Top Albums of the Year 2024, Part 1: The Masterpieces

My Favorite Albums of 2024

(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 their 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. 

I have experienced a bit of a transition this year: a crisis or bubble burst of my inner evolution; I have found that I have lost interest, enthusiasm, and even tolerance for much of the music being released by so-called "prog" artists. I seem to have realized that many artists are no longer interested in progressing music but, instead, replicating their revered forms of the past. I can only hear so many "Suppers Ready"- or "Close to the Edge"-inspired epics or so much music employing all of the instrumental sounds and texturings first explored by Genesis on A Trick of the Tail and Wind and Wuthering. My deep dive into the history of Jazz-Rock Fusion has left me jaded against over-processed, over-produced music, longing for more music that is representational of adventure, spontaneity, and improvisational courage. Hence, it has been extremely difficult for me to motivate myself to listen to new albums that only seem to want to replicate old music. In fact, the number of albums I've managed to listen to much less review has dwindled significantly from my coverage of previous years. I apologize for those of you who have come to expect my brimming enthusiasm for the championing of new artists and new music; it's just not there in the same way that it was back in 2014and 2016 when I started this blog and began broadcasting my radio show. My mission of "prog-educating "my" public (what a joke!) has definitely shifted. I'm not quite certain where my energies are going to be directed in the near (or long) term but I do know that my love for music has not died, it is only shifting. Thanks for bearing with me; I hope it all works out for your benefit soon.  

I have been able to force myself to listen to over 100 new releases from 2024 from which I have posted reviews of 50 (so far). According to my calculations, we are fortunate to have 2024 presenting Prog World with 14 "minor" masterpieces and 14 other excellent "near-masterpieces"! Despite the appearance of a handful of genuinely creative and refreshing new albums, I would not call this a great year for progressive rock music.

The Rankings

 (My "Favorites")

1. PLANTOID Terrapath

    (tie) BENT KNEE Twenty Pills Without Water

3. MIDAS FALL Cold Waves Divide Us 

4. MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER Tarot, Part I

5. INNER EAR BRIGADE Perkunas

6. SLIFT Ilion

7. BELIEVE The Wyrding Way

8. THE AMAZING Piggies

9. HANDS OF THE HERON Quiet Light

10. ARNAUD BUKWALD Orange Fuze

11. VIENTOS MODERADOS DEL ESTE Un Manual de Signos y Síntomas

12. BIG BIG TRAIN The Likes of Us 

13. RITUAL The Story of Mr. Bogd, Part 1

14. ARNAUD BUKWALD with DIDIER MALHERBE Moondragore

15. GEORDIE GREEP The New Sound 

16. VIIMA Väistyy Mielen Yö 

17. THE ARISTOCRATS Duck

18. PURE REASON REVOLUTION Coming Up to Consciousness 

19. CIELO DRIVE Pieces from a Broken Star

20. ALEX CARPANI BAND The Good Man

21. TOM PENAGUIN Tom Penaguin

22. COMPASSIONIZER The Fellowship of the Mystery

23. ACTIONFREDAG Lys fremtid i mørke 

24. CALIGULA'S HORSE Charcoal Grace

25. SLEEPMAKESWAVES It's Here, But I Have No Names for It 

26. AETHER Trans-Neptunian Objects

27. MONKEY3 Welcome to the Machine

28. BEARDFISH Songs for Beating Hearts

29. KARFAGEN Land of Chameleons

30. ALCEST Les chants de l'aurore

Honorable Mentions:

31. COLIN MASSON The Visitor

32. THE CHRONICLES OF FATHER ROBIN The Songs & Tales of Airoea, Book 3: Magical Chronicle (Ascension)

33. ELLESMERE Stranger Skies

34. MEER Wheels Within Wheels

35. GRECO BASTIÁN With a Little Hell from MORE Friends

36. RETURNED TO THE EARTH Stalagmite Steeple

Special Mentions:

THE CURE Songs of a Lost World

EMMA VOLARD Alibi

BRAINSTORY Sounds Good

The Masterpieces

(Ratings of 100 to 93.34) 

