My Favorite Albums of 2026
(In some semblance of order)
***Author's note: Below you will find two different rankings for this year's albums. The first list consists of a Top Fifty albums with a following list of "Honorable Mentions." These are my favorite albums of the year, that is, the albums to which I have formed the greatest emotional attachments. The second list consists of The Reviews. These are ordered according to my more 'objective', yet still personal, judgment as to an album's quality, that is, the "best" albums of the year. Here I have ordered the albums reviewed according to a metric determination--my own numerical rating system--which I call the "Fishscales." These help me determine what the "best" albums of the year are from a more critical, qualitative, and quantitative viewpoint, that is, without as much emotional attachment as "My Favorite" albums.
So far I have been able to listen to over 15 new releases from 2026 from which I have posted reviews of 10 (so far). According to my calculations, we are fortunate to have 2026 presenting Prog World with one (1) masterpiece, four (4) "minor" masterpieces, and three (3) other excellent "near-masterpieces" (as well as two (2) masterful "alternative" albums)!
The Rankings
(My "Favorites")
1. ARNAUD BUKWALD Mars Caravan
2. SINGLELITO In Absence of Velocity
3.
PLANTOID Flare
PAT METHENY Side-Eye III+
TELEGRAPH Topography of Mind
LAZULI Être et ne plus être
Special Mentions:
ALIO DIE Fragrant Shade
ALIO DIE Vimana Mercury Vortex Engine
The Masterpieces
(Ratings of 100 to 93.34)
Album of the Year!(so far)
ARNAUD BUKWALD Mars Caravan
Line-up / Musicians:
- Arnaud Bukwald / vocals, guitar, weissenborn, sitar, keyboards, arrangements
- Cherry / vocals (2, 3, 6)
- Didier Malherbe / flute
- Cloudy Myster / drums (3, 9), tablas
1. "Overture" (0:37) awesome teaser/opener! I don't know how this master intuits his instrumental sound choices and combinations but he is an absolute genius at it! You got me chummed up! (And so easily and quickly, too!) (5/5)
2. "Mumble Jumble" (18:05) Arnaud gives us a real smorgasborg! For the first 1:45 of this I feel like I'm listening to a funked up Isley Brothers contribution to a 1970s Blaxploitation film soundtrack (except the searing guitar tone used in the lead solo is borrowed from Steve Hillage), but then there is a sudden, almost glitch-like transfer to a completely different motif in which Arnaud's "Canterbury saw" keyboard leads--until the mellifluous flute of Didier Malherbe enters and everything turns into a Mike Oldfield "Incantations"-like marimba/vibraphone background. At the end of the fifth minute there is a slow down and switch to a brass-funk motif with cool rhythm guitar play and loud space synth playing over the top while the rhythm section wallows lugubriously in its molasses-thick funk. Wow! Then, at 7:00 there is another sudden total shift into something more melodic and laid back, using a Canterbury palette of instrument sounds, over which the lovely, Clare Torey-rich voice of Cherry Pob bathes us in some sensuous vocalese. Then Arnaud pulls out another organ sound to solo with--one that was quite common to the Canterbury geniuses of the 1970s playing for a minute or so before speeding up the tempo a bit and changing his keyboard sound and solo style to one more attuned to that made famous by Stevie Winwood on Traffic's "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys." This brief section makes way for the return of Cherry's seductive vocalese while giving a funky bass clinic below. In the second half of the 12th minute Arnaud slows things down: removing all rhythm section tracks as he solos with a MiniMoog-like synth over a bit of a spacey section. At 12:30 empty-planet synths (or volume pedal-controlled infinity sustained guitar chords) and cymbal sounds provide the only background for more of Cherry's wordless vocals. Then we move into a brief and somewhat-unstructured foray into World Music drum rhythms, twice started up but then stopped rather suddenly and unexpectedly before giving way to another spacey section of synthesizer panning and volume oscillation manipulation with some cymbal waves and electric piano notes, eventually taking on quite the Klaus Schulze/Tangerine Dream sound and feel. But then at the 17-minute mark the maestro interrupts our space meditation with the introduction to another funky R&B groove which then morphs but plays out to the song's end. What an absolutely awesome, visual/sensual, and enjoyable ride we've just been taken on! I'm already ready to get back in line to do it again! Please don't make it stop! There is literally nothing on this journey that I don't absolutely love--that I would change or remove (though there are a LOT of sections that I could groove into for hours!) (35/35)
96.01 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a full-on masterpiece of retro-prog from one of the few master chameleons and synthesisers of old-style sounds--a man who has the most extraordinary vision and imagination that he uses to combine and blend sounds and styles in entertaining and enjoyable ways that no one else I know can. My early front-runner for 2026's Album of the Year.
