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HOT NEW REVIEWS
GRINDER
BLUES ‘EL DOS VINYL RECORD’ (METALVILLE/PIAS)
I received the beautiful vinyl record
edition of the wonderful 2nd album El Dos of GRINDER BLUES, a
Power Blues Rock trio formed around KING’S X leader DUG PINNICK. He joined
brothers SCOT LITTLE BIHLMAN (drums, percussion, vocals) and JABO BIHLMAN
(guitars, vocals) in 2014 to start GRINDER BLUES, and 7 years after their same
titled debut album the follow-up is now released. The album was co-produced by
MILES FULWILDER (NORAH JONES, CHICK COREA, KING’S X and many more) and
especially the vinyl edition I have here sounds really impressive. This is heavy
classic power blues rock at it’s very best, exactly the way it needs to sound
like, so it has a lot of similarities to classic late 1960s CREAM and JIMI
HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, yet GRINDER BLUES does have an own identity for sure. It’s
different than the progressive hard rock orientated sound of KING’S X, although
likewise you can still hear some similarities here and there, which is of
course due to Dug’s vocals. 10 songs are included in total, with as absolute
highlights Gotta Get Me Some Of That, Who Wants A Spankin, Hand Of God and King
Without A Throne. Especially Side-B shows the band at their very best, and
those 2 last mentioned songs are closing the album at an incredible climax. The
vinyl edition sounds massive and all together this record is an absolute
must-have for the fans of the classic heavy blues rocksound of the late 1960s.
I also think fans of THE BLACK KEYS and such might find something of interest
here, and despite it’s not really sounding anything like KING’S X, if you’re a
fan of that band you definitely might want to check out Dug’s side project.
GRINDER BLUES could well become huge in the future, because they have this raw
dirty mean sound we desperately need in this over-produced world of standard
sounding records. More info at: https://www.grinderblues.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
The
British band AIRBRIDGE was originally founded in the early 1980s, and they
managed to release a full-length album titled Paradise Moves back in 1982.
Although the progressive rockband toured the same venues as PALLAS and
MARILLION, they never got as big as them, so eventually bandmembers went their
separate ways until they reunited in 2009. They began to create new music 13
years ago, which resulted in a new EP CD titled Return, which featured original
members Lorenzo Bedini (guitar, guitar synth, keyboards, harmonica, vocals) and
Sean Godfrey (bass, vocals), and also newbie Dave Allaway (drums, guitars,
vocals) who had previously been live sound engineer and artist in the early
AIRBRIDGE days. The following years saw more changes, because due to illness
Sean left the band, and Dave took over bass duties besides playing drums and
guitar, while Maddalena Pastorelli (flute) and Jason Crompton (keys, trumpet)
joined Lorenzo and Dave to play on the new album Memories Of Water. This album
was recently released and is perhaps the finest effort so far of AIRBRIDGE. The
music is progrock as expected, with a lot of similarities to PINK FLOYD, CAMEL,
ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, and as highlights I would like
to point out Canterbury Kate, The Buddha Song, Piggy With A Pen (slight DAVID
BOWIE influences here) and Black Skies. The vocals sound quite raw and almost
in a whispering style here and there, something you can also hear in the
classic PINK FLOYD sound, while instrumental it all sounds absolutely
beautiful, especially during the aforementioned The Buddha Song, while Middle
East is the most interesting song on the album with it’s mixture of Arabic and
Psychedelic influences. It’s a calm album that breathes the classic 70s sound,
and therefore recommended to fans of bands like CAMEL, PINK FLOYD, etc. More
info at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/AirbridgeOriginal/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
ROBBY
STEINHARDT 'NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE - A PROG OPERA' (SOLAR MUSIC/INDEPENDENT/USA
IMPORT)
The
original KANSAS violinist/vocalist ROBBY STEINHARDT is no longer with us,
because he sadly died of Pancreatitis just before the release of his solo album
Not In Kansas Anymore – A Prog Opera. It is his first solo album and I must say
a very sensational one, which makes it even harder to accept that Robby left us
way too soon, although thank God he was able to finish the album. He worked with
bassist TIM FRANKLIN on this Prog Opera, composing 11 songs in total, and this
album can easily be seen as a masterpiece that easily reaches the level of
KANSAS, KAYAK and STYX if you want to have comparisons musically speaking.
Besides bassist Tim and Robby on vocals and electric violin other involved
musicians include IAN ANDERSON (JETHRO TULL), STEVE MORSE of DEEP PURPLE, the
legendary BILLY COBHAM (MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA), BOBBY KIMBALL (TOTO), CHUCK
LEAVELL (ROLLING STONES), PATRICK MORAZ, PAT TRAVERS, LES DUDEK and many others
including a full Orchestra and Choir. The result is a sensational massive
sounding album that will please all prog, pomp and aor/melodic rockfans out
there! After a short interlude, the album kicks off with a superb uptempo AOR/Melodic
Rocker titled Truth To Power (Only Truth Can Change The World) that reminds me
a bit of SEVENTH KEY and KANSAS/STREETS in their mid-80s period. Mother Earth
(Is Calling You) is a beautiful semi-ballad that recalls a bit the big
bombastic multi-layered harmonyvocal driven power ballads of the 1980s, yet
with the violin of Robby making it sounds just a bit more theatrical. Rise Of
The Phoenix is a lovely instrumental piece that will definitely please the
proggies out there! The progfans will be delighted to hear The Phoenix which is
a progressive rock/symphonic rock masterpiece that has all the ingredients to
become a classic in the future, because this is pure KANSAS meets STYX. So far
so good, and thankfully the whole album is a highlight, because there is no
single weak moment during this rock/prog opera. The new version of Dust In The
Wind is absolutely beautiful, Downtown Royalty is a great Pomprocker and all
together the album is reflecting a wonderful mix of prog, pomp, classical music
and some theatrical/musical parts. It’s a wonderful final album of a
legendary musician, R.I.P. Robby… More info at: http://www.robbysteinhardt.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
RACHEL
FLOWERS 'BIGGER ON THE INSIDE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
RACHEL
FLOWERS is a blind American multi-instrumentalist and composer who has at the
age of 28 years already achieved a lot, because she has so far released 4
albums and performed with legendary musicians such as DWEEZIL ZAPPA, JORDAN
RUDESS, STEVE PORCARO, RICK WAKEMAN, BURT BACHARACH, JEFF BAXTER, etc. She not
only composes and sings, but also plays keyboards, flute, guitar, bass guitar,
ukulele, saxophone and pitched percussion, so here we have an amazing talented
musician. Her new album Bigger On The Inside shows what an incredible performer
she has, and perhaps has all it got to become huge in the future. The album
starts with the fantastic instrumental progrock piece A B, which is followed by
the 12 minutes counting Take Me Away, a song that starts bombastic with a short
classical music/theatrical opening before it settles into a very calm piece for
