Brain Damage

Skywhale - The World At Mind’s End (1977 England) [ProgRock] @320

2012-02-02T16:42:00.000-02:00

A true obscured gem
(vinyl rip)

Skywhale was formed in 1974 by Steve Robshaw in Bristol UK, in order to play an eclectic blend of soaring optimistic melodic music. This seven piece band created a new and uplifting style of instrumental music, fusing jazz, rock, funk, orchestral and celtic styles. Considered to be a masterpiece, the re-release of this album has been eagerley awaited by fans world wide.
Their album has digitally remastered in Nov 2006 and is available through CD Baby and their Myspace.

This was their only album and it's a melodic blend of entirely instrumental music comprising six tracks in total, all but one of which exceed the seven-minute mark. In addition to the ubiquitous guitar, keys, bass and drums Skywhale featured an additional percussionist and two wind players so there's always plenty going on and the music has something of a Latin feel. There's no real need to try to describe the music further so I'll just let it speak for itself.

In spite of its many qualities this album is probably destined to remain an obscurity and while it's never likely to challenge for a place in the top 100 prog albums it deserves at least some attention. Your first port of call should now be YouTube where you can listen to the album in its entirety (just ignore the vinyl crackles on the recordings), followed by a visit to Amazon where the MP3 is currently available to download for less than a five-spot. If you're a fan of Jazz Rock/Fusion you're in for a rare treat!
-eventhsojourn (Prog Archives)-

01 - Epicure
02 - Hydralic Fever
03 - Two Budda Garage
04 - The World At Mind's End
05 - Eternal Optimist (The Rat)
06 - Bogies

Steve Robshaw: guitars, violin, Roland guitar synthesizer
Stan Thewils: flute, tenor saxophone
Paul Todd: soprano saxophone, flute, penny whistle
Dougall Airmole: bass
Mick Avery: drums, percussion
Gwyo Zepix: keyboards, EMS & ARP Synthesizers
John Schofield: percussion

The New Percussion Group of Amsterdam (with Bill Bruford) - Go Between (1987 Nederland) [ProgRock] @320

2012-01-17T18:43:00.000-02:00

Those who think of Bill Bruford only as art rock drummer for groups including Yes and King Crimson, fusion drummer with his late-1970s group Bruford, or even (finally, after all these years) a jazz drummer with his ongoing Earthworks projects and improvisation-heavy duets with Dutch pianist Michiel Borstlap, still don't know the whole story. Those familiar with his work in the collective World Drummers Ensemble know that this iconic British percussionist has a pervasive and encyclopedic interest in anything that can be hit with a stick, something made crystal clear on this reissue of The New Percussion Group of Amsterdam's 1986 release, Go Between.

Bruford only plays on one track, the fourteen-minute title composition by Group member Rudd Wiener that, alongside Bruford's acoustic kit and percussion, features xylophone, vibraphone, marimba and bass marimba. It's a complex and episodic piece that shifts from a rhythm-heavy art rock intro to a gentler, minimalist-informed middle section, propelled forward with multiple repetitive patterns that gradually shift, Steve Reich-like, giving the piece an evocative sense of forward motion. Bolstered occasionally by Bruford's more powerful tom-toms and tympani, the two concepts come together as the tuned percussion builds into a harmonic foundation for Bruford's mathematically precise kit work, only to drop into quiet once again before the piece's conclusion—a polyrhythmic and contrapuntal tour-de-force from everyone involved.

01. Go Between (14:26)
02. Redbone (6.39)
03. Marimba Spiritual (14.03)
04. Maenaden (13.41)

Bill Bruford: acoustic drums and percussion (1)
Rudd Weiner: xylophone (1), vibraphone (1), marimba (1), bass marimba (1), percussion (3)
Peter Prommel: xylophone (1), vibraphone (1), marimba (1, 4), bass marimba (1), log drum (2), peacock gongs (2), o-daiko (3), percussion (3)
Herman Rieken: xylophone (1), vibraphone (1), marimba (1), bass marimba (1, 4), log drum (2), peacock gongs (2), shimi-daiko (3), percussion (3, 4)
Steef van Oosterhout: log drum (2), percussion (2, 4), marimba (4)
Johan Faber: log drum (2), peacock gongs (2), percussion (4)
Toon Oomen: log drum (2), percussion (2)
Keiko Abe: marimba (3)
Jan Pustjens: conductor (3)

Eskalation - Different Music for Bassoon, Wind Synthesizer and Sampled Percussion (Germany 2001) [AvantProg] @320

2012-01-17T11:00:00.000-02:00

"...outstanding music that will definitely appeal to those who love RIO, neo-classical chamber prog, Zeuhl, the likes of Univers Zero, Art Zoyd and Zappa and even straight-ahead progressive rock. Excellent."
PROGRESSION (USA), Spring 2002

"...full of inventive twists, unexpected arrangements and outstanding playing."
EXPOSÉ (USA), April 2002

"Definitely original. If you are able to imagine Happy the Man's Kit Watkins and Univers Zero's Daniel Denis to compose music together with Lars Hollmer and with Michel Berckmans on bassoon, I am pretty sure it would sound something like Stephan Koehr's Eskalation. This is an album deserving a large audience."
TARKUS (Norway), Summer 2002

"...intelligent rock music...terrific percussion programming...a miracle."
KEYBOARDS magazine (Germany) issue 11/01; CD of the month“

"...beautiful and lively (...) and above all, authentic and personal."
TRAVERSES (France), Jan. 2002

"...a must for Univers Zero fans...speedy instrumental pieces...superb."
EURO ROCK PRESS (Japan) No.14, 2002

ESKALATION is Stephan Koehr's solo CD project of experimental rock music. In the 1970's and 80's Stephan has been playing woodwinds and keyboards in several avantgarde and jazz fusion bands, until he was appointed as a bassoon and contrabassoon player in a renowned german opera and symphony orchestra. His romance with wind controlled live electronics started 1979, when he played a pitch-following analog guitar synth module via a contact mike on the bassoon reed!
The CD contains ten distinct compositions, each with its own unique instrumentation, advanced harmonies and complex shifting rhythms and signatures, mixing avantgarde prog rock and world fusion. ESKALATION was composed and recorded using bassoons, keyboard and wind controlled synthesizers and samples, with guest performances on violin and trumpet. If you like alternative progressive music (e.g. National Health, Happy the Man, Univers Zero, Wendy Carlos, etc.).

01 - Prelude
02 - Mumien (Sonderpreis)
03 - Prozession (For Absent Friends)
04 - Böse Heiden
05 - A Crack In The Universe
06 - Sille Tanzt (Ostinato Con Variazioni I-Iv)
07 - Zwölf Uhr Fünf
08 - Folksong I
09 - Totes Mehr
10 - Vier Stufen

Stephan Koehr: bassoons, keyboard and wind controlled synthesizers and samples
Guests:
Sibylle Szymanski-Köhr: Violin (track 2,4,5)
Thomas Forstner: Trumpet (track 5)

Buy the CD:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/eskalation

Home Page:
http://www.eskalation-musik.de/english.html

Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/eskalationmusik

Oaksenham - Conquest of the Pacific (Armenia 2006) [ProgRock] @320

2012-01-02T19:28:00.000-02:00

Seems like a long time since we reviewed this Armenian band’s previous debut live release Woden’s Eve Live; in fact it was 2002, and since then the band has been diligently working on this, their ambitious studio follow-up. Again, the six-piece of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, violin, keyboards and flute go the instrumental route, augmenting their already rich sound with guest players on string harp, english horn, bassoon, oboe, clarinet, cello, french horn, bagpipes and orchestral percussion, all track depending. These compositions stand strong as instrumentals, rich in melody and counterpoint, blazing with guitar, keyboard and violin solos, with plenty of twists, turns and complexities to keep them interesting from beginning to end. The warmth and range of emotions encompassed within the scope of their music is nothing short of stunning, and these are all exceptional players. Make no mistake though, even with all those orchestral instruments at work, these folks can and do rock with the best of them. Their spirited instrumental arrangements of two Gentle Giant classics back-to-back (“Talybont” and “On Reflection”) give away one of their apparent influences, though this writer is more often reminded of Red Queen era Gryphon in Oaksenham’s overall approach and instrumentation. The 26-minute five-part title suite closes the disc nicely, summarizing everything this band is about.
Fans of GG, Gryphon, Snow Goose era Camel, Mike Oldfield, and other ambitious progressive rock works will definitely find this disc to their liking.
-Peter Thelen-

01. Anthem: The Unseen Land
02. Water Spark
03. Elfy
04. The Way Back Home
05. Talybont
06. On Reflection
07. Time-Out
08. Jester’s Pipe
09. Merlin’s Jig
10. Across the Atlantic
11. Ocean ’s Web
12. Golden Hind

Vahagn Papayan: bass
Anna Adamyan: keyboards
Valery Tolstov: flute
Bobikyan: violin
Vardan Gasparyan: guitar
Ashot Korganyan: drums

Kauhukakara - Eläinten Fanfaari (Finland 2011) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-12-20T15:37:00.000-02:00

Originally ripped by spAceLover

The second album of Kauhukakara leaps a huge step forward towards the realms of lovely fantasies. The passed three years have certainly guided the young musicians towards higher planes on the arts of their trade. As the most evident signs of development I would claim more advanced compositions, even tighter thematic appearance of the album, broader use of additional instruments and more extensive use of lyrics in the singing. The album shimmers with musical sophistication and good-hearted humour familiar from the debut album, and time has not changed the basic principles of the sound drastically.
-Eetu Pellonpää (Prog Archives)-

01. Fanfaari Eläimille - Fanfare for The Animals (4:19)
02. Kasinorppa - Casino-Seal (4:18)
03. Lehmilammen Valssi - Waltz Of The Cowpond (4:10)
04. Kierähtelevä Gaselli - The Spinning Gazelle (3:32)
05. Laiskiainen Stadissa - A Sloth in The City (3:31)
06. Dromedaarin Posetiivihurjastelut - Dromedary´s Hurdy-Gurdy Cruising (4:34)
07. Mäyränkummun Tragedia - The Tragedy of Badger Hill (3:37)
08. Pingviinien Marssi - March of The Penguins (6:03)
09. Majavan Soidintanssi - Beaver´s Mating Dance (5:57)
10. Oravan Elämää - Squirrel´s Life (3:19)

Joonas Kuusisto: acoustic bass, backing vocals
Pauli Lyytinen: tenor, soprano and bass saxophone,backing vocals
Anni Elif Egecioglu: vocals, cello
Tuomas A. Turunen: piano, backing vocals

Additional instruments by Kauhukakara: harmonium, prepared piano, balafon, kemence, mey, glockenspiel, percussive, analog synthesizers

Lars Hollmer - Tonöga (Sweden 1985) [AvantProg] @320

2011-12-15T23:43:00.000-02:00

For 1985's Tonöga, Lars Hollmer brought a few friends into the Chickenhouse to help out here and there -- notably Zamlas guitarist Eino Haapala and drummer Hans Bruniusson, as well as trumpeter Kalle Eriksson and soprano saxophonist Ulf Wallander. The musical palette is even wider and deeper than the preceding Från Natt Idag, ranging from the full-on Zamla prog of "Slutet Pa Tangon" (sounding like a Familjesprickor outtake) to the gentle lullaby of "Höstvisa," the tick-tocking percussion experiment of "Klipp en Apa," and the nearly funky worldbeat of "Karlafrique."
Elsewhere, meters and harmonics are particularly adventurous in "Lilla Pas du Valse" and the title track, "Damernas Rumango" is a fairly straightforward prog tango, and "Arvevals" is an accordion waltz accented by a spectral flutelike melody. As the ever-changing program wraps up with "Simflageldans," a tune as engaging as anything dreamed up by Simon Jeffes at the Penguin Cafe, and the dramatic "Harmonium III," with an emphatic march-like cadence and dramatic crescendo, one could only guess what Hollmer might dream up next, and it turned out to be a leap into bandleading with the Looping Home Orchestra's 1987 release, Vendeltid. [Several selections from Tonöga were later included in the 1993 single-CD Hollmer comp entitled Lars Hollmer 80-88 (later re-released as The Siberian Circus), and in 1998 Resource Records included the entire album in the very worthwhile two-CD set Tonöga/Från Natt Idag/Vendeltid. Among the bonus tracks on this set is a hyper live version of "Lilla Pas du Valse," retitled "Alfa Beta Pas du Valse" and somewhat mysteriously presented as a bonus track to Vendeltid rather than Tonöga.
-Dave Lynch (All Music Guide)-

Another amazig solo album by Lars Hollmer of Samla Mammas Manna. The album features a lot of styles and emotions, all delivered with unique Lars Hollmer style. I would say the first part of the album is more experimental (Onk Kch Onk Kch being the example), the second part contains more melodical and traditional music which is a mixture of folk, prog, RIO, jazz, tango and God knows what else. There is a lot of accordion all over the album, my favorite tracks are Lilla Pas du Valse & Harmonium III, but the rest is also very solid. Having heard only 2 Hollmer solo albums (this and Vendeltid) I must admit that Vendeltid is a little bit omore consistent than Tonöga. 3.5 stars really but I like it very much so I give it 4.
-Yurkspb2 (Prog Archives)-