- Cherry / vocals (2, 3, 6)
- Didier Malherbe / flute
- Cloudy Myster / drums (3, 9), tablas
1. "Overture" (0:37) awesome teaser/opener! I don't know how this master intuits his instrumental sound choices and combinations but he is an absolute genius at it! You got me chummed up! (And so easily and quickly, too!) (5/5)
2. "Mumble Jumble" (18:05) Arnaud gives us a real smorgasborg! For the first 1:45 of this I feel like I'm listening to a funked up Isley Brothers contribution to a 1970s Blaxploitation film soundtrack (except the searing guitar tone used in the lead solo is borrowed from Steve Hillage), but then there is a sudden, almost glitch-like transfer to a completely different motif in which Arnaud's "Canterbury saw" keyboard leads--until the mellifluous flute of Didier Malherbe enters and everything turns into a Mike Oldfield "Incantations"-like marimba/vibraphone background. At the end of the fifth minute there is a slow down and switch to a brass-funk motif with cool rhythm guitar play and loud space synth playing over the top while the rhythm section wallows lugubriously in its molasses-thick funk. Wow! Then, at 7:00 there is another sudden total shift into something more melodic and laid back, using a Canterbury palette of instrument sounds, over which the lovely, Clare Torey-rich voice of Cherry Pob bathes us in some sensuous vocalese. Then Arnaud pulls out another organ sound to solo with--one that was quite common to the Canterbury geniuses of the 1970s playing for a minute or so before speeding up the tempo a bit and changing his keyboard sound and solo style to one more attuned to that made famous by Stevie Winwood on Traffic's "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys." This brief section makes way for the return of Cherry's seductive vocalese while giving a funky bass clinic below. In the second half of the 12th minute Arnaud slows things down: removing all rhythm section tracks as he solos with a MiniMoog-like synth over a bit of a spacey section. At 12:30 empty-planet synths (or volume pedal-controlled infinity sustained guitar chords) and cymbal sounds provide the only background for more of Cherry's wordless vocals. Then we move into a brief and somewhat-unstructured foray into World Music drum rhythms, twice started up but then stopped rather suddenly and unexpectedly before giving way to another spacey section of synthesizer panning and volume oscillation manipulation with some cymbal waves and electric piano notes, eventually taking on quite the Klaus Schulze/Tangerine Dream sound and feel. But then at the 17-minute mark the maestro interrupts our space meditation with the introduction to another funky R&B groove which then morphs but plays out to the song's end. What an absolutely awesome, visual/sensual, and enjoyable ride we've just been taken on! I'm already ready to get back in line to do it again! Please don't make it stop! There is literally nothing on this journey that I don't absolutely love--that I would change or remove (though there are a LOT of sections that I could groove into for hours!) (35/35)
3. "Oyster Meat (le Solilesse)" (4:05) an awesome Jazz-Pop tune that harkens back to the smokey Jazz lounges of the 1960s as well as the Strasbourgeois studios of both the Moerlin Brothers and the projects of Pierre W-Cheese! (Strasbourg's Pierre Wawrzyniak was leader of the 21st Century projects Camembert and Oiapok). From the stunningly gorgeous and nostalgic opening to the vibraphone pairing with Cherry Pob's vocalese and then the rich electric piano in the second half of the third minute, it all makes sense, it all makes me smile. (9.333/10)
4. "Scotch Bonnet" (3:49) full-on funk coming from a George Duke/George Clinton synthesizer is soon joined by a Fender Rhodes electric piano sound, real slap bass, and clavinet. Man is this guy talented! Horn section, too! And a truly excellent electric piano solo in the second half of the second minute. The song deserves full marks for such perfect imitation and innovative originality. I mean, it's as if Arnaud is trying to fill in all the holes left unfinished by 1970s soul-funk artists! And he brings in the complete goods! (10/10)
5. "The Duke" (4:03) one of Arnaud's forays into the world (and spirit) of Tangerine Dream. I love the slower approach and the deep thrums of the uber-low bass notes. (8.875/10)
6. "Transylvania on Holiday" (3:32) for this song Arnaud is trying to take us on a humorous trip into the home base of the world of classic horror. It feels as if we're along for the ride as Stan and Ollie (Laurel and Hardy) are fumbling around in old Drac's neighborhood! Fun, light, melodic, and entertaining. I think I like the Kansas-like organ the best (though the piano play at the end is surprisingly awesome!) (8.875/10)
7. "John Dory Theme" (3:02) back to some funk--this one kind of edited to be a trip hop experience. (Love it!) Then Arnaud chooses to use gentle Dave Stewart organ and Shaft-like wah-wah rhythm guitar sounds (Arnaud is SO TALENTED!) as well as Phil Miller saw sounds over the top while also mixing in some amazing Parliamentian guitar and buzz saw synths into the second half. (9.5/10)
8. "Ouija Mania" (0:35) as if Black Clouseau performed this television commercial. I was not expecting this but it's hilarious! (4.625/5)
9. "Satellite of Doom" (1:43) This is the type of music that Screamin' Jay Hawkins would be making in the 2020s--or if he lived and vacationed in Hawaii! (4.5/5)
10. "Xanadu" (10:34) a gently-paced and soothingly-keyed two-chord guitar and organ vamp that sets up Arnaud for a series of solos using a variety of spacey synthesizer sounds--until 2:35 when everything stops and we're left with an organ chord for Arnaud's tribute to the Wish You Were Here genius of Richard Wright. A minute later and we're now exploring the synthesizer genius of both Larry Fast and Jean-Michel Jarre. Then at 5:25 we're off onto another side street, this one a wide boulevard ripe for cruisin' with the top down on a hazy summer day. Hammond organ and awesome treated-guitar work provides part of the backdrop for Arnaud to express through searing echo/delayed electric guitar followed by Pete Bardens-like EMS Synthi AKS (yes, I remember both Floyd's "Any Colour You Like" and Camel's "Lunar Sea") At 8:40 this wonderful, dreamy section is suddenly cut off from electricity (literally!), only to be replaced by a sitar, synth wind, organ, and tabla weave in which the sitar is played masterfully at two different levels: dynamic and gentle/subtle. Then the tabla on wind just kind of slowly fades away . . . and it's over! NO! I'm not ready! (Okay, Dufus: start the album over.) One of Arnaud's tribute pieces in which he so masterfully captures and emulates the great masters--those who have gone before us who have given us so much! (19.25/20)
Total Time 50:00
Total Time 50:00
In terms of pure enjoyment this will be a very difficult album to beat this year! I am ever so grateful for this music: I don't think I've had an album come into my life during the past 25 years that so filled the many holes of nostalgic longing as this one has! (Maybe Magma's Mëkanïk Dëstruktïw Kömmandöh.)
