Suffering from a surfeit of weltschmerz recently? What you need is to give it a no-man soundtrack, then everything becomes clear, and by transposing your suffering and crushing ennui onto the surprisingly strong shoulders of the deceptively elfin-like Tim Bowness,…
View More No-Man – Returning Jesus
Esoteric’s deluxe treatment of Anthony Phillips’ back catalogue continues with the not-so-highly sought after 1983 pop album Invisible Men, a collaboration between himself and long-time musical partner Richard Scott. The notes of this 2CD edition explain that it was a…
View More Anthony Phillips – Invisible Men
Greetings, fellow misanthropes! Like me, do you loathe the way Christmas has become a “season” that seems to start the second after the autumn equinox, and goes on until January 7th or thereabouts? And do you detest the ever-growing tacky…
View More Panzerballett – X-Mas Death Jazz
The end of the year has been a real stunner for me recently. Last year I was surprised by the release of The Mission’s Another Fall From Grace at the end of September. I had already written my top ten…
View More Lost Horizons – Ojalá
As we approach the end of another exciting year of wonderful music and enjoyed the delights of many fabulous releases, The Progressive Aspect, in collaboration with Anthony Rowsick’s radio programme Prog-Watch, have collected together our “The Best Albums of 2017”.…
View More TPA Best Albums of 2017
This year marks a decade of Esoteric Recordings. Beginning by releasing solely progressive rock music, it’s safe to say the style of their releases has strayed from the original remit somewhat. Nevertheless, I’ll continue to chase their reissues, as what…
View More Unicorn – Too Many Crooks
“Out in Malibu where the rich folk live On a mountain top I will pitch my tent right up And be a holy man, oh, so deep and true a shoeless holy man…with a view.” And with that amusing verse…
View More Motorpsycho – The Tower
This is the new live release from U.S. pomp rockers Kansas, celebrating 40 years of their breakthrough album, Leftoverture, which is featured in its entirety alongside some old classics, little performed number and three tracks from their 2016 release, The…
View More Kansas – Leftoverture Live & Beyond
A few weeks ago I saw a band that I’d never previously heard of, supporting Nordic Giants at their show in Cardiff. It’s always nice when the unexpected pricks your attention, and even better when listening to their recorded work…
View More Chiyoda Ku – How It Works
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn formed new wave duo The Buggles. Given their musical style, it was surprising that they would go on to join prog rock giants Yes for…
View More Downes Braide Association – Skyscraper Souls