New and Updated

Updated 11th June:

Ash Wing (UK): Ash Wing (No label, download, 2025)
Progressive
Siân Elson (lead vocals)
The band formerly known as the C Sides Project return with an album that falls into the ‘never knew they had it in them’ category. That’s not to say it’s flawless: it’s often mellow rather than memorable and occasionally brings to mind Magenta (hardly surprising, given that the group was founded by two former Magenta members, with Rob Reed providing the keyboards and the mixing). But this continuous suite of songs is frequently rather lovely and a damn sight better than anything Magenta have ever managed. GRADE: C+.

Kuunatic (Japan): Live At Lexington 9 September 2018 (No label, CDR. 2019)
Psychedelic
This early run-through of Kuunatic’s tribal psychedelia finds them fully-formed, delivering five songs in 31 minutes. Inventive, mantric and frequently quite weird, it’s all quintessentially Far Eastern and for the most part quite fascinating. GRADE: B–.

Marita Mejstam (Sweden): Glas (CBS 65770, 1973)
Pop/Rock
This sophisticated pop album – a bit folky, a mite proggy on the opening ‘Känner Mig Vild Och Lyrisk’ – mixes originals by singer/songwriter Anders F Rönnblom with a few covers. It’s not the kind of thing that is likely to form a cornerstone of anyone’s collection, but if you’re in the mood for high quality seventies pop you could do a damn sight worse. GRADE: C+.

Paatos (Sweden): Paatos Live In Budapest (No label, download, 2025)
Progressive
Petronella Nettermalm
Paatos’s majestic brand of modern prog – elegant, atmospheric, wintry, never ostentatious or ornate – works equally well on stage as in the studio. All I could wish is that there were more than 40 minutes of it. GRADE: B–.

Rhùn (France): Evil Erbez (Baboon Fish BFL 23, CD, with digipak, 2026)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Charlotte Pace (violin)
There’s little doubt that Rhùn are one of the finest modern zeuhl bands, adding real energy and invention to the template taken from Magma. This live album, recorded in 2024, features music that ebbs and flows, occasionally meanders, and frequently dazzles with its dynamism and sheer joie de vivre. GRADE: B–.

Updated 4th June:

Spriggan Mist (UK): Isambard The Mechanical Dragon (Spriggan Promotions, CDR, with mini sleeve, 2022)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Fay Brotherhood (principal vocals, guitar), Maxine Cilia (guitar, saxophone, clarinet, recorder, crumhorn, whistle, backing vocals)
Here Spriggan Mist add another new vocalist and rediscover their progressive roots. Are the two things connected? I have no idea. However, the band have plenty of ideas and the results are consequently very pleasing indeed, making clear their festival roots and their deep love of early seventies folky prog. GRADE: B–.
Spriggan Mist (UK): The Glare (Progrock.com’s Essentials, CD, with digipak, 2025)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Fay Brotherhood (lead vocals, guitar), Maxine Cilia (guitar, saxophone, recorder, whistle, backing vocals)
Their Jethro Tull influence is even (slightly) more obvious than here, which is no bad thing. In fact, I’m struggling to find anything to bad to say about Spriggan Mist, who once again recapture an early seventies ambience without a hint of neoprogressive pretensions. GRADE: B–.

Starofash (Norway): Sólblindi (No label, download, 2026)
Progressive/Classical
Heidi Solberg Tveitan
These three instrumentals, totalling 17 minutes, fall somewhere between a film soundtrack and a mini-symphony. Haunting, relaxing and beautifully crafted, they stand testament to Tveitan’s talent as a composer and musician, particularly given her very different background in extreme metal. GRADE: B–.

Updated 28th May:

Spriggan Mist (UK): Myths And Legends (No label, CD, with minisleeve, 2015)
Folk/Rock
Maxine Cilia, Bex Rennie
Myths And Legends delivers three changes: the vocals are back in the centre of the mix (hurrah!), Maxine Cilia is singing everything, and Spriggan Mist’s sound has become considerably more mellow. The result is perhaps a slight step up from its predecessor, but much of that improvement rests on the production as this has considerably less energy and considerably fewer ideas than their first couple of efforts. GRADE: C+.
Spriggan Mist (UK): The Portal (Spriggan Promotions, CD, with minisleeve, 2017)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Ann-Mari Thomas (principal vocals, bass, keyboards), Maxine Cilia (guitar, saxophone, recorder, whistle, backing vocals)
Spriggan Mist have a new vocalist (who, whilst she has a very pleasant voice, doesn’t really do anything that Maxine Cilia couldn’t) and a slightly more progressive slant here. With some of their best melodies in years, it’s a definite step up from their last couple of efforts. GRADE: B–.
Spriggan Mist (UK): Live At Quiet Whistle Test (Spriggan Promotions, CDR, with minisleeve, 2018)
Folk/Rock
Ann-Mari Thomas (principal vocals, bass, keyboards), Maxine Cilia (occasional vocals, guitar, saxophone, recorder, whistle)
Most bands stretch out and jam live; Spriggan Mist disappointingly deliver a series of concise performances, with nothing over six minutes. That said, there is nothing disappointing about the music itself: this is simply lovely folk/rock, packed with rich melodies and delivered with both precision and class. GRADE: B–.
Spriggan Mist (UK): Ghostly Tales Live (Spriggan Promotions, CDR, with minisleeve, 2020)
Folk/Rock
How ‘live’ this is, I’m not sure: there is very little in the way of audience noise or stage announcements and the recording is nothing short of superb. So, for the most part, is the music: whilst they once again don’t really stretch out, the band deliver consistently fine versions of some of their most consistently fine songs. GRADE: B–.

Updated 21st May:

Spriggan Mist (UK): Caught In A Spell (No label, CD, 2010)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Maxine Cilia (joint lead vocals, guitar, saxophone, recorder, banjitar), Gillian Lambert (synthesiser, flute)
This progressive folk/rock crew’s name may recall Spriguns, but the most obvious influence on their sound is Jethro Tull, with a smattering of Steeleye Span and Ougenweide. Effectively weaving together the progressive and folky sides of their sound on nine robust mid-length songs packed with unexpected twists and turns, they achieve a genuinely impressive debut. GRADE: B–.
Spriggan Mist (UK): Soul Retriever (No label, CD, 2010)
Folk/Rock/Psychedelic
Maxine Cilia (joint lead vocals, guitar, saxophone, recorder,), Bex Rennie (cello, recorder, backing vocals)
On the downside, this is considerably less ambitious and eccentric than their first, with a more straightforwardly rocking mood and some psychedelic rather than progressive edges. On the upside, they’ve written another fine set of songs and executed them aplomb (and excellent sound quality), so it’s another B–. GRADE: B–.
Spriggan Mist (UK): Ghostly Tales (No label, CD, 2010)
Folk/Rock/Psychedelic
Maxine Cilia (joint lead vocals, guitar, saxophone, recorder,), Bex Rennie (cello, recorder, backing vocals)
Whilst enjoyable, this feels less assured than their first two, partly due to the sloppy production, which disconcertingly pans all the lead vocals hard left. Nonetheless, there’s some good music here, even if it feels a mite unambitious compared to their debut and is crying out for a remix. GRADE: C+.