96.01 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a full-on masterpiece of retro-prog from one of the few master chameleons and synthesisers of old-style sounds--a man who has the most extraordinary vision and imagination that he uses to combine and blend sounds and styles in entertaining and enjoyable ways that no one else I know can. My early front-runner for 2026's Album of the Year.
The Minor Masterpieces
(Ratings of 93.33 to 90.0)
SINGLELITO In Absence of Velocity
The haphazard and "low-fi" sound of Columbia's Fountain of Youth is back with (what?!!) his seventh full length studio album--and he's only just 20 years old (last month)!
- Juan Pinto / drums, vocals, keys, bass (1-4), guitar, lyrics
With:
- Esteban Aparicio / trumpet (4)
- Luis Eusse / bass (5)
- Ricardo Santiago / lead guitar (5)
- Ainner Navarro / lead guitar (5)
- Ivan Insignares / lead keys (5)
- Angie Bula / vocals (5)
1. "Low-Level Depictions of Uncensored Kinetic Works" (9:30) the fearlessness is still there, the quirky reckless abandon, the singing of lyrics that often feel like stream of consciousness over musical vamps that it feels like he's created for just for extemporaneous improvisation. Straight out of the gate--on the album's very first song--Juan lays it all on the line, jumping into his shtick, his risk zone. And yet the song comes across as a medley, a suite of (dis-?) connected songs, lyrics, stories, and moods. But, it works! How can someone do this with so much flippancy, so much ease and chill, and get away with it?! I don't get it! Can a faceless musician have this much charisma? I mean, I'd vote for him! I'd rip off and throw my panties to him (and I don't even wear underwear much less panties!) It's like Juan heard Canterbury and then asked, "Why'd they stop so short? Why were they being so conservative, so fucking reserved and cowardly with their music?!" And if this is just the hormonal, under-developed cerebral cortex naïveté of a 20-21-year old, then please, PLEASE: let 20-21-year olds rule the world! (19.5/20)
2. "Handprints of a Wealthy Settler" (8:45) the Ben Coniguliaro-like opening minute is a bit challenging to engage with but then Juan moves into an excellent, even beautiful, section that serves as a bridge to the song's real meat: to a highway speed motif that supports some nice guitar and wordless vocal work while showing off Juan's bass, drum, and compositional sophistication skills. The song has the feel of something by Ben Coniguliaro, Ambrosia, Robert Wyatt, The Soft Machine, and even XTC, The Who, and even Steely Dan. Great bass, drum, Hammond organ, and Canterbury saw-organ work--and Juan's stream-of-consciousness English vocals are fun and so confidently delivered (even moreso than his Spanish ones). I would rate this very high for musicianship, high for compositional prowess, entertaining for lyrical content, and excellent for its service as a message delivery system. (18.333/20)
3. "Old People Sit Outside" (5:46) the second song in a row in which Juan's keyboard work is really trying to carry on the Canterbury work founded by Mike Ratledge, David Sinclair, and Dave Stewart--but this one is filled out into several dimensions that give it an even more Soft Machine orientation. Definitely an album favorite. Great, great song! (9.5/10)
4. "Lovesong - Letter - Poem - Anything for Ale" (6:57) Juan with guest setter Esteban Aparicio on trumpet expressing his youthfulness in the same way that Geordie Greep/black midi and, to a lesser degree, Ben Coniguliaro are doing. Over all this is one of Juan's best displays of his achievements as a master if his instruments. (13.5/15)
5. "Fuente" (6:02) for this dynamic song Juan has gathered into the studio some very talented to record this song that was composed by Juan and bassist Louis Eusse and guitarist Ricardo. Everybody gives great performances. It's especially nice to hear Juan getting some help with background and alternate vocals. (Nice job, Angie Bula!) (8.875/10)
Total time: 37:00
This is one artist that will keep me engaged in modern day progressive rock so long as he retains his youthful esprit de vie.