a while with Rachel’s peaceful singing upfront (somehow reminding me of JANET
JACKSON!!!) and then after a few minutes it evolves in a lovely melodic
progressive rock adventure that has a sorta groovy pop rhythm. Next track Too
Much is a superb song that starts calm but has a huge chorus and is basically
Progressive Rock heaven! So we’re almost 25 minutes into the CD and we’re not
even halfway, and it’s already jam-packed in 3 songs that show we are dealing
here with a high quality original and very diverse album that should appeal
much further than just the progrock community. The album offers 6 more songs,
some of which are crossing the 10-minutes marker, and as highlights I would
like to mention the somewhat 70s jazzy fusion This Is The Way I Am, the catchy
hit potential poppy (but still proggy with 10 minutes of playing time) The
Darkness (hooks and chorus do reflect that Jackson reference I made earlier on
in the review) and closing track With You. Rachel has created an album that
ticks all the boxes for being original and diverse, showing her love for a lot
of music styles (prog, jazz, pop, soul, R&B), taking the best of past and
present, and should therefore appeal to a wide range of music fans, because she
is able to combine complexity with melodies in various rhythms. Check out more
info on her at: https://rachelflowers.bandcamp.com/album/bigger-on-the-inside and http://rachelflowersmusic.com
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
ANYONE
'IN HUMANITY' (TOGETHERMENT RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
In
Humanity is the 5th album of ANYONE, which is actually a
one-man’s band formed around the American multi-instrumentalist RIZ STORY, who
took care of everything here, including the vocal work, and he does a great job
actually. 1 song features guest singer JON DAVISON (YES, GLASS HAMMER…) by the
way, but apart from that Riz is the main lead singer on the album! The 2-CD set
counts over 100 minutes of enjoyable new music that is not really too
optimistic overall, because topics about the virus, the downfall of the planet
and the capitol attack pass by here and there. However, the performance is
quite impressive considering the fact that only 1 person did all of this, and
when hearing the beautiful melodies in the song The Disappearing Everything I
heard something quite memorable. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea (or
coffee), because the song structures are very complex sometimes, stretching
over the progressive rock borderline for sure, but Riz is nevertheless keen on
keeping the vocals/choruses super melodic, so this combination works really
well in a lot of songs. PORCUPINE TREE (and even RADIOHEAD) fans will
definitely find something of interest here. Besides the aforementioned songs
other highlights are Apocalypse, Emergence, and Transfiguration (opens CD2,
which overall has some LED ZEPPELIN influences here and there, Riz sounding
even like ROBERT PLANT in a song like On The Ending Earth…). Anyway, this is
definitely a recommended lengthy progrock album! More at: https://www.anyoneden.net/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
HEADWITHWINGS
'COMFORTINILLUSION' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
HEAD WITH WINGS comes out of New Haven, Connecticut, and it’s a pity only 3
songs are included on their new EP Comfort In Illusion, because it sounds quite
sensational from start to finish. Although opener Of Uncertainty starts rather
calm, when the song gets on the way, we are hearing superb modern melodic
progressive rock of an incredible high level, with an important part for the
superb singer Joshua Corum and guitarists Mike Short and Brandon Cousino. The
rest of the band’s line up consists of drummer Andrew Testa and bassist Steve
Hill. Also the 2 other songs Contemplating the Loop and In a House Without
Clocks are winners for the fans of modern day melodic progressive rock in the
PORCUPINE TREE style, yet HEAD WITH WINGS are a bit rockier and groovier, and
the music is mostly focused around Joshua’s unique vocals and melodies instead
of long instrumental passages like the usual progbands. Hopefully there will be
a full-length album someday soon, because this is a band to watch out for in
the near future! More info at: https://headwithwings.bandcamp.com/album/comfort-in-illusion
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
SQUANKY
KONG 'DAWN OF THE CATACLYSM' (SQUANK
ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT)
SQUANKY
KONG is a band (or project) from Los Angeles, California that is formed around
multi-instrumentalist/songwriter/producer JAMES MICHAEL HOUSE. 8 songs are on
the CD, and I have to say it sounds really good. Opener Across the Uncanny
Valley is a sensational start, because this is a superb groovy progressive
modern sounding melodic rocker with fantastic vocals of LEAH MARTIN BROWN, and
the superb guitarwork of James. Besides James and Leah, there are more
musicians involved, such as drummer LAMAR LITTLE, Organ players JOSEPH WOOTEN
and CRAIG HUXLEY besides a few more vocalists. The band was formed back in
2005, although James is the only constant member. Dawn Of The Cataclysm is the
3rd album and there is not a single weak moment to be found
here after the fantastic first song. Other highlights are the catchy uptempo
straight-ahead melodic rocker Know End Insight (a bit like LUCIFER from Sweden
crossed with ENVY/GIRLSCHOOL), the groovy The Gadget, the funky Despicable
Doublethink and the hit potential poppy midtempo melodic rocker We Make The
World. Leah is an incredible singer, and perhaps one of the finest female singers
I have heard in a long time, while the musicianship on this album is of a very
high level, and thankfully it’s still quite catchy and melodic, yet sounding
original at the same time due to the groovy, funky and proggy touch! They
definitely succeeded to release a strong new album, so check them out if you’re
starting to become interested at: https://www.squankykong.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
CRITICAL
MASS 'SERENITY' (INDEPENDENT/CANADA IMPORT)
Canadian
multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter DAVID WANG is the founder and main
member of the Christian rockband CRITICAL MASS. Formed in the mid-1990s, the
band has released numerous albums throughout the years, and David was kind
enough to sent me a few of the albums, including the new one Serenity. Let’s
start with the compilation CD 1997-2012, which contains the 15 best songs the
band recorded in this time frame. You can clearly hear the development of the
band, because they have become rockier since they started 25 years ago, which
can be heard during the album opener War that even has some punkpop and cookie
monster vocals combined. However, the diversity is what makes CRITICAL MASS
such an interesting band, because the KANSAS cover Carry on Wayward Son is
showing their love for Classic Rock, while they also have pop influences in a
song like Awesome God (RICH MULLINS cover) and their own songs reflect a groovy
melodic pop/rocksound (Body Language, Completely, the RALPH VAN MANENish Body And
Blood and the catchy uptempo rocking Dorian Gray and Your Mysterious Ways), but
there’s much more to discover here. Let’s focus on their new album Serenity,
which starts calm but gets nicely on the way with the strong midtempo light
AOR/Poprocker Leaving Town that has a clear 80s touch. What follows is a nice
mixture of calmer and rockier tunes, finding a right balance eventually, with