Updated 14th May:

I, The Weapon (Argentina): The Ivy (No label, cassette, with poster, postcards, badge, sticker and box, 2018)
Metal/Progressive
Sabrina S Acosta (occasional vocals, drums, percussion)
At its best, this sludgy doom album – which mixes harsh, clean and spoken vocals, the latter delivering poetry – builds up an impressive head of steam. At others it meanders somewhat, leaving me torn to a grade; however, the lack of truly memorable riffs makes it a C+. GRADE: C+.

Softwire (UK): Attenuation (No label, download, 2026)
Pop/Rock/Progressive
Emily Feinson (principal vocals, guitar, piano, harp, ukulele)
Since this runs for under 25 minutes, I wonder whether the title was intended sardonically. Nonetheless, this is a carefully constructed release, with the linked opening and closing tracks and occasional instrumental interludes adding a progressive flavour. As usual for Softwire, the songs vary between electropop and light rock, most of which might best be described as charmingly naïve, and the finest number by far is a classically-influenced instrumental by Emily Feinson that falls somewhere between prog and new age. GRADE: C+.

Updated 7th May:

Emily Francis Trio (UK): The Absent (No label, CD, 2015)
Jazz/Rock
Emily Francis (keyboards)
Ms Francis has been causing a stir in progressive rock circles, but this isn’t prog by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, track titles like ‘Hops ’n’ Scotch’ and ‘Winnebago’ tell their own story: this is good old-fashioned keyboard-led jazz-fusion with a mid-seventies American feel. If you love the theme from ‘Taxi’, you should pay your fare and hitch a ride immediately; for everyone else, this may be some of the classiest background music you’ve heard in quite some time. GRADE: C+.
Emily Francis Trio (UK): New Town (No label, download, 2016)
Jazz/Rock
Emily Francis (keyboards)
‘New Town’ maybe, but no new musical direction, as this 20-minute EP is essentially a continuation of The Absent. As such, my comments apply unchanged – this is sophisticated, mellow stuff that’s well composed, performed and recorded, with the results being eminently listenable but a little lacking in anything that grabs the attention. GRADE: C+.
Emily Francis Trio (UK): Luma (No label, CD, 2022)
Jazz/Rock
Emily Francis (keyboards)
This is definitely music not muzak due to its rock strength, but it specifically reminds me of library music. As such, without changing their basic style, the Trio seem to have shifted their influences slightly: whereas they previously sounded inspired by seventies Dave Grusin and Bob James, they now appear influenced by seventies de Wolfe or KPM releases. Indeed, if you end up getting slightly bored you can start making up your own liner notes (‘a pacy rock number with a driving rhythm’, ‘sophisticated piano music suggesting a hotel lobby’ and so on). GRADE: C+.
Emily Francis Trio (UK): Atomic (No label EFTCD-03, CDR, with minisleeve, 2024)
Jazz/Rock
Emily Francis (keyboards)
I’m assuming the title is intended ironically, as there’s nothing explosive about Emily Francis’s music: no incendiary musicianship or outbursts of manic energy. She’s even starting to recycle: ‘Don’t Forget To Feed The Orchid’ sounds like a retitled remake of an older number, which is pretty rich considering there’s only 21 minutes of music here (and that’s including two different versions of ‘Lydian Child’). (Alternatively, perhaps I’m wrong and all their pieces are starting to blur into one, though I’m not convinced that’s a compliment either.) As for the actual material? Once again the adjectives that spring to mind are ‘nice’, ‘pleasant’, ‘classy’ and ‘mellow’, which may or may not make this your cup of chamomile. GRADE: C+.
Emily Francis Trio (UK): Atomic Tour Live (No label EFTCD-04, double CD, with digipak, 2024)
Jazz/Rock
Emily Francis (keyboards)
I wasn’t expecting Angine de Poitrine levels of weirdness from the Trio’s live album, but one might as well be listening to their studio albums. That’s not necessarily a putdown: it’s testament to the quality of both the musicianship and recording, and in fairness they do extend some of the numbers, albeit in a careful and structured way. But where some live albums are a revelation, this one reinforces my opinions about them: they’re very good at what they do and could I imagine myself enjoying their music in most circumstances. But I can’t imagine myself actively seeking it out to play, so it’s still a C+. GRADE: C+.

Updated 30th April:

Anekdoten (Sweden): Anekdoten (No label, cassette, 1992)
Progressive
Anna-Sofi Dahlberg (Mellotron, cello, backing vocals)
Anekdoten’s demo shows them arriving fully formed, with all the sonic elements that would define them already in place. From the dynamic rock of ‘The Old Man And The Sea’ and several other cuts to the haunting acoustic instrumental ‘Longing’ they’re completely in control, with the dense bass work and wall-to-wall Mellotron providing a unique sound that references King Crimson, post-punk and more. It’s unusual to hear a demo that most bands would consider their magnum opus, but here it is. GRADE: B.
Anekdoten (Sweden): Vemod (Virta 001, CD, 1993)
Progressive
Anna-Sofi Dahlberg (occasional vocals, keyboards, cello)
The possibilities offered by a studio budget allow Anekdoten to reconfigure their demo – the same six numbers in a different running order, plus one new piece – in the most remarkable way possible. As such, it’s unsurprising that they were immediately hailed as one of the great progressive bands of the nineties. This is impressive music focusing on dynamism rather than self-conscious complexity, and with some sublimely melancholy moods (even if, while quite varied, it’s all of a piece – often the way with truly distinctive bands). They’re frequently compared to King Crimson, which makes perfect sense, although their countrymen Kultivator were probably an equally important influence; the main difference is that Anekdoten favour a lot more Mellotron and reduce the zeuhl and jazz elements to a minimum. The Japanese CD adds an excellent ten-minute bonus cut ‘Sad Rain’. GRADE: B.

Ram-Zet (Norway): Sapien (ViciSolum Productions VSP209CD, CD, 2026)
Metal/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Miriam Elisabeth Renvåg (joint lead vocals), Ingvild Johannesen (violin, hardingfele)
Experimental progressive metal may not be shattering expectations as it was 15 years ago when Ram-Zet last released an album, but the genre is clearly still in rude health on this evidence. This emphatic comeback is simply remarkable, packed with twists and turns and taking in everything from the unexpected folky stylings of ‘Bozzaedevil’ to the equally unexpected psychedelia of ‘Peace25?’. The result is a fascinating and compelling trip, with the entendre definitely double. GRADE: B–.

