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  • "Early this year we placed Caravan’s In The Land Of Grey And Pink amongst our epic 50th anniversary albums. There are not many groups from that era who have survived with a clear change in style and line up and can still produce high quality fresh music and complete nationwide tours. Right from the opening bars we hear the distinctive Caravan sound. Even though  the line up and style may have seen changes for those who loved the instrumental psychedelic prog flavour of 50 years ago  there are samples of it particularly in Luna’s TuneIt’s None Of Your Business  is a solid and entertaining album of music performed by experienced artists still at the top of their game and able to entertain. Their forthcoming tour which I’m certain will promote this splendid album and our older favourites will be an evening of our joy as was the last outing I saw  when they graced the Cropredy Festival  stage in 2019.I liked this album, Caravan’s first album since Paradise Filter  released in  2013, from the first listen and it got better  more I listened to it. It features nine new songs plus one instrumental track which although might not be the longer epics of their earlier years will satisfy the most ardent of Caravan fans.It is the instrumentals both as a single track and within the songs that enticed  me to repeated listens of  this album; the virtuosic strings of Geoff Richardson on viola and the keyboards  of Jan Schelhaas expertly  producing the warm, rich sounds we are familiar with. Long term fans of Caravan have plenty opportunity to relive those moments of ‘filling our pipes full of hogweed’ to take us back to the 70’s as well as wallowing in the solid, chunky rhythms of the modern Caravan sound.  Also still assisting the group is jazzman Jimmy Hastings who was very much an important part of Caravan sound from the outset. Caravan has always been a group in tune with current times, so mixed in with the songs of recent events are those of a personal nature as  like most groups they have not been immune to recent events and two songs – Spare A Thought dedicated to lost friends and Every Precious Little Thing  expressing anxieties about the touring experience returning – show this with of course, a smattering of love songs with and without flute!! Also still prevalent are the quirky lyrics  which  makes them typically British and distinctly Caravan.The vocals of Pye Hastings  are still delivered  with clarity and panache, his mild tones emphasising the familiar quaintness and those with a more sombre poignant  nature. Although he readily admits: “Lyrics can sometimes be my Achilles Heel”   but the last months have provided an opportunity to centre his mind as he says:   “The lockdown certainly focused the mind when it came to writing the lyrics.”The album covers of Caravan albums  have always complemented the music artistically. The mystical sultry   atmosphere  of the debut album, through to the thought provoking For Girls Who Goes Plump In The Night , the surreal Cunning Stunts  and of course the otherworldly In The Land Of Grey And Pink ( I still find things I’ve not seen before). Now  with the imagery of illustrator Bob Venables, the artwork to the new album displays a contemporary feel.Caravan have never been strangers to change and experimentation and the opportunity for them to record and write spontaneously together is clearly evident. “Sitting round in a circle having eye to eye contact, a large sound room was required,” Pye Hastings explains . “I much prefer this method because you can bounce ideas off each other as they occur, and voice encouragement when the whole thing begins to click.”With the production  engineering  and mastering in the hands of  Julian Hastings with assistant engineer Mike Thorne we have a new Caravan album to savour." - At The Barrier
    $15.00
  • Second album from this French band who's music demonstrates a strong Canterbury flair.  The lineup is now expanded into a trio but augmented with guests including the Payssan brothers from Minimum Vital.  Nice filthy dirty fuzz guitar leads takes the mantle from Phil Miller and the keys definitely have that Dave Stewart bent.  Highly recommended.
