New and Updated

Updated 4th September:

Babal (UK): The Big Everything (Melodic Revolution MRRCD-22166, CDR, with gatefold minisleeve and insert, 2019)
Psychedelic/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
Featuring one song of nearly 20 minutes and another of nearly nine, this mini-LP followed on from the download-only EP Liquid Sunshine (comprising a rather lovely 30-minute semi-ambient instrumental with no input from Karen Langley). Needless to say, the extra space afforded by the extended song times enables them to shine: this time round, they really do sound like an updated Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes, which is high praise indeed. GRADE: B–.
Babal (UK): Frank’s Lament (Melodic Revolution MRRCD-22181, CDR, with digital, 2020)
Psychedelic/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
A marginal case for inclusion, this 22½-minute EP features two new songs and two new versions (one studio, one live) of old ones. Musically, this is rather good, with a wide range of moods and textures, though it’s nowhere near as wild as The Big Everything. GRADE: C+.
Babal (UK): Rabbit’s Moon (No label, download, 2020)
Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals, percussion, recorder)
Babal recorded this improvised 16-minute soundtrack to the Kenneth Anger film of the same during 2014 under their alter-egos as Trio Diabolique, but did not release it until early 2020. Quite different from their normal work, this is gentle, pastoral and haunting music with wordless vocals – all impressionistic yet melodic, adding up to a delightful addendum to their catalogue. GRADE: B–.
Babal (UK): Hellish Interlude (No label, USB stick, 2020)
Psychedelic/Progressive
Karen Langley
Limited to 30 copies, this rather interesting odds-and-sods collection features nine WAV audio files (alternate versions, improvisations, live numbers, one old song and one taster for the forthcoming Spirit In A Meat Suit), a couple of live video clips and some photos. The results are a bit of a mishmash, but this is mostly at the heavier and wilder end of Babal’s repertoire – or in other words, the Babal I really like. GRADE: B–.

Honey Pot (UK): The Secret (Billywitch B1004CD, CDR, with book sleeve, 2021)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
A picture of Jefferson Airplane, a quote from Robert Crumb about the Grateful Dead and a still from ‘A Clockwork Orange’ indicate the Honey Pot’s secret: they take psychedelic inspiration from anything and everything, rather than slavishly adhering to any particular style. Of course, many modern bands play eclectic psychedelia, so the real issue is whether or not they have innate trippiness. The Honey Pot have it. GRADE: B–.
Honey Pot (UK): The Happiness Explosion (Billywitch B1020, double, 2024)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
The Honey Pot’s first album in three years is quite the epic, offering 17 songs totalling nearly 83 minutes. However, don’t expect any kind of high-blown concept album, as I’m struggling to identify any overarching or collective identity. Nonetheless, as with everything this band has released, there’s plenty of good music on offer. GRADE: B–.
Honey Pot (UK): Live At The New Avalon Ballroom (Mega Dodo DODOLP38, purple vinyl, 2025)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
Mixing old and new material, this live set is customarily excellent, boasting the winning combination of acid guitar and trebly organ – the building blocks of many favourite albums in my collection. GRADE: B–.

Musica Orbis (USA): To The Listeners (Longdivity 22644, 1977)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Kitty Brazelton (joint lead vocals, piano, flute, recorder), Caille Colbourn (joint lead vocals, piano, harp)
Musica Orbis’s blend of jazz-fusion and modern classical influences is unusual, to say the least, lending their music a slightly detached and academic feel. That said, the album is not without its charm and is frequently very inventive, though the more experimental first side is clearly superior to the more conventional second. GRADE: C+.

Updated 28th August:

Babal (UK): The Glacier (Melodic Revolution MRRCD22156, CD, with gatefold minisleeve, 2018)
Rock/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
This 23-minute, three-song EP strikes me as Babal’s best release to date. That may be because the music here is livelier and more energetic than their norm, with a welcome spaciness and some customarily fine guitar work. Or it may be because it’s a 23-minute, three-song EP and they’re a band with an established modus operandi that varies little from number to number. GRADE: B–.

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+.

Honey Pot (UK): Inside The Whale (Mega Dodo DODOCD14-1/3, triple CD, with mini sleeves, fish and autographed tin, 2016)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne
The sublime eight-minute title track, with its hazy washes of flute and hypnotic organ, is as trippy and beatific as the multicoloured cover. Actually, come to that, the whole album is quite the trip. Initial copies came with a bonus EP featuring several tracks from singles plus the live album Live In London.

GRADE: B–.
Honey Pot (UK): Bewildered Jane (Mega Dodo DODOLP 33, LP, white and black vinyl, plus CD, with minisleeve, insert and download card, 2019)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
The Honey Pot’s greatest strength in their diversity: they don’t sound like Jefferson Airplane or Pink Floyd or Hawkweed or a Swingin’ London or sunshine pop act but can sound like any of them if they choose. Of course, it helps that they can write great songs in any of those idioms. The first pressing came with a very enjoyable bonus CD Live At The Onboard The Craft Festival, which focuses on the garage end of the band’s repertoire. GRADE: B–.

Updated 21st August:

Babal (UK): Hanging In The Balance (Degenerate BAB6248, CD, with minisleeve, 2015)
Rock/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
The main difference between this four-track, 24-minute studio EP and a studio album from the former Wise Children and Babble crew is length. In other words, this ploughs their familiar furrow, as usual with enjoyable though not necessarily memorable results.
Babal (UK): Live At Sonic Rock Solstice 2015 (No label, download, 2015)
Rock/Psychedelic/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
This download-only EP indicates that the band’s material works well on stage as they deliver their vaguely funky grooves with real energy and drive. The music here reminds me of everyone from Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes to Talking Heads, which I mean as a compliment, with the only missing ingredient being a few killer riffs and tunes. GRADE: C+.
Babal (UK): Singular Adventures In Post-Modern Capitalist Society (Infeffable INEFF003, CDR plus DVDR, 2016)
Rock/Psychedelic/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
The settings here are varied but uniformly atmospheric. Rob Williams’s guitar work is as stellar as ever. Karen Langley is clearly passionate and highly effective. The recording is, as usual, excellent, whilst the whole thing reminds me once more of an updated and scaled-down Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes. But yet again this lacks the je ne sais quoi to take it to the next level, and the term is apposite – I’m struggling to define what it is that it lacks. GRADE: C+.