92.94 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a delightful masterpiece of quirky Canterbury- and youth-infused creativity. HIGHLY recommended to any and all lovers of the high-spirited naïveté of youth!
PAT METHENY Side-Eye III+
The look is all new, the styles and sounds a perfect blend of old and new, the results offer full satisfaction and intriguing fusions.
- Pat Metheny / guitars
- Chris Fishman / keyboards
- Joe Dyson / drums
- Daryl Johns / bass
- Brandee Younger / harp
- Luis Conte / percussion
- Leonard Patton / percussion, vocals
1. "In On It" (7:55) a sound palette and style that harkens back to the albums Pat was doing with his Group towards the end of their tenure together (1996-2004--particularly those of 2002's Speaking of Now). Drummer Joe Dyson does bring a different, perhaps "younger" feel to his play and keyboard maestro Chris Fishman and bassist Daryl Johns definitely bring new styles and sounds to the music, but the percussionists are fitted to the old proscribed Latin/Brasilian slots that they been filling since the days of Nana Vasconcelos. The song is full of twists and turns--and totally up to the skills expectations that Pat has put before us for over 50 years--as well as surprising sounds coming from the newbies (spring-less snare, active kick drum, odd bass riffs and chords, etc.) It even sports a few stop-and-go instances but the melodies and Pat's choice of guitar tone are all quite familiar. (13.5/15)
2. "Don't Look Down" (11:15) now here's a bass and drum pattern that we haven't heard from Pat in . . . forever?! Like something out of the early Sixties (Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" keeps coming to mind) yet the piano, percussion, and Wes Montgomery-like guitar tone and style are still quite within Pat's "normal" wheelhouse. Keep it fresh by going back to the old! Daryl Johns is definitely something beyond the Mark Egan, Steve Rodby, and Charlie Haden tools we were used to hearing from Pat's albums. The use of choir is also something new to me--it's as if Pat & Company are paying tribute to Burt Bacharach and that ilk. But then after "warming up" for the first eight minutes with "the old," we get to enjoy some of Pat's signature "horn guitar" in his soloing over the top of the full/busy final two minutes. Nice! I've enjoyed this "old meets new" listening experience! Pat just keeps on going! (18/20)
3. "Make A New World" (10:04) this one goes back to old guitar sounds and styles of the Sixties with piano and old-fashioned drum and bass support giving us a bit of a look at "Cool Jazz" or the early stuff that spawned the Smooth Jazz phenomenon (which became one of the dominant forms of Jazz left to us after the Fusion revolution of the 1970s). Joe Dyson's unusual play and miking of his drums gives Pat's "old" sounding guitar melodies a youthful pop and zing while other bass lines are presented from other instruments from the sixth minute on--just before Pat switches to a computer-MIDIed sound that sounds as if he had fused together a baritone clarinet with a Prophet 5 sound that allows him to spray notes over the palette as if Ornette Coleman were playing the piano with his hands, elbows, and head. But this is only brief, then he returns with his Wes Montgomery sound before letting the rich chords of the wordless vocal choir step up front to take us to the end. Nice product, guys! One of the new style! (18.333/20)
4. "Urban and Western" (7:22) for this motif Pat and his rhythm section pick up on Rickie Lee Jones' vocal melody lines from "A Lucky Guy" (from her 1981 masterpiece, Pirates, one of my top 10 favorite albums of all-time). Swirling 1960s organ--straight out of the original tele-evangelist churches, full-on Gospel-Pop choir, jazz guitar over bluesy bass and drum play, and big build up and crescendoing finish make this a fun and memorable song--and one that comes as quite a surprise when put up against all of Pat's previous works. (14/15)
5. "SE-O" (6:51) a marching motif that sounds part like the castle soldiers of The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West and part like something that might have come off of a 1960s Miles Davis Second Great Quintet album (this despite the dominant sound of Chris Fishman's organ in the lead position--which allows us the rare opportunity to hear Pat playing gentle rhythm guitar support chords) until the end of the third minute when we switch into Brasilian mode with Pat up front and Chris receding to a supporting roll. Daryl Johns' double bass play is delightful--taking me back to Steve Rodby's work on Still Life (Talking), Letter from Home, and We Live Here. There is such a great, almost loose, but actually very tight and busy thickness of this complex track--especially in these last three minutes! Wow! Pat can still hang with the youngsters! (13.875/15)
6. "Our Old Street" (5:22) one of those gorgeous late-night nostalgia (or Missouri Sky-like) ballads that Pat usually squeezes onto his albums. Here, with Daryl on double bass, Chris on piano, and Joe really hashing up his cymbal play, Pat manages to conjure up something totally new melodically, which must be so hard to do after 50 years of recording and improvising. He and Chris really have a great symbiosis with their mutually-supportive melody-carrying chord play. But then we get into the fourth minute in which the band ramps up a bit while Chris jumps into the lead: me no like. Fortunately, they return to the original chord-based melody delivery mechanism for the final 90 seconds. Beautiful. (9.125/10)
7. "Risk and Reward" (9:58) a song that seems to be expressing a story in the way a jazz-pop artist (like Rickie Lee Jones) might do: lots of unexpected twists and turns, surprise road sights and scenic delights. This is one of the freshest, most charming/disarming pieces I've heard from Pat in a long time! My favorite song on the album. (19.125/20)
8. "So Far, So Good" (5:45) another soft, spacious with some interesting sound choices coming from the vocals and keys while Pat solos away on his favorite nostalgia/ballad tone. (8.875/10)
Total Time: 63:22
Total Time: 63:22
It's hard to believe that after 50 years Pat can still come up with new sounds, new melodies, new structural ideas, but, then, he is helped in that process by always choosing/attracting la crème de la crème in terms of musicians. Each of the newcomers on this album has brought a wealth of new sounds and ideas to enrich, augment, and even push Pat to higher heights. Mega kudos, Chris, Joe, and Daryl!