Updated 23rd April:

Project Nayuta (Japan): Uniomisty (No label, double CD, with digipak and booklet, 2026)
Progressive
Junko Nakagawa (joint lead vocals), Mika Tsukimoto (joint lead vocals)
With 11 songs – all very accomplished but not particularly varied – over 90 minutes, this double album is clearly intended as Project Nayuta’s magnum opus. However, its sheer excess is one of the reasons I find it less compelling than their genuine impressive debut and intermittently impressive follow-up. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with the retro-prog here, which has a pleasing seventies ambience in many moments, but when bands make a 90-minute double album one generally expects a significant artistic statement, whereas this is merely a lengthy collection of pretty good (and occasionally great) songs. GRADE: B–.

Quasar (UK): Live At Llanharan (No label, download, 2026, recorded 1984)
Progressive
Susan Robinson
The overt theatricality that would later mar Quasar’s synthy prog during the Tracy Hitchings period is already evident here during parts of ‘Irony Journey’. However, Susan Robinson doesn’t have Hitchings’s musical theatre leanings, so this is a decent representation of the band live, bolstered by more than decent sound quality. GRADE: C+.
Quasar (UK): Live At The Regent (No label, download, 2026, recorded 1984)
Progressive
Susan Robinson
Quasar’s high-tech neoprog is never likely to score higher than a C+ from me, so one can take it as read that this another solid live retrospective – well recorded, decently performed and musically entirely adequate. GRADE: C+.
Quasar (UK): Live At The Paradiso (No label, download, 2026, recorded 1989)
Progressive
Tracy Hitchings
Although their other retrospective live downloads are from 1984, this undated instalment clearly dates from 1989 due to both the stage announcements and the unmistakable presence of Tracy Hitchings. Thankfully, she’s relatively restrained here, but I use that term relatively, so this is mainly likely to be of interest to anyone hankering for a more proggy twist on Toyah. GRADE: C.

Updated 16th April:

District 97 (USA): Live For The Ending (MindScan D97-007-CD, with digital, 2025)
Progressive/Metal
Leslie Hunt (lead vocals)
The more District 97 I hear, whether studio or live, the more my opinions about them are reinforced rather than challenged. I like what they do, whilst noting that there’s relatively little variety within or between their albums. But after all this time, I’m beginning to suspect that I’m never really going to love what they do, except in fairly small doses. GRADE: C+.

Mike Johnson (USA): The Gardens Of Loss (Cuneiform Rune 521, CD, 2026)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Elaine di Falco (principal vocals)
No prizes for guessing that this is RIO, in this case with rich neoclassical textures. Those who love parent band Thinking Plague, like me, should adore this, especially as it is full of fascinating twists and turns. GRADE: B–.

Lirum Larum (Denmark): Lirum Larum (Lirum Larum LL1, with insert, 1973)
Folk
Grethe Aagaard (occasional vocals, guitar), Nina Frederiksen (occasional vocals, organ, flute, harmonica)
Most of side one consists of male-sung pub-folk singalongs of no particular merit, but things pick up with two female-fronted cuts at the end: the first acapella, the second with organ accompaniment, and both mournful and atmospheric. Sadly, side two has no such compensations, making the LP as a whole something of a curate’s egg. GRADE: C.

Mermaid Kiss (UK): Another Country (No label, download, 2012)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Evelyn Downing (lead vocals, flute), Wendy Marks (flute, recorder, oboe, cor angles, backing vocals)
The band’s final effort is progressive in a slightly different way from its predecessor, with the conceptual (I think) songs linked by brief vignettes for piano and oboe. Whilst rock elements remain, they are toned down considerably and this has more of a singer/songwriter feel, with much greater warmth and a more emotional feel than their earlier efforts. Bolstered by a superb recording, it’s a beautiful and heartfelt album that – once again – doesn’t quite have the tunes to ascend to the next level, though it certainly has the depth. GRADE: C+.

Nahla-esque (United Arab Emirates): Inscribe Me, In Three Acts (No label, download, 2026)
Metal/Progressive
Once again, I find myself longing for Nahla-esque to commit to something long-form: this is another short EP, totalling 13½ minutes. Again, it’s dynamic, aggressive and in parts quite inventive – perhaps a little lacking in variety but more than making up for it in sheer heft. GRADE: B–.

Timewinder (USA): Haven EP (No label, download, 2016)
Progressive
Ellie Gurvich (guitar)
Timewinder describe themselves as ‘post-fusion’ but whilst their chord progressions are jazzy this isn’t really jazz. Instead their wholly instrumental music, performed via dual electric guitars, bass and drums, blends elements of prog and post-rock with just a hint of metal, combining a wall-of-sound production with a somewhat minimalistic style. The results are rather interesting, though a lack of variety becomes obvious even over this 14-minute EP, making one wonder how they would fare on a full album. GRADE: C+.

Viraje (Mexico & France): Viraje (Cóndor Pasa 17-05-4655, Mexico, 1979)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Rosa Guadalupe (joint lead vocals, guitar, percussion, tiple)
The clear highpoints here are the two JS Bach interpretations, where the band demonstrates its mastery of a wide array of acoustic and ethnic instruments to the full. The remainder consists of pleasant songs, full of Latin American elements and with a bit of a bossa nova feel. As a footnote, the album was also released in France as Mexique/Expression Nouvelle (Playa Sound PS 602, 1980) with completely different artwork, a revised running order and (for some reason) the six-and-a-half minute ‘Adagio El Sol Minor’ removed. GRADE: C+.

Updated 9th April:

Magenta (UK): Tarot (Tigermoth TMRCDM0326, double CD plus double DVD, with gatefold minisleeve, minisleeves, autographed tarot cards, envelope and tin, 2026)
Progressive
Christina Murphy (lead vocals)
This is easily Magenta’s best album since Metamorphosis and maybe their best of all time – Rob Reed wasn’t exaggerating when he described it as ‘the most coherent and consistent Magenta album to date’. That’s partly because, as he also notes, he’s ‘a massive fan of Renaissance’ and this owes more to that band’s sound, which I love, than to Genesis, whom I don’t. I also suspect he has learned more than a few tricks from his solo career, which convinced me for the first time that he is legitimately talented. As an added bonus, this isn’t a direct pastiche of Renaissance, aside from some very Camp bass riffs but subtly references their style. That said, it’s still a C+ as Christina Murphy isn’t Annie Haslam and Reed isn’t Michael Dunford, though he is a better Mike Oldfield than Oldfield is these days. However, ultimately it’s the lack of truly memorable riffs and hooks that prevents a higher grade. Nonetheless, I rather like and slightly admire this, which is more than can be said for most of their previous work. In addition to the DVD with surround sound mixes included with all copies, the 1000-copies deluxe version includes a bonus CD with an outtake, some instrumental mixes and remixes of numbers from Songs From The Big Room plus a second DVD featuring nearly two hours of (pretty good) previously unreleased live-in-the-studio performances recorded in 2018 and 2025. GRADE: C+.