Babal (UK): The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues (Melodic Revolution MRRLP-12-002, LP plus CD and DVD, with inserts, 2018)

Rock

Karen Langley (lead vocals)

This is one of Babal’s best albums – probably. The settings for Karen Langley’s sprechgesang are both dynamic and reasonably diverse, yet the more Babal I hear the more I realise they’re essentially one-trick ponies. They’re good at that trick – I can hear bits of Catherine Ribeiro, Brainticket and even Poisongirls here – but I keep waiting for them to break out of their comfort zone and they never do. Initial copies of the LP came with a bonus CD Glossolalia compiling various bits and pieces plus a live DVD Bread And Circuses. GRADE: C+.

Babble (UK): Shape Of The Flux (Out Of The Box, CDR, 2012)
Rock
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
The band formerly known as Wise Children return with an album containing several remakes of some earlier songs. As such, this feels like a recap rather than a step forward, unsurprisingly blending the slightest different styles of the two Wise Children LPs. The results are pleasant and mellifluous enough, but given the sense of familiarity I don’t find this an album that particularly holds my interest. GRADE: C+.
Babble (UK): Bread And Circuses (Out Of The Box, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2012)
Rock
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
Babble are a thoughtful band: a lot of work has clearly gone into the social commentary of their lyrics, the intricacy of their arrangements and, on this release, even the fine artwork and much more elaborate packaging. Yet this sense of restraint is perhaps their downfall: whilst their brand of supple, somewhat funky, vaguely proggy rock is enjoyable it isn’t hugely memorable. Indeed, on the couple of occasions they up the energy level – remakes of Tied To The Machine’ and ‘Lady Of The Wild Things’ towards the end of the disc – the difference is palpable. GRADE: C+.

Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Live (Mega Dodo CDCD1/CJDVD1, CDR plus DVDR, with book sleeve, 2018)
Garage/Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
Limited to 100 copies, this lavishly packaged set combines a 45-minute CD with a 30-minute DVD. Rather wilder than Ms Bourne’s carefully crafted studio albums, this is perhaps a touch less consistent but at its frequent best offers some superb garage rock and psychedelia. GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline (UK): A Prayer For The Birds (Mega Dodo DODOCD35/SAM 35, double CDR, 2019)
Folk/Rock/Psychedelic/Progressive
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
A Prayer For The Birds is a game of two halves: the first (side one on the vinyl LP) is delicate and acoustic, recorded without drums, and the second (the ‘A Prayer For The Birds’ suite itself) is more robust and electric. Both are delightfully trippy and filled with charming moments. Meanwhile, the bonus disc Live At Johns Park Studios is also in an acoustic and folky vein, with excellent versions of some familiar numbers as well as a lovely cover of King Crimson’s ‘I Talk To The Wind’. GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Two Moons (Billywitch BCD0001006, CD, with digipak, 2022)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals, piano)
That this contains great retro psychedelia isn’t newsworthy: it’s a Crystal Jacqueline album after all. It also isn’t particularly newsworthy that this blends all elements of her style: from heavier acid-rock through trippy popsike to folkier sounds, with some new ground being broken on the glam-influenced ‘Boudecia Love’. But it’s certainly worth noting that this is well worth hearing. GRADE: B–.

Sylvie Fisichella (France): Takk (Arion SF 001, CD, with digipak, 2025)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Sylvie Fisichella (principal vocals)
As a Magma alumna, one would expect Sylvie Fisichella to deliver a mellow jazz-fusion album stepping on from the softest end of zeuhl. One would also expect the credits to be dotted with fellow Magma associates. Takk delivers on both counts, offering pleasant, mildly proggy fusion with a decent level of variety and occasional experimentation (including the odd touch of free-jazz) and a cast list including Stella Vander and Jannick Top’s son Jimmy. GRADE: C+.

Honey Pot (UK): To The Edge Of The World (Psychedandy PSY 92, CD, 2012)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne
Jacqueline Bourne and Icarus Peel’s band pursues much the same furrow as her parallel solo career as Crystal Jacqueline. In fact, the main two differences are that Peel takes most of the lead vocals whilst – less predictably – Bourne co-writes everything whereas Peel writes almost all her solo material. The music? Great psychedelic pop and psychedelic folk/rock, of course, with a more Swingin’ London and less West Coast feel than Crystal Jacqueline, partly due to Peel’s wide-boy (and wide-eyed) vocals. GRADE: B–.
Honey Pot (UK): Ascending Scales (Regal Crabomophone winkle 25, quadruple CD, with minisleeves, inserts, postcards, poster, box, envelope and seeds, 2016)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals, keyboards), Judy Dyble (occasional vocals), Britt Ronnholm (occasional vocals), Cary Grace (occasional vocals, synthesiser, Theremin)
This gargantuan set – 24 tracks in nearly two and a half hours – sees the Honey Pot collaborating with a wide range of psychedelic luminaries, both old and new. Among others, Anton Barbeau, Tony Durant, Judy Dyble, Leo O’ Kelly & Sonny Condell, Cary Grace, Dick Taylor, Nick Saloman and Britt Ronnholm put in appearances as they tackle both covers and originals. The result? Two hours 26 minutes of trippy bliss, wandering all over the psychedelic, garage rock and acid-folk map. GRADE: B–.

Monumentum (Italy): In Absentia Christi (Misanthropy AMAZON 7, CD, UK, 1995)
Metal/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Francesca Nicoli (joint lead vocals)
This experimental album is both very metallic and very gothic, but not what the description ‘gothic metal’ usually implies. Its tapestries of songs and instrumentals (that somehow manages to include a deconstruction of Visage’s ‘Fade To Grey’) covers a wide range of musical territory, with lots of classical references and a dark, despondent theme being the unifying factor. Add in some anguished semi-spoken male vocals and mainly wordless female soprano singing and the end results can only be described as quintessentially Italian: very likely influenced by seventies Jacula and Antonius Rex and probably an influence on those bands’ return in the early noughties. GRADE: B–.
Monumentum (Italy): Ad Nauseam (Tatra TATCD-060, CD, Norway, 2002)
Rock/Metal/Progressive
Elisa Carrera (occasional vocals), Francesca Bos (occasional vocals)
Whilst equally gothic, this second and final album is more electronic, less metallic and considerably less varied and experimental. Nonetheless, this is still atmospheric and powerful stuff, even though I miss the constant surprises of the debut. GRADE: B–.
Monumentum (Italy): Metastasi (Cursed Land Entertainment CRS.03, CD, 2004)
Rock/Progressive
Francesca Nicoli, Francesca Bos
This collection of remixes and odds-and-sods sees the band abandoning its metal roots almost entirely: what remains is gothic, doomy electronic music with lots of symphonic references. Whilst much of the music is more than decent, the heavier riffs that used to anchor down their material are a significant loss, and like many odds-and-sods compilations this doesn’t cohere like a studio album. GRADE: C+.

