot to offer and deserves better than I have written about it. But will you buy it?" Back then I said I felt the song was heavily influenced by Kansas, but while there are some elements still there in the latest version there is no doubt in my mind that late Seventies Genesis have a lot to answer for as well, while it is no surprise we get some Oldfield sounds here and there. I always felt that Cyan never gained the kudos they deserved, and it is wise decision to not only revisit the songs after so many years, but also bring in musicians who are also well-known, so much so that in many ways it is a modern-day supergroup. Peter Jones is a wonderful talent who apparently seems unable to say no when asked to join a group or help out in a studio, reminding me a great deal of Clive Nolan and Karl Groom back in the Nineties who seemed to be everywhere.

Cyan as an entity are undoubtedly a valid band and never come across as a project and one can only wonder what is going to come next. Are we going to have a new version of 'The Creeping Vine', or is there going to be material? Given the heavy workload of all involved we will have to hold our breath, but when it gets here it will undoubtedly be worth the wait as from the male and female vocals, through the sympathetic rhythm section, biting guitar and dominant keyboards and wonderful songs this is superb.

The band consider this album to be their first full length and it is a hefty achievement, displaying an ability to blend genres and a keen ear for melody. There is a dreamy element throughout the album despite being pretty heavy in places. I really love the flow of the album, which carries you on the crest of a wave through 50 minutes of beautifully layered sonic bliss. While some influences are carried brazenly (OCEANSIZE, MOGWAI, DEFTONES and MEW, to name a few), NEW GHOST have created their own musical space which I can best describe as dream prog. A very strong contender for album or the year 2024 for me. Special mention for Red & Blue which is a great place to start for prog fans who want to check the band out.

In between the two collaborations with Matt Baber, Richard Wileman managed to find time not only to record a solo album, 'The Forked Road', but also work with Kavus Torabi on two 20-minute-long tracks which became 'Heaven's Sun' where they were joined by Amy Fry (clarinet, vocals) as well as Caron Hansford (oboe) and Mike Ostime (trumpet). Torabi is rightly seen as one of the most interesting and dynamic songwriters and performers in the UK scene, first coming to prominence in The Monsoon Bassoon and after being guitar tech for Cardiacs for some years he joined them as a full member in 2002. He has been the frontman for Gong for the last decade, often tours with Mediæval Bæbes, and has his own bands, including Knifeworld and Guapo.

While Richard's collaborations are an extension of his own releases, here there are only parts of songs which feel that way as he has been pushed by Kavus in some very different directions. The music here feels very English, and although there are few musical links it reminds me in some ways of Grace, Big Big Train, Geoff Mann and XTC. There is wonderful depth throughout, with both musicians taking their psychedelic progressive music in directions which make sense, but at the outset the listener has no idea where the journey is going to lead or the paths which must be taken to get to the destination. While not as immediate as some of Richard's works, this is an album which ultimately delivers something very special indeed.

Kavus has long been a fan of Richard, releasing his material on the label he keeps for himself and for musicians he really believes in, so it makes perfect sense that he has collaborated with him on this album, and the only question now is when do we get another one? This finds two musicians (and guests) searching for a new identity while never truly losing sight of where they have come from, and with two true multi-instrumentalists who both also provide lead vocals, there is no limit to what they can achieve.

This is a fascinating release and one which needs to be heard far more widely

A few years after the first album from the duo, Matt and Richard got back into the studio (with Amy Fry again guesting on three tracks) to record a follow-up to their 2022 debut. In many ways this album sees them expanding on what they did previously, so the instrumental tracks have more depth, breadth and power, while the vocal tracks are far more standalone with real hooks. Take for example "Grindhouse Dreamer", I have found myself singing that in the apartment, which is definitely really unusual. They have used Richard's rock guitar to greater effect, bringing in some Gilmour touches here and there, while also maintain a Hackett edge. The keyboards are layered and at the base of everything and while there was a lot of space in the debut this one feels much more brought in tight and close. Amy may be used sparingly, but when she is involved, her nuances take the music into different spheres.

