(54:00; Yak) After Martin Morgan read my review for the latest edition of Camel’s ‘The Snow Goose’ he felt inspired to get in touch and see if I would be interested in hearing his latest release, which I why I am now listening to the first Yak album in ten years, and the first where Martin played everything (apart from one of the bonus tracks which includes ex-bandmates Gary Bennett and Dave Speight). I must confess to not having previously come across Yak, as they were originally playing between 1982 and 1984, before Martin decided to resurrect the band in 2003. There have been a few albums since then, and I am obviously going to have to seek them out as this shows a great deal of promise. We will move rapidly past the drumming, as that is the one area where this album could be improved, and instead concentrate on some incredibly lush and wonderful keyboards which are combined with some wonderful guitar patches to create music which sounds as if it is coming to us straight from the Se...

(40:49; Melodic Revolution Records) This album was originally released in 2015, and it features just Hamlet (vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass, programming, drums, samples) with Rachel Bauer (spoken word, vocals). According to the label, this 10th Anniversary release has enhanced production, refined arrangements, and a deeper exploration of its themes, but given I have not heard the earlier release I cannot say what differences have been made. It is quite a strange album to listen to, as probably the biggest element is the use of atmospheric elements, and there are times when it is dark and gothic, others where it is far more in the listener’s face, which means that one needs to spend a great deal of time listening (preferably on headphones) to fully understand where Hamlet is coming from. There are some songs, such as “Sand Horizon”, where the majesty and depth is almost off the charts as Hamlet’s vocals combine with piano, reverb and not much else, to create something which is truly r...

(74:59; Cuneiform) Although the above band name will be new to many, I am sure there are plenty who will instead recognise Laurence Bond Miller (Sproton Layer, The 4th World Quartet, Empool, Destroy All Monsters, Nonfiction, The Empty Set, Larynx Zillion’s Novelty Shop, The Mister Laurence Experience, Exploded View, Laurence Miller and The Love Maniacs, etc.). He comes from a very musical family as one of his brothers is Roger Clark Miller (Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Dream Interpretations/Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble, The Anvil Orchestra, Mission of Burma, etc), while along with his identical twin Ben Miller (Destroy All Monsters, God Knows Who, Solo Multiphonic Guitar, Sensorium Saxophone Orchestra, etc) Laurence was on the Miller Twin’s ‘Early Compositions (1973-1976) which I have previously reviewed. Both brothers have joined with Laurence on this album, which has a fairly large cast, but Laurence shows his multi-instrumentalist talents by contributing vocals, clarinets (Bb, alto, ...

(50:26; Melodic Revolution Records) When I reviewed this Costa Rican band’s fourth album, ‘Shelter’, which was released in 2022 I said I really hoped we would not have to wait as long for the next one as there had been a ten-year gap from the previous release. Mind you, part of that may have been caused by the change in vocalist from Francisco Longhi to Priscilla Ruiz, and just three years on from the last album we have the same line-up as last time around with founder Juan Pablo Calvo (keyboards, guitar, vocals) again joined by Priscilla, Jorge Sobrado (drums), Chalo Trejos (bass),  and Ari Lotringer (lead guitar). Here we have a prog metal act who are more than happy to crunch the riffs, and although formed by the keyboard player, Juan is more than happy to play a supporting role. More Threshold than Dream Theater, this is a guitar-based metal outfit who come to prog and technical metal from a melodic viewpoint, and while they have a singer who provides them with a certain Doro p...

(43:03; Cuneiform) This is the second album from Alec K. Redfearn (vocals, Moog Matriarch, Sequential Circuits Trigon 6, Korg ms20, Eurorack modular synth and field recordings) and Matt McLaren (drums percussion, harmonica and neyanban), and while I have not heard the other one, I do know both these guys from Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores. According to PA these guys are Krautrock, while the label recommends this for fans of Neu!, Faust, Suicide, Gary Numan, Silver Apples, Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, and I think they’re both wrong. While there are indeed elements of all of the above in this, I believe they have far more in common with pronk, and bands like Cardiacs and (especially) early Poisoned Electrick Head.   Although the music is based around synths and percussion (plus a hauntingly weird harmonica), it feels very “real’ and earthy, bringing in influences of psych, prog, space rock, minimal wave, and post-punk. It is experimental, yet it is also somewhat commer...