Updated 14th August:

Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Heal Yourself (Psychedandy PSY 97, CD, 2010)
Blues/Rock/Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
Aside from a surprisingly effective cover of Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Circle In The Sand’, this consists entirely of originals by Ms Bourne’s regular collaborator Icarus Peel. They’re consistently fine originals too: bluesy, trippy rock with a clear late sixties lineage, fronted by assertive, slightly Joplin-esque vocals and some stinging acid guitar. As such, this is at the very top end of a C+: nearly a B–, but lacking the couple of truly killer songs to push it over the edge, though the stunning closer ‘What Have They Done?’ nearly manages it. GRADE: C+.
Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Sun Arise (Mega Dodo DODOCD 3, CDR, with digipak and poster, 2013)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
This is more overtly psychedelic than Heal Yourself, with some charming garage edges, and the better half is delightful. The other half isn’t particularly memorable, but this is still clearly good enough to merit a B–. GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline & The Honey Pot (UK): Electronic Memory (Mega Dodo HPCD1, CDR, with minisleeve, booklet, photographs, bag of space dust, badge, box and obi, 2015)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (joint lead vocals), Paige Naomi Baker (joint lead vocals)
This concept album, compiling tracks by both of Ms Bourne’s main projects, expands the double 7" EP Honey released the previous year. It’s trippier still than Sun Arise, acting as a sort of homage to late sixties British psychedelia and including excellent covers of ‘Remember A Day’, ‘White Rabbit’, ‘Hole In My Shoe’ and, less predictably, Curved Air’s ‘Puppets’. The result is a modern psychedelic classic, with the narration by a little girl highlighting the surreal nature of the set (though some listeners could find it twee), GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Rainflower (Mega Dodo DODOCD8, CD, 2015)
Psychedelic/Folk
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
Considerably folkier than previous Crystal Jacqueline albums, but equally dreamy and psychedelic, this sees Ms Bourne and her associates continuing to expand their musical territory. She does it with aplomb as well, with no obvious weak moments during the LP’s 45 minutes. GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline (UK): Await The Queen (Mega Dodo DODOCD23, CD, 2017)
Psychedelic/Folk
Jacqueline Bourne (lead vocals)
Despite running for 77 minutes, this doesn’t feel like a landmark work: whereas the last two albums felt exploratory, this feels more like a consolidation. As such, whilst this is consistently enjoyable it sits on the cusp between a C+ and a B– and it’s only the majestic coda to the 11½-minute title track that gets it over the line. GRADE: B–.
Crystal Jacqueline & The Honey Pot (UK): We Fill In Forms And Mow The Lawn (Fruits De Mer FISH25, purple vinyl LP plus CD, autographed, 2018)
Psychedelic
Jacqueline Bourne (principal vocals, keyboards)
This collection of (mainly) cover version was compiled from EPs, flexidiscs and unreleased session and returns Crystal Jacqueline to her garage psych roots. The results are a delight, with the bonus CD EP with the initial run featuring a further five songs. GRADE: B–.

Lost Crowns (UK): Every Night Something Happens (Bad Elephant Music BEM065, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2019)
Progressive/Psychedelic/Avant-Garde
Nicola Baigent (clarinet, recorder), Sharron Fortnam (backing vocals)
Crossing the Cardiacs with Hatfield & The North (the latter clearly represented by the Richard Sinclair-like vocals and literate yet whimsical lyrics) sounds obvious, but it’s the first time I’ve heard it done in quite this way. Unlike the Cardiacs, Lost Crowns aren’t particularly punky and they’re also a good deal jazzy than the Hatfields, despite the tricky time signatures, with a faint folky bent. Whilst the results are impressively skewed and eccentric, the lack of variety means that the album unequivocally sets out its stall in the first five minutes, with few surprises thereafter, whilst a few more extended instrumental passages would not have gone amiss. GRADE: B–.
Lost Crowns (UK): The Heart Is In The Body (Believers’ Roast BR39CD, CD, with digipak, 2023)
Progressive/Psychedelic/Avant-Garde
Nicola Baigent (saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder), Sharron Fortnam (backing vocals)
Sharing the same strengths and (slight) weaknesses as its predecessor, this is perhaps a little heavier and a touch punkier, though it still reminds me as much of the Hatfields as the Cardiacs. Of course, it doesn’t have quite the same wildness and virtuosity as the Hatfields and maybe not quite the same wildness as the Cardiacs either, but in the absence of those outfits the Lost Crowns fill the void nicely. GRADE: B-.

Wise Children (UK): Collaborating With The Inevitable (No label, CDR, 1999)
Rock/Psychedelic
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
Wise Children’s elegant, mildly trippy rock, sometimes folky and sometimes spiced up with quasi-tribal rhythms, is characterised by Rob Williams’s virtuosic guitar work, both electric and acoustic. Their musicianship isn’t always matched by material of the same quality – ‘What Shall We Do?’ Is by some margin the most memorable thing here – but this is promising enough to indicate why they became habitués of Daevid Allen’s extended UK milieu. GRADE: C+.
Wise Children (UK): The Law Of 3 (Ineffable Music WC1002, CDR, 2001)
Rock/Progressive
Karen Langley (lead vocals)
Somewhat different from their first, this consists of metronomic, somewhat funky, rock that creates a vaguely hypnotic vibe and could at a push be compared to Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes without the wildness or any of the experimental elements. Once again it’s rather good, though it’s precisely that wildness and those experimental edges that would have carried it over the boundary to B–. After this, the band changed named to Babble and then Babal. GRADE: C+.
See also Babal, Babble

Updated 7th August:

Susan Christie (USA): Paint A Lady (B-Music BMS002, CD, with slipcase, 2006, recorded 1970)
Folk/Rock
Susan Christie issued several novelty singles on Columbia in the mid-to-late sixties, gaining a minor hit with ‘I Love Onions’, before gaining a deal with ABC-Paramount and recording about two-thirds of an album in a more serious vein in 1970. However, her label cancelled her deal partway through, with three acetates being cut of the six songs. These were combined with two 1966 single tracks to form the Paint A Lady album in 2006, which won her considerable acclaim. That acclaim was deserved – this has a fine folk/rock album, ranging from orchestrated cuts recalling Bonnie Dobson’s sublime 1969 album on RCA (though Christie was not a songwriter) through to more robust numbers with chunky electric guitar. However, the standout cut is the nine-minute ‘Yesterday, Where’s My Mind?’, which starts out as a spoken-word recitation of an acid trip accompanied by organ and drums, hinting towards Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes or even Brainticket, before becoming a fine, slightly psychedelic folk/rocker. Had Christie completed the album and included another similarly fascinating track, this would have been a comfortable B–. GRADE: C+.