    $15.00
  • Sons Of Apollo have certainly enriched the music sphere since their formation in 2017. It says much that the huge talent involved immediately combined with a cohesive and recognisable individual stance on debut album 'Psychotic Symphony', acknowledged as one of the finest releases in '17. And in 2019, the band put out the glorious 'Live With The Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony'.Now, though, Mike Portnoy (drums & vocals), Derek Sherinian (keyboards), Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal (guitar & vocals) and Billy Sheehan (bass) are ready to take everything to a new level with second studio album 'MMXX'.Stylistically, we have followed the same path as the debut, outlines Portnoy. “But we feel that it has come out stronger, simply because we know one another better. 'Psychotic Symphony' was the first time the five of us had worked together, so there was bound to be an air of experimentation happening. Now, we can draw on having the experience not only of recording that album, but also of touring together a lot. And now there is clearly a lot more obvious chemistry going on.We did 83 shows on the last tour, adds Sherinian. And it was so worthwhile, because we came out of it with a stronger bond, and that is certainly reflected in what we wrote.The writing process began at the start of the year, as Portnoy, Sherinian and Bumblefoot got together.The three of us were at my home studio in Pennsylvania, explains Portnoy. And it took about three weeks to get all the music written. That was a very smooth process. The last time, it certainly must have felt a little weird for Bumblefoot to be writing with Derek and me, because we were strangers to him. Now, we know one another better and that helped things push along.Sherinian reveals that at least two of the songs began to take shape even earlier than January '19.I am always writing, and started to come up with ideas straight after we finished work on the previous album. The tracks 'Asphyxiation' and 'Desolate July' definitely date back to that period.I agree with Mike on the way things were smoother this time around when writing with Bumblefoot. The first time I ever met him was when we started getting the songs together for the debut. He walked in, we shook hands, then he put on his guitar and we got right to work!Once this part of the equation had been successfully resolved, things quickly went to the next stage.We demoed everything and then did the pre-production process, continues Portnoy. Once this had been worked through, Derek and I went back to Ocean Studios in Burbank for me to do my drum tracks. It's also where I did them in 2017.As with that debut, 'MMXX' was produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers, who are...That's Derek and me, using the same pseudonym as we did first time around, laughs Portnoy. I got my drum parts done by the end of January, because I had a lot of other commitments coming up. Then the rest of the guys fitted in what they had to do as they had time available in their busy schedules.Because we all have our home studios, it meant everyone could record there as and when they had opportunity, continues Sherinian. We all had the luxury of being able to take our time to get all the parts done, which was a huge help in the way the album's come out. I suppose in all, it took about eight months to record everything.The lyrics were written by Soto, who also came up with the melody lines with input from Sherinian.While Jeff was left to come up with the words on his own, as the melody lines are part of the music, it made sense for me to be involved with that part, says the keyboard player.The mixing stage has once more been handled by Jay Ruston, who also oversaw the mix for the first album.We leave Jay to get on with the mix at his home studio in Sherman Oaks, explains Sherinian. He then sends wav files through to us, and we come up with tweaks when necessary. It doesn't take long for it all to be agreed.There are eight tracks on the album, with variations in length.The final song is 'New World Today, which is 16 minutes long, says Portnoy. This one has elements similar to 'Opus Maximus' and 'Labyrinth' on the previous album. It has some insane, brilliant instrumental moments, which I am sure the fans will love.We wanted to do something epic here, as we did with 'Opus Maximus' last time around, adds Sherinian. You have to remember that Mike and I come from Dream Theater, where we never bothered about how long a song was. So, for us doing a 16 minute track is not a problem.There's also 'King of Delusion', which clocks in at nine minutes in length.This opens up with a piano solo, explains Portnoy. And it also has a middle section where Derek and I do a piano & drum duet.I have actually played more piano on this album than I have ever done before, delights Sherinian. This fitted nicely with what we were aiming for. I am also so pleased that I get to play a lot of Hammond organ this time.The first single will be 'Goodbye Divinity'...This is seven minutes long, says Portnoy. And we have also shot a video for it.The album title was inspired by a chronological fact.This will be released in mid-January 2020, outlines Portnoy. That means it will be one of the first releases in what is a new decade. So I came up with the idea of calling it '2020', except having it written in the Latin form of 'MMXX'.The artwork, which has been done by Thomas Ewerhard (who was responsible for the cover design last time out), inevitably reflects the title.For the first record, we had a mythological feel, explains Portnoy. This time around, though, there's a much more futuristic style to what we've got. It has a very 21st century appeal. And the band crest is more polished, cleaned up and a lot more modern than last time, when it had an old fashioned look.Portnoy and Sherinian are very happy with the way everything sounds.I have never thought we were a progressive band as such, insists Portnoy. I would define Sons Of Apollo as a hard rock band, with occasional prog moments. I would compare us to Rainbow, Van Halen and Aerosmith with some crazy shredding musicianship on occasion and touches of progression.There's a very balanced and good mix of material here. It's a 60 minute album, which I think works nicely when you have eight tracks. And we will certainly aim to do much of this live. The last time out we had to put in covers for our live set list. But when we tour again, we won't have to do that at all. All the material we play onstage will be original. That's a very positive thing.Each member of this band has their own signature sound on their instrument, adds Sherinian. And when you put all of this together what you get is a wonderful five-headed beast. It makes this a sonically special band, which is definitely what comes across on 'MMXX'.You can hear odd time signatures and amazingly crazy performances here. And I feel that personally I have gone deeper musically than I have ever done before. For instance, you'll find some great harmonies. Overall, we've been satisfyingly more adventurous this time than we were before, and I know people are sure to love what we've done. 'MMXX' is an album I am proud of.