91.867 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; yet another high ceiling of masterful Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion--the blending of old and new, both in terms of styles and ages of the collaborators involved, this is without hesitation another masterpiece from one of the absolute greatest musical creatives of the past half century!
Some excellent Israeli Retro/Neo Prog. The nostalgic music feels as if it came from early 1970s Pink Floyd and Camel.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Avi Barak / drums, flute
- Liran Herrnstadt / bass, vocals
- Eze Sakson / keyboards, synths
- Tal (Stein) Rubinstein / guitars, backing vocals
With:
- Salit Lahav / flute
2. "Field of Fade Memory" (11:48) who would have ever thought that anyone would ever want to recreate the weird vocals of Camel's Moonmadness (which are, in my opinion, the weakest element of that otherwise wonderful album)? But here they are! In the fifth minute the band moves into a 1-2-3-rest pulsing Tony Banks/GENESIS motif which moves along at a bit of a faster pace until finishing in a guitar solo and synth-and-organ chord at the end of the tenth minute before the bass and finger-picked delay-echoed electric guitar and Richard Mason electric piano space chords take us into some inverted realm of Pink Floyd. Nicely done! (22.375/25)
3. "Valley of Delirium" (11:35) the dulcet almost-mediæval folk tones of flute and ANTHONY PHILLIPS-like picked acoustic guitar open this one with the flute(s) performing in two different octaves as Mellotron-like synth warbles in tremolo-like support. At the very end of the second minute the first movement closes and an arpeggiated electric guitar chord emerges to be joined and supported by bass, drums, and electric piano in a JIMMY WEBB-like motif. Lovely (if simplistic)! At 3:13 a JAN AKKERMAN-like "Love Remembers" solo electric guitar jumps into the lead position as mutliple tracks/layers of an organ become a little more prominent in support. In the sixth minute the vocals reappear and suddenly we're back in King Crimson's "I Talk to the Wind" mixed with The Eagles' Timonty B. Schmit's 1979 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." Then, at 7:45, the organ and rolling bass falls into a PINK FLOYD "Dogs"-like motif which is then made more BOSTON- (and NEKTAR-) like with organ and guitar power chords. This is so ELOY! It's a great send up but lacks any true originality except for the way they have melded all of these disparately-sourced riffs and motifs together. (17.75/20)
4. "Somewhere Along These Lines" (10:51) a gentle, spacious full-on PINK FLOYD motif opens this one, filling our Atom Hearts with the Dark Side of the Moon and Wishing You Were Here for a good six minutes before segueing into some Tales of the Mystery of ALAN PARSONS's Imagination for a couple of minutes before ending in some Animals territory. What a great homage! (18/20)
Total Time 45:21
LAZULI Être et ne plus être
These Frenchmen are proving themselves to me to be the absolute best progressive rock band to ever "crossover" into the business of creating masterfully-crafted and eminently-enjoyable pop songs (even if they are in French). All of these songs
Line-up / Musicians:
- Claude Leonetti / Léode
- Arnaud Beyney / guitar
- Romain Thorel / keyboards, French horn
- Vincent Barnavol / drums, percussion, marimba
- Dominique Leonetti / vocals, guitar
2. "Chaque jour que soleil fait" (3:53) a decent if a little overly-saccharine song. (8.875/10)
3. "Sourire" (3:30) a little too pop-Beatles-like for me. Nice lead guitar work. (8.75/10)
4. "Matière première" (3:26) like a love song from a horror film or film noire. Interesting. (8.875/10)
5. "L'eau qui dort" (7:05) the 12-string guitar presence is nice, and the song just keeps getting better, richer, more nostalgic the further it goes. Masterful keyboard work, Romain! (13.875/15)
6. "Une chanson Cherokee" (3:54) a delightful little motif is set up by guitarist Arnaud Beyney's senstively-picked and strummed acoustic guitar work while Dominique and the rest of the band blend in with their support with such professional perfection. Such a seasoned team! (9.125/10)
7. "Quel dommage" (5:41) a little more bombastic and theatric than the previous fare, but such great performances from an obviously-fully-invested entourage--especially Dominique! Brilliant! I think Romain had fun with this one: playing like that on a grand piano! The vocal-cum-"orchestra" section in the fourth and fifth minutes is awesome--followed by Arnaud's searing guitar solo. Impressive! Way to take the blues and make it sound fresh! (9/10)
8. "L'instinct" (3:58) sensitive finger-picked acoustic guitar and vocal (possibly all done by Dominique). Not for the first time, Dom's immense talent reminds me of Supertramp's Roger Hodgson. Gorgeous. (9/10)