(51:46; Iapetus) Following rapidly on from ‘Promise of a Better World’, which was Markus & Stephan, here we have ‘Rothko Spaces Volume 4’ which is Stephan & Markus. As one can surmise from the title, this is the fourth in the ‘Rothko’ series, but only the second where Markus has been involved as the other two feature David Torn (Vol 1) and Jon Durant (Vol 3). Markus played his touch guitar in a large room with multiple tube amps and microphones where the amplifiers were set loud enough that feedback and distortion became part of the creative process. They had a few discussions ahead of time regarding  sounds, key centres, tempos and moods, but the pieces are freely and spontaneously improvised. Stephan then took the parts he liked most which he felt he could work with, then digitally edited them, sometimes adding additional effects (in a similar manner to how Robin Taylor used to often work with TFU), and sometimes brought in additional instruments to enhance the overall so...

(51:47; Inkind Music)  Back in 2009 a new project was unleashed on an unsuspecting world, Roswell Six. The concept had come about when author Kevin J. Anderson had a conversation with ProgRock Records’ owner Shawn Gordon which led to the idea of having a book/music tie in with three albums containing lyrics by Kevin and his wife which would tell the story of the Terra Incognita series of books. I really enjoyed the first two albums, 2009’s ‘Terra Incognita: Beyond The Horizon’ and 2010’s, ‘Terra Incognita: A Line in The Sand’, but sadly while the third book was released in 2011 there was no album, and it seemed the originally envisaged project was at an end. Musician, composer and record label boss Bob Madsen has been involved in multiple projects over the years, one of the most notable being The Grafenberg Disciples who had written and recorded a tribute to Neil Peart after his untimely passing, entitled “No Words.” Not long after the video was made public, Bob received an email t...

(46:15; Cuneiform) Apparently, Rosa Ensemble were formed in Utrecht back in 1997, originally playing contemporary classical music, but they have since expanded their repertoire to include musicians from different backgrounds and also work with actors, opera singers and other creatives.  They have been involved in more than 30 major productions and projects, releasing a dozen albums, but this is the first time they have been involved with Cuneiform. John Dikeman (soprano, tenor and bass saxophone) is an American saxophonist currently residing in Amsterdam, Peter Jessen (double bass) can be heard playing (and often singing) on nearly every Rosa Ensemble’s production of the last 15 years, Koen Kaptijn (trombone) is recognised as master of the instrument in Holland,  Jeroen Kimman (electric guitar and 19tet baritone guitar) is one of the three composers and Mei Yi Lee (percussion) has more than 15 years’ experience collaborating in different fields of arts such as music theatre, d...

(54:43; Blue Matter Records) Paul first came to public awareness following the release of his debut album ‘The Werewolf of London’ in 1980, which soon became a John Peel favourite, while Rolling Stone described ‘A Cabinet of Curiosities’ as “one of the best albums you’ve probably never heard”. I first came across Paul decades ago when an album of his was released by Black Widow, and we have kept in touch sporadically ever since, and while he has released far more material than I have heard (20+ albums and counting), I have always enjoyed his music and that is the same here. It was originally recorded in 2020 by Paul (vocals, piano, organ, flute, violin, cello, sax and additional percussion) with Jenny Benwell (electric violin), Mick Crossley (lead, rhythm guitars and bass) with Violet the Cannibal (drums) with core songs being the pick of 22 sketches Paul wrote  in one weekend of intense activity to which were then added a few songs he had demoed many years previously. The decision...