    $8.00
  • "In the psychedelic late sixties there was a lively music scene in the Canterbury area that revolved around the band The Wilde Flowers. They never recorded much themselves, however, but after they disbanded other influential bands were formed from their ashes: Gong, Soft Machine, and, most importantly, Caravan. Caravan's eponymous debut was released in 1968.  It was considered a groundbreaking album capturing the freakish and exploratory moods of the times. Their sound went much further than the changing styles of the contemporary underground and that's what distinguished Caravan from other bands in their genre."
    $26.00
  • "Long Hair is not only proud to present Tortilla Flat's legendary sole album 'Für Ein 3/4 Stündchen' (on vinyl, LHC 230 and on CD with 2 bonus tracks, LHC 229), but also the group's lot more legendary broadcast sessions for Germany's leading underground and krautrock program on radio SWF (look for further recordings in this series on Long Hair). The mainly instrumental album is very flute-driven, in opposite to the latter album, which was more electric violin-dominated, with very exciting guitar playing accompanied by rocking drumming and nimble bass lines. Very tight! AND VERY TEUTONIC! There were not so many progressive rock bands in the early 1970s which were flute and violin dominated, but also don't forget the great solo play of lead guitarist Manfred Herten. An early version of their main opus 'Tortilla Flat' shows the band with violinist Werner Knauber and Herman Basten on flute at its best, a dramatic increase with great tunes. In fact the music on 'SWF Sessions' is very unique, typical krautrock; psychedelic, complex but always very tuneful. Many flute solos, exciting great fuzzing guitar solos and an impressing electric violin sound with that special Teutonic krautrock feel, played by well trained musicians with great composition skills. Besides the long tracks there are three short titles which set music to three poems of the famous German poet Christian Morgenstern with great vocals by Manfred Herten. The album insert comes with full band story and rare and unseen photos. All titles are remastered and the sound is brillant. A must have for all lovers of the great German underground and krautrock music in the 1970s. Highly recommended!"
    $35.00
  • "This documents an often overlooked phase in the long and complex history of Soft Machine - Australian drummer Phil Howard's five-month interim behind the drum stool between Robert Wyatt's departure and his eventual long-term replacement John Marshall. It did last long enough to record half of the studio album "Fifth" (1972) and a couple of BBC radio sessions, but until now no official document of that line-up in its preferred environment - the stage. Howard was brought into Soft Machine by saxophonist Elton Dean, both being members of Elton's side project Just Us, and under their combined influence the band became freer and wilder than ever before (or after) in its existence, pushing longtime leaders Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper into unchartered areas of electric madness. Before long they'd decided this wasn't the way to go, but meanwhile the line-up had antagonised audiences throughout extensive tours of the UK and Europe. This documents the German leg of the tour and, as veteran music journalist Steve Lake notes in his detailed liner notes, is a revelation - a glimpse of a highly exciting alternative route Soft Machine decided not to explore further."