Still heavily rooted in progressive and modern classical music, this is yet another release which is both a delight and has been massively overlooked with little in the way of reviews. I have been fortunate enough to have known Richard for some 30 years and have been able to write about most of his music, and it never ceases to amaze (and frustrate) me how he manages to continuously deliver real beauty in his works, and in Matt he has obviously found a kindred spirit as together they have produced two delightful albums. Designed to be played on headphones, and to be properly listened to as opposed to some throwaway commercial pap, like their debut this is yet another delight to be discovered.

Vylet Pony is back! Six months after the devastation of isolation, loss, and was taken on through the introspective experience of perusing three years of letters from a sudden- and-inexplicably-absent "friend," Rainbow Dash is back in the "world" (Equestria). Yes, using a very social milieu similar to the previous year's Giggles, Zelda Trixie Lulamoon is back in her beloved world, fully engaged with her people--perhaps even with a whole new and exciting "friend group" The sadness and loss has been dealt with--though remnants, of course, remain to constantly remind her of her past, but the characters she channels herself through in the My Little Pony world are active, social, interactive, talkative, making connections--making life!--again. It's not easy, "adulting" is hard and almost never as carefree and fun as childhood, but there is now a tribe--Zelda's tribe--to make new memories with. Musically, the music here still flows with the soulful undercurrents of the previous album while returning to "more mature" versions of the --sounding more like Owl City or The Arborist than Tracey Thorn/Everything But The Girl. The walks down old paths of anime EDM are far less frenetic, far less cinematic, more human and human-friendly despite the use of the My Little Pony universe to express the artist's progress.

I would like to apologize to the artist behind Vylet Pony for not being more versed in the worlds you live in and express through. My reviews are, therefore, meant much more to express my own feelings and reactions to your considerable artistry and talent. Having been a human before, I know some of what you have been experiencing but not, I confess, nearly the depth and breadth. But I keep wanting to listen to your music. And, as I continue to be drawn into your music, I feel so much! And what I marvel at the most is the way you've been allowed to explore the gift you've been given with which to process your life experiences. I feel so grateful for the way that my own creative outlets allow me to process, resolve, and move on from my own life experiences that I want to make sure to applaud you for your own means to self-discovery and "moving on." And, in case you haven't realized how therapeutic your "gifts" are, I want to perhaps help remind you of those powers that you not only possess but have been exploiting with great aplomb.

81 minutes of music is a lot to sift through. Let's suffice it to say that this Vylet Pony albums assures us that Zelda Trixie Lulamoon is moving on: back using the land of the living to find out more about themselves. Mega kudos, Pony! Though this album is definitely the least proggy of any of the eight albums I've thus far listened to but it is certainly a highly entertaining listening experience: Zelda's creativity and musical acumen have suffered little (though I do get the feeling from time to time that she's cruising on autopilot more than ever before).

3.5 stars; more valuable to collectors, fans, and those who resonate with the My Little Pony universe.

Richard Wileman (Lives & Times, Karda Estra) first met Matt Baber at Roastfest in 2011 where he was performing with Sanguine Hum and they soon started working together. The first results of this could be heard on the 2013 Karda Estra album 'Mondo Profondo' where Matt joined to perform on their collaboration "Mondo Profondo 1". They started playing together in 2020, initially with the idea of doing just a couple of tracks together, but it all went so well that they ended up with a complete album with Matt providing keyboards and drums, Richard guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, while they were joined on three tracks by long-time musical colleague of Richard, Amy Fry, on vocals and clarinet for three tracks.

