New Zealand band Coridian released their third EP this year, from a series of four – each loosely conceptually based on one of the four classical elements. Each EP has been longer than the previous, so the final one (hopefully…
View More Coridian – Eldur
Tomorrow is Delayed. Could there be any more appropriate album title this year? The world is on hiatus. Parts of it are coming, cautiously, out of lockdown. Postponements of events are the norm. Even this review was delayed. I received…
View More Professor Tip Top – Tomorrow Is Delayed
From my Facebook feed, I noticed a strange phenomenon when it came to discussion about Green Carnation’s latest release, Leaves of Yesteryear. I make it a point not to read other reviews before writing my own, so all I had…
View More Kjetil Nordus – Green Carnation
New music from Green Carnation has long been awaited by many. It’s been twenty years since their debut, and almost fifteen since their most recent release. Leaves of Yesteryear is an absolutely outstanding return to form, and a major statement…
View More Green Carnation – Leaves of Yesteryear
I’d never heard of Norwegian band Bismarck before. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, and was even a little wary based on the cover art. Truth be told, if Oneiromancer were not released on Apollon, I might not have…
View More Bismarck – Oneiromancer
Much of the first wave in the late ‘60s of what has come to be known as prog was a fusion of classical and jazz music. Something that sounds like it should be an eclectic mix, perhaps, but only when…
View More Eishan Ensemble – Afternoon Tea At Six
It’s been a good year for Norwegian record label Apollon. I’ve already enjoyed some wonderful and wonderfully varied releases from the label, including Aadal, The Thank Yous, Bismarck, Weserbergland, The Opium Cartel, Kryptograf, and Professor Tip Top. Now it’s the…
View More Simen Lyngroth – Looking for the Spark like It’s Just Around the Corner
Karina are a duo from Finland, who have genuinely (and pleasantly) surprised me with their second album. Their eponymous debut was quite beautiful, but notable for its minimalist and acoustic nature, largely just the two voices of Karin Mäkiranta and…
View More Karina – 2
It feels a little odd to be almost halfway through 2020, and reviewing an album from the tail end of 2019, but perhaps it is almost appropriate, given that Michele Conta’s debut solo album seems to have been in gestation…
View More Michele Conta – Endless Nights
I approached the debut release from The Animal State much as I do any release I know nothing about – by ignoring all that might be written about it, and just listening. The only thing I noted before I started…
View More The Animal State – Genus