(54:16; Dur Et Doux) This is the debut album from Mélissa Acchiardi (The Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra, l'ARFI, Saint Sadrill) and Vincent Duchosal (Trio Meije, Phonem, ZOZIO, cie la Grande Magouille), which has been created in quite a strange manner as Mélissa plays drums and synthesizer played with drumsticks (which I guess is a vibraphone), while Vincent plays “prepared electric guitar”, whatever that is (aren’t all guitars prepared in one way or another, from choice of strings to tuning to set up etc?). One of the things I have learned from Dur et Doux releases is that it is not unusual for the initial playing of one of their releases to not exactly fill me with confidence and delight, but the more I persevere the more there is to enjoy, and that is the case with this one. According to the label they have invented desert rock that calls for dancing, involves techno, and their sound is inspired by Maloya and Mandingo. For those unaware of the last two (me, for example...

(184:58, Cuneiform) Here we have the debut album from Jesse Krakow  who is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, sideman and music director. He was a founding member of the NYC experimental rock band Time of Orchids, a touring bassist for Shudder to Think, guitarist for The Shaggs, and Professor at Bootsy Collins’ Funk University. It contains more than 80 tracks, some only lasting the length of a good Napalm Death number while others hit 10 minutes, giving us a total playing time of 2½ hours. It is a concept album, providing us with a three-act treatise on progressive rock, and is one of the strangest albums I have come across for some time. One of the listings given to this by the label is “comedy”, and that would be right if you think of juvenile pre-teen humour as comedy, but I found it quite wearing and soon was wondering what on earth I was doing playing this, but I have always believed in listening to an album all the way through, and there are some real gems in here, ...

(53:03; Cuneiform) Here we have a live recording taken from the tour to promote ‘Elastic Juggling’, which was the last album to feature Sabin Hudon (saxes, accordion) and the first to include Bernard Falaise (guitar) who along with Rémi Leclerc (drums) and Pascal Globensky (keyboards) is still there to this day. The trio were unable to play all the instruments required in a live environment so here they have been joined by Stéphanie Simard (violin) and Nicolas Masino (bass, keyboards). Given that the most recent album had been a concept about a rather strange and demented circus (albeit instrumental) it is perhaps unsurprising that all the material comes from that, with the set recorded directly to 2-track in Quebec City on January 17th, 1997. What we have here are five musicians who clearly demonstrate just how much understanding and control they have over a seemingly chaotic world where everyone can be using music as a weapon in the way it is directed at each other, yet there are tim...

(58:59; The Mighty Ra) I had a very weird week recently, as I found myself having conversations regarding Casual Affair and Walking On Ice (and adding both bands to ProgArchives) when I saw a post regarding Welsh proggers The Mighty Ra where the guitarist and singer is Andy Edwards. I did a doubletake and thought to myself, “Surely that cannot be the same Andy Edwards who was in Ezra and The Fyreworks?” Needless to say, I soon discovered it was, so dropped Andy a line and we were soon chatting as if it was the mid 90’s all over again. Back then I reviewed all of Ezra’s material, I recall two cassettes as well as the three CDs, as well as The Fyreworks, and was disappointed when they stopped. Joining Andy in this endeavour is Dave Rowe (bass, vocals), Rob Griffiths (drums) and new keyboard player Jeremy Robberechts who joined after the debut album, replacing Rob Wilshire (who was a founder member of Multi Story back in the day). I would be somewhat disappointed if we were facing anythin...

(51:25; Matt Goodluck) This is the first album I have heard of from Matt Goodluck, but I was rather intrigued to listen to it as he is singer with Australia’s Echoes of Pink Floyd, widely regarded as the top tribute band in this part of the world, and I am very much looking forward to catching one of their shows next month. Consequently, I was expecting something quite Floydian in nature, but this has much more in common with Tangerine Dream, as well as Vangelis and even a little JMJ. Seven of the eleven tracks have a guest, sometimes on bass/stick, sometimes on guitar (only one has both instruments), but they are very much here for nuances as the lead instrument is generally the layers of keyboards which build depth and passion. The sound quality on this album is superb, and when played on headphones one can get deep inside the world Matt is creating, getting lost so one feels almost bereft when it finishes. There is a feeling of minimalism, but the music is often rich and vibrant, an...