This 2022 release fits in very well with Richard's own style, and if this had been released under his solo name or even Karda Estra one would not have been surprised. Where there are vocals, they are laid back and add to the accompaniment while never taking from it, as this is music which is a mixture of modern classical and film score, with just a hint of Americana and modern folk, which makes it incredibly easy to listen to. I have often accused Richard, in a friendly manner of course, of making film scores for the mind and yet again there is a breadth of music contained here where the arrangements are key, and the different threads create a tapestry of beauty. This is the first time I have heard Matt away from Sanguine Hum, and he has fitted in seamlessly alongside Richard to create an album which is an absolute delight, and that it has yet to be reviewed on ProgArchives means a lot of people are missing out on something which is incredibly enjoyable indeed. It needs to be played on headphones when the listener has time to do just that, but they will undoubtedly benefit from the experience.

Radiohead is a band that redefined the limits of Progressive Rock by blending elements of the genre with electronic music influences. Hail to the Thief consolidates the new sonic identity that began with OK Computer. Producer Nigel Godrich was crucial to this transition from a raw, generic, and rather unremarkable Grunge sound to one with greater sophistication. He brought a rich palette, complex arrangements, and electronic elements that create a more introspective atmosphere, perfectly complementing Thom Yorke's lyrics. All of this is evident in the album.

"There, There" is the highlight, with its hypnotic, almost tribal percussion. Soon after, melodic guitars come in. There's a balance here. The production captures the essence of the entire album: tense, introspective, yet deeply human.

"2 + 2 = 5" is also one of my favorites and perhaps the most conceptual track on the album. It's a critique of information manipulation, with a direct reference to George Orwell's 1984. I'd also highlight "The Gloaming," a true dive into electronic music, with dark textures that create an oppressive atmosphere. The lyrics convey a message about environmental and social collapse, and the dissonant synthesizers seem to pulse like agonizing living organisms. Godrich orchestrates every element to evoke discomfort?it's the most experimental track on the album.

These are some of the reasons why Hail to the Thief has become my favorite album by the band. This is largely thanks to the production, with Nigel Godrich's brilliant work.

An album of notable variety--enough so that one might conclude that it might not be a concept--but, no! It is! And one might think these songs are not issued from within a My Little Pony perspective but again, you'd be wrong. Vylet Pony is using these songs to express some of Zelda's very deep realizations about herself through the same Pony character, just using a weirdly diverse song palette in order to do so. Here she's lamenting the unbeknownst-to-her ghosting of a person whom she thought was really close to her. The letters here are from a friend who had been responding to Vylet's Love Letter album from three years previous. The letters (from "Rarity") have been collected and accumulated by "Rainbow Dash" over the three years that have passed since Love Letters was published and are now being reviewed and responded to by Rainbow Dash in the mysterious silence and absence by Rarity's disappearance. Through it all Rainbow Dash is coming to terms with her own sexuality, sense of loss for friends/relationships past, and loneliness/isolation. The music here is often mirroring or drawing from the soulful EDM music coming from NeoSoul artists like James Blake, Sampha, Cleo Del Sol, Lianne La Havas, BANKS, and other female pop artists dabbling in the world of electronic hypertreatment (like Björk). There is, however, little to no glitch-anime EDM of the sort used in Pony's more recent albums. There is a continuing exploration of sounds and styles familiar to the psychedelic soul side of pop music and there is still the occasional presence of "little girl" themes and tropes. There is some exploration of sound and sound combinations, but more often than not the songs present themselves as fairly simple (though still odd) constructs with a lot of spaciousness and very introspective, often heavy, soulful breathy vocals used to express the often sad lyrics. Sadness is, I think, the predominant feeling I get, over and over, from the music on this album. I don't sense much if any anger--at least not in aggressive forms (maybe in biting word choices). I do feel a dreaminess in the world Rainbow Dash is expressing from, a rather severe detachment from the bigger world and other people/creatures. Again, this is a very introspective album: we are allowed to bear witness to some really deep soul-searching being done, I'm assuming, by Zelda through Vylet Pony's Rainbow Dash. Occasionally I get this feeling that Zelda is kindred spirit to such torch singers as Billy Holliday, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Eva Cassidy, Sandy Denny, Tracey Thorn, or even Norah Jones. I guess as Zelda enters personhood she is forced to deal with the loss (and losses) of childhood. At the same time, she is sounding more and more like an adult--one that is not particularly excited or happy with the prospect of moving forward--is more "stuck" wallowing in the dross of the past. Kudos for her ability to use her art and craft to process. I hope she experiences healing and progress in the process.