Dream Dust (Switzerland): Play The World: Volume Two (No label AR.05.5.31.8-5.2, CD, 2022)
Rock
Anne Auderset (lead vocals)I
This time round, the actual title and catalogue number are virtual cut-and-pastes. As a result, the review writes itself. GRADE: C+.

Fleece (UK): Music Of The Hounds (Storm SR 3306, with booklet, 1979?)
Folk/Spoken Word
Chris Russell (backing vocals)
Side one of this unusual album is a sort of audio documentary of a fox hunt, whilst side two consists of pleasant acoustic folk by Fleece, again with hunting-themed lyrics. The package is completed with a very attractive full-colour laminated cover and a lyric booklet, indicating that the hunt had an unusually high budget for a privately pressed album. GRADE: C+.

Gong (UK/France/Australia): 1997 GAS Tape (Gong Appreciation Society GAS 1997, cassette, 1997)
Psychedelic/Progressive
Gilli Smyth (joint lead vocals)
Whereas most of the other annual GAS tapes were compilations of various bits of pieces, this mostly consists of a 1996 gig in Lille recorded by a hybrid line-up of Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Didier Malherbe, Mike Howlett, Pip Pyle and Stephan Lewry. Less jazzy and more overtly psychedelic than early seventies Gong, this features a fine selection of classics from the band’s golden age, peaking on a superb rendition of ‘Isle Of Everywhere’. Given the cassette format, the sound is a little thin, but the music is so good that I wish they’d included the entire show instead of closing with a (perfectly decent) trippy synth piece by Lewry. GRADE: B.

Valtozash (Australia): Sundered Synapses (No label, CDR, with minisleeve, 2025)
Jazz/Metal/Progressive
Emily Booij (saxophone)
With seven tracks in 25 minutes, this isn’t the landmark work that Boiling Solitude was, but that’s not to say that it’s anything less than excellent. The frequently superb music here demonstrates not only that Valtozash have melded big band jazz and metal so effortlessly that they sound like natural bedfellows but also a grasp of dynamics and pacing that leaves 90% of experimental outfits in the dust. GRADE: B–.

Updated 31st July:

Dream Dust (Switzerland): The Meeting (No label GLR 14.18.31-1, CD, 1995)
Rock/Progressive
Nathalie Galland (joint lead vocals), Nathalie Lüthi (joint lead vocals)
The pleasant, melodic symphonic rock here, drawing on both prog and AOR, is richly arranged and filled with hooks, though the programmed drums betray its somewhat low-budget nature. Nonetheless, whilst slightly generic, it clearly indicates multi-instrumentalist Paul Reber’s talent as a songwriter, arranger and producer. GRADE: C+.
Dream Dust (Switzerland): The City Of Feelings (No label MSR - 02.12.31 - 2, CD, 2001)
Folk/Rock
Judith Morand Oberholzer (joint lead vocals), Hélène Sebastian Besson (joint lead vocals)
The bad news is that is straighter than their first, with the progressive and symphonic edges. The worse news is that it feels more low-budget still, with the drum machine tinnier and more irritating than the first time around. The good news is that, like their debut, this contains some rather lovely songs, though this time they feel more like demos, meaning this barely crawls over the line from a C. GRADE: C+.
Dream Dust (Switzerland): Gates Of The Time (No label HR-20.4.31.8-3, CD, 2007)
Rock/Progressive
Nathalie Harvey (lead vocals)
Whilst the progressive influences are mainly limited to the opening son, this is a definite step up from The City Of Feelings, offering a charming collection of symphonic rock songs. In some ways, it reminds me of the South African band Off The Edge, who similarly melded AOR and froggy influences, though in a more robust and less folky way. However, once again it would have been so much better with live rather than sampled drums. GRADE: C+.
Dream Dust (Switzerland): In The Universe Of… (No label BR 8.6.31.8-4, CD, 2014)
Rock/Progressive
Muriel Belk (lead vocals)
On the plus side, the sampled drums are less annoying here, with something of a John Bonham quality, but the improvement is negated by the brash and unsympathetic mastering. Musically, this is typical Dream Dust: nice enough symphonic rock blending AOR and neoprogressive edges, with decent melodies and chord progressions but lacking in the something special that would have seen it approach B– status. GRADE: C+.
Dream Dust (Switzerland): Play The World: Volume One (No label AR.05.5.31.8-5, CD, 2019)
Rock
Anne Auderset (lead vocals)
With some bands, one might as well cut and paste one’s reviews as it sounds like they’ve cut and pasted their music. Dream Dust exemplifies such bands: this does exactly what you’d expect a Dream Dust album to do, about as well as any other Dream Dust album does it, and with no indication that the band have learned any new tricks in nearly a quarter of a century. GRADE: C+.

Husmoderns Bróst (Sweden): Där Fruana Bor (Amalthea AM 11, with booklet, 1979)
Folk/Rock
Ulla Ekelund (joint lead vocals, keyboards), Christina Mannegren (joint lead vocals, bass), Katalin Wagner (joint lead vocals, percussion), Marie Larsdotter (occasional vocals, concertina, flute), Maria Lindström (occasional vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards), Lisbeth Hultén (occasional vocals, drums, percussion)
A friend described this as a Swedish equivalent of Joy Of Cooking, and the comparison is spot on: Husmoderns Bróst have the same breezy, slyly funky vibe, though their music draws on folk rather than country. With a few minor progressive touches thrown in, this is charming and melodic stuff with a typically Swedish carefree feel. GRADE: C+.

Updated 24th July:

Aviva Omnibus (Russian Federation): Nutcracker In Fury (Muséa FGBG4768, CD, France, 2008)
Progressive
Luba Filatova (occasional vocals), Lilia Lukianenko (occasional vocals)
‘Fury’ is the word: this rock adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite’ is a wild ride, with lashings of energy and constant shifts of mood and tempo. Some may find it too bombastic, but at its best it is genuinely dazzling, executed with uncommon verve and passion. However, it remains a marginal case for inclusion as it’s almost entirely instrumental, with almost nothing discernible in the way of female vocals. GRADE: B.