    $22.00
  • Roine Stolt, known as the guitarist, singer, writer and at times band leader of the groups The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Agents of Mercy, Kaipa DC, as well as from his work with prog icon Jon Anderson and the new super group The Sea Within, is releasing a new album in November. Under the moniker ROINE STOLT’S THE FLOWER KING, “Manifesto Of An Alchemist” offers 10 songs and almost 70 minutes of playing time celebrating the style Roine is most revered for: progressive rock, richly orchestrated with all the trademark elements from four decades of prog!“Unlike many later albums, where recordings have continued over months”, Roine states, “this new album has been a fairly quick and effective affair - we started tracking in Holland at the beginning of July and mix was done by mid-August! The songs are written in a very ‘unorthodox’way - some melodic content and some riffs are ideas that have been circulating for years - some may even be from before the first TFK album - they just hadn’t found a home in any of the bands/albums I did in the last 15 years yet.”Starting as a teenage prodigy in the band Kaipa in 1974 and first releasing his music on the LP“Kaipa” (1975) via DECCA is a veteran with more than 200 recorded titles since the humble beginnings in the mid 70’s. Fast forward to the 90’s, the album “The Flower King” (1994) marked an important offering in his career since Roine played all instruments except for drums and the a self-produced/self-financed effort rapidly propelled the Swedish guitarist into international prog stardom. His 2018 album, garnered with artwork by Shaun Beyond, is a celebration of all the styles that have been part of the colorful, daring and dynamic songwriting and arrangements, Roine masters like no other yet also offers a more immediate, more hands on approach.“Like that first TFK album, I’m the main lead vocalist here again - it works as these lyrics are important to me and resonate with my view of the world. A lot of the guitar work is actually my spontaneous ‘demo’ guitars” and that goes for much of the synth work, too. I didn’t want to‘process’ ideas too much as there is much power in the initial creation - I wanted to keep it thatway.”But of course, “Manifesto Of An Alchemist” also features a whole lot of equally renowned and respected musicians:Marco Minnemann / DrumsMichael Stolt / Bass & VocalsJonas Reingold / BassRob Townsend / SaxMax Lorentz / Hammond B3 & Vocals Zach Kamins / Moog & Keyboards Hans Froberg / VocalsNad Sylvan / VocalsAnd, Roine will take this album as well as classics from the The Flower Kings’ catalogue on stage!“I am excite that the album will be released in November this year and at the same time will be in South America playing The Flower Kings music with a band that also includes Hasse Froberg & Jonas Reingold and also introduces two younger friends; Zach Kamins on keyboards and Mirko DiMaio on drums - both fabulous musicians. We will also bring this to Europe where we join forces with legends Spocks Beard.”So, enjoy this wonderful musical journey that is “Manifesto Of An Alchemist” and do not miss RoineStolt’s The Flower King live!Roine Stolt’s The Flower King Manifesto Of An Alchemist (69:21)1. Rainsong (1:27)2. Lost America (9:50)3. Ze Pawns (8:27)4. High Road (12:32)5. Rio Grande (7:50)6. Next To A Hurricane (4:25)7. The Alchemist (6:57)8. Baby Angels (3:48)9. Six Thirty Wake-Up (4:17) 10.The Spell of Money (9:48)Line-Up (on this recording):Roine Stolt – lead vocals, guitars, synths, keyboards, bassMarco Minnemann - drumsMichael Stolt – bass, vocalsJonas Reingold - bassRob Townsend - saxMax Lorentz - Hammond B3, vocals Zach Kamins - Moog & keys)Hans Froberg - vocalsNad Sylvan – vocals
    $12.00
  • Latest from this British band captures the best elements of the 70s Canterbury scene.  There is a heavy reliance on Caravan as an influence but you'll hear undercurrents of Gong and Soft Machine as well."Devon based Cosmic troubadours Magic Bus mark their 10th anniversary with their fourth album The Earth Years, their first visit to our planet since 2017’s Phillip The Egg. The line-up has changed a little which has influenced a change in their musical palette but Magic Bus remain firmly in the territory of the Canterbury and Westcoast sound, tinged with Eastern mysticism. In dark and worrying times Magic Bus bring us the Sun. In the words of the final song We are One:Summer’s Coming, Summer’s comingHope is coming, Hope is comingTheir previous album Phillip the Egg saw Magic Bus taking a more ‘Prog’ approach with more expansive passages but The Earth Years finds them a little more succinct and grounded… maybe back to Earth? However, never fear Magic Bus fans… these ‘Merry Pranksters’ still wander joyfully through the sunlit meadows of psychedelia, dripping in psychedelic colours and drenched in whimsical hippie glory.Easy Om leads us in with a softly pastoral feel with Paul Evans’ distinctive psych wizard vocals weaving a spell before Magic Bus burst out with some great drumming from Connor Spring. The Hippie chant of the chorus is briskly accompanied by a tight band, conveying some of their live energy. It’s short and sweet, and tells us we’re spiritually definitely back on the Bus (called Further or Magic Bus), as described by Tom Wolfe in the Ken Kesey inspired The Electric Kool-Aid Test.  