Album Reviews – Page 289

Plastic Noose – Fractured Despondency

Fractured Despondency is the second release from Edinburgh based multi-instrumentalist Alan Emslie, recording here under the pseudonym – Snow King. He is joined on several tracks by guitarist John Irvine and trumpeter Mark Geelen appears on Strontian. Cards on the table that…

Knifeworld – The Unravelling

Knifeworld are a band that leapt out of the shadows fully formed and blew me away at the Summer’s End Festival in 2012. Like many others who there that day the band were a revelation and one of the highlights…

Mats/Morgan – [Schack Tati]

Schack Tati, a play on words around the Swedish for chess and French film maker Jacques Tati has all the implied impish humour the title suggests, which will be nothing new to fans of this long running Swedish musical partnership.…

Umphrey’s McGee – Similar Skin

I picked this album to review because although I’ve never bought anything by Umphrey’s McGee I’ve heard a bit of their live stuff from various sources and been quite impressed. They are considered to be one of the top jam-bands…

Keith Emerson – Changing States

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the music of Keith Emerson & Co, which began with ELP’s self titled debut, the first album I purchased and followed shortly after by my first ever concert – ELP…

Yes – Heaven & Earth

Nice. “That’s nice”. It isn’t exactly “WOW!” is it? You might as well say “That’s inoffensive yet inconsequential”. Nice. That’s the best that you can say of Heaven & Earth, it is often nice. Inoffensive and inconsequential. Except for Step…

Univers Zéro – Phosphorescent Dreams

Thirty years ago with the release of Uzed, band leader Daniel Denis, by then the only remaining original member, took Univers Zéro in an entirely new direction. Spurred on by friendly competition with his good buddy and erstwhile bandmate Roger…

Rick Wakeman – Live In Lugano

Today seems to be as fitting an occasion as any to upload this review of Rick Wakeman’s 2009 concert from the city of Lugano located in the south of Switzerland. The footage was filmed as part of the Lugano Estival…

Zuffanti – La Quarta Vittima

Fabio Zuffanti, composer, arranger and keyboard player of some repute, with a CV including bands such as Höstsonaten, Finisterre, and Maschera Di Cera has carved out a twenty-year career of high quality RPI. Here with his project simply named Zuffanti,…

Humble Grumble – Guzzle It Up!

Though I sometimes fail to believe it, there is still progressive music being produced nowadays of the same quality as in the 70s when prog had its heyday. You just need to know where to look; the search can be…

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Category: Album Reviews