Himmelaya (UK/Germany/Sweden): Lost Horizon (Regal Crabomphone winkle 59, double LP plus double CDR, black and white splatter vinyl, with insert and gatefold minisleeve UK, 2025)
Pop/Psychedelic
Britt Rönnholm (lead vocals)
‘Think motorik rhythms meets spoken word, kosmiche meets krautrock’ announces the blurb on the Fruits De Mer website – all of which is sort-of true, but I also think this is much more pop-oriented than that description implies. It certainly doesn’t remind me of ‘classic-era Ash Ra Tempel’ as mainman Marc Swordfish puts it, though I suppose one could say it occasionally resembles the lighter stuff from Starring Rosi (as opposed to Join Inn). As such, whilst this is pleasantly trippy, with some appealing extended grooves, anyone expecting a deep psychedelic masterpiece is likely to be slightly disappointed. In fact, the two CDRs containing remixes and alternate takes are much more interesting and experimental, with the band leaving its pop leanings behind and stretching out towards the ether, with more than a hint of Mr Swordfish’s previous band Astralasia. As a standalone release, the CDs would probably merit a B–, though some listeners might find them a little rambling and diffuse. GRADE: C+.

Kuunatic (Japan): Wheels Of Ömon (Glitterbeat GBCD169, CD, with digipak and poster, Germany, 2021)
Psychedelic
Shoko Yoshida (joint lead vocals, bass, percussion), Fumie C Kikuchi (joint lead vocals, synthesiser, percussion, flute), Yuko Araki (joint lead vocals, drums, percussion, sho)
Once again the Nippon trio deliver a fascinating mixture of ethnic Japanese styles, psychedelia and pure experimentation. The results are by turns joyous, dynamic, eerie and slightly unsettling. GRADE: B–.

Noh Kitty (USA): Soliloquies And Aspirations (No label, download, 2025)
Folk/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Whilst the female singer remains shrouded in mystery, Not Kitty have released the name of their mainman: Peter Schimpf. Surprise, surprise: Dr Schimpf is a professor of music, an orchestral conductor and a prodigy in exotic stringed instruments. Noh Kitty’s music remains as literate and intricate as one would expect from such an illustrious CV, this time round with more of an emphasis on semi-acoustic ballads, though dissonance and experimentation are never far from the surface. Needless to say, the weirdest and most exploratory song (the nine-minute ‘Sand Drawn Soliloquies (Or Can’t Catch The Cat)’) is by some margin my favourite, but this is intriguing and atmospheric throughout. GRADE: B–.

Olvardil Prydwyn & Diana McFadden (USA): The Witch In The Well (Gren Crown Productions GCCS 0012C, cassette, 1997)
Folk/Psychedelic
Diana McFadden (percussion, mandolin, cello, backing vocals)
Prydwyn’s quavery vocals – presumably intended to recall an ancient wizard or sage – are an acquired taste, but the sparse yet intricate acoustic backing lends a haunting and mystical atmosphere to the duo’s songs. Most of the numbers are traditional, but radical covers of the Grateful Dead’s ‘Lady With A Fan’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’ are superbly executed and dovetail with the other material far more seamlessly than one might imagine. GRADE: B–.
See also Green Crown

Wilson Project (Italy): Atto Primo (Ma.Ra.Cash MRC140, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2025)
Progressive
Annalisa Ghiazzi (lead vocals, aerophone)
Like a lot of modern Rock Progressivo Italiano albums, this sits uncomfortable on the cusp between C+ and B–. It has a lovely, rich, mellow sound and plenty of atmosphere, but it’s also packed with lyrics, garnished with a few neoprogressive touches and a bit lacking in truly killer melodies or riffs. However, the excellent 14-minute closer ‘Duat’, where the band ventures beyond its comfort zone, just about gets it over the line. GRADE: B–.

Updated 17th July:

Mary Jane (UK): Solstice (Talking Elephant TECD244, CD, 2014)
Folk/Rock
Jo Quinn (principal vocals, bodhrán, flute, clarinet, recorder, flageolet), Allison Brown (occasional vocals), Gillie Hotston (mandolin, violin, backing vocals)
I’ve loved everything this Trees-influenced electric folk band has released, and their final (or so it sadly appears) album is no exception. For sure, they don’t have the same wild abandon as Trees, with nothing over six minutes, but then again who does? GRADE: B.

Nouvelle Musique (UK): La Nouvelle Musique (Fruits De Mer Friends Of The Fish 87, some on red vinyl, with inner, 2025)
Folk/Rock/Psychedelic
Joanna Beck (principal vocals, bass, piano)
The husband-and-wife duo claim they ‘are here to captivate with a lush soundscape that ranges from the celestial to the cinematic’ with ‘a sound occasionally reminiscent of Nico and Françoise Hardy’. The operative word there is ‘occasional’: this only intermittently recalls Hardy, often sounding more continental than British, and never summons the spirit of Nico: not the Nico of The Marble Index anyway, though they definitely take something from the mood of ‘Femme Fatale’ and ‘I’ll be Your Mirror’. But their first statement is spot on: this is lovely, charming, slightly lo-fi folk and folk/rock with excellent original songs and a mood that’s always wistful and frequently subtly trippy. GRADE: B–.

Teiger (UK): Teiger (No label 5059881028578 Kycher-4654, CDR, with minisleeve, 2023)
Rock
Talie Rose Eigeland (lead vocals, guitar, piano)
Sometimes labels aren’t all they seem: this has widely been described as prog, whilst Punk Fox, which handled the vinyl reissue, describes itself as offering ‘music with a punk attitude if not always the sound of 1977’. In fact, this isn’t particularly proggy, certainly isn’t punky and doesn’t sound seventies at all: it’s spare, atmospheric modern rock with a slightly spacy edge, bolstered by a superb recording. Despite the lack of any extended jams (the songs average just over four minutes) or one or two truly killer hooks, it’s nearly good enough to qualify as a B– and certainly makes me wonder where Teiger will go next. GRADE: C+.

Updated 10th July:

Halloween (France): Psy-KO (Muséa FGBG 5075, double CD, with digipak, 2025)
Progressive
Géraldine Le Cocq (lead vocals)
My opinions of Halloween’s albums have been all over the place, so what of this ambitious 72-minute comeback set with tracks of up to 15 minutes? Well, it’s rather good, blending hard rocking and symphonic sections to pleasing effect. Whether it’s the landmark statement one might expect from a 72-minute album portentously released as a double CD is a slightly different question, as whilst varied it's all very dense and perversely very much of a piece. In fact, it reminds me of modern South American prog albums than anything French – though Halloween execute the style vastly better than most. GRADE: B–.