01. Onk Kch Onk Kch (3:44)
02. Slutet På Tangqn (3:25)
03. Höstvisa (Autumn Song) (3:28)
04. Klipp en Apa (2:53)
05. Karlafrigue (3:55)
06. Lilla Pas du Valse (2:26)
07. Tonöga (3:02)
08. Damernas Rumango (3:25)
09. Arvevals (2:42)
10. Skiss M. Brest O Segosero (1:48)
11. Annu Ingen Pelle (1:56)
12. Rindatröst (3:52)
13. Simfågeldans (3:44)
14. Harmonium III (5:27)
15. Originalexperiment (Bonus) (1:19)

Lars Hollmer: accordion, keyboards, vocals
Guest musicians:
Alva Strand Hollmer: vocals
Eino Haapala: guitar, mandolin
Gabriel Strand Hollm: vocals
Hasse Bruniusson: drums
Kalle Eriksson: trumpet, congas
Mattias Jonsson: vocals
Ulf Wallander: soprano saxophone

Lars Hollmer - Andetag (Sweden 1997) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-12-14T19:41:00.000-02:00

All the depth, beauty, charm, and wonder of Lars Hollmer's music can be found in 1997's Andetag, recipient of a well-deserved award from the Swedish equivalent of the Grammys. Although one can hear many musical elements throughout the CD, it is a disservice to Hollmer to describe him merely as a synthesist of diverse genres and styles into some form of pastiche. His compositional sense is too strong for that, matched by his ability to tug at the emotions with the dramatic buildup, the warm textures, and of course the lovely melodies.
Listeners unacquainted with the Swedish composer/ keyboardist might conceivably be put off by the initial moments of the first track, "Stråk", with its dirgelike tempo and orchestral keyboard overlays, which, if dragged out too long, could indeed have been quite a dose of prog-minded heaviosity. But even here, the touches of accordion, bells, and violin leaven any tendencies toward majestic overload and, like so much of Hollmer's music, impart a light touch. And this is merely an opening vignette for a long and varied journey, ranging from the floating multi-tracked vocal piece "Kvar Om Igen", with an intimate flavor and melody reminiscent of Robert Wyatt (on a tune like Shleep's "Maryan", for example) and "Asianet" (which, as you might guess from the title, melds Hollmer's keyboard drone, pulsing accordion, and a clip-clopping rhythm to a strong Asian folk-flavored melody — perhaps foreshadowing his future work with SOLA in Japan) to "Cirkus I," sort of a demented speedy fanfare-polka on steroids.
Yet the longer multi-sectioned pieces that smoothly shift gears following their initial thematic statements into new areas of melody, harmony, and rhythm are the true standouts, and make the case that Hollmer should be considered a composer in the league of Piazzolla (or at least what might've happened if the Argentinean tango master had somehow wandered into Univers Zero's Ceux du Dehors session at Etienne Conod's studio in Switzerland and begun ordering the group to lighten up just a tad).
There is a compositional integrity to pieces like "Now", "Aska", and the moody closing "Videpiano", with the listener brought to unexpected yet somehow familiar territory. And to top it all off, there are those melodies that nag at the memory — you've heard them before, but where? Certainly never in music quite like this, with the drive of rock and the evocativeness of European folk, along with a seasoning of classical music's sophistication (but not its seriousness).
Andetag is somewhat less quirky than some of Hollmer's previous solo works — there is a richly consistent sound throughout the album (which includes instrumental contributions from bassist Wolfgang Salomon, violinist Santiago Jimenez, Samlas drummer Hans Bruniusson, and UZ/Von Zamla bassoonist/oboist Michel Berkmanns) and the whimsy is kept in check, and it doesn't sound as if he reached for the closest kitchen implement within reach to use as a percussive device.
One might argue, then, that Andetag is somewhat less "fun" than Tonöga, for example, but this also represents what Hollmer can achieve when his vision is at its most cohesive: music that is truly unified from start to finish despite 16 individual pieces (from one to no longer than seven minutes in length) and the composer's globetrotting sense of genre and style. With the typically paradoxical mix of power and understatement, Andetag is pure Lars Hollmer, and an indispensable part of his catalog.
-by Dave Lynch-

01. Stråk
02. Kvar Om Igen
03. Now
04. Asianet
05. Tot Brass
06. Cirkus I
07. Cirkus II
08. Försök
09. Flyg O Forget
10. Aska
11. Nya Tag
12. Zwei Kneipe
13. Ovnuserg I+II
14. Samma Dag
15. Teknoloo
16. Videpiano

Lars Hollmer: Arcordion,Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
Wolfgang Salomon: Bass, Bass Kalimba, Cymbal
Santiago Jiminez: Violin
Hans Bruniusson: Drums
Michel Berkmanns: Oboe
Alba and Rinda Strand Hollmer: Choir

Pokerface - Transeo (Sweden 2011) [Avant-Prog] {Free Group Promotion}

2011-12-13T16:47:00.000-02:00

FREE GROUP PROMOTION

Pokerface was formed in 1996 by Stefan Heidevik and Michael Horvath as an experimental hip-hop-outfit. Heidevik drew upon his multitude of influences to create odd sounding soundscapes to which Horvath contributed vocals. The duo released a demo in -97 and shortly after, Horvath left to work on other projects. Heidevik continued producing material and in -99 he released the EP "Bedtimestories" in January and the album "Bedtimestories of weird science" in December. The album expanded on the material of the EP and gave hints of Heideviks chaotic and atonal signature-sound, which would dominate later releases.

The latest album, "Transeo", features both studio material as well as live-recordings and the music merges elements of electronica, jazz-fusion and progressive rock. Transeo features guest-perfomances from jazz guitarist Bryan Baker (Steps Ahead, Yellow Jackets) and free jazz trumpet player Mike Lloyd (Freddie Wadling) amongst many others. The album was met by positive reviews from the press with one reviewer stating: "Achieving this type of experimental and truly progressive music requires courage and vision and it seems that Pokerface have both ingredients in abundance".
(Patrik Stigsson - Kulturbloggen.com)

Heidevik is currently working on new material that feature further collaborations with Baker as well as drummer Morgan Ågren (Mats/Morgan Band, Zappas Universe, Fredrik Thordendahl [of Meshuggah]).

01. Hypocrites 5:06
02. Krtek Ve Snu 5:02
03. Buildings featuring Mike Lloyd 6:30
04. Beginnings and Endings 7:18
05. Quicksand-Concrete - Live 4:17
06. Like Love - Live 4:36
07. Miss You - Live 4:14
08. Really Real Reality featuring Michael Horvath - Live 3:37
09. For Those Who Have Fallen - Live 3:56
10. Spider featuring Bryan Baker 6:26

Stefan Heidevik - Synthesizer, programming, glockenspiel, percussion, vox, production
Additional musicians:
Olle Prim - Drums
Mattis Karlsson - Guitar
Per Eriksson - Saxophone, clarinet
Bryan Baker - Guitar
Anna Sahlin - Cello
Karin Svensson Nordberg - Violin
Mike Lloyd - Trumpet
Michael Horvath - Vox

Mastering:
Tracks 1-9 Andreas Karlsson - Studio Nonolith.
Track 10 Stefan Heidevik - Red Room

Co-producer:
Andreas Karlsson - Studio Nonolith

Soundengineers:
Stefan Heidevik and Andreas Karlsson tracks 1-10
Pontus Olofsson - Live audio - tracks 5-9
Gustav Brandén - Recording - tracks 5-9

Coverdesign:
Tobias Solem

Album Preview

Live

Music Video

Listen (and buy) the music here! (Facebook)
or buy directly here in Bandcamp

Let's support the new and talented artists!

Asturias - Legend of Gold Wind (Japan 2011) [ProgRock] @320

2011-12-10T19:53:00.001-02:00

Just over four years on from their last album, Marching Grass On The Hill, the internationally-celebrated Acoustic Asturias return with their third full-length release. The album's themes are the earth and the wind, through which the group express the cultural influences that have blown from Asia and Europe to faraway Japan over 12 stunning tracks; organic, dramatic and graceful, this is a powerful release that takes the listener on a real musical journey.

01 - Legend
02 - Dance In Gold Highland
03 - Betta Splendens
04 - Frozen Memories
05 - Perpetual Motion
06 - Juhannus
07 - Kaikoh
08 - Gren-Bosatsu
09 - Luca In Grass Wave
10 - Luca & Stella Into The Dark
11 - Kingdom Of Wind
12 - Kagerou

Tei Sena: violin
Kaori Tsutsui: clarinet, recorder
Yoshihiro Kawagoe: piano
Yoh Ohyama: guitar

Chris Judge Smith - Curly's Airships (England 2000) [ProgRock] @320

2011-12-09T14:00:00.001-02:00

Perhaps one of the most ambitious projects attempted by any artist for many years "Curly's Airships" is a conceptual song-story by occasional Peter Hammill collaborator Judge Smith. Based on the ill-fated R101 airship, this impressive work was six years in the making and features a cast including Hammill, Arthur Brown, Pete Brown, David Jackson, Hugh Banton and Paul Roberts.
Before you let the word 'concept' put you off, the calibre and ability of the musicians saves the album from becoming tedious. In fact, it's most entertaining. The performances are enthusiastic and well-executed, with the second disc providing the most satisfying moments. Musically, one can draw comparisons with Frank Zappa's more complex work, but that doesn't really do it justice.
Aside from the originality of the music, the detailed historical research by Smith almost justifies purchase alone - a lavishly illustrated 48-page booklet features informative historical background. A wonderful and well-crafted work for which Judge Smith deserves much praise.

CD1
01 - Voices from a Crystal Set
02 - Walking Her Out
03 - Curly Takes Us Up
04 - Drifting About Like a Bad Smell
05 - Curly in the Clouds
06 - A Capital Idea
07 - A Shrieking of Aluminium
08 - Curly on Civvy Street
09 - That Imperial Airship Scheme
10 - From the Sidelines
11 - A Kindly Sort of Cove
12 - Curly at Cardington
13 - A Creature of Grace
14 - A Byronic Sort of Blighter

CD2
01 - Big Chief and some Minor Bugs
02 - The Canadian Run
03 - Conan Doyle and the Flying Sieve
04 - Horrors at Hendon
05 - As Safe as a House
06 - A Ship of Fools
07 - The Night Before
08 - The Morning After
09 - Bedford to Hastings
10 - Hastings to Beauvais
11 - The Muffled Drum
12 - The Final Taboo

JUDGE SMITH: Vocals and Bass & Drums
JOHN ELLIS: Electric Guitars & Ebow, Mandolin
HUGH BANTON: Organs & Piano
DAVID SHAW-PARKER: Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Vocals & Actor
ARTHUR BROWN: Vocals
PETE BROWN: Percussion & Vocals
PETER HAMMILL, PAUL ROBERTS, PAUL THOMPSON: Vocals
DAVID JACKSON: Saxophones & Whistle
JOE HINCHLIFF: Accordion
RIKKI PATTEN: Supplementary Guitar
IAN FORDHAM: Bass Guitar & Double bass
RENE VAN COMMENEE: Tabla, Ghatam & Tambura
TAMMO HEIKENS: Sitar & Tambura
NICK LUCAS: Vocals & Actor
GWENDOLYN GRAY, MIKE BELL: Actor
THE MYSTERY MARCHING BAND

BUY NOW THIS MASTERPIECE HERE!

Samla Mammas Manna - Kaka (1999 Sweden) [AvantProg] @320

2011-12-06T11:46:00.001-02:00

SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA was formed in Uppsala, Sweden in 1969. The last offspring of SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA, VON ZAMLA, did their last album "No Make Up!" in 1984, so it has gone 15 years since then. Now the long awaited reunion on album for SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA is finally here. VON ZAMLA however had little to do with the band you can hear on this album. The line-up on this album made their last album "Snorungarnas symfoni" in 1976, so actually it's 23 years since they did an album together. Therefore you can understand that it is with great pleasure and high expectations I started listen to this album.
If you liked SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA back then I promise you that you won't be disappointed. It is with satisfaction I notice that not much has happened with their music over the years. The playfulness, the craziness, the humour, the experimentation's and the improvisations is ever present and it sounds just like it did back then. This is said in a positive way. I don't think that anyone would've wanted SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA to take on another direction in their music. The only thing that has changed is that they're even better musicians today and that the sound on the production has improved since the 70's.
If you haven't had the joy of hearing SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA before I can tell you that their music is a blend of mostly instrumental 70's progressive rock, jazz-fusion, avant-garde, RIO (Rock In Opposition) and World Music.
I had the opportunity to have a long discussion once with the drummer Hans Bruniusson. He talked a lot about musicians he admired and recommended me to listen to bands and musicians such as ART BEARS, Chris CUTLER, ETRON FOU, UNIVERS ZERO, Albert MARCOEUR and Fred FRITH. I think that much of their music is also reflected in SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA's music.
The material on this album is a mix of live recordings ranging from 1993-98 and new recordings done in Lars Hollmer's legendary studio "The Chickenhouse". The cover artwork "Ha Kakan Kvar" is made by Tage Åsén who also did the art work for SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA's albums "Måltid" (1973), "Klossa Knapitatet" (1974) and "Schlagerns mystik" (1978). This is without doubt one of the best albums in 1999. If you're a fan of SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA you won't have to think twice: buy this album immediately. If you haven't heard them before this album is a perfect starter. Highly recommended!
-Greger (Prog Archives)-