9. "L'homme sûr" (7:05) this one just sounds a little too firmly rooted in old stuff but there is some great lead guitar work. (13.25/15)
10. "Mon body se meurt" (4:30) another song that feels a little too simple and laid back--taking quite a long time to ramp up into more interesting fare (most of which comes from Claude's odd Léode sounds). (8.75/10)
11. "Les 4 Raisons" (3:50) a cool acoustic instrument-dominated palette that is coupled with 1970s-like Elton John orchestra sound plus some cool synth sound choices from Romain. Unfortunately, the song doesn't do enough to wow me. (8.875/10)
12. "Au Bord Du Précipice" (8:28) this song starts out sound very much like one of my favorite songs from their previous album, "Le pleureur sous la pluie," but it builds into something very thick, very NeoProggie, with some great lead guitar (Léode?) work in the second half. Great album-ender. (18.375/20)
Total Time 60:32
- Avi Barak / drums, flute
- Liran Herrnstadt / bass, vocals
- Eze Sakson / keyboards, synths
- Tal (Stein) Rubinstein / guitars, backing vocals
With:
- Salit Lahav / flute
1. "Topography of Mind" (11:07) great lush flute-led 12-string guitar NeoProg in the vein of ANTHONY PHILLIPS, CAMEL and IVORY with just a little Klaus Schulze and Jan Akkerman "Tommy"-like fare thrown in there in the second half for good measure--not to mention the KING CRIMSON "I Talk to the Wind" motif explored in the eighth minute before turning back into Camel. The most independent and original concoction on the album--and the one that shows the instrumental skills of the band members the best. (18.5/20)
2. "Field of Fade Memory" (11:48) who would have ever thought that anyone would ever want to recreate the weird vocals of Camel's Moonmadness (which are, in my opinion, the weakest element of that otherwise wonderful album)? But here they are! In the fifth minute the band moves into a 1-2-3-rest pulsing Tony Banks/GENESIS motif which moves along at a bit of a faster pace until finishing in a guitar solo and synth-and-organ chord at the end of the tenth minute before the bass and finger-picked delay-echoed electric guitar and Richard Mason electric piano space chords take us into some inverted realm of Pink Floyd. Nicely done! (22.375/25)
3. "Valley of Delirium" (11:35) the dulcet almost-mediæval folk tones of flute and ANTHONY PHILLIPS-like picked acoustic guitar open this one with the flute(s) performing in two different octaves as Mellotron-like synth warbles in tremolo-like support. At the very end of the second minute the first movement closes and an arpeggiated electric guitar chord emerges to be joined and supported by bass, drums, and electric piano in a JIMMY WEBB-like motif. Lovely (if simplistic)! At 3:13 a JAN AKKERMAN-like "Love Remembers" solo electric guitar jumps into the lead position as mutliple tracks/layers of an organ become a little more prominent in support. In the sixth minute the vocals reappear and suddenly we're back in King Crimson's "I Talk to the Wind" mixed with The Eagles' Timonty B. Schmit's 1979 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." Then, at 7:45, the organ and rolling bass falls into a PINK FLOYD "Dogs"-like motif which is then made more BOSTON- (and NEKTAR-) like with organ and guitar power chords. This is so ELOY! It's a great send up but lacks any true originality except for the way they have melded all of these disparately-sourced riffs and motifs together. (17.75/20)
4. "Somewhere Along These Lines" (10:51) a gentle, spacious full-on PINK FLOYD motif opens this one, filling our Atom Hearts with the Dark Side of the Moon and Wishing You Were Here for a good six minutes before segueing into some Tales of the Mystery of ALAN PARSONS's Imagination for a couple of minutes before ending in some Animals territory. What a great homage! (18/20)
Total Time 45:21
I like the justification that the band uses for so much cut-and-paste borrowing of classic/iconic riffs and motifs from the Masters of the 1970s: "Topography Of Mind reflects on memory - tracing both the inner terrain and physical places that echo within it." At the same time, I do have to admit to liking the memories these "tribute" songs evoke within me.
90.15 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of retro prog ear candy that, though cleverly-crafted and performed to perfection, I feel compelled to down-grade a bit for its borrowing of so many (virtually all of its) melody and sound palette ideas. If you like your prog to sound like the past masters, you will LOVE this!
90.15 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of retro prog ear candy that, though cleverly-crafted and performed to perfection, I feel compelled to down-grade a bit for its borrowing of so many (virtually all of its) melody and sound palette ideas. If you like your prog to sound like the past masters, you will LOVE this!