Mermaid Kiss (UK): The Mermaid Kiss Album (Flame flame20250cdUK, CD, 2003)
Folk/Rock
Evelyn Downing (lead vocals, guitar, flute, loops)
Mermaid Kiss supported Karnataka on at least one occasion and you can hear why – the haunting, ethereal music here often resembles Karnataka without the overt progressive edges. Like early-to-mid-period Karnataka, the music here is elegant, well-crafted and atmospheric, but also like Karnataka it’s a bit homogenous and unmemorable. GRADE: C+.
Mermaid Kiss (UK): Salt On Skin (No label MERM 02 CD, CD, 2006)
Folk/Rock
Kate Emerson (joint lead vocals) , Evelyn Downing (joint lead vocals, flute), Kate Belcher (joint lead vocals, flute)
Whilst in the same ethereal style as their first, this short (seven tracks in just under 30 minutes) second album is considerably more mature. Greater use of electric guitar and more pronounced rock elements deepen their sound significantly, though once again the lack of any rough edges or individually outstanding songs is notable. GRADE: C+.
Mermaid Kiss (UK): Etarlis (No label MERM 03 CD, CD, 2007)
Progressive
Evelyn Downing (principal vocals, flute), Kate Belcher (joint lead vocals,), Wendy Marks (recorder, oboe, cor anglais)
‘The songs on this album are inspired by a fantasy adventure, chronicling the journey of two friends into the disturbing and unpredictable land of Etarlis’ announce the sleeve notes. If that makes you expect full-blown prog, you’d be correct: this has an ambition and complexity missing from their first two, with the lengthy suite of music bolstered by rich orchestrations. With a few neoprogressive tinges, it still doesn’t quite make the leap to B– for me, despite the superb 10½-minute closer, but it’s a huge step forward from their rather tentative debut. GRADE: C+.

Updated 2nd April:

Nahla-esque (United Arab Emirates): Not Now (No label, download, 2025)
Metal
Nahla-esque aren’t the first band to cross Arabic music with metal, but being based in the UAE can lay claim to doing so more authentically than most. This is solid stuff – powerful, dynamic and assured – but the two songs total only 11 minutes, so it’s also a relatively modest statement of intent. GRADE: C+.

White Gloves & Party Manners (USA): A Whim-Wham To Wind The Sun Up (Deadline Recordings, CDR, 2013)
Industrial/Ambient
Sarada Holt (guitar, synthesiser, effects)
Using a variety of implements and devices, Ms Holt creates a series of soundscapes – some cacophonous and some tranquil – that are spacy and sepulchral and, well, mildly interesting. If that sounds like I’m damning her with faint praise, maybe I am: whilst I like this kind of stuff once in a while as a distraction from rock or folk, I’m not sure I could get sufficiently excited to award it anything higher than a C+. GRADE: C+.
See also Belladonna Bouquet, Sarada Holt, Tarantula Parlour

Updated 26th March:

Astralasia (UK): An Introduction To Astralasia (Fruits De Mer FDM XXXX, quadruple black CD, with gatefold minisleeve and inners, 2026)
Dance/Psychedelic
This gargantuan compilation of Astralasia and its offshoots runs for five hours and includes quite a number of rare and unreleased tracks. Musically, it’s all over the place, from spaced-out psychedelic improvisations (clearly a B–) through less interesting trance and ballads (in fair-to-middling C+ territory). Along the way, they even take in covers of ‘Johnny Remember Me’ and Brainticket’s, er, ‘Brainticket’ and ‘Places Of Light’. The good news is that the best numbers tend to be the longest – as good jams usually are. GRADE: B–.

Foxpockets (UK): The Coracle And The Albatross (Reverb Worship RW144, CDR, with minisleeve, 2011)
Folk
Katharine Simner, Jennifer Schamotta
This 25-minute EP offers traditional-sounding folk (though the songs appear to be originals) with all-acoustic arrangements. So far, so conventional, but there’s a faintly eerie edge to the band’s sound that makes this distinctive. We’re not exactly in ‘Wicker Man’ territory here, but this is intriguing enough I’d have rated it a B– if it had included one or two songs with unforgettable melodies or riffs. GRADE: C+.
Foxpockets (UK): Hope Can Make Feeble Ones Earnest And Brave/Live EP (Reverb Worship RW 253, CDR plus 3” CDR, with minisleeve and inserts, 2014)
Folk

Katharine Simner (lead vocals, spoons), Jennifer Schamotta (harp, pipe, backing vocals)
As with their first, this is both haunting and beautifully crafted, again with well-judged and sparse instrumentation, but their sound is a mite too traditional for me to love rather than like it. Nonetheless, at its best – as on ‘Mess Of Feathers’ and ‘Drag The Forest Down’ – this is delightful. The first 20 copies (of 60 in total) came with a bonus 3” disc featuring three lo-fi live songs totalling nine minutes. GRADE: C+.

Therion (Sweden/USA/Spain/Finland/Mexico): Con Orquesta (Napalm NPR1303DP, Blu-ray plus DVD and double CD, Austria, 2026)
Metal/Progressive
Lori Lewis (joint lead vocals), Rosalia Sairem (joint lead vocals)
Therion in concert with a full orchestra (conducted by James Cleverly’s doppelgänger, possibly seeking a new career outside politics) seems like a marriage made in heaven. However, though this was clearly a stunning gig, there are two problems. The first is the whole is so over-the-top as to be Spïnal Tap-esque, not helped by male singer Thomas Vikström dressing like Kenny Everett’s Sid Snot. The second is that the whole thing underlines Therion’s lack of artistic development since Vovin, with everything being almost indistinguishable. GRADE: B–.

Updated 19th March:

Corima (USA): Hunab Ku (Soleil Zeuhl 63, CD, France, 2026)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Andrea Calderón (principal vocals, violin)
Whether this is a landmark of avant-prog like Amaterasu is debatable. Whether it is a superb zeuhl album – a continuous suite of dynamic, powerful, constantly surprising music – is not. Executed with verve and delivered with power and fury, this is another remarkable addition to the zeuhl canon – and from the USA, of all places. GRADE: B–.

Deep Freeze Mice (UK): Luton Conversation: Rare Tracks From The Teenage Head In My Refrigerator Period (No label, download, 2013, recorded 1980-1981)

Sherree Lawrence
This grab-bag of oddities and offcuts, running for nearly an hour, is thoroughly enjoyable, ranging from live and rehearsal versions of familiar songs to a 20-minute ‘Guerrilla Recording’ at Leicester Polytechnic which sounds like the Grateful Dead’s ‘rhythm devils’. As such, my grade of C+ may be a bit mean, as there’s plenty of interest here. GRADE: C+.