01 - Stämma Lite (0:29)
02 - Lyckliga Titanic (5:12)
03 - Oh Sa Masalana Jämfört Med Ålman River (2:03)
04 - Första Ikarien (6:39)
05 - Reptilgarna (2:16)
06 - Satori (3:28)
07 - Vegetariskt Impro,Svar Direkt (2:38)
08 - Frestelsens Café (8:14)
09 - Tung Krupa Tejpraga Tra La La (2:36)
10 - Andra Ikarien (3:33)
11 - Även Oss Får Tiden Åldras Spasmodskij Engelbert Humperdinck'Blues (5:12)
12 - Hatman (2:28)
13 - Tredje Ikarien (5:30)
14 - OQ ( 0:19)

Coste Apetrea: guitar, bouzouki, veena, voice
Hasse Bruniusson: drums, percussion, marimba, voice
Lars Hollmer: keyboards, accordion, melodica, voice
Lars Krantz: bass, voice

Humble Grumble - Flanders Fields (Belgium 2011) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-12-06T10:43:00.001-02:00

If you wish for an album to elevate your spirits, if you want happy and jovial music, if you want groove, excitement, jazziness and a bit of eclecticism, you're in the right "field".
Humble Grumble from Belgium started off as the folk group Dearest Companion in 1996. As this band dissipated, Humble Grumble came into being and have released three albums thus far, Flanders Fields being their first on the fabulous Italian AltrOck label. The lineup here consists of 8 members with a big cast of guest musicians. The album has 11 tracks on it, two of which are instrumentals, though you'll find a lot of their exciting instrumental prowess on all their songs.
Before addressing specifically the songs on here, the music on the Flanders Fields is as I said, of a positive and uplifting nature. It reminded me of the likes of Frank Zappa, Miriodor, Panzerpappa and Caravan. There are diverse styles meshed up together and confronted, silliness and humour, coolness and grooviness, jazziness and rock; all are well put to use in here.
-avestin (Prog Archives)-

01. Sirens Dance
02. Aging Backwards
03. Flanders Fields
04. Sleepless Night
05. Horny
06. Little Bird
07. Duck On A Walk
08. The Greatest Kick Of The Day
09. Never Lose Your Mind
10. Love Song
11. Purple Frog

Jonathan Callens: drums, backing voices
Jouni Isoherranen: bass, backing voices
Gabor Humble Vörö: guitar, voices
Pol Mareen: saxophone
Pedro Guridi: clarinets, backing voices
Pieter Claus: marimba, vibraphone, percussions
Lisa Jordens: backing voices (Track 3, 5, 6, 7, 8)
Hanneke Osterlijnck: backing voices (Track 3, 6)
Joriska Vanhaelewyn: backing voices (Track 2)
Juan Carlos Torres Iturra: Spanish voices (Track 5)

Zamla Mammaz Manna - Famijlesprickor (Sweden 1980) [AvantProg] @320

2011-11-19T01:47:00.001-02:00

This album has grown on me a lot - and I liked it to begin with. After seeing their ProgDay performance, coupled with hearing this album and Kaka, S/Zamla has quickly become one of my favorite bands. They take a joyous, high-energy approach to some fairly complex, very proggy music, and add in a great sense of humor to boot.

The opening track, "Five Single Combats", is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Dominique nailed it with the "cartoon on speed" description. However I've got to take exception to his description of "Ventilation Calculation" as verging on banality - the section of that song where they blow across bottle mouths to generate the melody is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. "Papa (with right of veto)" throws some twisted reggae into the mix, and "The Thrall" mixes avant-sounding vocal noises with sparse, improvised instrumentation. There are sections of "The Farmhand" which sound somewhat like Magma. This album has a bit of everything.

The keyboard work is fantastic throughout, the guitarist plays plenty of tasty leads and the rhythm section are certainly no slouches either. I'd recommend this CD to nearly all prog fans, unless you're put off by mostly instrumental music or hate avant prog enough to let the occasional bits here and there stop you. Those who cringed at the "cartoon" description might not enjoy the band's sense of humor. But I have a hard time imagining anyone who couldn't find something to like about this disc.
-Bob Eichler-

01. Five single combats 05.52
02. Ventilation calculation 05.05
03. The forge 05.04
04. The thrall 05.05
05. The panting short story 03.52
06. Pappa (with the right of veto) 04.27
07. The farmhand 07.33
08. Kernel in short and long castling 05.40

Lars Hollmer: keyboards, accordion, vocals
Eino Haapala: guitar, vocals
Lars Krantz: bass, vocals
Vilgot Hansson: drums, percussion
Hans Bruniusson: drums, percussion

Lars Hollmer - Vandelmässa (Sweden 1993) [AvantProg] @320

2011-11-10T01:50:00.000-02:00

Lars Hollmer is the keyboards player and accordionist of SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA, a musical legend who once was, during the Seventies, the swedish representative of the Rock In Opposition movement. He was also involved with various bands, RAMLOSA KVALLAR, VON ZAMLA or THE LOOPING ORCHESTRA amongst others, without forgetting his own solo career. His works mix folk music, Progressive rock and new musics. His music is full of joy and freshness, blending simplicity and research. Published on the defunct AYAA label, "Vandelmassa" is now reissued on the Gazul label. This is a collection of songs composed between 1972 and 1993, revisiting all the stylistical eras he experienced. An ideal introduction to the particular universe of Lars HOLLMER. To be discovered !

01. Träumeri (4:20)
02. Va pappa sa (0:50)
03. Växeltango (6:01)
04. Gåvan (3:23)
05. Sväng (2:19)
06. Gospel F.A.T. Jesus (3:22)
07. Tittut (0:21)
08. Dä ögon (2:17)
09. Pompen (3:09)
10. Vattenmusik (1:34)
11. Valgrotta (1:50)
12. Celestavals (3:10)
13. Alicetheme II (1:35)
14. Teatime (Original) (0:59)
15. Doina (3:48)
16. Tom lilla Tom (0:47)
17. Unaffair (3:20)
18. Okformeimpro, for you? (4:00)
19. Harmonium I (3:13)
20. Sarasnoa (1:47)
21. Sometime (3:25)
22. Südaf (4:37)
23. Årstidsvisan (3:33)
24. Franksa valsen (2:36)
25. Novelty (5:04)
26. Door (0:02)

Lars Hollmer: accordion, keyboards, percussion, melodica, vocals
Eino Haapala: guitar
Gabriel Strand Hollm: percussion, vocals
Hasse Bruniusson: drums
Lars Krantz: bass
Olle Sundin: keyboards
Olof Hellberg: drums
Rinda Strand Hollmer: vocals
Ulf Wallander: soprano saxophone, flute
Wolfgang Salomon: alto vocals, bass, percussion

Lars Hollmer - Från Natt Idag (Sweden 1983) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-11-08T12:27:00.002-02:00

During the '80s, Swedish keyboardist/accordionist Lars Hollmer set off on his own path separate from Samla Mammas Manna and their offshoots, and fully hit his stride with the release of 1983's Från Natt Idag, a sometimes quirky slice of Scandinavian folk-flavored avant-prog rock on which Hollmer sang and played all the instruments, recording alone at night in his Chickenhouse studio. The accordion and Hollmer's occasional vocals impart warmth to the music, which is sometimes dominated by the type of electronic drum rhythms and synth tones that characterized the '70s-'80s prog era. Yet during this period Hollmer also used his personal studio to sculpt sound and atmosphere in a manner similar to Brian Eno -- "Skar" slots into Från Natt Idag in a way not too dissimilar from the way a track like "Zawinul/Lava" fit into Another Green World. And Hollmer followed up "Skar" with "Optimistbeat," a multi-tracked dose of spirited prog-folk with prominent accordion melody and a bridge of 100 percent pure rock & roll. "Nationsjazz," with its driving meter alternating between 6/8 and 5/8, would prove a killer tune for Hollmer's SOLA band to cover in a Tokyo studio nearly two decades later; the quintessentially uncategorizable "Fur Munju" (neo-classical ska fusion?) would get the multi-tracked Hollmer treatment here while also showing up in a full-band sextet arrangement on Von Zamla's No Make Up!, also recorded at the Chickenhouse in 1983 and released the following year. [Several selections from Från Natt Idag were later included in the 1993 single-CD comp entitled Lars Hollmer 80-88 (later re-released as The Siberian Circus), and in 1998 Resource Records included the entire album in the very worthwhile two-CD set Tonöga/Från Natt Idag/Vendeltid, which included bonus tracks.]
-AMG-

01. Hoppas Att Det Går (2:45)
02. Mowiee (3:26)
03. Skiss Till Jazz (1:51)
04. Liturgiskt Beat (4:30)
05. Persisk Park (3:21)
06. Soon Song (2:27)
07. Ett Tungt OK (3:18)
08. Skär (2:09)
09. Optimiistbeat (4:10)
10. Nationsjazz (3:22)
11. Inte Quanta (2:29)
12. Tango Noll (3:40)
13. Mörkrädd Vals (3:03)
14. Für Munju (2:52)

Lars Hollmer: accordion, keyboards, drums & percussion, vocals, everything else

Connivence - Connivence (Vinyl Rip) (Canada 1977) [ProgFolk] @320K

2011-11-05T21:14:00.000-02:00

First record of a group that is more of an amalgam of artistes linking under the Connivence name in order to make an album, this relative uncommon procedure delivered three albums that are worthy of the proghead's interest, especially so if he is into Folk Prog. Basically a blend of folk-duo Nous Autres and jazz rock group Oasis, it also includes some solo English-speaking songwriters (but French-singing) who are playing with those two groups. Sounds confusing? Well, Kinda! But these guys were all acquaintances from the Ottawa river valley, just across the federal capital of Ottawa.

After reading the first paragraph, you'd have to believe that this album would be very eclectic, uneven and with a wide spectrum, but actually, the album is fairly focused and most of the tracks are folk, folk rock or folk-derived prog. So eclectic this album is but for its own good: they folk-jazz-rock is sometimes head-twirling, at times virtuosic and all the time very charming.

The opening progressive instrumental jig (aptly called Gigue) is calling your ears to attention right away, with the hippy-folk idealist Dans Ta Fenêtre being a stark contrast in sobriety. With Boyau De La Liberté reminding you of the opener (minus the open jig) and its violin reminiscent of Kansas' Robby Steinhard, the album is made to please even the most demanding proghead. Even if Grande Valse is fairly cheesy, Sable De Lucerne is modern classic-influenced and the tracks sounds like a RIO marriage between Univers Zero and early Maneige. And with the superb Villageoise track closing off the first side of this Ottawa voyage, you realize that once again, Quebec still has many hidden gems still waiting for Cd releases.

But with the second side to go, opening strangely with Happy Endings (an instrumental symphonic-jazzy jig) which is like a cross between Maneige and Aquarelle, again the second track is leading us in a very sober folk couple of tracks written by folk duo Nous Autres, one of which can be likened to Anthony Phillips' works on his "private parts and pieces" series. The album closes on a head-twisting pastoral symphonic Lapin, which fittingly ends this great album.

While not a real masterpiece of Quebecois music, the first Connivence album is very worthy of any proghead's interest and it is a shame their albums (no Cd re-issues and vinyls getting scarce) are getting hard to find, because even most Quebecois seem to have forgotten about this amalgam of artistes, which will release two more album under the same formula, but with different participants.
-Sean Trane- Prog Archives

01. La Gigue
02. Dans Ta Fenêtre
03. Le Boyau En Liberté
04. La Dernière Grande Valse
05. Le Pit De Sable De Lucerne
06. La Villageoise En Ville
07. Happy Endings
08. Blanc-Blême
09. L'eau De La Vie
10. Lapin

Paul Pugnaire: guitars, composition, vocals
Marc Sommer: bass, vocals
Jean-Luc Gotteland: keyboards, vocals
Thierry Durbano: drums, percussions
Lionel Dugas: vocals, guitars

Connivence - Connivence II (Vinyl Rip) (Canada 1979) [ProgFolk] @320K

2011-11-05T20:34:00.001-02:00

If Connivence's first album was a rather confusing compilation of tracks from different artistes into a collective, the second album released the next year is much more of real album from a real artiste. Behind the astounding and superb watermill artwork of the cover, we're still dealing with pastoral folk, even if the folk gets naval as well with a couple of tracks. Neither Soucy or Oasis cared to participate to this effort, leaving Steve Burman and the duo Nous Autres and newcomer Guy LaFrance to fill the album, which gains in cohesiveness compared to its predecessor.

Nous Autres contributes to pure or trad folk songs like Quebec Au Printemps (a cheesy ode to Quebec that was obviously aimed at airplay) and Le Bateau or Une Goutte De Sang. But most of the tracks are hovering between folk rock and folk jazz, induced by Syncope's presence in backing Burman and LaFrance (see 1959 and Dac). Sometimes you'll hear chunks of early Harmonium influences, but then again the head-twisting Saskatoon is close to a jig in its last developments.

In the typical Quebec fashion, delicious female vocals are present, here France Charron on four tracks) including the delicious Le Mat, set to cello and strings, and the superb flute-laden Chanson D'Amour pour France is a Burman & Syncope tune with some jazz arrangements, but Dac and Cocottes De Kazou are much in the same mould. Nous Autres is back with the superb S'Il Y A De L'Amour that can only send shivers down your back. And wait until you get to the closing stunner Accouche Qu'On Baptise to get the same shivers.

Since these albums have never received a Cd reissue (legit or boot), there is only one hope for most of progheads to one day hear Connivence's first two collaborations, and that hope's name is ProgQuebec, but Connivence's vinyls are still quite cheap , the only trick is to ship them through the expensive Canada Post, but no doubt you'll not regret doing so.