as other highlights Misery, My friend (a quirky but strong poprocker), Pain In
Joy (light AOR/melodic rocker), the catchy reggae influenced I’ll Be Fine and
the ballad April Rain. David reminds me a lot of classic Christian Poprockers
such as MICHAEL W. SMITH and RALPH VAN MANEN, so in case that is up your alley,
then do check out this talented musician at: https://criticalmassmusic.org/home
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
INDYA
'REBEL MUSIC' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
LAUDEZ ROSE from Kent,
UK is the person behind INDYA, a female rocker with a modern sound although you
can hear on the 19 tracks counting CD Rebel Music she is influenced by both the
classic 80s and modern female rock and popstars, so you get a rocking mixture
of MADONNA, PAT BENATAR, ROXETTE and LADY GAGA. Here and there experimental,
but always with a modern poppy edge, with sometimes even some hip-hop and
industrial influences. The album is a real diverse album that might be called a
rock record, but actually delivers much more. Somehow it also reminds me a lot
of the mid 90s alternative hardrock sound we once heard from a band like
GARBAGE or NO DOUBT. It's a nice melting pot and Laudez has a strong voice, and
there is a lot to explore, because the diversity of styles is really
interesting, with the uptempo hard rocking LITA FORDish 9 (don't have the songtitle)
being the best song on offer. I would say check for yourself if you're becoming
interested. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/IndyaOfficial
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
AGUAMADERA
'LAS HISTORIAS QUE HAN DEJADO' (QUART DE LUNE/UVM DISTRIBUTION/VEEVCOM/FRANCE
IMPORT)
AGUAMADERA is an
Argentinian duo formed in France in 2015 around MARIA CABRAL and MARCO
GRANCELLI, and besides the fact both are able to sing very well on their 3rd
album Las Historias Que Han Dejado, Marco also plays the guitar and the duo is
assisted by a lot of other musicians whom play instruments such as the
Argentine chacarera, zamba or huayno, Venezuelan joropo, merengue, gaita
zuliana, and Peruvian waltz, with the incorporation of the bass and percussion.
The resulting album is a lovely melodic latin sounding album that combines
influences of the classic past and present latin traditional sounds, but always
provides a certain popfriendly melody thanks to especially the angelic voice of
Maria and the stunning Spanish guitar playing of Marco. It's the kind of music
that makes you long for the summer days somewhere around the mediterranean, as
each and every song makes you feel so relaxed! Just listen to the beautiful
pieces Teresita Viste Al Baile and El Pregon De Las Flores for example, and you
will be amazed how well this sounds! Without a doubt, this 2022 release offers
a lot of summer ish highlights between the 16 included songs. Highly
recommended for sure! More info at: https://www.aguamadera.com/english/biography/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
BERNARD
ALLISON ‘HIGHS & LOWS’ (RUF RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Based in Paris, France, the American blues
singer/songwriter BERNARD ALLISON is a talented vocalist/guitarist who has
already released many albums since he started his journey back in the 1970s
when at a very young age he joined his father LUTHER ALLISON at blues
festivals. Fast forward to 2022 Bernard delivers a wonderful new blues
rockalbum titled Highs & Lows. Along with his bandmates GEORGE MOYE (bass),
DYLAN SALFER (guitar), drummer STEVE POTTS and producer JIM GAINES (JOURNEY,
STEEL BREEZE, PABLO CRUISE, JIMI JAMISON, WORRALL, LUTHER ALLISON), Bernard recorded
11 great songs. From start to finish this is how pure blues rock needs to sound
like, Bernard truly delivers the goods on both the vocals and guitar. Check out
more info on him at: https://www.bernardallison.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
KATIE
HENRY ‘ON MY WAY’ (RUF RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
On My Way is the 2nd album
of the New Jersey singer/songwriter KATIE HENRY. She has already gained a lot
of exposure with her debut album High Road a few years ago and it took some
time to release a follow-up, but now On My Way is available. The music is a mix
of blues, Americana and singer/songwriter rootsy rock with a soulful touch
thanks to the strong vocals of Katie. Katie is not only a gifted singer/songwriter,
but she also plays guitar and piano. She is assisted by bassist ANTAR GOODWIN,
guitarist BEN RICE, piano/organ player KURTH THUM, drummer GREG WIECZOREK and
harmonicaplayer GILES ROBSON. Together they recorded 10 song songs that remind
me a bit of BONNIE RAITT, so there’s a light country-rock touch to be heard as
well, especially during the uptempo pieces such as Empty Cup, Without A Fight
and Got Me Good, while the absolute highlights are the retro bluesy rockers
like Bury You for example. Katie has a lovely voice and her music is quite
relaxing, so On My Way is a recommended album to fans of female fronted bluesy
rootsy rock and roll with both a soul and a country heart here and there as
well. More info at: https://katiehenrymusic.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
CRAIG
CAFFALL ‘CHASING THE MOON TO RENO’ (CWR RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JACKSON BROWNE and TOM
PETTY are clearly the favorite artists of the Californian multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter
CRAIG CAFFALL. He did almost everything on his own on the album Chasing The
Moon To Reno, which is a very nice typical American Heartland/Americana/Roots
rock album that starts with the pure BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN working class song Little
Mysteries. A total of 12 songs (and 2 Christmas songs) are included on the 5th CD
of Craig, who started at the young age of 9 (!) as a drummer in a band in
Mexico and never looked back. Fast forward 50 years he played with a lot of
other musicians and artists such as MARIA MULDAUR, SHANA MORRISON (daughter of
VAN MORRISON), BO DIDLEY, BONNIE RAITT and many more. Meanwhile he continued a
solo career, and Chasing The Moon To Reno was released in 2020. Besides the
aforementioned opening song other highlights are Is This A Mistake, Lockdown
and Full Moon Howling. Most of the material is uptempo rocking which is a good
thing, because that suits this heartland rootsy rocker best! Check him out
at: https://craigcaffall.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
MOONSHINE
SOCIETY ‘SWEET THING’ (MOJO MUSIC GROUP/NOVA/UK MPORT)
The American band MOONSHINE SOCIETY is
formed around singer/songwriter Black Betty (aka Jenny Langer), Cole Holland
(Guitar), Christopher Brown (Bass) and Rodney Dunton (Drums), and after a
successful debut CD Live In Shanghai in 2020, they now deliver a follow-up
studio album titled Sweet Society. There are several guest musicians, such as
the well-known harmonicaplayer/singer JASON RICCI, and from start to finish
this is excellent power house blues rock with a lot of other influences from
soul, jazz and rock, but what makes them standout between the rest is of course
the superb voice of Jenny. Highlights include Sweet Thing, Shake, Use Me On Gilded
Splinters, and the wonderful ballad The One Who Got Awaya. Check them out
at: https://www.moonshinesociety.com/music
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
AURA 'REINCARNATIONS'
(MORRISON RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The Swedish band AURA was formed all the way back in the 1970s and their