Since their last album Magic Bus have parted ways with Viv Goodwin-Darke, who used to provide flute and backing vocals. It feels as if her absence has meant a loss of her flights of soft melodic flute alongside her voice, which did give a rather gentle timbre to the songs at times. Inca Trail has slight echoes of that approach with a very subtle recorder from Chris D’Addo. On the other hand, Goodwin-Darke’s departure also gives much more space for Terence Waldstadt to express himself more fully with his undoubted guitar mastery. Additionally, ex-Kula Shaker maestro Jay Darlington has more opportunity to expand with his renowned keyboard skills. Inca Trail is an optimistic song underpinned with fluid organ interspersed with short bright bursts of subtle guitar work and embroidered with an ascending dreamy synth solo… But if I’m totally honest I still miss the floaty effect of the flute input at times. For instance, the pastoral idyll of Setting Sun has a gorgeous acoustic guitar, but one cannot help think the synth sounds quite… well, flute-y!In contrast Barleycorn may just contain some of the most powerful, insistent and discordant music Magic Bus have ever done, opening with aggressive guitar work and furious drumming before it drops almost sinisterly into a droning sitar sound. The tempo gradually picks up again with some flowing bass work from Wihll Mellorz and mellotron sounds from Jay Darlington, and then it all ends rather abruptly. Possibly one of the more peculiar outings from Magic Bus, with a hint of Gong, and all the more interesting for stretching their sound. Similarly, the oddly titled Squirrel is probably the most ambitious song on The Earth Years giving more chance to expand musically. An almost Fairground organ backing from Jay Darlington underlines the more playful nature of the song with Terence Waldstadt complimenting him beautifully on restrained guitars, and the assured rhythm section of Mellorz and Spring rolling along. Paul Evans’ vocals have developed over the years and on this year his mantra like chanting are particularly effective. Halfway through the piece the band lock together in a jazzy rhythm with Waldstadt and Darlington interweaving delightfully and softly – sometimes less is indeed more.The outstanding New Day is one of the highlights of the album and probably showcases the new line-up at their best. Acoustic guitars and Evans’ whimsical vocals float in on a bright wave of melody. There is such a sense of summery optimism shining out from this song, particularly when Darlington adds tasteful dashes of gorgeous organ work. It is only just over 5 minutes long but they pack so much into this piece with a psychedelic instrumental passage featuring a funky bass and great guitar and organ interplay. As this delightful song reaches it’s conclusion Waldstadt lays down an intuitive and restrained guitar with an oddly echoing finale. Magic Bus are a fine live outfit and this piece seems to capture that essence so well.Magic Bus’s latest sojourn on this planet fittingly ends with the resplendent and positive We are One. Unashamedly retro and soaked in Hippy optimism this is a piece to bring together listeners as the sun goes down after a beautiful day, and one can imagine this going down well at Magic Bus’s favourite habitat – Festivals.Magic Bus are not here to amaze us with wonderous technique (although they can certainly play). They do not come to bedazzle us with ground-breaking new sounds (but inspired by previous psychedelic fore-runners they undoubtedly produce beguiling and melodic music). They do not come to lecture or preach to us, but do have a simple message and straightforward approach, expressed skilfully and with real feeling. The lockdown has severely limited us all to our homes physically, but Magic Bus have produced some joyful music for our minds where we can journey spiritually anywhere. It may not change the world, but just for a few a few minutes the world will feel a better place, and isn’t that worth something these days?At a time when the world has been facing great anxiety and suffering maybe what we do need is music filled with positivity and dare I say it… Love!So put away your worries, open your mind and get on the Magic Bus for The Earth Years – we have even ‘Further’ to go:Summer’s Coming, Summer’s comingHope is coming, Hope is coming"- The Progressive Aspect
    $18.00
