An erupting bubble of synths, an assertive nimble keyboard riff with a touch of funk, some power chords, some more layered keys as we romp away… yes, it’s the latest Derek Sherinian album, Vortex. His style is instantly familiar, as…
View More Derek Sherinian – Vortex
Babe Ruth began life in 1972 as Shacklock, named after Alan Shacklock, the creative driving force behind the band. He was a gifted guitarist, composer and arranger who trained at the Royal Academy no less, and a young talent which…
View More Babe Ruth – Darker Than Blue: The Harvest Years 1972-1975
The Canadian experimental noise merchants return with a soundtrack to the classic 1926 silent film Faust directed by F.W. Murnau. It tells the legendary tale of temptation, corruption and redemption, and Mahogany Frog certainly succeed in producing a soundtrack which…
View More Mahogany Frog – Faust
Ryo Okumoto, keyboard wizard in Spock’s Beard, appears to have got bored with the hiatus that his main band seem to be on, and so has decided to form his own version of the band and record an album. Well,…
View More Ryo Okumoto – The Myth of the Mostrophus
The Tiktaalik, discovered in the Canadian Arctic in 2004 by fossil hunters, was a freshwater fish living around 375 million years ago in the Devonian period, but bearing many characteristics found in four-legged land animals that would follow. It is…
View More Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika
Fréderic L’Épée, the sole composer for Yang, seems like an interesting chap. He has an interest in minimalism, Chinese language and culture, the guitar (Robert Fripp is his guru) and his favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach. Stick those influences…
View More Yang – Designed for Disaster
A chance exchange online about a year or so ago with Gayle Ellett revealed an excited guitarist mentioning his latest project, Gayle Ellett and The Electromags. It instantly sounded, from the name of the band, like a guitar album, and…
View More Gayle Ellett & The Electromags – Shiny Side Up
Another week, another rather tasty musical offering emanating from Norway. This week it’s the turn of Delvoid, from Oslo, and they seem intent on pummelling us into submission with this their third album, entitled Swarmlife. The pummelling refers to their…
View More Delvoid – Swarmlife
The Garage, Highbury, London Friday 17th and Saturday 18th June 2022 Roger Trenwith … and now, over to Philomena for the weather… Only in the UK – or more specifically in the southern half of the UK – could you…
View More Magma / The Utopia Strong
Knekklectric are another fantastic find from Bergen, Norway. It seems to be a hotbed of creativity, and this is a delight. Alt Blir Verre (Everything Gets Worse) is their third full album, and I can confidently confirm that the sentiment…
View More Knekklectric – Alt Blir Verre