first release dates back to 1980. During the 1990s it was quiet around the
original band, but after 2000 they slowly started up again in a somewhat
different line up, and Reincarnations marks their 5th album
since 2000. The album contains 17 songs and some of the lyrics are likewise
reflecting their look at today’s world. The best songs are the midtempo melodic
rocker When, the uptempo light aor/melodic poprocker The Other Side and the
proggy celtic ish Pfizer The Saviour. The vocals are interesting, because
despite the AOR/Melodic Rock/Prog/Poprock ish sound overall, the vocals are
almost folky, speaking/whispering like a mixture of BOB DYLAN meets DAVID
GILMOUR meets THE WAR ON DRUGS. The production is a bit thin overall, but there
is some good stuff to be heard as well. The band really rocks for example
during part 2 of Close The Hive and the aforementioned songs show a pretty good
band, but also the calmer ballad Count 99 Times has a nice proggy PINK FLOYDish
guitarsolo. As the album develops it gets better and it shows the band’s
proggy/old school symphorock love for MODDY BLUES, PINK FLOYD, THE BEATLES late
60s, etc. If you’re starting to become interested, then check for yourself
at: https://aurasweden.com/
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
JAKE
XERXES FUSSELL 'GOOD AND GREEN AGAIN' (PARADISE OF BACHELORS/KONKURRENT)
JAKE XERXES FUSSELL is
an American singer/songwriter/guitarist and his new album Good and Green Again
was produced by James Elkington. It features the upright bass playing of Casey
Toll, violin by Libby Rodenbough, Joe Westerlund on drums & percussion, the
steel guitar of Nathan Golub, Anna Jacobson on French horn & trumpet,
Joseph Decosimo on fiddle, & harmony vocals by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, while
James Elkington also plays piano & several other instruments as well. Jake
himself sings and plays guitar, and his music is very calm, laid-back acoustic
guitar driven folk/blues, with a focus on traditional Southern folk songs. The
new album is a mixture of traditional songs and self-written tunes, and it’s a
joy to listen to the relaxing sound of Jake that takes you straight into the
southern part of the USA. Check for yourself all on Jake at: https://paradiseofbachelors.com/jake-xerxes-fussell-gets-good-and-green-again/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
LADY
WRAY 'PIECE OF ME' (BIG CROWN RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
NICOLE MONIQUE WRAY
aka LADY WRAY is a Soul/R&B singer/songwriter from Portsmouth, Virginia,
USA with an authentic classic 60s influenced soul/pop/R&B sound (DIANA
ROSS, THE JACKSONS), although her groovy melodic funky sound also reminds a bit
of YOLA and a laid-back version of ALICIA KEYS. She would be a perfect fit for
BLACK KEYS leader DAN AUERBACH’s label EASY EYE SOUND, but her 3rd album
Piece Of Me is released on BIG CROWN RECORDS. THOMAS BRENNECK and LEON MICHELS
took care of the instruments and production, and they did a splendid job, while
Lady has a really wonderful classic soulvoice. 12 songs are included here and
it would absolutely not surprise if one of these songs (such as the beautiful
titletrack Piece Of Me) will become a huge hit, because she has got all it
takes to become more well-known. Her funky neo-soul has a very relaxing vibe
and her voice also has a laid-back approach, so it’s not the loud screaming
from a lot of modern R&B singers thankfully. The 60s/70s Motown vibe is
written all over the place here, and it is clear where the influences come
from, because a song like Come On In is quite equal to a classic such as BILL
WITHER’s Lean On Me. One of my favorite songs is the superb 70s soulful
westcoast/yacht-soul ish Under The Sun that has this old-school vibe in a way
we also know it from YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX. Other highlights are Beauty In The
Fire, Games People Play, Storms and Joy & Pain. There’s not a single weak
moment to be found here, so I can highly recommend this excellent 2022 release!
More info at: https://bigcrownrecords.com/artists/lady-wray
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
THE
KERNAL 'LISTEN TO THE BLOOD' (SINGLE LOCK RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
Multi-instrumentalist
JOE GARNER’s alter ego is KERN aka THE KERNAL and together with producer BEN
TANNER (DYLAN LEBLANC, ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES, LERA LYNN) he released
his 3rd album Listen To The Blood on the SINGLE LOCK RECORDS
label of Ben. 9 songs are on the new album that does sound quite diverse
actually, although THE KERNAL’s main influences are clearly old fashioned rock
and roll, country and Americana. For example Green, Green Sky and The Limit are
great uptempo cheerful rocking Americana pieces (mix between LOU REED and DANNY
VERA), while the JOHNNY CASH ish Wrong Turn to Tupelo is a lovely darker slower
country-Americana tune. A song such as Long, Cool, Finger shifts a bit more to
raw uptempo dirty mean rock and roll sound that has a true authentic late 50s
rock and roll vibe (a la LITTLE RICHARD), and this is perhaps the finest song
on the album, including a psychedelic late 60s heavy ending. Throw in a few
real tear-jerker country ballads such as the lovely She’s Seeing Somebody and
you have a great album that will please a lot of people I think. Check out more
info at: https://thekernalgarner.bandcamp.com and https://www.thekernalmusic.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CHARLIE
MCCOY & THE ESCORTS ‘SCREAMIN’, SHOUTIN’, BEGGIN’, PLEADIN’ (BEAR FAMILY
RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
CHARLIE MCCOY &
THE ESCORTS were a band from Nashville, Tennessee, USA that was active during
the 1960's when they recorded a lot of songs. 29 of them are now collected on 1
CD, which is titled Screamin', Shoutin', Beggin', Pleadin' (The Rock 'n' Soul
Recordings from 1961-69). The CD is released by BEAR FAMILY RECORDS, whom as
always are giving it a fantastic packaging with extensive liner notes. Charlie
played multiple instruments at the same time and he and the other members from
the band went on to be sought after studio musicians. Charlie recorded a total
of 28 albums, and many albums featured his harmonica, while guitarist Wayne
Moss founded AREA CODE 615 and BAREFOOT JERRY in the early 1970's. Charlie
still runs a studio in Madison, Tennessee, USA, but if we go back to the 1960s
he was fronting this typical late 50s/early 60s sweet rock and roll band and
the material on this album is of a very high level. The music sounds very
familiar, not only due to the fact that there are a lot of covers included, but
the sound is typical 50s/60s rock and roll orientated, with THE HOLLIES, THE
KINKS, early THE BEATLES in mind. Short, sweet, melodic and simple, but there
is still variety, because a song like Hoot Owl Blues shows his admiration for
the blues, sounding like an instrumental version of CANNED HEAT. This is a
great album filled with lovely timeless songs and Charlie should be played more
often, because he has such a great clean voice that fits the melodic music
100%. The CD is available through: www.bear-family.de
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
NICK ROBINSON ‘LOST GARDEN’ (DISCUS
MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Now here we have a really fascinating and interesting
album that has a certain ambient proggy sound, all created on guitar by NICK
ROBINSON, who is a British guitarist known for his work with the band DAS RAD.
