Album Reviews

Cornelius – Refractions

This album, Refractions by Cornelius, aka Keigo Oyamada, the Japanese guitarist and producer, lies at the very edge of the progressive rock world as we know it, and possibly even just outside it. However, sometimes our aural comfort zone needs…

Various Artists – A Strange Light From The East

My favourite Cherry Red compilations are those that cover a scene as opposed to a particular artist. A Strange Light From The East, subtitled Eastern Influenced Western Music 1965-72, is a romp through the introduction of Indian sounds, the sitar…

Pattern-Seeking Animals – Grimalkin

For their sixth album in eight years – which is almost approaching Steve Hackett in productivity – Spock’s Beard spin-off Pattern-Seeking Animals may well have found the perfect balance between progressive rock complexity and melodic accessibility. Grimalkin is an album…

Nazareth – Born Under The Wrong Sign [1976-79] (5CD Boxset)

Nazareth, one of Scotland’s finest exports, were surely one of the hardest working in the Seventies. They spent most of the first half of that decade achieving some tangible success culminating with Hair of the Dog, their best selling album…

Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery – The Roaring Waves

2025’s release of Gentō by Steve Rothery’s other recent side project, Bioscope, with Alex Reeves and Torsten Quaeschning, was an ambient/electronic/cinematic masterpiece that gave emphasis to how versatile and experimental he can be outside of his day-job with Marillion. The…

Hawkwind – Sonic Assassins Live 1977

If you follow Hawkwind closely, you’ll know their archive is rich with live recordings, many of which have surfaced as official releases over the decades. Even so, this new issue from Cherry Red Records stands apart. Captured at Queen’s Hall,…

RematriNation – ᎠᏌᏃ ᎩᎦᎨ (The Red Dress)

Eighteen seconds into ᎠᏌᏃ ᎩᎦᎨ (The Red Dress), something vaguely familiar catches your attention. A sound you feel you know: a voice, a flute, definitely something human, but gone before you can actually put your finger on it. It returns…

Jethro Tull – J-Tull Dot Com: Another Cast Of The Net

Sir Steven Wilson (surely he should have been knighted by now for services to music?) did a brilliant job resurrecting and repackaging Jethro Tull’s classic albums, the ones that made us fans fall in love with them, but bowed out…

Jah Wobble & Tian Qiyi – Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles’ Psychedelic Psongbook

As I said before in my review of We Can Work It Out: Covers of the Beatles, 1962 – 1966, Beatles music is like comfort food to me, and I’ll always be fascinated to hear other musicians’ takes on the…

PSI PHI – PSI PHI

Hailing from Melbourne, with over 10 years’ experience of performing in and around the local music and club scene, PSI PHI (pronounced sci-fi) have now released their self-titled debut album. This set of songs was recorded over a single weekend…

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Category: Album Reviews