Solstice (UK): Clann: The Stables Gathering (Wild Thyme WLTH007, double, orange vinyl, 2026)
Progressive
Jess Holland (principal vocals), Ebony Buckle (occasional vocals), Dyane Crutcher (occasional vocals), Jenny Newman (violin)
Solstice’s second post-Clann live album confused me: I originally thought this was a physical release of last year’s download. In fact, it’s a completely separate set, albeit with a strikingly similar track listing. That’s probably a metaphor for the music within, as whilst this is unfailingly pleasant it ultimately sounds like any other recent Solstice release. Oddly, the vinyl and CD versions have different track listings, with the former featuring two songs not on the latter and the latter one not on the former; the Bandcamp download version has everything, running for 90 minutes. GRADE: C+.

Updated 12th March:

Betty Çandre (France): À Vous… (FLVM 3068, 1985)
Folk/Rock
Nelly Badaud (lead vocals, flute), Betty Çandre (guitar)
I would classify this is as a singer/songwriter venture, but there’s a twist: Mme Çandre doesn’t sing anything, handing over the vocals to Nelly Badaud, who has a lovely ethereal voice. Musically it’s firmly in the folk/rock vein, with Çandre’s acoustic guitar unsurprisingly to the fore but also with a rhythm section, string synthesiser and flute adding a low-budget faintly symphonic edge, and occasional electric guitar leads. The whole thing is very French, very sensual and very light and uplifting, which just enough of a ‘real people’ edge to keep things interesting. GRADE: C+.

Life On Earth! (Sweden): Look!! There Is Life On Earth! (Subliminal Sounds SUBCD20, CD, 2007)
Psychedelic/Folk/Rock
Alexis Benson, Maria Berling, Mia Doi Todd
This Swedish collective effort, made up of luminaries from several other bands I love, recall the early seventies in the best possible way with this collection of folky excursions and trippy jams. The CD version adds two more ambient bonus tracks: one lasting a minute and the other a whopping 28½. GRADE: B–.
Life On Earth! (Sweden): A Space Water Loop (Subliminal Sounds SUBCD28, CD, 2008)
Psychedelic/Folk/Rock
Alexis Benson, Sarianna Cortes, Lisa Isaksson, Lisa Klevebrant
Like their first, this second and final instalment offers a varied grab-bag of trippy and folky sounds. As such, listeners may strongly prefer some songs to others, but ultimately this works more as a tapestry of different moods than a collection of individual pieces. GRADE: B–.
See also Kraig Grady, Hashish, Laike, Lisa & Piu, Lüüp, Me & My Kites, Our Solar System

Scarlet Lilac (West Germany): Scarlet Lilac (Marifon 296 037, 1981)
Pop/Rock
This power-pop album boasts catchy tunes, robust arrangements and an excellent production, with the emphasis as much on the rock as the pop side of the equation. How much appeal it will have to people raised on progressive or psychedelic rock may be a different matter, but I find this kind of stuff a welcome change of pace from more challenging music. GRADE: C+.

Wolvennest (Belgium): The Dark Path To The Light (Ván VÁN386, CD, with digipak and booklet, Germany, 2023)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers
This is somewhat less gauzy than their last, which is a significant plus; I might even go further and call parts of it dynamic. But when all is said and done, this is spacy drone-rock, like most of their earlier work, and extremely good, also like most of their earlier work. GRADE: B–.
Wolvennest (Belgium): Procession (Consouling Sounds SOUL0223, CD, with digipak, 2025)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers (principal vocals, Theremin)
In contrast to previous ventures, this features 11 tracks, most of which are relatively short. This format doesn’t particularly suit Wolvennest, as several of the pieces stop just as they’re get going, but there’s still – just – enough of interest to merit a B– here and at least they’re trying something different. GRADE: B–.

Updated 5th March:

Viv Akauldren (USA): Vivian’s Fountain (Resonance 19012-2, CD, 1990)
Psychedelic
Deb Agolli (drums, backing vocals)
This final outing is probably Viv Akauldren’s most well-rounded album, though I’ll Call You Sometime remains by far their most adventurous. But whilst I like their psych/garage/indie-rock crossover, it once again doesn’t make enough of an impression on me that I can award it anything higher than a C+. GRADE: C+.

Wolvennest (Belgium): Ritual MMXX (Ván VÁN331, CD, with digipak, 2021)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers (principal vocals, synthesiser, Theremin)
Question: how do Wolvennest’s minimalistic space trips translate from the studio? Answer: on this evidence, remarkably well, as this live album is superb from start to finish. GRADE: B–.
Wolvennest (Belgium): Temple (Ván VÁN335, CD, with digipak, 2021)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers (principal vocals, synthesiser, Theremin)
Different question: when is formless too formless and ambient too ambient? Answer: this one is much trickier, though my feeling is that Wolvennest may be starting to push their luck here. That’s not to say that this isn’t powerful, majestic, spacy and all the usual superlatives, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell their albums apart. GRADE: B–.

Updated 26th February:

Viv Akauldren (USA): Old Bags And Party Rags (Akashic, some on purple vinyl, with inserts and tattoo, 1985)
Rock/Psychedelic/New Wave
Deb Agolli (drums)
Driven by Deb Agolli’s metronomic drumming and bolstered by a superb recording, this is far from any conventional notion of an eighties psychedelic LP. The sparse yet dynamic music here, heavily influenced by the new wave, is propulsive and sometimes even funky, but it’s also notably less trippy than the band’s reputation as a stalwart of eighties psychedelia might suggest. GRADE: C+.
Viv Akauldren (USA): I’ll Call You Sometime (Akashic, LP plus 7”, with inner, 1987)
Garage/Psychedelic
Deb Agolli (drums, backing vocals)
The wild lo-fi psychedelia of the opening ‘Of’ makes clear that this is going to be nothing like their well-mannered first, and this is varied indeed, from the spooky psych-folk of ‘Along The Way’ (probably the best number) to two delicate instrumentals (‘The Maker Of The Sun And Moon’ and ‘Farrowbone’). Meanwhile, the bonus EP contains even more freeform material, providing an excellent complement to the album proper. Whilst rarely brilliant, this is certainly an interesting and varied set, and like the (very) vaguely comparable Crystalized Movements Viv Akauldren should be congratulated for keeping this kind of music alive during the dark days of the eighties. GRADE: C+.
Viv Akauldren (USA): Witness (Resonance 08904-1, 1989)
Garage/Psychedelic
Deb Agolli
This EP is far less adventurous than I’ll Call You Sometime but also more consistent, offering more-than-decent garage psych with the more precise playing and recording that characterised their debut. For sure, this isn’t going to shift your paradigms, but it passes the best part of 25 minutes pleasantly enough. GRADE: C+.