Certainly worth a listen (and a few more), Connivence is the perfect music to get in close to your mate and start making some connivance.
-Sean Trane- Prog Archives

01. Québec au printemps
02. Le Mât
03. Chanson d'Amour pour France
04. DAC
05. Les Cocottes de Kazou
06. Saskatoon
07. S'il y a d'l'amour
08. 1959
09. Une goutte de sang
10. Le Bateau
11. Accouche qu'on baptise

Paul Pugnaire: guitars, composition, vocals
Marc Sommer: bass, vocals
Jean-Luc Gotteland: keyboards, vocals
Thierry Durbano: drums, percussions
Lionel Dugas: vocals, guitars

Lars Hollmer - XII Sibiriska Cyklar & Vill Du Höra Mer (Sweden 1981 & 1982) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-11-05T16:34:00.000-02:00

The title XII sibiriska cyklar allude to the story about the Siberian farmer, who was living so dreadfully far away from everything and everybody, that he spent most of his time walking to his every destination. However, when he at last became tired of these boring time-consuming walks, he sat down and eventually invented a bicycle! Struck with rapture for his ingenious invention, he anxiously straddled his bike and rode into the nearest town. He intend to show and to apply for a patent for his wonderful innovation. When at long last, he reached the town, he shocked to see thousand of bicycles zooming along in the drizzle. Under the grey skies, he then suddenly dies of a heart attack. I don't believe there is a any truth to this story, even though it is worth considering... Anyway I have stolen it from Hasse...
All songs on XII sibiriska cyklar are created by Lars Hollmer, except the lyrics of "Ung Harald" which was written by Dan Andersson and performed by Tomas Ladberg.
XII sibiriska cyklar was recorded in the Chickenhouse outside Uppsala, on Teac 8 track recorder, in June through October 1980 and in March 1981. "Kamelsväng" is a home recording from 1975 and "litet Piano" was recorded on a cassete recorder in 1976. The final mix was made on one hot day and night by Anders Lind and Lars Hollmer in the MNW Studio, in April 1981, and later in the Chickenhouse by Lars Hollmer.
XII sibiriska cyklar was originally released on vinyl by Silence Records in the summer 1981.

Vill Du Höra Mer was recorded during the Spring 1982 (with one exception) in the Chickenhouse, on the same old 8 track recorder. It was mixed by Tomas Gabrielsson and Lars Hollmer in the Chickenhouse, in July 1982. All instruments and vocals by Lars Hollmer, except on "180 sekunder hemma" where Alva, Gabriel, Johannes Strand/Hollmer and Saralotta Jönsson take part.

Tracks 1-13: XII Sibiriska Cyklar (1981)
Tracks 14-28: Vill Du Höra Mer (1982)

01 - Avlägsen Strandvals
02 - Piano De Jugugte
03 - Hajar Du Idealfamiljen
04 - Endlich Ein Zamba
05 - Inga Pengar
06 - Kamelsväng
07 - Ja Änte Flöttar Ja Te Sjöss
08 - Boeves Psalm
09 - Jag Väntar Pa Pelle
10 - Bluesen
11 - 44 Sekunder Köpt Speldosa
12 - Ung Harald
13 - Litet Piano
14 - Starlep Signs
15 - Sweet
16 - Indojazz
17 - Soldaten
18 - En Slags Orfeo
19 - Övergang
20 - Baldis
21 - Retsticka
22 - Dragfragment
23 - Glasmusik & Akarondo
24 - Kuckeliku
25 - Vill Du Höra Mer
26 - 180 Sekunder Hemma
27 - Humanoid Robottango
28 - Finalvals

Lars Hollmer: accordion, keyboards, drums & percussion, vocals, everything else

Lars Hollmer - Utsikter (Sweden 2000) [AvantProg] @320K

2011-11-05T15:28:00.000-02:00

As the calendar moved from 1999 to 2000, the world looked forward to a new millennium and Lars Hollmer continued as he had for the past three decades — gathering with his musician friends at the Chickenhouse to make music that stands outside of time's passing fads. The result was another fine CD, Utsikter, the 11th disc to be released on Hollmer's KRAX label.
Sonically, Utsikter is one of the Swedish keyboardist/composer's lighter efforts, often tending more toward folk and even neo-classical chamber music flavors rather than prog rock, with his accordion and melodica featured more prominently in the mix than electronic keyboards.
The album also has more of a "band" feel than Hollmer's preceding solo CD, Andetag, recalling elements of the Looping Home Orchestra's Vendelted in its multi-instrumental arrangements, and perhaps foreshadowing Hollmer's next group, SOLA, although without SOLA's electric rock and even fusion edge.
Many longstanding Hollmer collaborators are important contributors to the overall sound, including several — bassoonist/oboist Michel Berckmans, violinist Santiago Jimenez, and bassist Wolfgang Salomon — who appeared on Andetag but play on a larger number of tracks here. The music is of consistently high quality throughout, beginning with the waltzing "Augustins Tema," whose theme first appeared in Hollmer's "Augustin Lesage," a 17-minute multi-tracked suite that closed out the Hardis Bruts various-artists compilation (dedicated to "raw art") on the In-Poly-Sons label.
The comparatively sprightly and detailed arrangement here features prominent violin, bassoon, recorder, and accordion; with its evocative melodies and rhythms skirting the edge between classical romanticism and sprightly European folk, this tune would prove lovely even when revisited again by the duo of Hollmer and violinist Yuriko Mukoujima on 2003's mini-CD Live and More, but the Utsikter version remains definitive thus far. Hollmer permits himself a few moments to cut loose on the melodica over a bubbling groove in the middle section of "Denglad," but as is often the case with him, most of the CD is thoroughly composed.
The intro to "Ambler" is anthemic in its writing yet understated in its delivery — Hollmer at his most quietly powerful — but the tune then segues into an upbeat dance rhythm in a fashion that might surprise only those unfamiliar with this composer's many left turns. "Lädereld" ambles along the trail in 5/4 cowboy mode, echoing Lasse's earlier "Starlep Signs" (minus the yodeling!), while the 7/8 "Südaf" improves on the rougher yet still appealing version first heard on the Vandelmässa CD (and also performed beautifully, complete with a wordless vocal part by Maria Kalaniemi, on the Accordion Tribe CD Sea of Reeds). It should be noted that Utsikter has no "drummer" per se (which may have been the impetus for a jokey track like "Drums, mm...," featuring Hollmer earnestly explaining the positive features of the skins over his decidedly arrhythmic electronic drum bashing). Yet Utsikter is often highly percussive, drawing comparison to Zamlaranamma by the original Von Zamla quartet, which also featured percussion instruments but no one sitting behind a conventional kit.
In fact, "Voilapük" — which first appeared on the Volapük album Polyglot in 2000 with a guest appearance by Hollmer — sounds like a Von Zamla rendition with its bassoon and accordion embellishments, its bed of insistent rattling percussion, and a driving 7/8 meter on the vamp. At the CD's conclusion, "Brev" is chamber music of delicate and wistful eauty, with an underlying two-note motif trailing off in search of resolution it never finds, and the brief title track has a feeling akin to a traditional Celtic air, with a beautiful unison oboe and accordion melody over Hollmer's orchestral keyboard backing. "Utsiker" segues into the final accordion/vocal lullaby "Nån Kanske Vet" ("Someone May Know"), as Hollmer once again demonstrates that writing and performing music of innocence, warmth, and charm is entirely consistent with artistic maturity. Only the immature would feel themselves too mature to enjoy Utsikter's gentle conclusion.
-by Dave Lynch-

01. Augustins Tema (4:06)
02. Nåt (2:34)
03. Drums..MM. (1:22)
04. Denglad (3:21)
05. Skum (3:00)
06. Ambler (5:01)
07. Lädereld (Leather Fire) (2:45)
08. Nu Räcker Det (It's Enough Now) (1:19)
09. Lelle Katta (Home Made Holiday) (2:18)
10. Choleric in Geneva (Live) (0:56)
11. Voilapük (3:02)
12. Lat Minut (Lazy Minute) (1:05)
13. Südaf II (3:53)
14. Dron (4:28)
15. Brev (Letter) (5:28)
16. In Limbo (1:41)
17. Utsikter...Nån Kanske Vet (Views...Someone May Know) (3:51)

Lars Hollmer: Guitar, Piano, Accordion, Drums, Keyboards, Programming, Whistle (Human), Melodica, Electronic Drums, Mandola, Choir, Chorus, Voices, Piano (Electric), Harmonium, Cymbals, Percussion
Coste Apetrea: Mastering, Six String Banjo
Wolfgang Salomon: Bass, Guitar, Bass (Electric), Bass (Acoustic)
Santiago Jimenez: Mandolin, Violin, Cajon
Matti Andersson: Flute
Michel Berckmans: Percussion, Voices, Gong, Horn (English), Bells, Recorder, Oboe, Bassoon
Kalle Eriksson: Trumpet
Rinda Strand-Hollmer: Choir, Chorus
Alva Strand-Hollmer: Choir, Chorus

Lars Hollmer & Looping Home Orchestra - Door Floor Something Window (Live 1992-93) (1993-Sweden) [AvantProg] @320

2011-11-05T14:15:00.000-02:00

Lars Hollmer, Swedish king of all things with keys, leads his ongoing, ever-evolving orchestra -- this time starring Fred Frith on guitar -- through a tour of Canada, Sweden, and Germany over two years, no doubt delighting all audiences along the way. Hollmer's music is an amalgam of folk music styles from all over the European region, from polka to klezmer, rock, jazz, and even classical music. Tossed in to the mix is carnival music and incidental film music. Perhaps no one tune is more indicative of "Hollmermusik" than the opening track here, recorded at the Victoriaville Festival and called "Karusellmusik." Accordions, Jean Derome's saxophones, and the twin guitars of Frith and longtime collaborator Eino Haapla create the whirling give-and-take of the carnival carousel as Hollmer's accordion carries a melody worthy of a carny in a comedic horror film.

Further is the notion of Hollmer's insistence that his music, no matter how out to lunch, be completely accessible for those who may be moved to dance by its pulsating rhythms and nostalgic melodies, even as it points directly into the future where the idea of "folk" music is quickly disappearing into the cross-cultural twilight of miscegenation. This is evident in the lovely vocal "Autumn Song," in which Hollmer's vocal sidles along Frith's shimmering guitar and Haapla's mandola with a concertina to bolster his lilting, frail voice. In its grain is the emotional toll of passage and memory, the knowledge of endings and their bittersweet reveries. This is followed by "Portaletyde," a cut-time dance tune that holds within it the polka and the waltz contained perfectly within the concertina and baritone saxophone.

Three repetitive lines call themselves into being along a melodic line that flows seamlessly from the previous number and pulls the listener into a "let's dance for tomorrow we die" mode of feeling, playing it through just enough times to make it plausible before launching into the operatic and episodic "Ett Tungt OK," a prog rock jam with crescendos that will knock you on your startled ass. Frith (on violin) and Haapla go head-to-head while Hollmer holds down the modal triads that serve as a melodic framework. There is drama, and then there is Hollmer's drama, full of pathos and dark emotion without resolution. The resolve doesn't come until the end of the record in a Fripp/Brian Eno move called "Timlig," where guitars, loops, and piano all meditate on the temporal nature of the riff, each one never quite ending as another takes its place.

Its droning feedback loops the only constant in a shifting mass of airy harmonies and dulcet tones and semi-quavers. A pianistic flourish takes the edge off the guitars temporarily, but this is a bone-cruncher of a finish. It's rock, experimental and otherwise, and you can dance to it if you know how to remove your backbone entirely. When the percussion enters the tune, the entire thing is awash in emotional chaos and somber processional grace. The baritone saxophone creates a melody out of thin air, staunchly striding ahead of the drones and feedback. It's a breathtaking, anthemic ending to a startling program.

01. Karusellmusik (3:28)
02. Utflykt Med Damcykel (5:13)
03. Franklat (2:59)
04. Quickstep (5:56)
05. Moloken (2:37)
06. Parallell Angostura (3:47)
07. Eyeliner (2:51)
08. Teatime (In Berlin) (4:37)
09. Höstvisa (Autumn Song) (5:04)
10. Portaletyde (3:23)
11. Ett Tungt Ok (4:52)
12. Zanzibar (2:55)
13. Plinga (6:55)
14. Finalvals (3:33)
15. Timlig (Temporal You Are) (5:08)

Lars Hollmer: Keyboards, Accordion, Melodica, Voice
Lars Krantz: Electric Bass, Electronic Drums [Midi Percussion], Glockenspiel
Eino Haapala: Electric Guitar, Mandola
Fred Frith: Electric Guitar, Violin
Jean Derome: Flute, Baritone Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Olle Sundin: Piano, Percussion

Tracks 1 to 3, 5, 6 recorded live in Victoriaville (Canada), track 4 in Uppsala (Sweden), track 9 in Linköping (Sweden), track 7 in Moers (Germany), track 8 in Berlin (Germany), track 12 in Hannover (Germany) and tracks 10, 11, 13 to 15 in Ulm (Germany).
Edited and mixed in the Chickenhouse II, Summer 1993.
Final mix at Studio 270, Montréal.