Wha-ha-ha (Japan): Shinutokiwa Betsu (Better Days YF-7018-AX, with insert, 1981)
New Wave/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Mishio Ogawa
The obvious reference points here is the bric-à-brac music of French near-contemporaries like Look De Bouk, though Wha-ha-ha’s music is more high-tech, with an added dash of Nippon eccentricity. This is appealingly playful stuff, with some lovely symphonic moments and plenty of unexpected diversions; however, whilst plain good fun, it’s also a little too fragmentary and inconsequential for me to rate it a B–. GRADE: C+.
Wha-ha-ha (Japan): Getahaitekonakucha (Better Days YF-7041-AX, with inserts and obi, 1981)
New Wave/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Mishio Ogawa (principal vocals)
Easily as eccentric as its predecessor, this second and final album shares its strengths and weaknesses – maverick sense of adventure, lots of surprises and plenty of great moments, but ultimately a series of snippets rather than a coherent set. GRADE: C+.

Updated 3rd July:

Shrooms Circle (Switzerland): Asylum (Golden Dawn Recordings GDR-007, cassette, Chile, 2018)
Metal
Odile Boche (lead vocals)
Operating at the most gothic, sludgy end of doom, Shrooms Circle sometimes sound like a much heavier, rawer version of Antonius Rex (especially on the 11½-minute opening title track). Subtlety and precision clearly aren’t their strengths, and there’s not much variety either, but their brand of fuzzed-out doom succeeds in being both assertive and atmospheric. GRADE: B–.
Shrooms Circle (Switzerland): The Constant Descent (DHU DHU071, CD, with digipak, Holland, 2022)
Metal/Progressive
Odile Boche (lead vocals)
Considerably more mature than their debut, this impressive second album does indeed have subtlety and variety if not necessarily precision. Lush interludes with acoustic guitar and Mellotron stitch together the songs, creating a richly symphonic atmosphere and moving the band’s music firmly into progressive territory, whilst the harder riffing pieces are as crunchy (and thankfully, not as sludgy) as ever. GRADE: B–.
Shrooms Circle (Switzerland): Live At RKC (No label, cassette, with poster, 2025)
Metal/Progressive
Odile Boche (lead vocals)
Their cover of Shocking Blue’s ‘Venus’ is a surprise, but otherwise this offers a similar brand of symphonic doom to The Constant Descent. That shouldn’t be taken as faint praise: I love that studio set and I’m pretty fond of this too. GRADE: B–.

Updated 26th June:

Síntesis (Cuba): Habana A Flor De Piel (Velas VLS2051-2, CD, 2001)
Pop/Rock/World Music
Ele Valdés (joint lead vocals)
As usual, Síntesis’s Afro-rock is lively, well-crafted and enjoyable, but their albums are becoming increasingly interchangeable. Then again, would I be making the same criticism if they’ve continued playing prog or changed direction to doom metal? GRADE: C+.
Síntesis (Cuba): Traigo Para Dar (Egrem CD 1079, CD, 2010)
Pop/Rock/World Music
Ele Valdés (joint lead vocals), Eme Alfonso (joint lead vocals, keyboards)
Síntesis’s first album in nearly a decade displays no obvious signs of any artistic development and runs for a princely 34 minutes. But whilst it’s rather slight, it’s also rather good, though I’d be hard pressed to consider it anything more than classy background music. GRADE: C+.
Síntesis, X Alfonso & Eme Alfonso (Cuba): Ancestros Sinfónico (El Cerrito/FacMusic ECR006329, CD, 2022)
Pop/Rock/World Music
Ele Valdés (joint lead vocals), Eme Alfonso (joint lead vocals)
The combination of Síntesis’s Afro-rock with orchestral backing is interesting and radical, but perhaps not as interesting and radical as I anticipated. The two elements dovetail rather well, creating one of their better and more challenging albums, but anyone imagining that this means they’ve returned to their progressive roots is likely to feel thwarted. GRADE: C+.

Sun (UK): Tristan – A Rock Opera (No label, double 10" acetate, with booklet and box, 1971?)
Folk/Rock
The subtitle is a misnomer, as this is neither rock nor an opera: instead it’s a folk concept album with simple backing from acoustic guitar and piano. Occasional interjections from electric guitar, bass, organ, percussion, harmonica and whistle add a bit of rock energy and a certain Bob Dylan influence is notable on a few songs, though the cuts with fuller arrangements recall a school project album. Overall, it’s a charming set with plenty of period atmosphere, though not exactly packed with outstanding material. GRADE: C+.

Twilight (West Germany/UK): Modern Folk Arrangements (Lismor Folk LIFL 7014, 1986)
Folk
Susanne Weitling (concertina, clarinet, pipes, whistle, backing vocals)
This Anglo-German trio offer intricate traditional folk, with a well-judged mixture of instrumentals and songs. At its best, as on a delicate reading of ‘Silkie’, it’s delightful, with a faint Pentangle vibe, though there are moments elsewhere when I find myself wishing for a few rock touches or a jolt of energy. GRADE: C+.

Updated 19th June:

Coltsblood (UK): Ascending Into Shimmering Darkness (Candelight Candle718327, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2017)
Metal
Jemma Mackay (guitar)
This is a significant step forward for Coltsblood: whilst the vocals are as distorted as always, the backing is quite atmospheric in parts, with a far greater emphasis on musicianship. That’s not to say, of course, that one should expect a high level of variety or any incendiary playing, but this still takes them places they’ve never gone before. GRADE: C+.
Coltsblood (UK): Obscured Into Nebulous Dusk (Translation Loss TL2221, grey, green and blue splatter vinyl, with insert, 2025)
Metal
Jemma Mackay (guitar)
With Coltsblood, even the album titles start to appear interchangeable. That isn’t to say that I don’t like their cavernous brand of sludgy doom, which is once again (relatively speaking) a tad more sophisticated here. But a key question remains. That question isn’t whether they may develop the sophistication and songwriting chops that would enable me to rate one of their albums a B–. The question is whether they’d want to. GRADE: C+.