Wolvennest Featuring Der Blütharsch & The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand (Belgium): WLVNNST (WéMè WeMe036, double, 2016)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Marthynna (joint lead vocals)
A freeform metal/space-rock crossover of this kind is bound to attract comparisons to Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, but whilst there are strong similarities there are also marked differences. Wolvennest’s music is even more unstructured, at times approaching drone-rock and at others near-ambient sounds, with lots of synthesisers and electronics adding psychedelic atmosphere. How much you like this may depend on your tolerance for purely experimental music, but to my ears there’s plenty to enjoy here. GRADE: B–.
Wolvennest (Belgium): Void (Ván VÁN248, CD, with digipak and poster, Germany, 2018)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers (principal vocals, synthesiser, Theremin)
Once again, this is a hard one to grade: Wolvennest are clearly not a band with artistic development front of mind, and I suspect their albums are going to offer endless retreads of the formula established by their debut. Does such an approach really merit a B–? Then again, my grades are about musical satisfaction more than anything, and I find this sort of stuff thoroughly satisfying. In particular, the 17-minute closer ‘La Mort; is nothing short of stunning: an über-heavy space trip that doesn’t particularly take you anywhere but offers a thrilling ride. GRADE: B–.
Wolvennest (Belgium): Vortex (Ván VÁN274, CD, with digipak, Germany, 2019)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic
Sharon Schievers (principal vocals, synthesiser, Theremin)
At 21minutes, this is considerably shorter than their first two, but it also contains the best music I’ve heard from Wolvennest. This is truly majestic, minimalist stuff – an enveloping cauldron of sound lush with atmosphere and resplendent in its power. In fact, the song titles sum up the musical content perfectly: ‘Spirit of The Black Wolves Dogs And The Wild White Horses’, ‘Vortex’ and ‘The Storm’. GRADE: B–.

Updated 19th February:

Big Big Train (UK/USA/Sweden/Italy): Woodcut (InsideOut 19802977912, CD plus Blu-ray, with book sleeve, 2026)
Progressive
Clare Lindley (occasional vocals, guitar, violin)
Widely touted as Big Big Train’s first full-blown concept album, this has many of the pastoral hallmarks of their earlier work, but also contains some fine passages filled with rock energy. Whilst their vision may remain too understated for some, this rewards close listening and is another impressive addition to their already substantial discography. GRADE: B–.

Codex Serafini (UK): God’s Spit (No label, download, 2023)
Progressive/New Wave
This is the Codex Serafini I like: raw, anarchic and spontaneous, without a dance beat in sight. Whether this live album, like the lesser studio EP that preceded it, adds much to the impression created by Serpents Of Enceladus is a different question, but given how much I like their eighties-festival-psych-on-steroids sound it may well be the wrong question. GRADE: B–.
Codex Serafini (UK): The Imprecation Of Anima (Riot Season REPOSELP125, with insert and download card, 2023)
Progressive/Psychedelic/Jazz/Metal
Both more restrained and more foreboding than their earlier work, this utilises saxophone in a much jazzier way and reminds me more than anything of an updated Catapilla with modern metal edges. This time round, their uncredited vocalist even sounds like Anna Meek on Changes, making one wonder whether this was directly influenced by Catapilla rather than merely resembling them. GRADE: B–.
Codex Serafini (UK): Invisible Landscape Reimagined (Ceremonial Laptop, download, 2024)
Dance/Progressive/New Wave
This feels slightly better than their last remix album, possibly because the source material felt slightly worse. But I still can’t imagine myself ever wanting to play it a second time. GRADE: C.
Codex Serafini (UK): Mother, Give Your Children Sanity (Echoldelick/Riot Season ECHODELICK156/REPOSELP156, green vinyl, with insert and download card, 2025)
Metal/Progressive/Psychedelic/Jazz
Emphasising the metal and tribal elements in the band’s sound, this tones down the Catapilla edges from The Imprecation Of Anima, though they still remain in the prominent saxophone. The six tracks here are less distinctive here that the four behemoths on that album, but there’s still enough interesting material here to merit a tentative B–. GRADE: B–.

Grateful Dead (USA): Dave’s Picks Volume 57 (Rhino R2 728562, triple HDCD, with digipak and booklet, 2026, recorded 1978)
Rock/Psychedelic
Donna Godchaux (occasional vocals)
Aside from a ragged ‘Sunrise’ in the first sent and an indolent and overlong ‘He’s Gone’ in the second, the main show from 1 February 1978 is an impressive instalment of Dead, confirming that there’s still outstanding material in the vaults. The album also includes the final number from the first set and the entire second set from the night before – this is also top-notch, with a laid-back ’77-rather-than-’78 vibe. GRADE: B.

Iamthemorning, Mariana Semkina & Gleb Kolyadin (Russian Federation): Live At St Matthias (No label, Blu-ray plus triple CD, with digibook and slipcase, UK, 2026)
Progressive
Mariana Semkina (lead vocals, guitar)
This expansive concert document includes video and audio records of solo performances by Mariana Semkina and Gleb Kolyadin as well as Iamthemorning itself. Semkina largely performs material from her recent album Sirin, whilst Kolyadin offers some beautiful and virtuosic solo piano. Both sets are impressive, but when they come together as Iamthemorning and add some rock stürm und drag their full – and considerable – potential is revealed. Bonus material includes a tour of Semkina’s house and some footage in which they answer questions fans sent in. GRADE: B–.

Twist (West Germany): World, It’s No Miracle Baby! (Stono 89, cassette, with printed plastic inlay, 1989)
Psychedelic/Pop/Garage
Bela Ha (occasional vocals, guitar, synthesiser)
Repp and Bela Ha’s final album as the Twist (and first as the Cosmic Gardeners, as it was released under both guises) is broadly business as usual – nice, enjoyable, rather inconsequential lo-fi garage-rock and punky psych. GRADE: C+

Updated 12th February:

Codex Serafini (UK): Serpents Of Enceladus (Ceremonial Laptop/Halfmeltedbrain CLHMB001, cassette, 2020)
Progressive/New Wave
How best to describe Codex Serafini’s sui generis mashup of styles? Hawkwind crossed with X-Ray Spec might come closest, except they don’t sound all that much like either band. Amon Düül II with Chris Karrer wailing away on saxophone and Poly Styrene on vocals, perhaps? Maybe Omnia Opera at their most freeform blended with Crass? Or perhaps an updated early seventies Yoko Ono? Then again, the slight trip-hop elements don’t resemble any of those artists, though I could imagine Ono using them. Whatever, this is fascinating stuff: two 14½-minute jams that are wild and spaced-out to the maximum, never really going anywhere but taking you on a fascinating trip filled with twists and turns. GRADE: B–.
Codex Serafini (UK): Twisting The Serpents Of Enceladus (Ceremonial Laptop, download, 2020)
Dance/Progressive/New Wave
Goat released the only mediocre albums of their stellar career when they let dance producers mess with their work, and Codex Serafini fall down the same rabbit hole here. Bringing the faint trip-hop influence I noted previously to the fore, the remixers cover most of these pieces with intrusive electronic beats and clanks, twist and distort the original music, and completely destroy everything that made Serpents so special. GRADE: C.
Codex Serafini (UK): Invisible Landscape (Ceremonial Laptop/Halfmeltedbrain CLHMB001, cassette, 2020)
Progressive/New Wave
Whilst continuing the style of Serpents…, this 19-minute EP doesn’t really add much to it. Sure, I like their spacy cacophony and admire their freeform wildness, but equally there’s only so far they can plough this particular furrow. GRADE: C+.