The new solo album Lost Garden goes much further than for example STEVE HACKETT
or MIKE OLDFIELD and opens up a lot of creativity, sometimes spooky and/or
calm, melodic and quite proggy (Toccata Apologetica and the superb MIKE
OLDFIELDish Three Vices), while at other times quite aggressive and complex
(Cautious Tragic). Lost Garden sounds like a piece of art you will learn to
understand by listening multiple times. Nick is a genius on the guitar for sure
and it’s a joy to check out if you’re a guitarfreak! More info at: https://nickrobinson.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
MICHAEL BARDON ‘THE GIFT OF SILENCE’
(DISCUS MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Originally from Northern Ireland,
bassist/cellist/composer/improviser MICHAEL BARIDON came to Leeds, UK in 2007
where he graduated a few years later at Leeds College. He played with a variety
of other musicians and bands, while his new solo album The Gift Of Silence was
recorded during the first lockdown in July 2020. Michael plays double bass and
cello and combines it with pieces that are derived from improvisations
experimenting with extended techniques / prepared bass, microtonality and Harry
Partch's 11-Limit tonality diamond tuning system, overdubbing and long formless
melodies. The resulting album is a very interesting one, because Michael
experiments extremely and it’s all done on a double bass, a cello and modern
techniques, so it’s a rather unique album so to say. It has a dark almost
krautrock ish sound somehow and also weird noises that seem to even remind one
of being on a boat or sorta like that (during the song Partched) and the
open-minded post-prog fans might find something of interest here. This is an
unique original album that doesn’t sound like anything else in the world, so go
check it out at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-gift-of-silence-125cd-2022
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
MARK HOLUB 'ANTHROPODS' (DISCUS MUSIC/UK
IMPORT)
Anthropods is the new album from American drummer and
composer MARK HOLUB, who is based in Austria and besides Mark other musicians
involved on this new ‘band’ album are Clemens Sainitzer – cello, Irene Kepl –
violin, Susanna Gartmayer – bass clarinet and Jakob Gnigler – tenor sax. All of
the compositions are done by Mark himself and musically speaking it is
experimental music as always like every DISCUS MUSIC release. I would describe
it as freejazz with a lot of experimental moves, and as best songs I would
mention Messy To Me and One Way that are a bit more friendly jazzy tunes. It’s
all about improvisation here and an interesting own style for sure, because
there is a lot to discover, even for the progfans (KING CRIMSON) out there!
More info at: https://www.markholub.com/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
SHIRLEY SMART & ROBERT MITCHELL
'ZEITGEIST' (DISCUS MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Although SHIRLEY SMART (cello) and ROBERT MITCHELL
(piano, spoken word) met each other quite a few years ago, it took some time to
actually record an album, and when they did, the pandemic got in the way to
release their debut album Zeitgeist 2 years ago. Now it’s officially released
and we can enjoy their wonderful mixture of cello, piano and spoken word. The
music on the CD is beautiful calmer cello/piano variations and duets without
ever sounding boring, instrumental most of the time, except for a few spoken
word songs that features the crystal clear voice of Robert. There’s a lot of
classical music influences and of course jazzy parts, but all together it feels
like a real original sounding record that has a lot of lovely melodies to be
heard during songs like Anxieties and For Catharine. Check out more info at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/zeitgeist-116cd-2022
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
PAPA
ROACH '2010-2020 GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2: THE BETTER NOISE YEARS VINYL RECORD'
(BETTER NOISE MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
In the USA the band
PAPA ROACH is massive and they have had continuously success throughout the
past few decades. The band’s American record label BETTER NOISE was established
during the 2000s and have since their establishment signed many huge acts, such
as FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, MOTLEY CRUE, THE HU, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, IN FLAMES
and many more. PAPA ROACH celebrates their 10-year anniversary with BETTER
NOISE with this superb 2-LP vinyl record release Greatest Hits Volume 2 - The
Better Noise Years that consists of 21 tracks in total. It features 12 of the
American top 10 hits from 2010-2019, all taken from the five albums that were
created with Better Noise Music (Time for Annihilation, On The Record & On
The Road, The Connection, F.E.A.R, Crooked Teeth, and Who Do You Trust?). In
Europe most people are less familiar with PAPA ROACH, although the band was
popular for a while during their 1990s period when they were part of the rap-nu-metal
genre that took over the rock/metal world for a while. By the turn of the
century the band changed their style slightly and especially this 2nd greatest
hits album is focused on their most recent and more melodic heavy rock/modern
rock/metal period. The vinyl looks brilliant and also sounds perfectly, while
the collection of songs is a nice walk through the rich catalogue of the band.
The first 3 sides of the 4 of this double vinyl record consist of the original
album tracks, while side D features 6 original songs in either a remixed or
live acoustic setting. All together it makes the album sound very diverse,
although the highlights are definitely the original studio recordings of lovely
modern melodic American rockers such as Come Around, Broken As Me (featuring
Danny Worsnop of ASKING ALEXANDRIA), Falling Apart, Gravity (featuring Maria
Brink of IN THIS MOMENT), American Dreams, the
wonderful semi-ballad/rocker duet Periscope (featuring Skylar Grey) and Burn.
