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Cheer-Accident - 2026 - You Smile. The Song Is Over

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(172:37; Cuneiform Records) Cheer-Accident have been a mainstay of the Chicago independent scene for some four decades, formed by multi-instrumentalist Thymme Jones all the way back in 1981 and have always operated with a floating membership. On this, their 27th studio album, they have one list of the 15 who were involved, and then a separate list of what instruments were used, but no confirmation of who actually did what. However, we do know who played what on the two concerts which are included in the deluxe edition of this album, which somewhat amazingly are the first official live albums of their career even though they have performed hundreds of shows. The first was recorded in Chicago in 2022 with nine members, while that line-up reduced by two for the Chicago show the following year. I confess to coming to the band rather late in that I have only known them for the last 9 years, and I have certainly not heard all of the material during that period, and nothing at all prior to ‘P...
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Arnaud Quevedo & Friends - 2025 - Live Quintet 2025

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(80:00; Arnaud Quevedo) I have not previously come across Arnaud Quevedo, but he is a French musician who has been teaching music at the  Conservatoire since 2007 and has been performing under his own name since 2020. This live release from Arnaud Quevedo & Friends finds them performing in summer 2025 and features Quevedo (guitar, vocals, keyboards, alto sax) being joined by Noe Russeil (bass, vocals), Hortense Mailhos (drums), Julien Gomila (soprano & baritone saxophones) and Eloïse Baleynaud (lead vocals, keyboards). This is fusion which also contains some Crimson elements, and the band are very tight indeed, and can also be quite heavy at times, which makes for an interesting mix of styles and dynamics. The sax is an integral music as opposed to an afterthought, while the rhythm section certainly set the stage (the bass on this is stunning throughout) and Quevedo is a super guitarist. But, and it was fairly obvious there was a “but” coming, I am not a huge fan of Eloïse ...
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Anthony Garone - 2026 - OK, But Why?

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(55:23; Moonjune Records) When one looks at the cover one comes away with certain concepts, such as we are looking at different facets of an artist with a fractured point of view stitching together ideas from different areas, yet always with a strong grip on his guitar, and in many ways that is exactly what we hear when we play the album. My first views were Steve Vai and Robert Fripp joined together in battle, with the referee being Frank Zappa, and having listened to this album a lot (by my standards) I still hold true to those beliefs, although musically it is even more fractured and far-reaching than that. Yes, there are undoubtedly some elements which are more Crimson than others, but instead of covering a “straightforward” Crimson track, Garone instead gives us his versions of Fripp’s “Erudite Eyes”, which can originally be found on the 1968 pre-King Crimson album, ‘The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles, and Fripp’, an album Garone grew up listening to. As with many of the songs ...
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Aether - 2026 - III

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(43:16; Luminol Records) As one may ascertain from the title, Aether are back with their third album in fairly quick succession, continuing in the similar excellent vein established with their 2024 album, ‘Trans-Neptunian Objects’. It is again fully instrumental, apart from a recitative interlude by Claudio Milano (Nichelodeon) on “Vogon”, and was recorded live in the studio, with the songs themselves developed on themes discovered during rehearsals and improvisations undertaken during 2025. It is the same line-up as on the previous releases, namely Andrea Ferrari (guitars, keyboards), Andrea Grumelli (fretless bass), Andrea Serino (Fender Rhodes, keyboards) and Matteo Ravelli (drums, electronics) and somehow, they are seamlessly combining music from genres as diverse as ambient/New Age, symphonic, classical and jazz to create something which at times is delicate yet at others is incredibly powerful indeed. Depending on what track I am listening to I find myself moving more to the keyb...
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Kevin Kastning & Phil Grenadier - 2026 - Unreal City

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(35:07; Greydisc) Recorded on 28th April 2024 here we have Kevin (6-string Double Contraguitar, 30-string Double Contraguitar, 24-string Double Sub-Contraguitar, 18-string Contraguitar) recording with Phil Grenadier (Trumpet, Flugelhorn) for their second album together. I note this was mixed and mastered by Sandor Szabo, with whom Kevin has a long relationship, and that has certainly assisted in what is one of his finest releases to date. Neither musician is constrained in any way, and this never feels like an improvised piece of work as the two work seamlessly in the way they bounce off each other. Phil is often the melodic lead, but it is the nuances and additional runs from Kevin that makes them work so well. A trumpet and guitar (no matter how many strings) do not seem like natural bedfellows, but here they combine incredibly well, and when this is playing, I feel the world drop away so that all that exists is the music and the images being created in my mind. I feel like I am walk...
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Kevin Kastning - 2026 - Codex III / Codex IV

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(42:31 / 39:38; Greydisc) Kevin’s ninth and tenth solo albums are a continuation of his last two, being the third and fourth in the Codex series. In each case he is playing either 36-string Double Contraguitar, 30-string Contra-Baritone guitar, 30-string Double Contraguitar, 24-string Double Sub-Contraguitar or 6-string guitar, and when it is the double necks, he plays with one hand on each and they have been recorded in that manner. This means that when playing on headphones it is possible to hear the two necks on separate channels so the listener can understand a little more of what Kevin is doing. There are no overdubs, everything was recorded live, and knowing Kevin it is probable that he was live composing at the time, going where the music took him as opposed to being fully scored and composed ahead of time. I have lost count of how many of his albums I have listened to and reviewed, and there is always that initial wonder on how he can play so many strings yet always know where ...
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Hawkwind: Sonic Assassins [Live 1977] (2026)

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(47:04; Atomhenge) While 1977 was the release of one of Hawkwind’s most important albums, ‘Quark, Strangeness and Charm’ (which was actually the first album of theirs I heard), it also saw the band having some issues with more line-up changes, a poor American tour, and Calvert collapsing onstage suffering from mental issues. Hawkwind stopped touring for a while and Calvert was recovering, so Brock’s thoughts turned to having a side project for a while. He had built a relationship with local Devon band Ark, some of whom had played with him and Calvert at the Stonehenge Free Festival the previous year, so not why do something with them again. Brock and Calvert contacted three members of that band, bass guitarist Harvey Bainbridge, drummer Martin Griffin and keyboard player Paul Hayles, and as Sonic Assassins they played Queen’s Hall Barnstaple on 23rd December 1977. It was recorded for posterity, and three tracks were released in 1981 as the ‘Sonic Assassins’ EP, but it is only now that ...
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