Fishheads (UK): Songs From The Fishheads (Fruits De Mer crustacean 95, blue 7” plus CD, with minisleeve and air freshener, 2021)
Psychedelic/Pop/Progressive
Jacqueline Bourne (occasional vocals), Holly Bowler (occasional vocals)
This single features rather good versions of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ and ‘Let’s Get Together’ performed by members of the extended Honey Pot family. The bonus CD, meanwhile, features the two songs from the single, an alternate mix of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ and the 40-minute ‘We All Get Together In A Pleasant Valley Somewhere’, which is not, as I had expected, some kind of megamix but an electronic near-instrumental by Marc Swordfish of Astralasia borrowing a few elements from the songs. An alternate version of the release comprised a lathe-cut clear single with mono mixes of the two songs, a CD single with the same contents, and a bonus CD EP The Fishhead Ancestors, running for around 25 minutes, which I have not heard. GRADE: C+.

Niebiesko-Czarni (Poland): Live ’68 (Wydawnictwo 21 21 009, CD, 2001, recorded 1968)
Beat
Ada Rusowicz (joint lead vocals)
This archive release has excellent sound quality and a diverse track listing, with the covers including ‘Land Of 1000 Dances’ (twice, for some reason), ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’, ‘Respect’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ and a fuzz-drenched ‘Purple Haze’. Needless to say, the latter is my favourite by some margin. GRADE: C+.

Plantoid (UK): Flare (Bella Union BELLA1968V, with inner and booklet, 2026)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Chloë Spence
Chloë Spence’s naïve, girlish, ethereal vocals are a mixed blessing here: she adds distinctiveness to the band’s sound, but there’s too much of her and the effect eventually becomes wearing (not to mention homogenising). The additional of a male singer to counterbalance her would bring the band’s music on in leaps and bounds, as would more instrumental sections – the extended coda to the closing 7½-minute ‘Daisy Chains’ single-handedly lifts this from a more-interesting-than-average C+ to a just-about-B–. As such, this isn’t necessarily the follow-up to the quirky but likeable Terrapath too which I was hoping, but’s it’s solid enough in own right and definitely more interesting than average. Whether I’d go alone with the hype sticker’s claim that it’s ‘mad, gorgeous & fiercly [sic] original” is another matter GRADE: B–.

Renaissance (UK): In Gratitude – Farewell Tour 2024 (Symphonic Rock Recordings SRR-000-07, double CD, with digipak, 2025)
Progressive
Annie Haslam (lead vocals)
Years ago, I mildly upset an eBay seller by making a low offer on a Renaissance transcription disc he had for sale. ‘I think it’s worth a lot more than that,’ he responded. I answered that whilst it might be as rare as hen’s teeth, my price had to reflect its utility to me: I already had numerous Renaissance live albums and they nearly all featured the same songs. ‘You’ve got a point,’ he said. Broadly speaking, this is another such album, even if I didn’t expect versions of ‘A Songs For All Seasons’ and ‘One Thousand Roses’. The material is, of course, impeccable and the performances are flawless if occasionally a touch too slick (did ‘Prologue’ really need added synthesisers?). The issue, once again, is usefulness, as this ‘Farewell Tour’ effort comes just three years their ‘50th Anniversary Tour’ release. As such, whilst most albums I’ve graded B rate as essential, this one is for completists only. GRADE: B.

Siena Root (Sweden): Made In Kuba (Perception 4,0004, double CD, with digipak, 2025)
Rock/Progressive
Zubaida Solid (lead vocals, keyboards)
This 85-minute live album features three songs over 10 minutes but is nowhere near as wild or exploratory as that might suggest. It’s also a little short on live ambience, though this is counterbalanced by excellent recording quality. Nonetheless, I’m very fond of Siena Root’s energetic brand of bluesy retro rock, so this is a solid B– even if I wish they’d rediscover the sense of adventure that motivated Different Realities. GRADE: B–.

Updated 5th February:

Anacrusa (Argentina): Anacrusa (Global 11.024, cassette, 1985)
Folk/Progressive
Susana Lago
Apart from the 15-minute closing track, this marks a return to the ethnic folk style of the band’s early work, with male and female vocals, acoustic guitars, hand percussion, flute and woodwind. However, the long number ‘Carnavalito Y Vidala’ is much more adventurous, borrowing from El Sacrificio’s cinematic style, and offers a remarkable end to an otherwise beautiful but conventional album. GRADE: B–.

Sarah Kernochan (USA): House Of Pain (RCA APL1-0343, 1974)
Singer/Songwriter
Sarah Kernochan (lead vocals, piano)
In the closing ‘Number One In The Country’, Kernochan describes herself as ‘someone who writes good songs’. She’s right: the material here is well assembled, beautifully arranged, excellently sung and pleasingly varied (from sedate piano-based ballads to funky, mildly jazzy rock to, unfortunately vaudeville on ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’). But these sorts of albums were commonplace in the seventies and whilst this is above average, it would take great songs, not just good ones, to make this another Court And Spark. Is Sarah Kernochan someone who writes truly great songs? Not on this evidence. GRADE: C+.
Sarah Kernochan (USA): Beat Around The Bush (RCA CPL1-0671, with inner, 1974)
Singer/Songwriter
Sarah Kernochan (lead vocals, piano)
With titles like ‘Da-Dum’, ‘Ballad Of Weird Romeo’, ‘Can I Get On Top This Time?’, ‘Jelly Under Paraffin’ and ‘It’s Alright, It Won’t Bite’, Sarah Kernochan is certainly quirkier than than the typical singer/songwriter. Whether she’s better than the typical singer/songwriter is a different question, especially as she indulges her whimsical and vaudevillian tendencies more than on her debut. As such, the plus in my grade is mainly for the quality of the arrangements and the fine production, rather than the music per se. GRADE: C+.
Sarah Kernochan (USA): Decades Of Demos (No label, download, 2013)
Singer/Songwriter
The provenance of the material here isn’t indicated, but as the title suggests it clearly gathers diverse demos from diverse eras. Much of it is in a similar piano-based vein to her two seventies albums, albeit thankfully less arch, but there’s everything here from electric rock to electronic pop. As such, this is a touch inconsistent, but it’s arguably the best of her three releases. GRADE: C+.