I find myself blown away by the catharsis I feel this "character" going through--which culminates in the incredibly emotional and powerful duo of songs, "Beauty Lies" and "Everydream." They alone may be worth the journey of the entire album.

After starting out as a Japanese outpost of straight-ahead second wave-styled black metal - right down to releasing their debut album on Deathlike Silence Productions, the label run by Euronymous of Mayhem infamy, Sigh began their slow evolution into a more experimental progressive avant-black unit here. Don't expect the latter style to emerge fully formed - if you want that, go check out the followup, Hail Horror Hail - but do expect tightened-up production and an intriguing mixture of thrash-tinged black metal and more symphonic elements.

Sigh were hardly alone in the second wave black metal scene in experimenting with such a mix, of course - Dimmu Borgir have pretty much built a career out of it - but it's through these experimental features, with some influence from traditional Japanese music and instrumentation, that Sigh begin to break away from the pack. The standard-issue black metal corpsepaint previously worn proudly on the cover of their debut, Scorn Defeat, is beginning to wash away here, and what's underneath is stranger and more intriguing than anyone dared hope for.

Time Machine is perhaps one of the more inessential live Rush albums. They'd put out enough of these at this point that most devoted fans will have multiple live versions of much of this material already, and they hadn't put out a new studio album between this and Snakes & Arrows so there's significant overlap with Snakes & Arrows Live. The audience is also too prominent in the mix - almost as though to prove that this was recorded live rather than just consisting of studio runthroughs - which is a problem which also affected R30 and Rush In Rio.

But on top of all that, this captures the band on an off-night! Geddy Lee apparently had a terrible cold, but bravely performed anyway, and whilst that was nice for the people live in attendance at the same thing I feel like it should have prompted them to cancel the recording and just record a different gig on the tour instead - or, even more sensibly, just tape several gigs on the tour and pick the best one. And if they did the latter and decided that this was the one to release live anyway, that's mildly embarrassing to say the least.

"Black Medium Current" is the sixth full-length studio album by Norwegian avant-garde/progressive black metal act Dødheimsgard. The album was released through Peaceville Records in April 2023. It´s the successor to "A Umbra Omega" from March 2015. Eight years also passed between the release of "Supervillain Outcast" (released in March 2007) and "A Umbra Omega", so the long time between albums isn´t unusual for Dødheimsgard. There have been a few linuep changes since the predecessor as lead vocalist/guitarist Aldrahn has left and along with him also drummer Sekaran aka Terghl. The latter has been replaced by Myrvoll, but Aldrahn has not been replaced. Instead band leader Vicotnik has taken over the vocal duties in addition to handling guitars, synthesizers, effects, and programming. Tommy "Guns" Thunberg (lead guitars) and L.E. Måløy (bass, piano, cello, theremin, effects) remain from the lineup who recorded "A Umbra Omega" along with Vicotnik.

In essence "Black Medium Current" continues the progressive/avant-garde black metal style of "A Umbra Omega", but Dødheimsgard have grown as composers and musicians since the latter mentioned release. The compositions are more fluent and natural in structure, less abstract and more atmospheric. It´s also less technical and experimental than the predecessor. In the case of "Black Medium Current" that´s not a complaint though, but instead a praise, because some of the songwriting ideas on "A Umbra Omega" didn´t always work. It often felt like Dødheimsgard wanted to do more than they were capable of or reached the limits of their songwriting abilities. "Black Medium Current" is more economic in that sense and it´s an important factor when evaluating why this is such a strong release. Dødheimsgard have found the right balance between epic atmospheres, odd avant-garde songwriting ideas, progressive song structures, and their as always strong musicianship. Vicotnik steps up with no problems delivering both strong raspy black metal vocals and various types of melancholic, sorrowfilled, and sometimes desperate sounding clean vocals (even occasionally bordering deranged). The many choirs, harmony- and backing vocals provide interesting textures to that part of the music, and it´s hard not to be impressed by how intriguing and well performed "Black Medium Current" is (both the vocals and the instrumental part of the music). The lyrics are performed in both Norwegian and English.