I didn’t follow PAPA ROACH for a while, but with this great 2nd compilation
vinyl record I am fully aware again that this is a great band that delivers
high quality modern rock in the best American tradition of big fat groovy
guitar riffs, catchy hooks and melodic choruses. Although there have been some
line up changes through the years, the 2 original members (Jacoby Shaddix –
lead vocals and Jerry Horton – guitars, backing vocals) are still present and
so are Tobin Esperance – bass, programming, backing vocals (since 1996) and
newcomer Tony Palermo – drums (since 2007). It’s time that Europe will become
interested in this band again, because just like for example a band like THREE
DAYS GRACE, the music delivered is of a very high level, but somehow a big
breakthrough is not happening. Hopefully this 2-LP set will bring some
attention to the people and they will discover what a great band this actually
is! More info at: http://www.paparoach.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ANDY BEY 'EXPERIENCE AND JUDGMENT VINYL RECORD' (ATLANTIC
RECORDS/SPEAKERS CORNER RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The American jazz singer and pianist ANDY
BEY is now 82 years old and his album Experience And Judgment was released 48
years ago when he was 34 years of age. He was a major influence on numerous
modern jazz/soul singers, such as JAMIE COLLUM, JOHN LEGEND and GREGORY PORTER,
and while listening you can clearly hear why, because Andy has a wide vocal
range, with a four-octave baritone voice, and he sounds phenomenal on this record
which has now been carefully remastered and re-released on vinyl, sounding
crystal clear and better than ever. It's a pity he is not that well-known with
a bigger audience, because it's a joy listening to such a beautiful unique
voice. Songs like Tune Up, Being Uptight, Celestial Blues, and the superb
Judgment are timeless classics that have that typical classic 70s sound, which
is a mix of funk, soul, jazz-fusion and a touch of blues/rock. The album marked
his debut as a solo singer back in 1974, and besides Andy on vocals and piano,
we can also enjoy the likes of Wilbur Bascomb – electric bass, Selwart Clarke –
violin, viola, George Davis – additional guitar, Bill Fischer – percussion,
electric piano, organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, Richard Resnicoff – guitar,
Buddy Williams – drums and Jimmy Young – drums. Together they created a classic
record that definitely stood the test of time, and as already mentioned before,
it is a pity ANDY BEY never got that big, because his voice is simply amazing
and belongs to the best in soul/funk. The vinyl album is available through: https://www.jpc.de/?lang=en (Europe) and http://www.acousticsounds.com (USA).
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
CHARLES MINGUS 'OH YEAH VINYL RECORD' (ATLANTIC RECORDS/SPEAKERS CORNER
RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Oh Yeah is a studio album by the American
jazz bassist and composer CHARLES MINGUS, originally released in 1962, and now
60 years later re-released on vinyl. Musicians on the album are Charles Mingus
– piano and vocals, Rahsaan Roland Kirk – flute, siren, tenor saxophone,
manzello, and stritch, Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone, Jimmy Knepper – trombone,
Doug Watkins – bass and Dannie Richmond – drums. The album was produced by the
legendary Turkish American NESUHI ERTEGUN, who was also producer of other great
jazz musicians, such as JOHN COLTRANE, RAY CHARLES, THE DRIFTERS and many more,
but he was also the brother of AHMET ERTEGUN, who was the co-founder and
president of ATLANTIC RECORDS, the label that released many jazz and rock
classics. Ahmet signed LED ZEPPELIN to his label back in the day, so you can
imagine how big the influence of Ahmet was on giving rock music a new dimension
50 years ago. Anyway, the brothers started in the jazz scene and this CHARLES
MINGUS record is a classic jazz album by now and every jazz music fan will
absolutely love this new remastered vinyl edition. one of the highlights is the
lovely Devil Woman that shows that Charles was also a great blues singer. The
vinyl album is available through: https://www.jpc.de/?lang=en
(Europe) and http://www.acousticsounds.com
(USA).
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ALICE COLTRANE 'ETERNITY VINYL RECORD' (WARNER BROS RECORDS/SPEAKERS
CORNER RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The American musician
(piano, organ, harp, vocals) ALICE COLTRANE was married to the legendary jazz
saxophonist and composer JOHN COLTRANE, and she was also active in the jazz
scene as a musician and bandleader. One of her many solo albums Eternity was
released originally back in 1975, and it has recently been remastered and
re-released on vinyl. 6 songs are on the (semi) instrumental album that is a
step away from jazz, because it reveals a lot of classical music and world
music influences, with a focus on an orchestral setting that can best be heard
during closing track Spring Rounds from Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. On
the other hand songs like the almost ambient cosmic (even a bit
kraut/prog/electronic) sounding Om Supreme and Spritial Eternal that contains
Big Band and Indian Music influences, it marks a very diverse record that
sounds now better than ever in this new vinyl edition. Alice played several
instruments, but when she touches the harp in a song like Wisdom Eye, then we
are heading straight into a beautiful relaxing setting that will be appreciated
by a lot of people I think. My personal favorite song would be the groovy funky
middle eastern midtempo Los Caballos that sounds like something we hear
nowadays a lot via new acts like ALTIN GUN, ZENOBIA, KHRUANGBIN, TAMIKREST and
such, with a middle part that is featuring African tribal drums. Besides Alice
on organ, percussion, harp, percussion, there is a long list of other involved
musicians (Violin — Murray Adler, Nathan Kaproff, Gordon Marron, Sid Sharp,
Polly Sweeney, Viola — Rollice Dale, Pamela Goldsmith, Mike Nowack, Vocals —
Edward Cansino, Deborah Coomer, Susan Judy, Jean Packer, Cello — Anne Goodman,
Ray Kelly, Jaqueline Lustgarten, Trombone — George Bohanon, Charles Loper, Trumpet
— Oscar Brashear, Paul Hubinon, French Horn — Vincent DeRosa, Arthur Maebe,
Alan Robinson, Marilyn Robinson, Bassoon — Donald Christlieb, Jack Marsh, Contrabassoon
— Jo Ann Caldwell, Oboe — John MacArthur Ellis, Bass — Charlie Haden, Clarinet,
Tenor Saxophone — Terry Harrington, Jackie Kelso, Tuba — Tommy Johnson, Flute —
Hubert Laws, Piccolo — Louise di Tullo, Bass Clarinet — Julian Spear, English
Horn — Ernie Watts, Alto Flute, Soprano Saxophone — Jerome Richardson, Drums,
Gong — Ben Riley, Congas — Armando Peraza). A fascinating album from the wife
of one of the greatest jazz musicians ever, so this could be a nice introduction
to her in case you're not familiar with the talented late ALICE COLTRANE. The
vinyl album is available through: https://www.jpc.de/?lang=en
(Europe) and http://www.acousticsounds.com
(USA).