These Frenchmen are proving themselves to me to be the absolute best progressive rock band to ever "crossover" into the business of creating masterfully-crafted and eminently-enjoyable pop songs (even if they are in French). All of these songs
Line-up / Musicians:
- Claude Leonetti / Léode
- Arnaud Beyney / guitar
- Romain Thorel / keyboards, French horn
- Vincent Barnavol / drums, percussion, marimba
- Dominique Leonetti / vocals, guitar
1. "Être ou ne plus être" (5:12) a nice opener with some very pleasant, very engaging sound combinations melody lines, and vocal performance. The band is really firing on all cylinders! (9.333/10)
2. "Chaque jour que soleil fait" (3:53) a decent if a little overly-saccharine song. (8.875/10)
3. "Sourire" (3:30) a little too pop-Beatles-like for me. Nice lead guitar work. (8.75/10)
4. "Matière première" (3:26) like a love song from a horror film or film noire. Interesting. (8.875/10)
5. "L'eau qui dort" (7:05) the 12-string guitar presence is nice, and the song just keeps getting better, richer, more nostalgic the further it goes. Masterful keyboard work, Romain! (13.875/15)
6. "Une chanson Cherokee" (3:54) a delightful little motif is set up by guitarist Arnaud Beyney's senstively-picked and strummed acoustic guitar work while Dominique and the rest of the band blend in with their support with such professional perfection. Such a seasoned team! (9.125/10)
7. "Quel dommage" (5:41) a little more bombastic and theatric than the previous fare, but such great performances from an obviously-fully-invested entourage--especially Dominique! Brilliant! I think Romain had fun with this one: playing like that on a grand piano! The vocal-cum-"orchestra" section in the fourth and fifth minutes is awesome--followed by Arnaud's searing guitar solo. Impressive! Way to take the blues and make it sound fresh! (9/10)
8. "L'instinct" (3:58) sensitive finger-picked acoustic guitar and vocal (possibly all done by Dominique). Not for the first time, Dom's immense talent reminds me of Supertramp's Roger Hodgson. Gorgeous. (9/10)
9. "L'homme sûr" (7:05) this one just sounds a little too firmly rooted in old stuff but there is some great lead guitar work. (13.25/15)
10. "Mon body se meurt" (4:30) another song that feels a little too simple and laid back--taking quite a long time to ramp up into more interesting fare (most of which comes from Claude's odd Léode sounds). (8.75/10)
11. "Les 4 Raisons" (3:50) a cool acoustic instrument-dominated palette that is coupled with 1970s-like Elton John orchestra sound plus some cool synth sound choices from Romain. Unfortunately, the song doesn't do enough to wow me. (8.875/10)
12. "Au Bord Du Précipice" (8:28) this song starts out sound very much like one of my favorite songs from their previous album, "Le pleureur sous la pluie," but it builds into something very thick, very NeoProggie, with some great lead guitar (Léode?) work in the second half. Great album-ender. (18.375/20)
Total Time 60:32
As with their last album, 2023's excellent 11, the Leonetti's have created an album on which every single song has radio-friendly hit potential: every song is so well crafted, each containing multiple hooks and melodies to charm the apple from the girl. Simply put, these guys, after almost 30 years of making music together, are putting out the finest crafted prog-paletted and prog-informed pop music on the planet.
90.06 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a collection of easily-accessed song compositions rendered by a well-seasoned ensemble who seem to be pouring their proggy sensibilities into more reflective, radio-friendly, and listener-accessible commodities.
90.06 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a collection of easily-accessed song compositions rendered by a well-seasoned ensemble who seem to be pouring their proggy sensibilities into more reflective, radio-friendly, and listener-accessible commodities.
Special Mentions:
ALIO DIE Fragrant Shade
All music composed and recorded by Stefano Musso in the summer of 2025, arranged and mixed at Lunae studio between December 2025 and January 2026 in Lunigiana, Italy and then released digitally on Hic Sunt Leones on March 6, 2026.