Síntesis (Cuba): Síntesis (Areito LD-3736, 1978)
Progressive
Ele Valdés (principal vocals, synthesiser)
This delicate, charming folky symphonic prog albums effectovely blends lots of classical references with some spacy synthesisers, with occasional moments of rock energy lifting the mood significantly. However, beautiful and tranquil as it is, it isn’t particularly distinctive, with its most unusual feature being its origin. The album was issued in Mexico the following year as En Busca De Una Nueva Flor (NCL NCL-LP-0035) with completely different artwork. GRADE: C+.
Grupo Síntesis (Cuba): Grupo Síntesis (Areito LD-3951, 1981)
Progressive
Ele Valdés
This is also symphonic progressive, but of a completely different style from their debut. Eschewing the folky and neoclassical elements, this is rather more robust, with conventional rock structures overlaid with lush layers of synthesisers; whether this is better or worse than their first is moot, but it suffers from the same problem of being enjoyable whilst slightly anonymous. The album’s original title was clearly Aquí Estamos, as promotional copies have this title (along with a completely different cover). 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

Updated 12th June:

Arbatel (Mexico): Sumerios (Mylodon MyloCD074, CD, Chile, 2007)
Progressive
Rosario Mala Hernández (principal vocals)
The ethnic and world music stylings of the opening ‘Alabanza’ threw me completely, as I was expecting this to be typically dense Latin American sympho-prog. It’s completely uncharacteristic of the rest of the album, most of which is indeed typically dense Latin American sympho-prog, though significantly more varied and better than the norm, with some experimental and ambient touches thrown in. On ‘La Batalla (El Fin Del Mundo)’, Hernández sounds uncannily like both Dagmar Krause and Renate Knaup. GRADE: C+.

Lavinia Blackwall (UK): The Making (The Barne Society TBS20, 2025)
Singer/Songwriter
Lavinia Blackwall (lead vocals, keyboards, autoharp)
In many ways, Lavinia Blackwall could be seen as the spiritual successor to Sandy Denny (a comparison I’m sure she’d find flattering): The Making steps forward from folk music into sophisticated singer/songwriter sounds in the same way as The North Star Grassman And The Ravens. Blackwall places her own stamp on her music, though; her world is less melancholy and her stylings are more ethereal than Denny’s, and the album is none the worse for it. GRADE: B–.

Coltsblood (UK): Beyond The Lake Of Madness (No label, cassette, 2013)
Metal
Jemma Mackay (guitar)
Whilst the occasional tortured vocals don’t really add anything, Coltsblood’s sludgy doom is enjoyable enough, if ‘enjoyable’ is the right word for such funereal music. Whether these two snail's-paced 14-minute jams actually go anywhere is a different question entirely. GRADE: C+.

Coltsblood (UK): Into The Unfathomable Abyss (Candlelight CANDLE441CD, CD, 2014)
Metal
Jemma Mackay (guitar)
After a coiple of split releases, Coltsblood return with their first full album: an hour’s worth of anguished sludgy doom. ‘The sound of the past, the voices of ancestors, terrifying legends once roared with passiojn from around fires beneath open skies’ exclaims one source, before going on to claim that ‘war drums thunder… fires roar, terror resonates’. However, their songs are so much of a piece that this ultimately functions as background music and rather good background music at that. GRADE: C+.
Coltsblood (UK): Live In Helsinki (No label, cassette, 2015)
Metal
Jemma Mackay
The only real difference between this live Coltsblood set and a studio Coltsblood set is the between-songs banter, revealing the band to be great raconteurs and much more light-hearted than one would expect from song titles like ‘Beneath Black Skies’, ‘Grievous Molestation’ and ‘Abyss Of Aching Insanity’. I’m joking, of course. GRADE: C+.

Crisálida (Chile): Niños Dioses (Mylodon, download, 2024)
Metal/Progressive
Cinthia Santibañez (lead vocals)
Typically for Crisálida, this is pleasant, well-crafted symphonic heavy rock that’s both mellifluous and atmospheric. However, also typically for Crisálida, it's not exactly ambitious, with all the songs around the four-to-five-minute mark. GRADE: C+.

Kafod (Chile): Ciclos (Mylodon MRM132, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2023)
Progressive
Paula Demarco (keyboards, backing vocals)
This family band – father Carlos Cruz providing the material, production, lead vocals, guitars and bass, mother Paula on keyboards and 14-year-old son Juan Salvador on drums – deliver a lovely mellow album of folkish prog, drawing on both Latin American and Italian styles. Whilst this may be a little slight for a B–, with only the majestic coda to the closing ‘Estoy Cerca De Ti’ taking them anywhere beyond their comfort zone, the quality of Cruz’s singing, songwriting and arrangements ultimately wins through. As a footnote, the electronic press kit describes this as their third album but it appears to be their first, though Cruz had previously released albums with a couple of other projects. GRADE: B–.

Updated 5th June:

Softwire (UK): Modulation (No label, download, 2025)
Pop/Rock
Emily Feinson (joint lead vocals, synthesiser, harp), Cazminah (occasional vocals), Bianca Darotti (occasional vocals, guitar, keyboards), Sarah Binney (backing vocals)
This is less varied than previous Softwire albums, because it’s dominated by the contributions and musical sensibilities of long-term member Ben Below. As a result, it’s mostly rock: sometimes a bit punky, sometimes a bit indie, sometimes a bit AOR, always rather amateurish and not much different from what you could hear in any local rehearsal room. Thankfully another long-time member Emily Feinson contributes the gorgeous ballad ‘Summertime’ and the fine instrumental ‘Sometimes I’m An Angel, Mostly I’m The Devil’, led by fuzz harp (not an instrument I expected to encounter). The oddball, jazzy ‘Datahaus’, recorded by an entirely different set of musicians, is also mildly interesting, so this is not without its moments. GRADE: C+.

Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band (UK): Chapel And Tavern (Park PRKCD158, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2021, recorded 2007)
Folk/Classical
Maddy Prior (lead vocals)
This retrospective live set is beautifully performed, with tasteful arrangements and Prior in typically fine voice. Due to the daintiness and relative lack of variety, the Carnival Band has never been my favourite aspect of Prior’s multifaceted career, but this is a fine release by any standard. GRADE: C+.

Steeleye Span (UK/Ireland): Conflict (Park PRKCD148, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, UK, 2025)
Folk/Rock
Maddy Prior (principal vocals), Athena Octavia (violin, backing vocals)
Although they’ve never equalled their stellar run of albums from Hark! to Now We Are Six, Steeleye have intermittently produced some fine LPs since the eighties, the last two being Wintersmith and Est’d 1969. Conflict does not join that pantheon. The disc does everything you’d expect a Steeleye Span album to do – chugging mid-paced rockers, acapella numbers, a couple of more atmospheric pieces – and does it decently, but there isn’t any real sense of innovation or adventure here. It doesn’t help that, as with their last few albums, the mastering is unsympathetic in the extreme. GRADE: C+.