Fanfare Pourpour & Lars Hollmer - Karusell Musik (Canada/Sweden 2007) [AvantProg] @224

2011-11-04T18:58:00.000-02:00

Brilliant composer and accordionist Lars Hollmer performs his wonderful tunes with a 20 piece orchestra, with the arrangements by Jean Derome. Great melodies, wonderful orchestrations and arrangements and a the amazing sound that only a large ensemble can produce. Highly recommended!

"Recorded “live” in the studio, Karusell Musik delivers 17 compositions by and with Swedish accordionist Lars Hollmer, orchestrated by Jean Derome for the Fanfare Pourpour. The Fanfare — an authentic large dance ensemble like they don’t make ’em anymore, with a brass section, saxes, clarinets, guitars, banjo, accordions, violins, and percussion — invites you to discover or rediscover the songs and tunes of Lars Hollmer. Lars Hollmer has travelled the world with his timeless melodies full of naive beauty and dancing lyricism, in a number of musical projects. Egged on by Jean Derome, the Fanfare Pourpour embarked on this adventure with Hollmer. In October 2006, Hollmer was back on Québec soil for a week of rehearsals and recordings: the Fanfare backing up Lars; Lars writing for the Fanfare. A double rapture where the Swede’s tunes find a new home and the Quebecois Fanfare is given pieces that were clearly meant for it.

01 - Ännu Ingen Pelle
02 - En grekisk faster
03 - Änte Flöttar ja te sjöss
04 - Arvevals
05 - Karusell musik
06 - Inte Quanta
07 - Avlägsen strandvals
08 - Skiss Mellan Brest och Segosero
09 - Experiment
10 - Cirkus 1
11 - Cirkus 2
12 - Sarasnoa
13 - Eyeliner
14 - Det måste bli gjort
15 - Boeves Psalm
16 - Pompen
17 - Simfågeldans

Lars Hollmer: Accordion, Composer, Vocals, Voices, Melodica, English Translations

Jean Derome: Flute, Piccolo, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Orchestration, Mixing, Musical Direction
Luzio Altobelli: Accordion
Lou Babin: Accordion
Suzanne Babin: Clarinet
Marie-Soleil: Bélanger Violin
Eric Bernard: Guitar, Mandolin
Guido Del Fabbro: Violin, Violone
Jacques Duguay: Percussion, Grosse Caisse
Normand Guilbeault: Bass, Contrabass
Roy Hübler: Banjo, Guitar
Nicolas Letarte: Cymbals, Caisse Claire
Stéphane Ménard: Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor)
Pierre Emmanuel Poizat: Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass), Vocals, Voices
Jean Sabourin: Trumpet, Sousaphone, Trumpet (Bass)
Pierre Tanguay: Percussion
Némo Venba: Trumpet, Vocals, Voices
Claude Vendette: Flute, Sax (Tenor)

Tony Levin, David Torn & Alan White - Tony Levin, David Torn & Alan White (2011 England) [AvantProg] @320

2011-10-01T23:51:00.004-03:00

The new instrumental progressive rock album "Levin Torn White" is the kind of complex, intelligent, and experimental album that makes journeys into the genre rewarding and surprising. "Levin Torn White" is composed of Tony Levin on bass guitar and chapman stick, David Torn on guitar, and Alan White playing drums. On opening track "No Warning Lights", the calm, unfamiliar background noise gives way to a frantic drum and bass assault that sounds like the Space Mountain ride hurtling to hell. Tracks such as "Ultra Mullett" have an electronic, futuristic pulse that recalls the type of aggressive ambient work Brian Eno created on albums including "Spinner" with Jah Wobble and last year's "Small Craft on a Milk Sea" with Jon Hopkins. "Convergence" and other tracks have a more meditative and moody atmosphere. Most of the 14 songs on "Levin Torn White" have sudden shifts in tempo and rhythm. Songs like "Prom Night of the Centipede" hurl forward only to abruptly slow down and speed up again. The sudden changes in speed and how carefully they are handled are a testament to the dexterity and skill of these three expert musicians. "Levin Torn White" is a rich, textured instrumental album, and a fine addition to any prog rock fan's music collection.
"Aden Jordan"

01 - No Warning Lights
02 - Ultra Mullet
03 - White Noise
04 - The Hood Fell
05 - Monkey Mind
06 - Cheese It the Corpse
07 - Convergence
08 - Pillowfull of Dark Dreams
09 - The Egg Man Comith
10 - Sleeping Horse
11 - Prom Night of the Centipedes
12 - Crunch Time
13 - Brain Tattoo
14 - Lights Out

Tony Levin: bass and Chapman Stick
David Torn: guitar and textural events
Alan White: drums and percussion

Pikapika TeArt - Moonberry (2010 Russia) [AvantProg] @320

2011-09-27T23:33:00.000-03:00

PikaPika Teart is an absolute novelty for RIO fans. Explicitly following the tradition of great groups from the ’70, such as Henry Cow, these guys from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, are proposing an original blend of acoustic and electric sounds, rock features and structured note-by-note written music. For AltrOck is an occasion to release a really interesting band coming from an «exotic» area of the world, unless forgotten, or forced to silence; for Pikapika, the chance to come out of Siberia and instantly go «into the world». Significantly, their music matches a modern musical language and the traditional music of their region, following the teachings of Russian masters like Stravinskij and Schostakovich: a good way to preserve local treasures and global visibility.

Influences: Henry Cow, Rational Diet, Stravinskij, Schostakovich, Anekdoten, King Crimson.

01 - Slavyanskaya 1
02 - Shifting Sands of Time
03 - Endless Chant of the Sliding Bridge in the Declining Day Twilight
04 - Rekrutskaya
05 - Slavyanskaya 3
06 - Project X
07 - For Glass
08 - Svadebnaya
09 - Slavyanskaya 5
10 - ProeMen. Glare of Sunlight
11 - Moonberry
12 - Plyasovaya
13 - Slavyanskaya Prazdnichnaya

Bulatov Maxim: Bass
Nikitin Roman: Guitar
Bushev Pavel: Guitar
Kryazhev Evgeniy: Drums
Amelkov Sergey: Clarinet, Bass clarinet
Bulatova Marina: Vocal
Guests:
Shapovalova Nastya: Violin (1,2,6,9,10)
Ziborova Olga: Viola (3,5,7,11,13)

Peter Banks - Two Sides Of Peter Banks (1973 England) 2010 Remaster SHM-CD [ProgRock] @320

2011-09-15T22:38:00.000-03:00

Talk about an eclectic album! Ex-Yes and Flash guitarzan Peter Banks really spilled his beans here, putting together a VERY original album with his mates from Flash (no Yes members invited, ah, such bitterness!!!) and a few choice guests: the fuzzy bass of John Wetton, the rythmic gymnastics of "Uncle" Phil Collins (back in the days when he was a gloriously talented drummer) and, last but not least, the unique guitar styles of Steve Hackett and Focus' Jan Akkerman (back in the days when he was a gloriously talented guitarist). With all this supremo talent, Banks sort of takes a back seat. "The White House Vale", "Knights" and mostly the full tilt improvised gem/jam "Stop That"are the highlights here, giving the guests a chance and a platform to let down their fairly long hair and just rip! Yeah, this is not your "perfect prog produced to perfection master opus" but it has a charm that has stood the test of time and still ellicits smiles, cheers and the occasional goose bumps.

In many ways, the album's black, white and grey cover really sets the mood as this is no technicolor masterpiece! It's raw, slutty, dirty, visceral, angry, moody and My, my, that Akkerman could certainly play a mean guitar! Perhaps not a classic but definitely a showpiece for some inspired playing and a rare glimpse into Banks' rather odd career.

1. Visions Of The King (1:23)
2. The White House Vale (7:13)
- a. On The Hill
- b. Lord Of The Dragon
3. Knights (6:14)
- a. The Falcon
- b. The Bear
4. Battles (1:38)
5. Knights (Reprise) (2:11)
6. Last Eclipse (2:25)
7. Beyond The Loneliest Sea (3:06)
8. Stop That! (13:47)
9. Get Out Of My Fridge (3:20)

Peter Banks: electric and acoustic guitar, ARP, Minimoog, and Fender piano
Jan Akkerman: electric guitar (1,4,6,8,9), acoustic guitar (7)
Ray Bennett: bass guitar (3-5,8,9)
Phil Collins: drums (4,5,8,9)
Steve Hackett: electric guitar (5)
Mike Hough: drums (3)
John Whetton: bass guitar (5)

Flash - Out Of Our Hands (1973 England) 2010 Remaster SHM-CD [ProgRock] @320

2011-09-11T11:13:00.000-03:00

What do chess and an interstellar messenger of peace have in common? Nothing, I'd venture, but it didn't stop Ray Bennett from laboring on this stellar concept album all the same. Like any FLASH album, the comparisons to early YES are invited and no doubt appreciated. There are plenty of moments here that'll transport you to strange new places, provided you're willing to put in the same amount of effort you did on "Tales of Topographic Oceans".

Bennett and Peter Banks in particular connect on some passages that click as well as Chris Squire and Steve Howe. It occurs to me when I listen to "Out of Our Hands" that this might be the lost YES album I've been looking for. Certainly it's closer to the mark than Steve Howe's Beginnings, In The Can or Two Sides of Peter Banks. Almost every song on here has some redeeming moment of magic, from the opening of "The Bishop" (which prefigures Gang of Four by at least a few years) to the tripping guitar lines on "Dead Ahead". Maybe I've grown used to Colin Carter's voice by now but he does seem better suited to the music this time, suggesting Jon Anderson's voice with clipped wings. Where Anderson soared, Carter is entrenched, holding steadfast in the midst of Banks' acrobatic leads and Bennett's bold bass lines.

The result is a style that produces some fine moments, including "Man of Honour", "Shadows" and delightful "Psychosync". As busy as Bennett is with writing most of the material and playing bass, his keyboard contributions are cursory, which results in some missing music. If sections feel like they need to be fleshed out on occasion, it's to be expected with FLASH. Their purpose was never to replace YES, but rather to build something different from the same foundation. Sadly, "Out of Our Hands" was their last album, and another avenue to nirvana was closed. This record (and, in fact the entire FLASH catalog) are well worth rediscovery -- the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Yesstory, in a manner of speaking.

01. Open sky (0:40)
02. None the wiser (King) (3:17)
03. Farewell number one (Pawn) (1:37)
04. Man of honnor (Knight) (4:45)
05. Dead ahead (Queen) (4:38)
06. The Bishop (4:21)
07. Psychosync (Escape) (4:50)
08. Manhattan morning (Christmas '72) (6:24)
09. Shadows (It's you) (3:20)

Peter Banks: Peter Banks / guitars, Moog & Arp synths, banjo, backing vocals
Ray Bennett: bass, piano, clavinet, Mellotron, Arp synth, accoustic guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Colin Carter: lead vocals
Micheal Hough: drums, congas, tablas

Flash - In The Can (1972 England) 2010 Remaster SHM-CD [ProgRock] @320

2011-09-10T13:49:00.000-03:00

This second FLASH`s album was recorded as a quartet. Keyboard player Tony Kaye, who never was an official member of the band and who was only a guest on their first album, didn`t participate in this album and went to form his own band called BADGER. So, this album has a lot of guitars and very few parts on which Peter Banks plays the ARP synthesizer.

I think that it is unfair to underrate Peter Banks as a guitarist, because in this album he also shows that he is a very good guitarist with his very own style. Bassist Ray Bennett, who also was the main composer of the songs in this album, also shows that he is a very good bassist, and there are some similarities between his sytle of playing the bass with the styles of John Entwistle and Chris Squire. Singer Colin Carter is also good, and there are some very good vocals arrangements done with Banks and Bennett. Drummer Michael Hough is a more "Rocker" drummer, but he also plays some interesting things.

"Lifetime" and "Monday Morning Eyes" are, IMO, the best songs in this album. I think that FLASH deserves more respect as a band, because this album, despite the lack of a keyboard player, shows them as a very good Progressive Rock band.

01. Lifetime (10:05)
02. Monday morning eyes (5:03)
03. Black and white (12:04)
04. Stop that banging (1:50)
05. There no more (11:35)

Peter Banks: acoustic electric & Spanish guitars, Hooter, ARP synth, backing vocals
Ray Bennett: bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (2)
Colin Carter: vocals, percussion
Mike Hough: drums, percussion, cymbals, badinage

Flash - Flash (1972 England) 2010 Remaster SHM-CD [ProgRock] @320

2011-09-10T00:34:00.000-03:00

This is an album clearly made in the shadow of that great progressive rock band Yes. However, unlike Starcastle and other such followers, Flash have a genuine excuse. The band was founded by Peter Banks and Tony Kaye, both of whom were unceremoniously ditched by Yes despite also being founder members of that esteemed group. While it's hard to dispute the fact that both Banks and Kaye were replaced by superior musicians (Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman respectively), neither deserved to be treated with such disrespect, and this album is an excellent riposte to their critics.
Flash preserves that sound of 60s Yes which somewhat ironically reached its zenith on 1971's The Yes Album. Small Beginnings in particular is an epic track which could have slipped quite comfortably onto that masterful album. It has all the hallmarks, with storming riffs (with some of Banks's best ever playing), an inventive rhythm section (bassist Ray Bennett and drummer Mike Hough), and even a nice organ solo from Kaye, while vocalist Colin Carter sounds very much like Yes frontman Jon Anderson.

