(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...

(44:18; Heritage) There was a discussion taking place on ProgArchives recently as to whether John should be included on the site (the inclusion of artists have to be passed by committee, believe it or not), but someone said it was difficult to find any of his albums to be able to make a decision, so I said I would drop John a line and see if I could get a couple as we know each other. The first time I saw John play was back in 1991 when he was part of The Law who played at Milton Keynes Bowl supporting Bryan Adams and ZZ Top, but he was a collaborator with John Wetton for years, played with Greenslade, has been a session keyboard player for many top acts, and of course he is now well-known for the wonderful Lifesigns. But what about his purely solo material? This album is from 2000, and I surmise it contains the demos for a planned album, but looking at his discography that does not appear to have ever been released, so it could possibly contain demos he had recorded for other purposes...

(7xCD + 2xBlu-ray Box Set, Esoteric Recordings [2025 Edition] )  When a band has been prolific as Hawkwind, still touring and releasing albums more than 50 years on from their inception, it is likely there will always be some debate among fans about what is the best studio release. When it comes to the ‘Wind then my personal view will probably always be ‘Quark, Strangeness and Charm’, just because that was the first album of theirs I heard, not long after it was released in 1977, but there is no doubt that 1974’s ‘Hall of the Mountain Grill’ is viewed by many as the classic album to have, and now Esoteric have gone full throttle with this newly released nine-disc limited edition boxed set which contains the original album newly remastered from the original master tapes, along with new mixes from the original 16-track master tapes by Stephen W. Tayler of previously unreleased full concerts at Edmonton, January 1974 and the 1999 Party at Cleveland in March 1974 plus a new mix of the ...

(66:00; Desert Comb Music) What we have here is the debut album from Australian trio Ambient Den, who are Ben Craven (guitars, bass, programming, vocals), Tim Bennetts (piano, keyboards, vocals) and  Dean Povey (drums, vocals). Even before playing this I noticed something strange about this release, as while it is not unusual to have a “single edit” as a bonus cut, here we have four. Given the rest of the album is only six tracks in length, and the first one is a short introduction, this does seem a little bit like overkill but only the cynic would suggest this is a way of extending a six-track to a 10-track album lasting 67 minutes, even if 19 minutes of that is “bonus material”. It's a shame as I would definitely have liked to have heard more, as what we have here are a band who have been very influenced by classic Pink Floyd, but with more crossover and commercial elements. Again we have a very modern production, so it feels like we are being hit by a wall of sound as opposed to...

(44:35; Independent Artist Records) Here we have the second album from Italian trio Aerostation, who comprise Alex Carpani (vocals, keytar), Gigi Cavalli Cocchi (drums, electronic pads) and Jacopo Rossi (bass). I have not heard the debut album, which came out seven years ago, but last year I reviewed Alex’s album ‘The Good Man’, while I actually interviewed Gigi all the way back in 2006 (along with Bernardo Lanzetti) after Mangala Vallis released the excellent ‘Lyncanthrope’. As one can see from the line-up, there are no guitars on this album, with the layering coming mostly from Alex’s custom keytar (an instrument I do wish we saw more of in concert). This is a very modern-sounding album, with a very strong focus on the production, and while that is obviously deliberate, it has made it quite difficult for me to listen to. I prefer my music to have more space within the layers, and this is much more of a wall of sound approach. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not a style I ...

(24:44; Iapetus) It has been way too long since we have had brand-new material from Tony Levin (stick, bowed stick), Pat Mastelotto (acoustic and electronic drums & percussion) and Markus Reuter (Touch Guitars® U8 Deluxe, vocals), but this five-song EP is a prelude to a new album which will be coming out later this year. There is no doubt that Stick Men are one of the most exciting bands around, taking King Crimson as a base, and given that Tony has been involved for four decades and Pat for more than three, perhaps that is no surprise at all. They are all very well-known for their improvisation, but here they have worked together to create something which still contains that excitement and energy but is obviously rehearsed and is somehow both dark and muscular at the same time. It is dramatic, always shifting, with the use of repeated melodies which bring us deep inside the riff, which is so very different indeed to much of the music I hear from Markus where he is composing live a...