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Richard Barbieri

Lunchtime Recital and Workshop – St.Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield University Thursday, 28th January 2016 When is a musician a technician and when can a technician be a musician? Richard Barbieri, late of Japan and Porcupine Tree, made a lunchtime appearance at…

Ikarus – Echo

Ikarus are based in Zurich and variously describe themselves as “minimal groove”, “Nordic soundscape”, and “prog jazz”, and they are indeed all of these and more. Chief among the self-penned descriptions on their Facebook page is “EVOCATIVE MUSIC”. The uppercase…

Lazuli – Nos âmes saoules

French wonders Lazuli return with their sixth album, Nos âmes saoules, and – as with everything that this fantastic band do – I have been awaiting it eagerly. Cards on the table time: I am a huge fan. The glorious…

Rikard Sjöblom – The Unbendable Sleep

Multi-instrumentalist Rikard Sjöblom has had a busy time of late, from last year’s accomplished release +4626 Comfortzone with his band Beardfish to becoming part of the U.K. progressive rock band Big Big Train for their highly successful concerts at Kings…

The Room – Beyond the Gates of Bedlam

The Room are a recent signing to the growing roster of Bad Elephant Music, repeated listens over the last few days would lead me to describe them as a solid rock band with elements of prog. Bedlam, for those of…

Firefly Burning – Skeleton Hill

Three years on from their first album, Lightships, London avant-folk band Firefly have struck a match and become Firefly Burning for their second album Skeleton Hill. The resulting sulphurous heat produced has warmed their sound with an added urgency and…

Johannes Luley & Ryan Hurtgen – Perfect Beings

In Search of Perfect Beings… To coincide with his review of Perfect Beings‘ second album, II (which you can read HERE), The Progressive Aspect’s Tony Colvill spoke with Johannes Luley and Ryan Hurtgen from the band. Once connected over the…

Perfect Beings – Perfect Beings II

Albums are offered up, reviewers dip in, taste, and then select their meal; so I got Perfect Beings. In some dark recess of cyberspace lives a record of our initial thoughts, sometimes insightful, sometimes delightful, and sometimes irrationally judgemental. We…

PTF – What is Constant

What is Constant is the second full album outing for Japanese Prog 4-piece instrumental outfit PTF who feature keys, drums, bass and violin. The album opens with an odd melange of styles in Time Lapse, the title perhaps suggesting that…

Quantum Jump – Quantum Jump

I’ve gotta say, I was pretty disappointed when I heard the opening notes of Captain Boogaloo, the initial track on this album. Cheesy, saccharine and utterly inane as this funky bit of fluff was, I really thought I’d picked up…