(48:43; Tim Morse) Here we have the fifth album from Tim Morse, and the fourth which I have reviewed (I missed out on the last release, 2022’s ‘Awaken’ which was released under the band name Parallels). I first came across Tim in 2006 after the release of the debut, ‘Transformation’, but his solo albums until now have always included other musicians, yet here he has decided to embrace his full talents as a multi-instrumentalist and done everything himself, including vocals. Morse says, “There were no rules about the music itself, so Soundtracks is a diverse, eclectic mix of styles and genres. On this album you’ll find a Beatles homage (‘Blueberry Way’), instrumental electronic music (‘Cityscape’), a ballad (‘Lullaby’), and so much more. It was a blast to roll out of bed and think, ‘I feel like recording bass this morning…’ and not depend on anyone else to complete the project. It brought out a fun aspect of experimentation, especially with instruments I’d never played in the past.” The...

(114:59; Fruits de Mer Records) I note from going to the excellent FdeM website that this album is already sold out, so you need to hunt around if you want to get hold of a great album from Sidewalk Society which does exactly what it says on the cover. This psychedelic renaissance band has been providing covers of songs for the label since 2010, and this set brings together all of those numbers plus a selection of songs from non-FdeM releases plus the first appearance on CD of their remake of The Action’s ‘Rolled Gold’. The Action are often viewed as one of the most under-rated yet important British mod bands ever, with that set of recordings from 1968-69 only finally getting a release in 1995. The album commences with the first track they ever released with FdeM, The Bee Gees' “Red Chair, Fade Away”. I must confess, as with most of the songs on this set, that this is not a number I know (the original album also featured "New York Mining Disaster 1941", surely one of thei...

(75:00; Jam Records [2024 Edition] ) This is not a new album from Jeremy as such but is actually the first appearance on CD of his third album which was recorded between 1977-1979 and never released on cd until now. There is a total of 19 tracks including the original album plus bonus tracks from the sessions. The important comment here is “never released on CD”, as I am not saying I have been writing about Mr. Morris for a long time, but I reviewed the cassette nearly 30 years ago. As well as the additional tracks there is also new artwork, but the top right-hand photo in the booklet is the one which was the original cover. Even when I reviewed it this had been around a while, as it was originally released not long after it was recorded, so the album is now more than 45 years old. Jeremy had yet to settle into his different styles, and in many ways, this is a straightforward American Seventies rock album, but with Jeremy’s wonderful vocal style which is recognisable as his approach to...

(78:45; Fruits de Mer Records) Sendelica were formed in Cardigan Bay in 2005, with Pete Bingham (guitars and electronics), Colin Consterdine (beats, synths) and Glenda Pescado (bass) but they often bring in guests when the need arises and that has happened again this time with the addition of Santtu Laakso on keyboards (“Chaos”) and Calli on vocals (“Requiem For The Planet”). Their music has been described as   blending the hypnotic pulse of Can, the atmospherics of Pink Floyd, the motorized proto-punk of Neu, the guitar pyrotechnics of Jimi Hendrix and the otherworldly ambiences of The Orb, but all I know is that every time I hear them I feel I am falling deep inside of a world I am not sure I ever want to escape. Although this is a mostly instrumental album, it is also the fourth in a series of studio albums examining Man's relationship with religion, magic, myths, himself and the planet he inhabits. It commenced in 2021 with 'And Man Created God' which looked at man'...

(56:22; Moonjune Records) Quartet Diminished were formed in Iran in 2013 by guitarist Ehsan Sadigh: this is their fourth album, although their debut for Moonjune, and the third with the same core line-up of Sadigh (electric guitar), Soheil Peyghambar (woodwinds), Mazyar Younessi (piano, voice), and Rouzbeh Fadavi (drums) although here they have brought in guests bass guitarist/Chapman stick bassist Tony Levin, and touch guitarist Markus Reuter. The previous albums were all given Station numbers, but here the title ‘Deerand’ comes from a Persian musical term that means the duration of an instrument’s tones. Levin and Reuter need no introduction, having both been at the cutting edge of music for decades, but I think this is the first time I have come across a band from Iran and yet again, if it were needed, this demonstrates just how important Leonardo Pavkovic is in getting world music out to a much wider audience. Released towards the end of 2024, this album was recorded in just two da...

(37:05; CatSynth Records) It will come as no surprise to anyone, given the title, that this is the third album by Nubdug Ensemble, a collection of musicians brought together by composer and musical director Jason Berry (programming, keyboards, electronics, various instruments, sounds) to fulfil his vision, with this being a musical adaption of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of Julius Caesar’. Given some of the themes in that play are about ruthless ambition, power, political violence and revenge, I would not have been surprised if the person wearing the crown on the cover was rather portlier and had an orange face. To assist him in his storytelling, Jason has been joined by a stellar cast, including Steve Adams (ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic) on saxophones, Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, John Zorn) on guitars, Sheldon Brown (Clubfoot Orchestra, Bob Weir) on bass clarinet and alto flute, Amanda Chaudhary on keyboards and synths, Mark Clifford on vibraphone, Chris Grady (The Re...

(136:00; Frontiers Music) In September of 2022, Blue Öyster Cult undertook a trilogy of sold-out shows, each dedicated to one of their first three albums. Founding member Albert Bouchard made a special appearance on all three nights, and now we have the final release in the series with third album 'Secret Treaties' performed back-to-back, alongside a load of other songs so we get a set which contains 24 numbers and a running time of 135 minutes. The 50th anniversary is that of their debut album, as the band was formed all the way back in 1967, with just Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser the constant throughout, although Eric Bloom came alongside in 1969. By now they are joined by Danny Miranda (who was in the band from 1995 for 9 years before returning in 2017), plus Richie Castellano and Jules Radino who have both been there since 2004 so although there was a near 20-year gap between albums these guys have been touring a lot, and it shows. I would expect most of the fans i...