(10xCD Box set, Spirit of Unicorn) Here we have the second in a planned series of three boxed sets featuring John Wetton’s live albums, and having long been a fan I admit I already have most of the ones included here. Seven albums spread across 10 discs, 124 tracks with a total running time of more than 10 hours, this was a labour of love to get through as it is a great deal of listening, yet I enjoyed every second of it. The albums have been fully remastered by Andy Pearce, but there are not too many bonus cuts, so if you already have these then you need to think hard as this is not a cheap set. The booklet is extensive, with notes written by Jerry Ewing, plus lots of photographs, but I must confess that while the Wetton biography is fascinating and incredibly detailed, I would rather have heard more about the concerts included herein. As one would expect we get material from Asia, King Crimson and UK as well as his solo albums, and the live sets included here are ‘Heart of the Dragon...

(40:45; Iapetus) I really enjoyed the 2023 debut from these guys, ‘Sea of Hopeless Angels’, so I am pleased to see they are back with another. As with the debut, Stefano was given access to recordings by Markus (although this time there was more time, and he was given access to far more material). The concept was similar to that often used by Robin Taylor in that these recordings were then used as a palette from which Stefano created new art. The guiding idea for this release was to create concise pieces which could follow one direction before switching to another, and that combined with the use of their voices makes for a release which is very different indeed to what I have come to expect from Markus, yet somehow familiar at the same time.  Once Stefano got the album to a certain point, he and Markus sat down to review, which in turn led to additional recording as they brought in more layers to create a more complete work. There are more commercial elements here than one normally...

(29:42; Nefarious Industries) This may well be a debut album but the guilty parties have all been around for quite a while as the line-up is drummer Mike Heller (Malignancy, Raven, ex-Fear Factory), guitarist Kevin Fetus (Lack Of Interest, Fetus Eaters, ex-Murder Construct), bassist/noise architect DMT (Mormon Mincers, ex-Bad Acid Trip), and vocalist Matthias Joyce aka "Matti Güey" (Rottenness, To Violently Vomit, Formless Master). When this arrived the other day, I read who was on it, saw it was described as a “unified creation born of sci-fi death metal infiltrated by hyperactive overtones of gore, grind, prog, and experimentalism”, and felt it was just what I wanted to hear at the time, and I was right.  I probably play ‘Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope’ far too often to be healthy (this year it has taken over from ‘Scum’ as my go-to album, and before that it was ‘Music Inspired by The Snow Goose’, go figure), and while this contains material which is lengthier and more var...

(44:41, Friends of the Fish) Track list: 1. View from Sky Road 2:39 2. Around the Maypole (Once Again) 4:29 3. Get in the Swing 2:26 4. Me and the Ones Before Me 7:00 5. Us and Them 4:41 6. If the Summer Lingers 2:36 7. Things Obvious to Other People 6:05 8. I Was a Wayward Child 6:58 9. Tear Apart 7:47 Line-up: Britt Rönnholm - vocals Anders Haakanson - instruments Prolusion. Swedish duo Us And Them has been a going concern for twenty years or thereabouts, and they are one of numerous creative outlets that I strongly associate with UK label Fruits de Mer Records due to their recurring involvement with that label. Since they released their debut album way back in 2007, a further five studio albums have been released by this Swedish duo, the most recent one appearing now in the fall of 2025. This new album is called "The Lights and the Shadow", and was released on the Friends of the Fish imprint of the aforementioned label Fruits de Mer Records. Analysis. It is inside of the f...