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
FRED WESLEY & THE HORNY HORNS FEAT. MACEO PARKER 'A BLOW FOR ME, A
TOOT TO YOU VINYL RECORD' (ATLANTIC RECORDS/SPEAKERS CORNER RECORDS/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Produced by the mighty
legends of GEORGE CLINTON and BOOTSY COLLINS of the funk group PARLIAMENT
FUNKADELIC, the 1977 album A Blow for Me, a Toot to You of American trombonist
FRED WESLEY (who also played with PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC and JAMES BROWN) is a
killer classic 70s funk/jazz-fusion album that is likewise a must-have for fans
of aforementioned artists and acts. The album also featured a long list of
(well-known) guest musicians, such as Maceo Parker (saxophone), Rick Gardner
(trumpet), Richard "Kush" Griffith (trumpet) - horns, Brecker
Brothers - additional horns, Jerome Brailey, Frankie "Kash" Waddy,
Bootsy Collins - drums, Glenn Goins, Garry Shider, Michael Hampton, Bootsy
Collins, Phelps Collins - guitar, Bootsy Collins - bass and Bernie Worrell -
keyboards, and the resulting album has now been carefully remastered and re-released
on vinyl. The included music has the cool 70s jazzy-fusion funk vibe in songs
like Four Play, Up for the Down Stroke and the titletrack A Blow for Me, a Toot
to You, while the smooth closing track Peace Fugue is a really beautiful calmer
song with a fantastic sax solo by MACEO PARKER (PRINCE, JAMES BROWN). The sound
is stunning on this new vinyl release, while the music is of course of an
incredible high level that shows how many new musicians and bands must have been
influenced by all those legendary musicians from the 1970s whom are all present
on this lovely record. If you're into for example THE BLACK PUMAS or
KHRUANGBIN, then this one's also interesting for you. The vinyl album is
available through: https://www.jpc.de/?lang=en (Europe) and http://www.acousticsounds.com (USA).
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
FURNACE
AND THE FUNDAMENTALS 'A VERY FURNACE CHRISTMAS' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Usually I absolutely hate Christmas albums
and when they come my way in January it is even more annoying, BUT in the case
of this Christmas album by the Australian band FURNACE AND THE FUNDAMENTALS, we
get to hear a unique mixture of classic pop and rocksongs melted with Christmas
classics and in a way it works really well, especially when it is performed and
sung in perfection by the members of this band, which consists of Furnace -
lead vocals, Digby - guitar, saxophone, vocals, Pluto - keys, vocals,
production, Tom - guitar, vocals, Marcus - bass, vocals, orchestral production
and Mike Solo - drums, cowbell. The mixture of Jingle Bells, Last Christmas,
All I Want For Christmas, You Can Call Me All, You Shook Me All Night Long,
Killing In The Name Of Love, Reindeer, The Time Of My Life, Just Can’t Get
Enough, Sweet Caroline and loads more into one epic Christmas adventure called
the very Furnace Christmas will work brilliantly during the Christmas holidays!
Well done guys, more info at: http://www.furnapalooza.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CLOSURE
IN MOSCOW 'THE PENANCE AND THE PATIENCE' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Australian band CLOSURE IN MOSCOW is
working on a new album, but meanwhile their debut EP The Penance and The
Patience from 2009 is re-released. The included material is high quality modern
progressive rock with a certain American touch, which means emo melodies and a
distorted guitar, but always featuring clean high pitched vocalwork and catchy
memorable choruses like COHEED AND CAMBRIA going a bit more Emo/Rock and adding
a lot of progressive rock structures. A song like Ofelia… Ofelia shows that
CLOSURE IN MOSCOW has even more to offer, because this is a calmer (almost)
ROBBY VALENTINEish epic theatrical rockballad, so without a doubt this is a
strong debut EP that still sounds fresh and modern after 12 years and it’s good
to see it re-released. Now fingers crossed and wait for this band’s upcoming
new album! More info at: https://closureinmoscow.bandcamp.com/album/the-penance-and-the-patience
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
THE SEA
SHALL NOT HAVE THEM 'DEBRIS' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Out of Australia comes the
semi-instrumental post-progrockduo THE SEA SHALL NOT HAVE THEM, and Debris is
their first album in 7 years’ time. The duo consists of Curt Emerton – Guitars
/ Bass / Keys / Bass VI and Mat Wilton – Drums / Percussion / Field Recordings,
and here and there we can hear some guests on their new album, such as vocalist
ED FRASER (HEADS./KINO MOTEL) and guitarist IAN HAUG (POWDERFINGER, THE
CHURCH). The music is atmospheric, calm and melancholic with a focus on
melodies that are created by the guitar most of the time, while the setting is
almost ambient prog like. Splinters for example is a beautiful short song that
brings you in a trance with it’s haunting sound, and a song like Everything
Melts is a more uptempo almost new wave/gothic influenced proggy tune. Without
a doubt this is a very enjoyable peaceful record that for an instrumental
record sounds quite original actually. More info at: https://theseashallnothavethem.bandcamp.com/album/debris
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
ENDLESS
DIVE 'A BRIEF HISTORY OF A KIND HUMAN' (LUIK MUSIC/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
ENDLESS DIVE is an instrumental band from
Belgium and A Brief History Of A Kind Human is their 2nd full-length album so
far. Their music is post-progressive rock, but has a slight heavy touch that
seems to come out of the hardcore and electronic music direction. The songs are
a mixture of calmer atmospheric parts and heavier uptempo rocking sounds, which
makes it a very diverse album. Nice record and just a bit different than the
other instrumental post-progalbums out there. More info can be found at: https://endlessdive.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
TAUMEL
'NOW WE STAY FOREVER LOST IN SPACE TOGETHER' (TONZONEN RECORDS/SOULFOOD/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
I believe this is the 3rd album of the
German band TAUMEL, and it is described as Dark Jazz/Doom Jazz, but it has a
lot of other influences as well, such as prog, kraut, rock, blues, metal, doom,
jazz, minimal, ambient, etc. etc. The band is formed around Akob Diehl -
piano/Rhodes, Sven Pollkötter – drums, Boris Nicolai – guitar and Manuel
Viehmann – flugelhorn/trumpet. The resulting album is an experimental and very
exciting instrumental journey that really creates this sorta dangerous ambient
progressive/jazz fusion vibe that could feel uncomfortable for some, but is
never boring, because it reminds one of the classic days when Krautrock was
innovative and had it’s peak during the 1970s, although TAUMEL does sound
up-to-date for sure. This is one of those albums you need to check out for yourself,
because it sounds really original and will mostly appeal to the
post/prog/krautrockfans out there! More info at: https://taumel.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
WE LOST
THE SEA 'DEPARTURE SONGS' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Out of Sydney, Australia comes the
instrumental band WE LOST THE SEA and since their formation in 2007 they have
released 4 albums, of which Departure Songs from 2015 is now re-released by
their label BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS. Their music is haunting atmospheric
instrumental post-progressive rock that is mostly quite calm and building up in
each and every of the 5 included songs to a heavier climax that is always focus
on modern guitar melodies in a way like we also know it from PORCUPINE TREE,
MOGWAI, and LONG DISTANCE CALLING. Involved musicians are Mark Owen – Guitars,
Matt Harvey – Guitars, Kieran Elliott – Bass, Mathew Kelly – Piano, Keyboards
and Nathaniel D’Ugo – Drums, and together they created a wonderful adventure
that touches a thematic cinema like atmosphere in lengthy songs. One of the
absolute highlights is the superb 17 minutes counting The Last Dive Of David
Shaw, which starts calm and slow but has a heavier midtempo progressive rocking
middle section while the song fades out with a relaxing piano part. Concluded,
this is another must-have album for fans of the modern instrumental
post-progrocksound and you can check it out for yourself at: https://welostthesea.bandcamp.com/album/departure-songs
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
PROFESSOR TIP TOP ‘LANES OF TIME’
(APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
PROFESSOR
TIP TOP is a Norwegian band and Lanes Of Time is their seventh album, the
band's second with singer/keyboardist Sonja Otto. Other members are Sam
Fossbakk on guitars and keys/synths, Stein Høgseth on bass and Charlie Wise on
drums. Musically speaking this is classic 1970s melodic calmer
progressive/symphonic rock in the style of YES, RENAISSANCE, KAYAK, CAMEL and
also quite a bit of MOSTLY AUTUMN (especially during the superb Falling Into
The Sun). They also hail from the city of Bergen, which is almost like the most
important place for new progbands nowadays. We can by now call it the ‘Bergen,
Norway’ movement I think! PROFESSOR TIP TOP does a splendid job once again, and
fans of the classic 70s prog/sympho sound will definitely love Lanes Of Time!