01 - Small Beginnings
02 - Morning Haze
03 - Children Of The Universe
04 - Dreams Of Heaven
05 - The Time It Takes

Peter Banks: acoustic electric & Spanish guitars, Hooter, ARP synth, backing vocals
Ray Bennett: bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (2)
Colin Carter: vocals, percussion
Mike Hough: drums, percussion, cymbals, badinage
Tony Kaye: organ, piano, ARP synth

Curved Air - Retrospective - The Anthology 1970-2009 (2CD) [ProgRock ] @320

2011-08-28T19:53:00.000-03:00

Today they're known for giving Police drummer Stewart Copeland his start, but Curved Air emerged in the early 1970s as one of England's most distinctive prog-rock bands, led by singer Sonja Kristina, who was promoted as something of a sex symbol at the time. As heard on this career-spanning, two-disc set, their music combined classical and rock flavors, with Darryl Way's violin adding a signature sound, but there was also a bit of a Jefferson Airplane tinge to some of their work that helped set them apart from their peers.

CD1
01 - It Happened Today
02 - Screw
03 - Blind Man
04 - Hide And Seek
05 - Rob One
06 - Young Mother
07 - Back Street Luv
08 - Jumbo
09 - Puppets
10 - Piece Of Mind
11 - Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway
12 - Melinda (More Or Less)
13 - Over And Above

CD2
14 - The Purple Speed Queen
15 - Elfin Boy
16 - Metamorphosis
17 - Easy
18 - The Dancer
19 - Dance Of Love
20 - Love Child
21 - Woman On A One Night Stand
22 - Desiree
23 - Broken Lady
24 - Marie Antoinette
25 - Vivaldi
26 - Lambent Spire
27 - Space In Between
28 - Beloved

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Gatto Marte - Gioco del Mago (Italy 2000) [AvantProg] @VBR~224

2011-08-25T18:01:00.000-03:00

Gatto Marte are a Italian "progressive chamber quartet", who use violin, basson, piano & double bass. Their records are definitely comparable to folks like Julverne, ZNR, Jean-Philippe Goude's chamber works, etc., so if you are a fan of that style, you will want this.

01. Gioco del Mago
02. Tarantella del Gatto
03. Ladybird Dance
04. Petra
05. Il domatore di leoni
06. Fantasia e cadenza
07. Tone of innocence
08. Gun powder
09. A short story
10. Vorrei Partire
11. Tangata su nave che affonda
12. Fotogramma
13. Transeunte
14. Tango
15. Tarumba

Nino Cotone: Violin
Giuseppe Brancaccio: Bassoon
Maximilian Brooks: Piano, Vocals
Pietro Lusvardi: Contrabass
Guest Musician:
Beppe Ronzoni: Drums, Percussions

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso - Da Qui Messere Si Domina La Valle @320 (Italy 1991) [ProgRock] @320

2011-08-22T22:56:00.000-03:00

This album is not a compilation! The band re-recorded the first 2 albums in studio with new instruments and new arrangements. Fantastic result!
CrimsonKing

Francesco Di Giacomo writes in CD booklet that he does not like remakes and BANCO decided to re-record their two first albums because fans asked them ''to do it today''. It seems the easiest way was to play both albums live and make a record, but the band did it in studio. I guess musicians had their reasons for this.

I'm not a big fan of remakes too, but I like new versions of both albums. There are lots of new colours in familiar tunes, first of all due to Vittorio Nocenzi's excellent keyboard work. Rodolfo Maltese is more than competent guitarist, and Francesco Di Giacomo is, as usual, in good vocal form. It became a common place in prog circles to consider him an opera-trained vocalist, but I've read somewhere that he is a self-taught singer. Don't know where the truth is, but anyway he is one of the greatest rock singers of all time. The low point for me is the absence of bass guitar player on the whole record and the use of programmed drums on many tracks. But great music is great music. I love original ''BMS'' and ''Darwin!'' albums to bits, but quite often listen to these new versions.

Highly recommended, but get 1972 originals first.

"Prog Archives"

CD 1 - ''B.M.S'' 1991 version
1. In volo (2:17)
2. R.I.P. (Requiescant in pace) (9:09)
3. Passaggio (4:06)
4. Metamorfosi (13:01)
5. Il Giardino del mago (19:09)
... Passo dopo passo ...
... Chi ride e chi geme ...
... Coi capelli sciolti al vento ...
Compenetrazione
6. Traccia (2:08)

Total time 49:52

CD 2 - ''Darwin'' 1991 version
1. L'evoluzione (16:46)
2. La conquista della posizione eretta (9:59)
3. Danza dei grandi rettili (4:15)
4. Cento mani e cento occhi (6:03)
5. 750.000 anni fa ... l'amore? (7:53)
6. Miserere alla storia (6:18)
7. Ed ora io domando tempo al tempo (3:23)

Total time 54:40

Francesco Di Giacomo: lead vocals
Vittorio Nocenzi: piano, Hammond organ, minimoog, synthesizers, keyboards, drum programming, synth bass, accordion, clarinet, recorder, vocals, backing vocals
Rodolfo Maltese: electric guitar, mandolin, sitar, backing vocals
Pierluigi Calderoni: drums, percussion

Guest musicians:
Piercarlo Penta: Hammond organ, keyboards, drum programming
Tiziano Ricci: Fabrizio Faderighi
Claudio Rego: backing vocals

Synesthesia (David Martone & Navid Nikbakht) - Synesthesia (Canada/England 2000) [Fusion] @256

2010-05-31T01:55:00.001-03:00

"Synesthesia", the album, is an acoustic instrumental project combining the guitar artistry of Navid Nikbakht and David Martone to create a unique and individual recording. Nikbakht and Martone each bring their own individual set of influences to this group, which also includes producer/percussionist Christoph Bracher. Using elements of Latin, Asian, Jazz and Rock, "Synesthesia"'s self-titled album has already found many fans worldwide. Canadian born David Martone has been heavily influenced by Classical and Progressive Rock music and has two electric instrumental projects out "Shut Up 'N Listen" and "Zone". Iranian born Nikbakht defines his music as "world fusion". Concentrating on acoustic instruments, Navid's varied musical background is apparent in all that he does. Elements of Latin, Moorish, Jazz, Gypsy as well as his native Persian music can be heard through out this project. Nikbakht and Martone met in 1992 while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston and quickly found a common platform to launch their own unique version of world music. On this project they are joined by top musicians from India, Jamaica, Germany, UK and Iran.

01 - Inquisitive Heart
02 - Shatki
03 - Conference of the Birds Part II (for A.F.)
04 - Blue
05 - Intersense
06 - Prelude in C# minor
07 - Sultan Ghalbam
08 - Abadan
09 - Voluptuous Vulcan

Navid Nikbakht: Guitars
David Martone: Guitars
B.K.Chandrashekhar: Violin
Gary Crosby: Bass
Farnoosh Behzad: Keyboards
Hossain Farjami: Vocals
Christoph Bracher: Percussions

Le Silo - 8.8 (Japan 2004) [AvantProg] @320

2010-05-21T01:38:00.005-03:00

Le Silo, are a 3-piece band from Japan, that play a widely influenced blend of demanding prog rock, which mostly takes the form of RIO and avant-jazz, with punk-rock stylistics, which is not only captivating, but well played. By no means is their sound entirely original, but the musicianship is of a high quality and they do indeed have some very excellent and surprising moments too. Their punk stylistics are evident and with Miyako's links to Yoshida Tatsuya, then it is obvious they are influenced by Ruins and Koenjihyakkei and most likely Boredoms and Happy Family as well. Non-Japanese bands they are likely influenced by, include Univers Zéro, Present, French TV, Samla Mammas Manna and Miriodor. Originally starting life as Miyako (presumably named after Miyako Kanazawa), a punk orientated band; they eventually changed their style and their name to Le Silo, (some of their tracks have French titles too), presumably in honour of the French and Belgian bands that most likely influenced them. The members of the band - Yoshiharu Izutsu (guitar and voice); Michiaki Suganuma (drums and voice) and Miyako Kanizawa (piano) - released their debut album "8.8" in 2004 on the Tutinoko label in Japan. Miyako is also a member of Koenjihyakkei (keyboards and voice) alongside Ruins and Daimonji drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, who also produced "8.8".

If you enjoy the Japanese avant-prog scene and bands such as Ruins and Koenjihyakkei, you'll enjoy Le Silo. If you enjoy bands such as Univers Zero, Present, Sammla Mannas Manna, Guapo, Ahvak and Absolute Zero, you'll also likely enjoy Le Silo. Also liking zeuhl will help you with your chances of liking them also. They are definitely recommended for those who want something different to the norm.

01. Le Soleil (3.54)
02. Enormous Trees With the Holy Spirits #1 (2:23)
03. Oiseaux (9:41)
04. The Doctor's Helicopter (3:12)
05. Le Silo (6:40)
06. Numazapa (1:43)
07. On a Magic Carpet Ride (4:08)
08. The Hard Metallic Pigeon (9:35)
09. Turkish... (5.27)
10. Enormous Trees With the Holy Spirits #2 (1:56)
11. Twisting Waist (5:42)
12. Pendule de la Vie (5:41)

Le Soleil

Miyako Kanazawa: piano / Voice
Yoshiharu Izutsu: Guitar/ Voice
Michiaki Suganuma: Drums / Voice
Guest:
Tatsuya Yoshida: Voice (5 & 11)

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Ballroomquartet - Surfing Sufi (Belgium 2004) [AvantProg] @320

2010-05-08T19:18:00.004-03:00

Ballroomquartet is a unique Belgian band with an exceptional sound and unusual instrumentation. The eccentric combination of classical and traditional instruments with electronics and effects creates a dancy, original and filmic atmosphere. On stage, they're always in for musical experimentation. Energy, virtuosity and sensitivity are the key words. Their two full-albums, Surfing Sufi (2004) and Soundmanifest (2007), got some very good press reviews. End of November 2009 they will release their new full-album in a production of Blixa Bargeld from Einstürzende Neubauten. This band has an exceptional live reputation! You should check them out!

01 - Thera Mina

02 - (B)eat This!

03 - Doppelganger.flac

04 - The Return Of The Gyronef In Suburban London

05 - Lydic Train

06 - Escape From Perk

07 - A Night In Venice

08 - Lucinda

09 - Mighty Mouse

10 - Exit

11 - Jan Mijne Man (Ballroom remix)

12 - Surfing Sufi

Andries Boone: Mandoline, Violon

Rony Deprins: Accordéon

Jasper Hautekiet: Contrebasse, Guitare basse

David Vertongen: Drums, Percussion

With:

P. Van Sant: Spoken word

Tom Theuns: Sitar

Drika Boone: Violon

Paul Van Bruystegem: Guitare

Hanne Raport-Hautekiet: Backing vocals

Barbara Struys: Backing vocals

Katrien Verstreken: Backing vocals

Katrien Peeters: Violon

Aag Dereymaeker: Violon

Els Smedts: Viola

Lieve Van Look: Violoncelle

Inne Spelmans: Backing vocals

Adrian Belew - e (USA 2009) [ProgRock] @320

2010-05-03T23:47:00.003-03:00

It's been a while since we had another King Crimson album. During this time Adrian Belew has managed to release quite a few albums and this completely instrumental 2009-offering came right after the completion of the Side-series.

Unlike the previous albums e features a steady lineup of Adrian Belew on guitar, Julie Slick on bass while her brother Eric Slick handles the drums. According to Julie Slick's myspace website the band formed in March of 2006 when they took the stage at the Knitting Factory in New York City for a performance of Frank Zappa's City of Tiny Lites. After that performance the Adrian Belew Power Trio went on a long tour which they then followed by recording this album.

e or Planet e, as it was originally titled, is roughly divided into five different sections where each one, except for c, is split into one or more sub-sections. According to Adrian Belew the compositions can be listened to as individual pieces of music, but they do interact through the overall theme that binds them together. Musically this is as close as Belew has ever managed to capture the sound of the two latest King Crimson releases on his solo album. Although unlike the cold and mechanical-sounding King Crimson compositions this release actually manages to maintain the human element which most likely has to do with the excellent rhythmic section!

The whole album is packed with some of the most elaborate playing that I've heard from Belew and I'm quite surprised to be the only one reviewing this album since it has been out since July 2009! Granted that there are a few sections that make me think that Belew is just sliding around in different scales there are always other elements of the sound that capture my attention besides the guitar work.

Rune2000 - Prog Archives

01. a (0:30)
02. a2 (3:37)
03. a3 (3:07)
04. b (6:12)
05. b2 (3:36)
06. b3 (1:21)
07. c (6:19)
08. d (6:00)
09. d2 (2:50)
10. e (0:55)
11. e2 (7:57)

Adrian Belew: guitars
Julie Slick: bass
Eric Slick: drums

.

Von Zamla - No Make Up! (Sweden 1983) [AvantProg] @320

2010-05-02T02:41:00.009-03:00

Founded in 1981 by keyboardist Lars Hollmer and guitarist Eino Haapala this zany band was an off-shoot of Sweden's Samlas Mammas Manna whose brand of RIO made them popular in Sweden in the 1970's but kept them relatively obscure elsewhere.
Von Zamla released two studio albums in their short career; Zamlaranama (1981) and No Make Up (1983). Brimming with Nordic Folk Melodies,thanks toHollmer's amazing accordion work the albums feature much less improvisational work than their earlier Sammlas work. One of the defining qualities of the band is their sense of theatre,comic theatre to be precise and this shines through both their albums.
This band represents a fascinating link to some of today's more creative bands such as Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and Miriodor.