  • Tortilla Flat released their sole studio album in 1974.  I was lucky enough to have it as part of my record collection for many years.  It was a favorite but the priced soared on original vinyl and I (or my wife I can't remember who) decided it was more important to pay off the mortgage on my home so it eventually left Casa Lasers Edge and wound up in a collector's hands in Russia.  Thanks Ebay!  Truth is I've had seller's remorse ever since.I actually had conversations with the band's old manager for the possibility of a CD reissue.  This went on for awhile but didn't prove fruitful.  What I did learn was the band went through different iterations of their lineup and there was a lot of unreleased live recordings.  The music of Tortilla Flat sits somewhere between two worlds.  A bit prog rock and a bit jazz rock in equal parts.  Its an all instrumental effort.  Flute is quite prominent but so is electric piano and dirty fuzz guitar.  Standing back and listening to it after many years I would say that the Canterbury scene was a major influence.  Soft Machine and Hatfield & The North share a musical affinity with Tortilla Flat.Long Hair Music was able to accomplish what I set out to do 25 years ago, presenting not only vinyl and CD reissues of the album but there is also a companion release of their SWF radio session from 1973.  Perhaps there will be more to come.  BUY OR DIE!
    $33.00
  • "This was just a pleasure to listen to. I had heard and reviewed "Arriving Twice" which was a collection of songs recorded prior(1973- 1975) to this their debut album. It consisted mostly of songs that are on this album. Dave Stewart produced it, and we have the pleasure of having Amanda Parsons from HATFIELD AND THE NORTH singing on two tracks. She would go on to sing on NATIONAL HEALTH's debut. The late Alan Gowen who would later hook up with Dave Stewart in the band NATIONAL HEALTH is truly the star here. He incorporates mellotron, piano, synths and clavinet to these beautiful songs. GILGAMESH offer up a smorgasbord of tasty, intricte sounds to satisfy the listener. Jeff Clyne formerly from NUCLEUS plays bass. One look at the long song titles and one knows that this has to be Canterbury music."One End More / Phil's Little Dance-For Phil Miller's trousers / World's Of Zin" has some mellotron in the intro followed by those intricate sounds meshed together that are just a delight. Great interplay ! The guitar 3 minutes in is a highlight. There is a change 4 1/2 minutes in as we get to "World Of Zin" and it's so soothing and relaxing for 6 minutes ! The guitar leads the way tastefully as Phil Lee does such a tremendous job holding back, yet in the end letting go with some soaring melodies.The drumming is intricate, and we get some female vocal melodies from Amanda. The piano is sprinkled in. Amazing ! "Lady And Friend" is mellow with keys and bass for 3 minutes except for one startling outburst. It ends with a louder sound with drums joining in. "Notwithstanding" is jazzy with some excellent piano, drums, bass and guitar interplay. I just have to shake my head at how tight these guys are. Mellotron comes in early and can't be missed. "Arriving Twice" is a short 1 1/2 minute tune that is light and beautiful. "Island Of Rhodes / Paper Boat-For Doris / As If Your Eyes Were Open" is lighter to begin with but there is so much going on. The second part is similar but louder. Keys, bass and drums lead the way. The final section is where Phil breaks out some aggressive guitar melodies. Nice. "For Absent Friends" is a short acoustic guitar piece. "We Are All / Someone Else's Food / Jamo And Other Boating Disasters-From The Holiday Of The Same Name" features some angular guitar melodies in the first part. Liquid sounding keys and light drums as bass throbs. The guitar starts to get more upfront and passionate, as do the other instruments. The next section is almost funky before the final part 5 1/2 minutes in where Amanda is back singing those lovely melodies. "Just C" is a short piano piece.The album cover had an actual game on it like "Snakes and Ladders" with numbered spaces, and comments on some of them telling you to go forward or backwards and why. Statements like "Payment after gig in cash ! Go forward 2 spaces".Or "Drummer late for gig. Go back 1 space". "Mobbed by groupies. Go forward 4 spaces". "Guitar player drinks 10 Carlsbergs. Disqualified from game". I could see people playing this back in the day. As for the music, i'm a big fan if you couldn't tell already. 4 solid stars." - ProgArchives
    $15.00