Updated 29th May:

Baghdaddies Featuring Nana Obscuri (UK): The Fabulous Sound Of Toon Tone (No label BAGHCD001, CD, 2000)
Jazz/Rock
Jane Bradfield (principal vocals)
Jane Bradfield extends her Nana Obscuri persona here (complete with faux-accented between-songs chats), though the Baghdaddies’ cod-Balkan backing is more robust than the Cheapsuit Oroonies’. In fact, as fasr as fun faux-world music goes, this is probably as good as it gets. GRADE: C+.

Red Balloon (UK): Hear There And Everywhere (No label, CDR, with gatefold minisleeve, 2025)
Pop/Folk/Rock/Psychedelic
Lydia Twigger (joint lead vocals)
As Brave New World, this crew made the folk horror masterpiece ‘The Laddie’: one of the finest acid-folk tracks cut since the seventies. As Red Balloon, they’ve made a pleasant and accomplished album crossing modern indie sensibilities with a variety of late sixties and early seventies rock and folk styles, all featuring strong melodies and a nicely trippy sensibility throughout. GRADE: B–.

Devin Townsend Project (Canada/Holland): Addicted (HevyDevy DHR0507-2, CD, with autographed slipcase, Canada, 2009)
Metal/Progressive
Anneke van Giersbergen (occasional vocals)
The metal here is dynamic, taut and melodic, but perversely difficult to describe, drawing on everything from seventies glam (‘Bend It Like Becker!’) to hints of Pure Reasoin Revolution (‘The Way Home!’). Whilst not particularly exploratory, it’s also effectively spacy, especially on the extended closer ‘Awake!!’ and is notable as being one of Anneke van Giersbergen’s rare forays into metal after leaving the Gathering. With consistently strong material, it just about qualifies as a B–, even if it lacks the two or three truly killer songs that would have propelled it way over the line. GRADE: B–.
Devin Townsend Project (Canada/USA): Ghost (HevyDevy HDR-CD-5444, CD, with slipcase, Canada, 2011)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Katrina Natale (occasional vocals), Kat Epple (flute, woodwind)
The rather surprising addition of Kat Epple (from new age pioneers Emerald Web) makes sense when you hear the music: abandoning metal altogether, Ghost sees Townsend exploring ambient, rather proggy folk/rock. Along the way, the band create some lovely moods and a tranquil sonic trip, though once again the actual songs are enjoyable rather than exceptional. GRADE: B–.

Updated 22nd May:

Artnat (Portugal): The Mirror Effect (No label, CDR, with digipak and booklet, 2020)
Progressive
Sara Freitas (principal vocals)
This is one of those progressive albums where the melodies and rhythms always do what you least expect, with a fair bit of atonality and plenty of odd little twists and filigrees. It’s a style I tend to associate with modern American prog bands, making it all the odder that Artnat hail from Portugal; then again, if this were American there would be more heavy riffing as opposed to the sympho-jazz stylings here. How much you like this will depend on how much you appreciate this particular style of prog. I admire the album’s creativity and invention, but I can’t imagine myself wanting to listen to it again any time soon. GRADE: C+.
Artnat (Portugal): Two (No label, double CDR, with digipak and booklet, 2025)
Progressive
Sara Freitas (joint lead vocals)
Running for a gargantuan 101 minutes, Two is aptly named, as it’s a game of two halves. The first disc consists of songs, which are less frenetic than their debut and somewhat more mature. However, that’s a double-edged sword: whilst they’re more listenable, they’re also less exciting and sometimes border on the dreary, especially as Manuel Cardoso – who is not a good singer and much inferior to Sara Freitas – inexplicably takes a larger share of the vocal leads. In contrast, the second disc offers cool, jazzy instrumentals which are mostly rather good, with a faint Pierre Moerlen’s Gong vibe, suggesting a more satisfying path for the band to follow. GRADE: C+.

Crystal Teardrop (UK): …Is Forming (Popclaw POPCLAWLP007, clear vinyl, with die-cut sleeve, inner, poster and badges, 2025)
Psychedelic/Pop
Alexandra Rose (lead vocals, guitar)
In the world of Crystal Teardrop, it’s permanently late ’66 or early ’67: a time when trippy popsike ruled the airwaves and the West Coast was where it was all happening. Then again, maybe it’s the mid-eighties or the early nineties as quite a bit of retro stuff like this was released at that time, though little of it was as consistently enjoyable as this. Ultimately, an album this deliberately derivative begs two questions. The first is whether they bring anything new to the genre and the answer is no. The second is whether that matters when the music is as wonderful as this. The answer is also no. GRADE: B–.

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–.

Updated 15th May:

Ambassadors Of Sorrow (UK): Easterly (Spook SPOOKCD002, CD, with digipak, 2011)
Pop
Angeline Morrison (principal vocals, guitar, organ, glockenspiel, autoharp)
The Ambassadors’ gentle, garagy take on smoky sixties pop is charming, effortless and free of artifice. However, likeable as it is, it’s also a little insubstantial, especially with a running time of less than 32 minutes – though I suppose that’s authentically sixties in its own way too. GRADE: C+.

Argile (France): Je Louerai L’Éternel (Studio SM 30.13.41, with insert, 1985)
Folk/Rock
Florence Richard-Molard (joint lead vocals, guitar)
Accompanied by acoustic guitars, double bass and piano, this Christian folk trio offer music that’s refined, delicate and haunting – a world away from the jolly singalongs favoured by many of their compatriots. However, the occasional moment of rock energy wouldn’t have gone amiss and their material rarely crosses the boundary between merely pleasant and truly memorable. GRADE: C+.

Angeline Morrison (UK): Are You Ready Cat? (Freestyle FSRCD098, CD, 2013)
Pop/Soul/Jazz/Folk
Angeline Morrison (lead vocals, guitar, organ, glockenspiel)
Morrison’s solo debut steps forward from the soulful pop of the Ambassadors Of Sorrow but is better in every way – more sensual, more folky, more passionate and above all more mature. Once again it may be a leap for those used to her work as half of Rowan:Morrison, but many readers will thoroughly enjoy the 36 minutes they spend in this album’s company. GRADE: C+.

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–.