More info at: https://professortiptop.bandcamp.com/album/lanes-of-time
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
BREIDABLIK
‘ALDUORKA’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
This album is a
product of the Bergen School of Electronic Music is mentioned in the CD booklet
of the 5th album of the Norwegian band BREIDABLIK. Alduorka is
a pure old school electronic music/krautrock album in the style of legendary
acts such as TANGERINE DREAM, KLAUS SCHULZE, JEAN MICHEL JARRE, ALAN PARSONS
PROJECT (their instrumental songs), etc… BREIDABLIK is a band formed around
Morten Birkeland Nielsen (guitars, synthesizers, and sound design), Håkon
Oftung (electric guitars and flute), and Trond Gjellium (drums), and their
music is as already mentioned hypnotizing synth/electronic instrumental orientated,
with the help of such classic synth instruments like a Roland SC88VL, Novtation
Bass Station 2, Prophet 08 or Mellotron, so the sound is very authentic 1970s
orientated. The guitarsolo’s here and there give it a proggy PINK FLOYDish
touch, so enjoy the ride I would say! Highly recommended to fans of
aforementioned acts. More info at: https://breidablik.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
LARSEN
AND THE COLOURED DREAMS ‘BUCKET LIST’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
The Oslo, Norway based
band LARSEN AND THE COLOURED DREAMS delivers their debut with the album Bucket
List. The band is formed around KJELL B. LARSEN (vocals, guitar), DIONISIA
FJELLDALEN (vocals), TURE JANSON (guitar), TORE WILDHAUER (drums) and OIVIND
MADSEN (bass), and their music is a diverse mix of classic rock, blues and
progressive. Overall the material is very 1970s based, yet still sounding
up-to-date. 10 songs are included in total and the diversity is clear already
during the begging, because the bluesy Foodlover (with Kjell on vocals) is
followed by a calmer melodic progressive rocksong titled Tokyo Rose, which
features a wonderful singing Dionisia. She should sing more songs, because her
voice is really impressive. Most of the songs however feature Kjell on vocals,
but they are still pretty good, such as the strong STONESish rocker The
Fiddler. Here’s still hoping that next time we will hear more of Dionisia’s
voice. Meanwhile check out this band at: https://larsenthecoloureddreams.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
The Belgian band BEYOND THE LABYRINTH
exists 25 years and to celebrate this a new album is released, which is their
5th so far, and it is titled XXV. The band is formed around guitarist GEERT
FIEUW, keyboardplayer EDDY SCHEIRE, vocalist FILIP LEMMENS, bassist DOMINIC
HEYNDERICKX and drummer MICHAEL LODDER. Musically speaking we are heading
straight into the classic 80s direction of symphonic melodic rock/aor with the
rather catchy uptempo opener Altitude For Energy that feels like a trip down
memory lane, reminding so much of MYSTERY (Belgian band around PETER DE WINT),
TERRA NOVA (Dutch band) and MASON (German band). Following Louder Than Thunder
continues this style, although a bit more symphonic (like MAGNUM) and this song
has a fantastic catchy chorus that has a sorta MANOWAR goes AOR approach, while
the lovely late 70s Pomprock keys give it a rather nice cheerful finishing
touch. I remember reviewing BEYOND THE LABYRINTH in their early days, which
must have been the 1990s, and they have come a long way, but now release their
finest album so far I think. Other highlights are Nothing Comes For Free (URIAH
HEEP/LUCIFER’S FRIENDish uptempo melodic rocker), Falcon Eye (loaded with
neo-prog/pomp keys, this is yet another great uptempo piece), and the catchy
Improve, Inhance. Although vocally it sounds a bit strained and rough, the
overall sound is quite perfect and there’s a lot of fun in the uplifting 80s
inspired symphonic aor/melodic rocksound of this unstoppable band. Check them
out at: http://www.beyond-the-labyrinth.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
PLANET OF RHYTHM 'ONE TRACK MIND'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The Californian band PLANET OF RHYTHM returns with a
new album titled One Track Mind, which once again contains classic late
60s/early rock and roll like a mix between BLUE OYSTER CULT, ZZ TOP, DOOBIE
BROTHERS, THE DOORS, GOLDEN EARRING and a bit of GRATEFUL DEAD, with here and
there a bluesy touch and some psychedelica as well. The resulting album is a
very decent one that features the same line up as previous albums, namely Doug
Hafford – lead vocals and guitar, Elliot Jason – lead guitars, Greg Thomas –
guitars and bass, Chad McKinsey – drums and Juliet Roberts – Lead and backup
vocals. Sax player Jorge Orellana debuts on this album as part of the family.
Doug is a great singer and he wrote almost all of the songs by himself and some
of them sound like real ‘new’ classic rock pieces from 50+ years ago, such as
THE DOORSish Tell You Tomorrow, the catchy uptempo melodic classic rocker One
Track Mind, the modern retro rocker Katie (a la THE WHITE STRIPES) and the
lovely female fronted Velvet Lies (one of the finest songs with wonderful
vocals by Juliet, the song sounds like a semi-melodic rockballad cross between
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and ADELE!, with a great soaring guitarsolo). Juliet has got
massive potential, so let’s hope she will be able sing lead vocals on many more
songs in the future, although Doug himself is not bad either! Definitely a band
to check out if you want to hear original high class classic rock! More info
at: https://planetofrhythm.hearnow.com and https://porband.com/
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
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