‘Blah, Rhubarb, Blah…’, as Clive Mitten used to say in Fact and Fiction. Some performers endlessly regurgitate their most popular moments, living off past glories and memories, and some artists move on, relentlessly exploring new territory, expressing themselves in different…
View More Clive Mitten – Suite Cryptique: Recomposing Twelfth Night 1978-1983
I very rarely quote from a band’s own description, but in the case of this gc / nc album, Deprecated, I feel it is almost unavoidable. I could direct you to look at the cover art, but it doesn’t explain…
View More gc / nc – Deprecated
For some, there’s always time for nostalgia. Some psychologists believe nostalgia serves a purpose, especially in our hectic, connected world. It empowers our belief in “the good old days”. It’s a form of escapism and who doesn’t need a bit…
View More Classix Nouveaux – The Liberty Recordings (1981-1983)
As seems to be the way with a lot of maturing extreme metal bands these days, French duo Crown have toned down the excesses and accentuated the texturing to come up with a work that can be readily enjoyed beyond…
View More Crown – The End Of All Things
You can tell that an unusual mindset is at the heart of this new album. Holes opens with a stream of consciousness sparked off by a hole in a solar panel that was deeply troubling Graham Browning at the time,…
View More Fowl – Humankindweed
The Emerald Dawn are a four-piece symphonic progressive rock ensemble taking their influences from classical, progressive, jazz, and folk genres. 2019 brought us their critically acclaimed – and deservedly so – third album, Nocturne, however 2020’s plans were shipwrecked by…
View More The Emerald Dawn – To Touch The Sky
In this update we feature: • Jon Gomm – The Faintest Idea • Kiku Latte – Fantasia [EP] • Sonus Umbra – A Sky Full Of Ghosts • The Guildmaster – The Knight And The Ghost • Deep Imagination –…
View More A Different Aspect #56
There has a been a steady stream of quite excellent Norwegian releases in recent months, including new work from 35 Tapes and Professor Tip Top, as well as hugely popular re-releases of Airbag’s discography on super-duper vinyl. The Norwegians are…
View More Caligonaut – Magnified As Giants
District 97 are a musical cognoscenti collective of polymaths playing in a unique style and are four studio albums in. Each one has built on the previous with last release, Screens, seeing the biggest line-up change yet. New boys Andrew…
View More District 97 – Screenplay
Wardruna’s fifth album has at last arrived, a long time in coming due to current world events. Since their debut album in 2009, they have seen increasing amounts of international interest and success, and this could be a major milestone…
View More Wardruna – Kvitravn