  • "The follow up to last year’s The Last Harvest see’s this Canterbury scene inspired band gain a couple of new members (drummer James Hall and woodwind player Chris Egan). It was recorded over a 40 day period, where the band worked quickly and, according to the press release, discarded anything that didn’t fit.What you get is 8 tracks of contemporary progressive rock in quite a folky vein, with nods and hints to previous eras, particularly with the lovely warm Hammond sound and the woodwind that effortlessly ebbs and flows throughout this album.What really pulls it all together though is the amazing vocals of Lucie V, however, it seems that whilst I was polishing off this review Lucie and the band have parted company, which is a real shame as her vocals were an integral part of the band, and indeed this album.Starting with a loose trilogy, Overture gently sets the scene for the album, before Lucie and the boys go really folky on the rather wonderful A Sea Shanty, which leads into the first curiosity on the album, a wonderfully psyche piece of woodwind and folk, with goonish voices intoning “Don’t shoot the albatross”. It sounds bonkers written down, but in reality it’s a really funky piece of music, showcasing all the virtuoso performances that the band can pull together.The way that founders Danny Chang, Rik Loveridge and Phil Warren jam together is wonderful to hear, new boy Chris Egan given space to fill with his reeds, showing how much confidence the band have in him.Feeling like an offcut, or link to the debut album, Horsa from Beyond the Grave returns to the band’s roots, a wonderfully epic piece from one of the legendary brothers Horsa and Hengist, who as everyone knows turned against King Vortigern, with Horsa dying in battle and Hengist being first King of Kent. The impassioned vocals from Lucie implore Hengist to turn away from destruction and towards peace, and with some amazing musicianship from the band, this nod to the debut is one of the strongest pieces on the album. The next trilogy, Tale of Three Lovers, starts with the folky Wishing Well. Again the band are focusing more on folk-rock elements than the previous album, and this gives the songs room to breathe, making the instrumentation more subtle, and allowing songs to work their way into your head, but they soon kick it up a gear, again a different mood change from the debut album, and one that really showcases the amazing power of Lucie’s voice.You Better Shut Your Mouth is one of the best on the album for me, with an absolute killer bass groove that kicks into a full-on rock track, allowing Chang to showcase his phenomenal guitar work, and some brilliant woodwind from Egan, but it’s Lucie who steals the show here, her versatile and powerful vocals running the gamut from scorned to scornful, with the absolute killer line “I burnt your records, I never did like Prog rock anyway” – pure genius on a powerfully funky track.Following this is the absolute 360 degree turn around, based on true life experience. Never Tell On Me is one of those songs with a wonderful melody, and is the most commercial sounding track on here, with really dark lyrics (a trick pulled off by bands like Squeeze and the Beautiful South). It’s quite a harrowing track about domestic abuse, and by God it’s effective, again kudos to Lucie for her vocal performance.Rounding it off is the slow-burning, almost Floydian Last Goodbye, the band really does change gear again and go all atmospheric and moody with some superb performances all round, and this is the fitting way to finish.So, to sum up, Sprezzatura is a totally different beast to its predecessor, giving the band plenty of room to grow and experiment, and it sounds very much like a band working out where they want to go next and who they want to be going forward.Unfortunately, instead of being a transitional album, it’s now a full stop, rather than being a stepping stone to the next album with Lucie, it’s now the end of an era.Wherever the band and Lucie head next on their own individual musical journeys we wish them the best, and can look back on the burst of creativity that produced these two wonderful albums with fondness and relish the fact that whilst their journeys continue in a different direction, we have these musical postcards from the road to treasure." - The Progressive Aspect
    $15.00
  • After an exceptionally long year full of personal change and near manic levels of creative activity, Canadian musician Devin Townsend releases his follow up to 2019’s acclaimed ‘Empath’ album. Assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic ‘Lightwork’ represents a new level, and has ended up being one of the most accessible, yet ambitious releases of his storied career. A project that has been on Devin’s mind since he was a teen, (and flirted with throughout his career) is a more melodic and direct album with a great producer to help guide the work. Enter Garth Richardson: A Vancouver based producer with a long resume and a friend of Devin’s for many years. And the goal? To provide something beautiful, cathartic, powerful and clear. A sense of optimism and power through what can be commonly known as a ‘depressing period’. It’s about strength, love, acceptance, fear, and overcoming together. Guests on the record include friends and stalwarts from his past (Anneke Van Giersbergen, Ché Aimee Dorval, Morgan Agren, Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, Elektra Women’s Choir) as well as some newer friends and faces (Darby Todd, Diego Tejeida, Nathan Navarro, Federico Paulovich, Jonas Hellborg), and also, in a rather hard to believe turn of events, legend producer and guitar player Nile Rodger plays on the track ‘HoneyBunch’.