Perfect vinyl rip. Not released in CD.

01. Forge Etude (4:19)
02. Soon Series (7:36)
03. Für Munju/Indojazz (6:08)
04. Gilmit (4:37)
05. Hopeful (4:41)
06. Endango (3:52)
07. Piece of Antsong (2:45)
08. Voice Improvisation (3:52)
09. After SMRT (5:22)
10. Cancion De Bi-Mi-Mela (3:26)

Michel Berckmans: bassoon, oboe
Eino Haapala: guitar, vocals
Lars Hollmer: keyboards, accordion
Hans Louhelainen: keyboards, melodica
Wolfgang Salomon: bass, guitaron
Mårten Tiselius: drums
Additional musician:
Kalle Eriksson: trumpet (4), percussion

Wavemaker - Where Are We Captain? (England 1975) [ProgRock] @320

2010-04-28T01:32:00.004-03:00

Vinyl Rip - Not released in CD

Quite an excellent and unique take on electronic music from this somewhat obscure British duo. Brian Hodgson is far less well-known for this than for his work at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (he’s probably most famous for devising the devilish Dalek voices for TV’s Doctor Who). The two Wavemaker lads perform on the mammoth Electrophon synthesizer (essentially an EMS Synthi 100 with a bunch of custom modules hooked into it) and invited a couple of guests to sit in on drums and “timpanii” (their spelling).

The result is one of the most rockin’ synth-only records I’ve ever heard. The first time I heard the raucous fuzz-tone at the start of “Double Helix,” I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Why didn’t someone TELL me a synth could do that? The A-side is a near-classic, with some unbelievably up-front synth-prog closing with the breathtaking “Syren’s Song.” The B-side is more low-key and contemplative, but no less high-quality. For fans of electronic music that are looking for something a bit different.
Progbear

01. Lodestar   5:06
02. Double Helix   10:13
03. Syren‘s Song   5:55
04. Wavemaker   6:42
05. Oracle   8:13
06. Enter the Eldil   7:43

John Lewis: Keyboards
Brian Hodgson: Synthesizer
Jon Keliehor: Percussion
Anthony McVey: Timpani

Gatto Marte - Sogni di Bimba (Italy 2008) [AvantProg] @320

2010-04-12T17:58:00.006-03:00

Another fine release from this Italian 'chamber music' quartet. Recalling the Belgian group Julverne, Gatto Marte are a percussion-less group that really focus on classical chamber sounds rather than 'rock' but have an appeal to 'rock' fans for the clarity and tunefulness of their compositions. If Univers Zero are rock's version of Stravinsky and Art Zoyd are rock's version of Varese and Wappasou rock's version of Debussy and ZNR rock's Satie, then Gatto Marte are certainly rock music's answer to Prokofiev! Delicate and beautiful music from violin, bassoon, piano & doublebass.
When you go to Gatto Marte's site, you are greeted with the following sentence: "Gatto Marte is an italian quartet performing original compositions with classical influence and jazz improvisation." That, dear readers, is a mighty fine and accurate sentence. I'll write more now, but do keep that sentence in mind! This is the band's seventh album and the musicians are Nino Cotone: Violin, Hang and Percussion, Giuseppe Brancaccio: Bassoon, Maximilian Brooks: Piano and Percussion, Pietro Lusvardi: Double Bass, Banjo, Harmonica and Percussion.

"Gatto Marte is a chamber ensemble of classical background with an attitude close to jazz and a twist of folk music, from Eastern Europe through the Mediterranean towards the North. Piano, double bass, violin and bassoon are the protagonists of this musical journey."

01. Puer
02. Puella
03. Povera gente valse
04. Tango luna
05. Carnevale sopra le nuvole
06. Il bosco di Marte
07. La Tugazza
08. Prima volta
09. Tin tin
10. Rosa
11. Lily
12. Luca
13. Pique nique
14. L'armata di Picio
15. Rosa del deserto

05. Carnevale sopra le nuvole

Nino Cotone: violin, hang & percussion
Giuseppe Brancaccio: bassoon
Maximilian Brooks: piano & percussion
Pietro Lusvardi: double bass, banjo, harmonica & percussion

Guest musicians:
Doug Tones: tom tom & crash cymbal (1)
Rosa Lusvardi: castanets (8)
Lily Lusvardi assisted by Sara Lusvardi: maracas (8)

Calomito - Inaudito (Italy 2005) [Jazz Rock Avant]@FLAC/MP3 320

2010-03-07T19:55:00.004-03:00

Calomito, from Genoa, Italy, wild sextet (double bass, guitar, drums, sax soprano, violin and Fender Rhodes), masters of candied jazz, chose to not deny themselves any way. That is total music, fusion of arab, tzigan, klezmer tastes on a solid progjazz base, remembering Doctor Nerve, Gong, Zappa… with a crackling and genuine creativity, which dilutes the astounding talent of the musicians and avoids any algid virtuoso wanking.

"...... the sound is a mix of progressive, r.i.o., Canterbury and jazz touch with a mediterranean influence that sometimes reminds of the fantastic Area, Gong, or Zappa … complex compositions, skilled musicians, a really good debut album!"

1. Collante

2. Nautilus

3. Am Ha'Aretz

4. Ebetus

5. Dal Buffo Buio

6. Rutz

7. Nascosto

8. Kaizer

Marco Ravera / electric guitar

Kai Kundratice / Rhodes, organ, synthesizer

Filippo Cantarella / viola and violin

Federico Barrai / alto sax, soprano sax, percussion

Tommaso Rolando / bass, electric bass

Paolo Piccardo / drums, samples

with guest musicians:

Matteo Ammirati / guitars

Marco Tindiglia / trumpet

Yügen - Labirinto d'Acqua (Italy 2006) [AvantProg] @VBR224

2010-02-16T00:00:00.004-02:00

This is a brilliant debut album from an Italian band which revolves around guitarist/composer Francesco Zago's and producer Marcello Marinone's singular vision of a fusion of chamber music, symphonic prog and RIO/Avant prog. The name of the band is Japanese; it has no easy translation, but an approximation would be an awareness of the universe that triggers feelings too deep for words (according to the book The Meaning of Tingo). The sleeve contains quotations from Erik Satie (2 of whose compositions are included), Wittgenstein, Umberto Fiori, Liebniz and Jorge Luis Borges, among others. This is a band that is ambitious in scale and scope, and it is to the credit of all concerned that the music more than lives up to the ideals which inform it.
The album starts with a lovely, rippling piano piece by Satie before the first composition proper arrives in the shape of Catacresi. This sets the tone for what is to follow; woodwinds and tuned percussion that recall the austere modernism of Univers Zero and Art Zoyd, washes of keyboards that recall Gentle Giant and Genesis and guitar that touches base with Zappa, Frith and Fripp, the whole sounding totally fresh and contemporary. Rather like some of Univers Zero's recent albums, the 14 musicians involved play in different permutations on different pieces, which makes for a highly varied sonic palette but which also means that it doesn't always feel like the work of a band in the traditional sense of the word. The standard of writing, arranging and playing is astonishingly high throughout, and credit must be given to Udi Koorman for his mixing skills. A particular highlight is Corale Metallurgico, a percussion driven piece featuring Dave Kermann of 5UUs fame, with the manic twists and turns of Zappa's 'serious' music and a truly fabulous percussion arrangement. Later on, Quando La Morte Mi Colse Nel Sonno opens and closes with a synthesiser line that PFM would have been proud to use on one of their early albums, although they would probably not have included the ghostly shakuhachi part which leads into the rather darker middle section of the piece, and the mellotron quartet Skellotron is a wonderful fragment that could be explored further on subsequent recordings.
RIO/Avant prog sometimes distances itself from 70s symphonic prog, although the two genres share some common roots and emerged from the same scene. Yugen draw successfully on both styles in a similar manner to Japanese bands like Koenjihyakkei and Bondage Fruit. This album isn't quite a 5 star masterpiece but it comes close - there will be high expectations for their next recording. Recommended to anybody with a taste for the adventurous, and especially to those who usually find avant prog heavy going. Splendid stuff. (Syzygy - ProGGnosis)01 - Sévére Réprimande02 - Catacresi03 - Omelette Norvegese04 - Corale Metallurgico05 - Danse Cuirassée (Periode Grecque)06 - Brachiologia07 - La Mosca Stregata08 - Quando La Morte Mi Colse Nel Sonno09 - Skellotron 00310 - Le Rovine Circolari11 - Anastomosi12 - Danze Corazzate13 - Labirinto D'acqua14 - Incubi Concentrici

Paolo Botta: E-Piano, Mellotron, Organ, Moog
Stephan Brunner: Bass
Maurizio Fasoli: Piano
Dave Kerman: Drums on Track 4
Tommaso Leddi: Mandolin, Lute
Massimo Mazza: Vibraphone, Marimba, Glockenspiel
Elia Mariani: Violin
Guiseppe A. Olivini: Cembalo, Percussion, Shakuhachi, Theremin
Peter Schmid: Bassclarinet, Tubax, Subcontrabass Sax, Bass Flute, Taragot
Mattia Signo: Drums
Marco Sorge: Clarinet
Markus Stauss: Sax
Francesco Zago: Guitars, Keyboards
Diego Donadio: Drum Arrangements Udi Koomran: Sounds, Processing, Mix

Kultivator - Barndomens Stigar (1981) + Waiting Paths (2006) (Sweden 2008) [ProgRock] @320

2010-02-06T16:46:00.009-02:00

We're always on about '70s prog. Well what about prog in the '80s? Here's a nice example, though it's from the very early in the decade (recorded 1980, released 1981) so it's practically '70s anyway. A rather obscure Swedish outfit called Kultivator, whose sole album Barndomens Stigar (which boasts a b&w engraving on the cover by none other than conceptual artist & experimental musician Leif Elggren) blends the quirky herky jerky of prog complexity with blissful melody, tilting at times towards the twee whilst menacingly muscle-flexing at others. There's sizzling instrumental solo sections, and also much in the way of delightful female vocals (mostly wordless ba-ba-ba's).
Kultivator were a quartet, with lots of Fender Rhodes electric piano, as well as other organ and synth keyboards. Also recorder and/or flute. And on occasional backing vocals, a boy's choir. Yup, very proggy indeed. Armchair prog percussionists are provided with their fair share of air-drumming opportunities, percolating energetically as the drumming here does!
All those keyboards create a moody, slightly jazzistic sound which reminds us a bit of the brilliant Bo Hansson, '70s Swedish prog royalty. There's also a definite Magma influence at work (the thick bass riffing and martial drumming in the middle of "Kara Jord" for instance, leading some to go so far as to label Kultivator a genuine "zeuhl" band), and you'll hear hints of traditional Scandinavian folk music as well. Further reference points: fellow Swedes Samla Mammas Manna and Kebnekajse, also '70s UK prog like Genesis and Gentle Giant, RIO a la Henry Cow, and specifically Canterbury groups like National Health, among others. Guess that's what happens when you make prog in 1980, with a whole previous decade of genius from which to draw inspiration! Although Kultivator, um, certainly cultivated their own unique spin on what came before. We'd also say this is a good one for folks who enjoyed the modern day Swedish prog of Gosta Berlings Saga, reviewed here last year.
This brand-new reissue on the Mellotronen label features three bonus tracks added to the original LP's eight cuts, plus a whole extra bonus disc, called Waiting Paths, featuring four songs recorded by the now-reunited band in 2006. Since they already seemed a bit "out of time" (& we don't mean rhythmically!) even back in '81, it's no surprise that this more recent material sounds like a more modern Kultivator... but not that much more modern. Also included in this nice digipacked reissue, a big booklet with vintage photos and lengthy liner notes.

Barndomens Stigar (1981):
Mellotronen (MELLOCD 024) 2008
01. Hoga Hastar (03:37)
02. Vemod (02:38)
03. Smafolket (05:12)
04. Kara Jord (07:05)
05. Barndomens Stigar (05:13)
06. Grottekvarnen (07:01)
07. Varfol (02:53)
08. Novarest (06:16)
Bonus Tracks:
09. Haxdans (06:36)
10. Tunnelbanan Medley (02:19)
11. Novarest Live (12:23)

Waiting Paths (2006 / bonus CD):
Mellotronen (MELLOCD 025) 2008
01. In The Darkness' Plait (04:39)
02. Bringing Water (05:11)
03. Another Day In Life (03:45)
04. Waiting Paths (07:33)

Stefan Carlsson: bass, bass-pedals
Johan Hedrén: Rhodes, organ, synthesizers
Jonas Linge: guitars, vocals
Ingemo Rylander: vocals, recorders, Rhodes
Johan Svärd: drums, percussion
With:
Hädan sväv boys' choir

Birds and Buildings - Bantom To Behemoth (USA 2008) [ProgRock] @320

2010-02-02T15:47:00.007-02:00

Birds and Buildings is the name of what is arguably the most notable USA's prog surprise for 2008, at least as a particular entity: given the fact that most members come from other interesting prog acts such as Deluge Grander and Cerebus Effect, this surprise of musical excellence and compositional strength shouldn't take us by surprise in an absolute sense. Well, now that I'm through with this pseudo- riddle, let me tell you right away that this "Bantam to Behemoth" album is an amazing exposure of eclectic progressive rock that ranges from Canterbury, space-rock, jazz-fusion, symphonic and avant- prog. All these elements are provided in a series of well defined sonorities linked through a cohesive unity of sounds and atmospheres.
(Cesar Inca - ProGGnosis)

1. Birds Flying Into Buildings (9:13)
2. Terra Fire (3:36)
3. Tunguska (6:33)
4. Caution Congregates and Forms a Storm (10:53)
5. Chronicle of the Invisible River of Stone (9:19)
6. Yucatan 65: The Agitation of the Mass (10:35)
7. Chakra Khan (5:59)
8. Battalion (9:55)
9. Sunken City, Sunny Day (3:19)

Dan Britton / keyboards, guitars, vocals
Malcolm McDuffie / drums
Brian Falkowski / saxophones, flute, clarinet
Brett d'Anon / bass, guitars
Megan Wheatley / vocals (5)

Esthema - Apart From The Rest (USA 2008) [World-Fusion-Prog] @256

2010-02-02T02:54:00.011-02:00

Esthema, a World Fusion ensemble out of Boston, MA (USA) creates their unique sound by fusing elements from the traditional music of the Eastern European Balkan region and the Near & Middle East with Progressive Rock and various styles of Jazz. The five musicians that shape the sound of Esthema bring together both Western and Eastern influences, instruments, and musical concepts.
"........Joel Simches from Boston’s Noise Magazine stated, “this recording is nothing less than a true celebration of a number of different styles of world beat, jazz, rock, ethnic European and Middle Eastern traditional music” and John Collinge from Progression Magazine called it “a seamless blend of Eastern and Western motifs: Ethnic scales and meters intertwine delightfully with jazz-rock drums and bass beneath jazzy improv and winding melodies.”