Stylistically it´s hard to describe exactly how Dødheimsgard sound, because they sound very much like their own. It´s difficult to reference other artists, but the progressive mindset of artists like Opeth, Ihsahn, and Enslaved aren´t all wrong (Hail Spirit Noir should also be mentioned as a possible valid reference), but still not completely true. The slight industrial influence which Dødheimsgard have previously flirted with is minimal on "Black Medium Current", although a track like "Interstellar Nexus" still features a touch of it. "Black Medium Current" is the type of album which needs to be listened to, to truly be able to understand how it sounds. The many different influences and musical elements combined offers the listener a unique listening experience, which just isn´t easily described.

It´s a long album featuring no less than 9 tracks and a total playing time of 69:36 minutes, but not a second of that playing time is wasted on anything non-essential. The album is loaded with epic melancholic atmospheres, interesting changes in texture and dynamics within- and between tracks, and a generally otherworldly/alien approach to writing music. The way the futuristic synths sometimes come in and change the tracks, or surprising moments like the absolutely brilliant closing minutes to album opener "Et Smelter" or the epic melodic choir middle section of "Tankespinnerens Smerte" prove not only the brilliance of Dødheimsgard, but also bring great emotional impact. Atmospheric album closer "Requiem Aeternum" is definitely an example of the latter too.

"Black Medium Current" features a clear, detailed, and powerful sounding production. It´s not a raw black metal oriented sound production, and the most harsh black metal parts of the music sound relatively civil and even a bit polished (not sterile though), but that type of sound production perfectly fits the material on this release. Upon conclusion "Black Medium Current" is a high quality release from Dødheimsgard, proving once again that they are one of the most interesting and unique progressive/avant-garde black metal acts out there. A 4.5 star (90%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

A massive 90+ minute album released from Zelda Trixie Lulamoon's creative alter ego, Vylet Pony, this one in her 20th year, the listener gets to experience more of Zelda's increasing range and variety as she experiments with more new sounds and instruments and an ever-growing list of collaborators. Orchestration! Raw, raunchy vocals! Brasilian lyrics and musical style! more EDM and, of course, her continued mastery of the keyboard kingdom--both in her Joe Hisaishi-like piano and broad (and effective) use of synths. Of course this is another epic soundtrack to a My Little Pony world-based story. (Whether or not it's a story of Vylet's own design is unsure to me.) The video game and anime-like EDM themes, scenes and songs are so powerful--so fully realized! Vylet is definitely a master of the genre--which makes me often wonder that she doesn't render all of her musical ideas into this powerful world of musical expression--especially since it matches up so well with the anime world that she's so dedicated to.

This must have been quite the undertaking--especially if Zelda was trying to live a full life on the side! While it is not quite so seamless in its flow and continuity as other Pony albums she's released, it is for the most part, I believe, quite successful at reflecting an alternate reality--through immersion within this very empowering and expressive "alternate" universe.

Of the five Vylet Poney albums I've heard since 2017's masterpiece, Mystic Acoustics, this is the one that definitely seems the most immersed in the My Little Pony universe--the least connected to and expressive of the 21st Century Earth-based world that Zelda was born into. Does this distance connote a disconnect, chosen or unconscious, from the circumstances and "reality" of her own life? The miracle of Homeward, if this is, in fact, the first album release after Gwen's realization and/or declaration of her trans status, that she has so many collaborators involved with the project. I'm glad she had so much support!

Most powerful songs for me include "Roses," "Penumbra," "The Armada," "An Odyssey," "Swarm," "Elysium," the Star Wars-ish "Cataclysm," and the metal-EDM mashup, "Danger Close."