    $28.00
  • "A mid-Seventies jazz/fusion band from Belgium, the superb Abraxis boasted musicians from other jazz-rock groups of the decade such as Pazop, Placebo and Waterloo, with keyboardist Charles Loos and bassist Jean-Paul Musette known to some prog fans as being members of Belgian band Cos, performing on their first album `Postaeolian Train Robbery' (but departed before the follow-up `Viva Boma'). Released in 1977, their fully instrumental debut is an enjoyable and impeccably performed mixture of flute dominated jazz, Canterbury inspired fusion, '70s funk and even a pinch of Zeuhl! As much of their music here was dominated by piano and flute, it gives `Abraxis' a frequent Focus-like quality in parts, actually quite classical and grand in a few moments here and there. Canterbury bands like Gilgamesh and the instrumental passages of National Health also come to mind, and definitely parts are still identifiable as Cos, although in a firmer jazz sound without the avant-garde vocal qualities and loopier elements of that band.Brief opener `Clear Hours' is a more fusion-flavoured version of something that could have come off the first Camel album, a breezy and immensely likable tune with constantly twisting guitars, grumbling bass, peppy electric piano spirals and loopy synth trills all duelling back and forth with quickie little call-and-response soloing runs between each-other. The gently melancholic flute, dramatic piano and overall classical sophistication of the four-part sixteen-minute suite `Valse De La Mort' reminds instantly of the classic Seventies-era Focus albums, whimsical and reflective one moment, stirring with spontaneous improvised manic bursts the next. Humming bass, fiery nimble guitar licks, dreamy shimmering keyboards and rambunctious drumming all have their moments to shine in this exquisite piece.`Sweetank' opens the second side and is the highlight of the disk, a delirious and splintering jazz-fusion tantrum crammed with funky swallowing Zeuhl-like bass, wiry electric guitar, glistening electric piano, huffing flute and loopy electronic breakdowns over thrashing drum spasms. Sadly it's over in barely 4 minutes, just a teasing fling that leaves you craving more! `Billy the Keith' is a laid-back romantic simmer-down with a slightly syrupy melody (but it's oh-so charming all the same), `Jeronimo' is a cheerful runaway electric piano and cheeky flute-peppered interlude, the almost seven minute `Bolle Winkel' is another lengthier fusion workout where all the musicians get ample soloing moments to shine, and the fleeting closer `Arhumba' is a playful piano/flute powered ditty.Needless to say, the musicianship is consistently outstanding throughout `Abraxis', with the entire 37 minute LP flying by without a trace of inferior material emerging. A true obscure reissued gem that could not be more welcome, if a Canterbury/jazz-fusion flavoured mix of Focus, Camel and Cos with a pinch of Zeuhl sounds intriguing to you, track it down immediately!" - ProgArchives
    $26.00
  • Promenade is a new quartet from Italy led by vocalist Matteo Barisone.  The album opens up with the 10+ minute instrumental "Athletics" leading you to believe that this is simply one fiery jazz rock ensemble.  By the second track Barisone introduces vocals and the music settles into some exceptionally well done Canterbury inspired music.  Somewhere in the sound spectrum between Bruford and Area lies the music of Promenade.  Nice stuff!
    $16.00