01. Consequence
02. For whom? For Me…
03. Distance
04 Erimos
05 Finding my way
06 Apart From the Rest

Andy Milas (guitar)
Tery Lemanis (oud & bouzouki)
Onur Dilisen (violin)
Jack Mason (Bass)
Carl Sorensen (drums)

Asturias - In Search of the Soul Trees (Japan 2008) [ProgRock] @320

2010-01-30T00:17:00.005-02:00

After two acoustic albums (one of which ranks among my all time fav live acoustic albums - Birds Eye View), this very talented band is now back to more electric venues. Yet they really keep the focus on implementing positive vibes and an optimistic attitude in form of instrumental music.
The creation of soft and harmonic symphonic melodies, even if in complex structures where the instruments interplay and complement each other are still the major working tools and techniques of this band. The music simply flows like a crystal clear water river, sometimes in narrowed passages where it accelerates and crisps a bit, but many times in calm and introspective forestall "run-throughs". Meaning that the band, once more, is capable of producing earfriendly tapestries where keyboards take the lead on several occasions, backed by a thoughtful rhythm section and planning acoustic guitars. The use of winds and orchestral instruments, of mellotron and all sorts of percussion instruments add a depth and a level of detail that highly enriches the music while never turning it too complex or invasive.
In fact the great art of this band is exactly maintaining the music in a very enjoyable melodic experience while exploring the possibilities that the chosen driven melodies allow, and working around those guidelines the band constantly amazes with its sympho-prog approach with a deep cinematographic feel.
The music sometimes steps into the boundaries of the epic while always keeping a soft and fragile feel. And this duality is brilliantly achieved with a natural and effortless sensitivity, proving that the musicians simply have that feel and are able to musically interpret it.
As simple uncompromising company music or full attention delight, this album never ceases to provide full enjoyment. It is one of those albums that, while never kept in continuous cd playing, will randomly find its way back to the tray in years to come. And this is what the classics are made of.
(Nuno - ProGGnosis)

01 - Spirits
02 - Revelation
03 - Reincarnation
04 - Fountain
05 - Woods
06 - Pilgrimage
07 - Paradise
08 - Storm
09 - Soul Trees
10 - Dawn

Yoh Ohyama: acoustic guitar,Spanish guitar,electric guitar, bass, mandolin, keybords, glockenspiel, harp, cello, percussions, synthesizer
With
Haruhiko Tsuda: electric guitar (VI)
Tsutomu Kurihara: electric guitar (V)
Satoshi Hirata: electric guitar (III)
Akira Hanamoto: mellotron (I,III,VIII)
Yoshihiko Kawagoe: piano (II,X)
Kaori Tsutsui: clarinet,recorders (I,II,VII)
Kyoko Itoh: violin (I,V)
Misa Kitatsuji: violin (IX)
Shigeo Sasaki: drums (II,IV,VIII)
Aya Nasuno: percussions
Kanako Itoh: voice
Hassy: voice

Alamaailman Vasarat - Huuro Kolkko (Finland 2009) [Avant-Prog] @320

2010-01-26T15:49:00.014-02:00

The Hammers of Hell (their name translated into English) return for their fifth great album! Their unique, heavy sound, which combines folk forms and RIO complexity and extended instrumenation remain in place and the band consists of Jarno Sarkula-saxes, clarinets, Erno Haukkala-trombone, tuba & piccolo trombone, Miikka Huttunen-pump organ, grand piano & melodica, Tuukka Helminen-cello, Marko Manninen-cello and Teemu Hanninen-drums and percussion. This is a concept album and we'll let the band explain the concept, but anyway, this is another excellent listen from a very dependable ensemble who can always be counted on!
-Wayside Music-

01 - Mielisaurus
02 - Liskopallo
03 - Meressa ei asuta
04 - Natiivit
05 - Luonto tuli lahelle
06 - Tujuhuju
07 - Luola
08 - Omalla ajalla
09 - Lautturin viivat

Jarno Sarkula: saxophones, clarinets, tubax, various ethnic woodwinds
Erno Haukkala: trombone, brass
Miikka Huttunen: pump organ, grand piano
Tuukka Helminen: cello
Marko Manninen: cello, theremin
Teemu Hänninen: drums, percussion

Il Ruscello - Paesaggio Solare (Estate 1972) (Italy -2009) [Progressive Rock] @VBR

2010-01-23T01:18:00.024-02:00

New Italian band based in London. They have done a great album in 2009. In the best tradition of the glorious 70's, their music moves without any hassles or sophistication. A wonderful album, reminiscent of the legendary Italian-prog bands, this album definitely stands out as one of the best revelations of 2009. Must-see!

I agree with the BTF promo on one thing.... when you first play "paesaggio solare" you do feel as if you are hearing a lost RPI album from 1972, albeit one with much better sound. Vintage sounding keys and guitars (acoustic and electric) are skillfully arranged with warm Italian vocals and a good, though not showboating rhythm section. BTF claims Silvio sounds like Gianni Leone but I think he sounds much more like Aldo Tagliapietra of Orme. The album has 6 tracks and is bookended by the two long pieces at 10 and 12 minutes in length. Here we feel the potential of Il Ruscello, with "Il Cielo in un Ruscello's" closing moments oozing dreamy, laid back Orme warmth, lovely keyboard atmospheres, and gentle vocals. It all sounds like a late summer day. The other epic tracks like the two-part "La Grande Citta" and "Orizzonti" features much more boisterous, full-throttle playing blended with lovely eccentricities: occasional pop keyboard runs, keys that mimic the harpsichord sound, delightful pastoral acoustic interludes, and tasteful electric guitar leads. Play by play descriptions are relatively useless because we all know the manic nature of great RPI with everything changing by the second. "La Quiete" is a short acoustic interlude with sweet piano. And there is the title track: beautifully constructed vocals and guitar parts with great keys and my favorite, matching opening and closing piano with that nostalgic, slightly melancholic feel.

1. Il Cielo in un Ruscello
2. La Notte di una Citta
3. Il Risveglio di una Citta
4. La Quiete
5. Paesaggio Solare (Estate 1972)
6. Orizzonti
Musicians:Silvio Cavallo - (Vox, Acoustic Guitar, Drums)
Luca Harb - (Guitars, Synthesizers, Piano)
Giampaolo Cavallo - (Electric Bass, Orchestrations)

More Info here: http://www.myspace.com/ilruscello
Buy: http://www.btf.it/

[ Download ]

Reevoluto - Reevoluto (Italy 2003) [Jazz-Avant-Prog] @320

2010-01-22T17:55:00.016-02:00

Paci Rocy prolific Italian artist, who participates with artists like jazz-avantgarde, ethnic music, pop, jazz and other genres. Through its Etnagigante label, this album has the quartet called Reevoluto.Eccentric merger schizoid, generated by two guitars, bass and drums.Throughout the album we appreciate all different styles ranging from jazz, avant prog, ska, to traditional Mediterranean music.
Quartet of two guitars, bass and drums, which is often added the help of rhythmic and melodic tenor and contralto Gaetano Santoro (formerly with Aretuska and Banda Ionica Roy Paci, as well as with Skrunch Francesco Cusa).

I Reevoluto, extraction noise post-rock, using sounds from the most varied array of music, from jazz to the music of eastern origin to free, assemble and rearranged to give birth to genuine compositions in which the rhythm is the key.

Times are tight and the rhythmic pressing mark their research work attached to one particular study of sounds. Active for about a year, will now set to record their first album for the label ETNAGIGANTE.

1. Pite II
2. Arabbino
3. N’uovo
4. Break
5. Pite I
6. Ska’mba
7. Palifermo e Montilio
8. Qua’ka
9. Orangutango
10. Stop
11. Suf&splash
12. Ultimatum

Line-up:
Luca Caterina: guitars
Michele Palumbo: guitars
Matteo Iannaccio: bass
Alessandro Marinelli: drums
Guest:
Roy Paci: tromba 2,7
Toni Cattano: trombone 1, 7, 10, 12
Gaetano Santoro: sax tenor 1, 7, 10, 12
Fred Casadei: contrabass 4, 6, 7
Matt Pogo: vocals 3, 6, 7, 9

Artistic Production: Roy Paci & Reevoluto

sample track 7

Mats & Morgan Band - Thanks For Flying With Us (Sweden 2005) [Avantprog] @320

2010-01-21T14:17:00.017-02:00

"They played unbelievable, just unbelievable." -Frank Zappa

"Remarkable technical expertise and playing skills" -Bill Bruford

"Absolutely unbelievable, they drove me right out of my mind, it wasso good. Buy their albums." -Mike Keneally

Mats Oberg (keyboards) and Morgan Agren (drums) first began playing together 25 years ago (!!) when Mats was 11 and Morgan was 15. Originally very influenced by Frank Zappa, they actually played with Zappa in 1988, but while some of the Zappa influence remains, they have long since found their own voices. In the mid 90's, they began releasing CDs on Morgan's UAE label, eventually forming a stable band,which has been amazing audiences in Europe and the United States since 2001, and which consists of Mats and Robert Elovsson-keyboards, Jimmy Agren-guitar, Tommy Thordsson-bass and Morgan-drums. All players with superb playing ability, the quintet plays as a well-honed, cohesive unit, with more developed compositions than in earlier works, showing the band arriving at its own voice in progressive jazz/rock, with a modern-sounding blend of complexity, composition, chops and beats. Thanks For Flying With Us is their seventh album, their first release outside of Sweden and their first studio work since 1997. This is agreat album by an absolutely monster band who await the world's discovery!

01. Sinus
02. Thanks For Flying With Us
03. Adat Dropouts I Love You
04. Not Us
05. Jr`s Tati-Car
06. La Baratte
07. Softma
08. Wounded Bird
........................
09. Proppeller Hast
10. Allan In The Rain
11. Wenjie
12. Please Remain Seated
13. Coco
14. Live Neef
15. Alive In Enskede
16. Ivan

Jimmy Agren: guitar, dobro, bass guitar
Robert Elovsson: clarinet, keyboards
Mats Oberg: piano, keyboards
Morgan Agren: keyboards, drums, programming
Tommy Tordsson: bass

Aranis - Aranis (Belgium 2005) [Avantprog] @320

2010-01-21T01:42:00.015-02:00

For a very small country, Belgium certainly has a easily identifiable sounding style of new music, and Aranis, a septet of fantastic young players, fits right into the chamber-rock sound that we all know from fellow country-groups like Louise Avenue, Cro Magnon, Julverne and Univers Zero, as well as other European bands such as DAAU, Noetra, Silence IV, Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Gatto Marte. The band consists of 2 violinists, accordion, piano, guitar, flute and double bass, with the flautist and one of the violinists also contributing some vocals. For fans of this sound, this will will thrill and amaze, and as it was self-released on a tiny label in Antwerp, don't delay too long in getting this, if it seems interesting to you. "Aranis is a contemporary band of young musicians. They alternate personal compositions with improvisation and intense solo performances. It's very hard to define the type of music Aranis brings. Acoustic/classic instruments are played in an unusual fashion. Aranis has taken the best parts of contemporary classical music, postrock and folk. Often compositions have a typical repetitive structure, which has a compelling and even flushing effect on the audience. The cinematic nature and strange rhythms of this music create a lasting impression. The atmosphere during the concerts is inimitable: passion, expressiveness and variation always play a key role".
-Wayside Music-

............
01. Indrigo
02. Jona
03. Vuur
04. Yosu
05. Oyma
06. Zilezi
07. Questosteron
08. Pantra
09. Labyrinth
10. Wespengraf

Joris Vanvinckenroye: Acoustic bass and composer
Linde de Groof: Violin
Liesbeth Lambrecht: Violin
Marjolein Cools: Accordion
Jana Arns: Flute
Axelle Kennes: Piano
Stijn Denys: Guitar