(41:02; Flame Dream [2025 Edition] ) Track list: 1. Full Moon 5:22 2. Nocturnal Flight 5:33 3. Out in the Dark 9:29 4. Wintertime Nights 4:04 - Strange Meeting: 5. Part One 9:06 6. Kaleidoscope 5:37 7. Part Two 1:51 Line-up: Pit Furrer - drums, percussion, tapes Roland Ruckstuhl - piano, organ, keyboards, sequencer, vocoder Peter Wolf - vocals, flute, saxophones, percussion Urs Hochuli - bass, pedals, vocals with: Dale Hauskins – guitars Prolusion. Swiss band Flame Dream was formed back in 1977, and in the band's initial run as an active band unit they released 6 studio albums prior to disbanding in 1986. A few years back the band reformed, and since then they have released one further album, "Silent Transition", which appeared in 2024. The album "Out in the Dark" dates back to 1981, is the third studio album by the band, and was reissued on CD in 2025. Analysis. While this is an album that was released in the early 1980s, the sound, style, mood and atmosphere e...

(43:46; Neuma Records) Track list: - My Mother in Love: 1. Reading on the Stairs 3:20 2. Dinnertime 2:28 3. My Sister 1:30 4. Spare Parts 2:24 5. Powers 2:22 6. Lament: Invisible 3:24 7. Laughing 1:26 8. Fierce 0:43 9. Reading Before Sleeping 3:49 10. Okay? 4:08 - 11. Circular Argument 3:44 12. When Girls Learn the Alphabet 5:32 13. The Very Air 4:34 14. Why the Dialectic? 4:22 Line-up: Anna Weesner - piano, composer, lyrics, producer Charles Mueller - guitars, bass, engineer, producer Charlotte Mundy - vocals with: Cameron LeCrone - drums Carrie Frey - viola Helen Newby - cello James Austin Smith - oboe Jessica Thompson - violin, viola Laura Cocks - flutes Madison Greenstone - clarinets Marina Kifferstein - violin Oren Fader - guitars Roberta Michel - flute, piccolo Robby Garrison - trumpet Robert Burkhart - cello Sarah Goldfeather - violin  Sian Ricketts - oboe, recorders, cymbals Yuhan Su - vibraphone Prolusion. US project Professor Girlfriend consists of composer, lyricist and ...

(37:38; Iapetus) I have been fortunate enough to have heard a few of Stephen’s collaborations, and here he is again working with one of my favourite musicians, Markus Reuter. Markus of course provides Touch Guitar and soundscapes while Stephen gives us Organ, strings, e-bow guitar and granular synth. There are just two tracks here, but one is nearly 18 minutes in length and the other 20, which allows the listener to become fully immersed in what is going on. The title cut takes as its base, music created by Markus when he and Stephen were working on another album, ‘Rothko Spaces Vol. 4’, and then Stephen took that and added layers of organ and strings while on a solitary retreat in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. The result is something which is massively over the top, hypnotic yet with a dark edge, combining early Kraftwerk with Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd, but with a more direct crescendo from guitar. The sound is huge, and one feels as if it is being listened to inside a dark cav...

(53:44; Heritage) Originally released in 2002, this album was reissued in 2018, although I do not know if it was remastered although there has been a change to the cover. In many ways this feels like a logical follow-on to ‘Life Underground’, although there were two other solo albums between that and this, plus he had been playing and recording with Greenslade (among others) during this period as well. Only one song, “Closer”, has additional musicians with some delicate acoustic guitar from Matt Prior and some delicious fretless bass from Ed Poole. I don’t know why they only appear on this one, but it would have been nice to have heard them more on others as this is the standout track, again very classic Chris De Burgh in nature (sidenote, if you think C De B is just “Lady In Red” then you have a wealth of wonderful material to discover, and for many fans that is one of his very worse songs).   This feels more polished than the other album I have heard, but that it not surpris...