Major Stars (USA): More Colors Of Sound (Drag City DC 963, 2025)
Garage/Psychedelic
Noell Dorsey (lead vocals), Kate Biggar (guitar)
When they’re on form, Major Stars deliver blistering guitar-led garage psych: not subtle or varied, but powerful and assertive and absorbing. They’re on form here, especially on the superb 10-minute closer ‘Not Alone’. GRADE: B–.

Whipped Cream (Sweden): And Other Delights (Radium 226.05, CD, 1991)
Psychedelic
Elisabeth Punzi (joint lead vocals, guitar)
Shoegaze Swedish-style: not that different from any other shoegaze you’ve ever heard but executed with aplomb and trippiness in spades. However, that’s only part of the story – Whipped Cream are far from one-trick ponies and throw in a fine semi-acoustic number (‘Silver 1’) and an excellent Beatles pastiche (‘Theodora Wine’), which are also supremely trippy. As a footnote, the CD version contains two short bonus tracks, both pretty good. GRADE: B–.
Whipped Cream (Sweden): Tune In The Century (Snap 3, CD, 1992)
Psychedelic
Elisabeth Punzi (joint lead vocals, guitar)
At its best (as on the haunting single ‘Observatory Crest’ and the majestic closer ‘Beyond The Sun’) this is delightful, but overall it doesn’t add much to the impression created by their first. As such, I’m torn regarding a grade: this is either a very strong C+ or a just-about-B– and I think I’ll go with the former. GRADE: C+.
Whipped Cream (Sweden): HorseMountain (Snap 14, CD, 1994)
Psychedelic
Elisabeth Punzi (joint lead vocals, guitar)
Whipped Cream’s swansong is considerably more varied than their first two, ranging from garagy, almost punky, stuff through to folky numbers and even managing to include a lengthy drum solo. The best numbers here are very good indeed, whilst I’d describe the remainder as merely good. GRADE: C+.

Updated 29th January:

Arteria (Mexico): Cuatro Visiones (Elbon 002, CD, 2011)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Mari Carmen Graue (violin)
The real revelation here is that the band is from Mexico: I tend to associate this kind of dissonant chamber music/RIO with French and Belgian outfits, and this immediately brings to mind Univers Zéro and some of Art Zoyd’s less electronic ventures. Entirely instrumental, the music prominently features electric guitar, anchoring it to rock rather than modern classical music, and there’s a high level of dynamism, but the presence of 10 discrete tracks makes the album a little fragmentary. Nonetheless, anyone liking Univers Zéro or the less electronic end of Art Zoyd, as I do, will find plenty to enjoy here. GRADE: B–.

Filigree (UK): Filigree (IBC Sound Recording Studios, acetate, 1973)

Folk

Christine Jeffrey, Patricia Spratt

This unreleased album is wide-ranging indeed, from an acapella ‘Yesterday’ to a beautiful version of ‘Banks Of The Lee’ that resembles Faraway Folk at their finest to an unusual (and very effective) garagy electric reading of ‘Meet On The Ledge’. However, whilst this is frequently quite lovely it’s not all good news: the band also have one foot in choral classical music (notably on ‘O Bone Jesu’) and another in the pure MOR and nostalgia camp (pun very much intended), as throwaway numbers like ‘Moonlight Medley’ and ‘Lida Rose’ indicate. An archive release, also self-titled (Bright Carvings BCLP012, with inserts, 2024) compiles the better tracks from the acetate with a few pieces from a live cassette. GRADE: B–See also Sunday Afternoons

Foehn (France): Faëria (Centre Loisirs & Culture CC 4610, 1985)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Anou Belliard (lead vocals)
The obvious reference point here is Cos, with Anou Belliard offering some very Pascale Son-like scatting, though there are slight references to the softest end of Magma and fusion and jazz/funk in general. Composed as the soundtrack to a modern ballet, this is both well-structured and beautifully recorded, but it doesn’t have quite the same carefree abandon as Cos or sense of adventure of Magma, and the prominent synthesisers sometimes get a bit cheesy.

GRADE: C+.

Softwire (UK): Amplitude (No label, download, 2024)

Rock

Softwire being Software (and essentially a ‘various artists’ project as much as a collective), this ranges from early seventies-style hard rock (quite a bit of hard rock, actually) to ballads, synth-pop and rap. As such, most listeners will have strong preferences between tracks, but overall this is as charming as usual and somehow just about manages to hang together. GRADE: C+.

Stormy Six (Italy/UK): Macchina Maccheronica (L’Orchestra OLPS 55009, with booklet, 1980)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Georgie Born (cello)
Some albums transcend language barriers whilst others don’t: the admittedly fascinating Macchina Maccheronica belongs in the second category. This Italian band pioneered Rock In Opposition during the seventies, issuing a string of albums (though this was the only one with Henry Cow alumna Georgie Born in the line-up), and here their sound blends Brechtian elements with Italian folk styles, chamber music, some circus-like elements and a few (fairly restrained) avant-rock edges. The end results are very interesting, but I suspect one would need some command of Italian to appreciate this to the full. GRADE: B–.
See also Lindsay Cooper, Feminist Improvising Group, Henry Cow, Officer!, Mike Westbrook Orchestra

Uffington Horse (USA): Enchantment (Sea Fire Productions SFP 0409, CD, with poster booklet, 2004)
Folk/Rock
Heather Alexander (lead vocals, guitar, violin)
This electric folk album features excellent original material by Heather Alexander and lively, if not particularly varied, arrangements. The relative narrowness of the band’s style becomes obvious over 14 songs and nearly 66 minutes, but there’s enough good stuff here to get it over the line to a B–. Ms Alexander made a number of solo albums, which I have not encountered. GRADE: B–.

Various (Greece): I Pop Stin Athína – Zontanoí Sto K‎ýttaro (Zodiac SYZP 89023, LP plus 7", 1971)

Rock/Progressive

Stella Gadedi & Bourmpoulia, Despina Glezou

This compilation of supposedly live tracks (though the audience sounds overdubbed to me) features two excellent garage pop numbers from former Nostradmos member Despina Glezou. Meanwhile, Stella Gadedi & Boumpoulia offer nearly ten minutes of experimental prog, led by Gadedi’s occasional wordless vocals and eloquent flute playing. Among the non-female acts, Damon & Phidias deliver two pleasant contemporary folk songs and Exadaktylos offer a jazzy prog jam with spoken vocals (very vague reference points might include Catapilla and a sort of Greek version of Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes) and a straighter bluesy number. Finally, the best-known act here, Socrates Drank The Conium, provide a ten-minute blues jam covered in stinging fuzz guitar. GRADE: B–.

New and Updated​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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