Line-up / Musicians:
- Stefano Musso / drones, loops, zithers, tambura swarmandal, turtle percussion, rattles, bells, gong, bubbles in water, field recordings
1. "Secret Entrance to Sensitive Maps" (22:08) Stefano throws us into a peaceful, ever-shifting shimmer of beautifully-nuanced ethereal garden song--like meditating in a greenhouse in the middle of winter when the sun is trying to break through some foggy morning clouds. The randomly-arriving and then -looping horns, drones, and gentle zither arpeggi and delicate glissandi serve as the sounds of waking insects, the voices of plants stretching as they welcome their daytime companions, as well as the external sounds of the world that serve to remind us that we have work to do in order to let go of the distractions of Earthly life--in order to transcend these detractions to the quest of reuniting with one's Higher Self and remembering one's Divine Essence (as well as the entrapments we agreed to immerse ourselves within when we contracted these human bodyminds). The gentleness of this song, the sublime peace it offers us, is enough to make it a priceless contribution to any person struggling through the trials and tribulations of the human condition (this meaning, YOU!). Thank you, Stefano, for gifting us this 22-minute respite. Invaluable. (45/45)
2. "Fragrant Shade" (20:55) for this garden tour we are perambulating, moving slowly through one of India's lush gardens--or, rather, watching the young matron of the estate do her slow and attentive morning walk through her gardens (or even through the above greenhouse). The plants, insects, and, verily, each and every molecule in the vicinity is quaking with excitement to be feeling the waves of unconditional love and attention proffered by la maîtresse, making sure to do their best to exhibit their most inflated expressions of jubilance and gratitude. All the while, the human visitor seems to move with an effortlessness that suggests the weightlessness of perfect detachment, a natural inclination toward total obliviousness to self and ego. The experience is wonderful if flawed for the fact that the observer/listener is unable to feel her, to be her, and is, therefore, left with the frustrations of ego and selfhood--the opposite attributes that one admires in the woman, the attributes that one longs for in oneself. (35.5/40)
3. "Dissolved in Resonant Harmony" (24:37) this one conjures up images of me patrolling my English manor house gardens after everyone has awakened and is busily engaged in their day-to-day business. Among my encounters on the garden paths are the foraging and mate-seeking birds, the gardener and his wheel barrow, a number of natural-substance wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves of the the gazebos and overhanging shade-branches above the sun-bleached to the point of being decrepit wooden benches as well as various automated sprinklers and the occasional fully-leafed tree bough chassé-ing in the fickle June morning breezes, as well as the distant noises of construction workers banding and clanging away at the perpetual job of up-keep of our old lodge and its various semi-functional out-buildings. A wonderful blend of attending to the delights and mundane magnificence of Nature while lazily allowing the creep of the concern and reminder for the litany of daily human tasks ahead in the commitment to management to flit in and out of consciousness. A cleansing yet sobering "invocation" to life. (45/50)
Total Time 67:40
Total Time 67:40
92.96 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of music in general but a significant contribution to the support of psycho-spiritual health and awareness.
ALIO DIE Vimana Mercury Vortex Engine
All of the music here was composed and recorded by Stefano Musso in March 2024, arranged and mixed at Lunae studio in summer and winter 2025, Lunigiana, Italy, and then released digitally on the Hic Sunt Leones label on May 1, 2026.
In the words of the artist:
Gradually refining the orchestra of undulating and spacious sounds, I worked on multidimensional synchronisms in meticulously harmonizing the multiple vibrations upward in appropriate proportion and perspective.
Giving life to spaces of temporal suspension, where the fusion of elements is in perpetual change and opens up to luminous and profound contemplative dimensions.
A colorful library of sounds and evocative suggestions, a space of delicate enchantment and profound catalysis.
The arpeggios of Tambura Swamandal and Zither dissolve into an enveloping sea of sound waves, hypnotic and delightful, a journey that touches and leads to graceful perceptive states.
I couldn't agree more!
Line-up / Musicians:- Stefano Musso / drones, loops, zithers, tambura swarmandal, turtle percussion, rattles, bells, gong, bubbles in water, field recordings
Since this is definitely one of Stefano's best albums that I've heard in a while--perhaps since 2017! Perhaps its time I go back and catch up to his 24 other releases from the past decade!(!)
1. "The Room of Secrets" (14:51) one can truly feel the "temporal suspension" of the "sea of soundwaves," "hypnotic and delightful." This is befitting of my favorite Alio Die album of all-time, the collaborative record of his work with Lorenzo Montanà, Holographic Codex. (29/30)
2. "Perpetual Shift" (24:28) this one could be an enriched mix-down of Brian Eno's production of street musician Edward Larry Gordan's zither work (otherwise known as Ambient III: Day of Radiance) combined with some of Eno's work on Plateaux of Mirror and On Land or even Harold Budd's collaboration with The Cocteau Twins, The Moon and the Melodies from 1986. I'm guessing that Stefano studies the masters. This is a perfect blend between those gorgeous, ever-giving, lush musics. Wonderful! (51/55)
3. "Mercury Vortex Engine" (36:57)this song is more of a background ambient texture on which to float or sleep, not really the "engine" that I was hoping for (for out-of-body transportative support). It's good but nothing really new or out-of-the-ordinary. As a matter of fact, it sounds like a lot of the previous material I've heard from Stefano. (I'd love to ask him to list the ways in which he thinks the sounds and textures of this song differ from previous material. Some backwards looping? Different sounds used for the loops? A different key? More electronic layers? Louder crickets? A new zither?) Still, it is almost always a good thing to drop an Alio Die album into one's life. (To do so on a daily basis would have the effect of establishing a therapeutic habit.) (65/75)
3. "Mercury Vortex Engine" (36:57)this song is more of a background ambient texture on which to float or sleep, not really the "engine" that I was hoping for (for out-of-body transportative support). It's good but nothing really new or out-of-the-ordinary. As a matter of fact, it sounds like a lot of the previous material I've heard from Stefano. (I'd love to ask him to list the ways in which he thinks the sounds and textures of this song differ from previous material. Some backwards looping? Different sounds used for the loops? A different key? More electronic layers? Louder crickets? A new zither?) Still, it is almost always a good thing to drop an Alio Die album into one's life. (To do so on a daily basis would have the effect of establishing a therapeutic habit.) (65/75)
Total Time 76:15
Since this is definitely one of Stefano's best albums that I've heard in a while--perhaps since 2017! Perhaps its time I go back and catch up to his 24 other releases from the past decade!(!)
90.625 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; another gem of an album from the 21st Century's master of Ambient music.