(none)

The "Minor" Masterpieces

(93.33 to 90.0)

VIIMA Väistyy Mielen Yö

Finland's virtuosic prog folk rockers release their first album in 15 years--their third overall since their world debut on Colossus Magazine and Musea Record's debut release collaboration, 200s's Kalevala - A Finnish Progressive Rock Epic.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Hannu Hiltula / flute, keyboards (4,5), backing vocals (1,4,5), voice (5)
- Mikko Uusi-Oukari / guitars, Mellotron (3,5)
- Mikko Väärälä / drums, vocals (2), keyboards (2), chimes (5)
- Aapo Honkanen / bass
- Risto Pahlama / vocals, keyboards (2,3), Mellotron (2)
With:
- Kimmo Lähteenmäki / keyboards (1), wind (5)

1. "Tyttö Trapetsilla" (4:42) light, upbeat flute-lead acoustic prog folk opens sounding like a JETHRO TULL song before Risto Pahlama's doubled-up vocal enters issuing forth a fairly standard melody. As the song plays out it turns out that the song as a whole is a rather standard ABABCAB construct as if aimed toward radio play. (8.5/10)

2. "Äiti Maan Lapset" (18:50) a beautiful piece of prog that feels Italian! It's on a par with some of the  masterpieces Musea Records and Colossus Magazine were able to publish with their earliest themed albums like The Colossus of Rhodes, Kalevala, and Odyssey: The Greatest Tale (to which the band began contributing in 2008 with each of the three Divine Comedy trilogy renderings). Plus it seems to have that same rigorous adherence to 1970s period analog instruments and recording techniques that the Colossus/Musea projects asked (required) of their contributors. There is a melodic, laid-back, pastoral feel to this song that reminds me of some favorite albums of mine like MAD CRAYON's 2009 masterpiece, 

 Preda, and Chilean band AISLES' 2009 and 2023 masterpieces, In Sudden Walks and Beyond Drama, respectively. Of the many themes and movements of this long, labyrinthine song, there are not that I dislike--even the weird guitar-heavy one in the seventh minute--none that don't reach directly into my core as if to satisfy some long-forgotten itch. While several motifs feel somewhat familiar (in a warm, friendly way), it mostly feels quite fresh and original--and while the singing is not knock-your-socks-off amazing, it is all quite perfectly interwoven within the flow and context of the current weaves--as if better appreciated as just more instrumental threads in the overall tapestry. Also, while no one instrumentalist or solo stands out as warranting special recognition, it is instead the selfless giving to the whole that, for me, deserves the accolades. I know it's early in the year (I'm writing this in late March) but this song one will be a tough one to top in my year-end list of 2024's Best Prog Epics and Mesmerics. (39.75/40)

3. "Pitkät Jäähyväiset" (6:38) a beautiful CAMEL-like palette and flute melody open this song for the first 30 seconds before a swelling organ chord signals the band's laying down a very standard and sedate straight-time motif for another ABABCAB pop song with the C section being drawn out for a couple minutes instead of relegated to an equal 30-second proportion that the other sections get. Long fadeout.(8.75/10)

4. "Perhonen" (6:45) beautiful pensive Fender Rhodes play opens this ruminative piece. The keyboard is slowly, very gradually expanded to other synths and some percussion until the three-minute mark when the song finally breaks into something meatier. Very CAMEL-like. This new vocalized motif has a nice pace and circular rising five-chord progression while retaining the Camel-like Mellotron strings chord support. Of all the vocals on the album, this is probably my favorite (though it's still not great). Guitar and piano play are nice--also Camel-like, but the song kind of ends as if it was just a set up for the next song--which makes it feel a bit cut off or incomplete. (13.25/15)

5. "Vuoren Rauha" (7:37) spilling over from the previous song, synthesizer wind sounds move it forward until processional piano and Risto Pahlama's priestly male singing voice take us into a kind of Russian-feeling dirge. This sounds very much like something off of AFTER CRYING's great De Profundis album from 1996. Nice work with orchestral percussion, flute, and Mellotron before the drums kick in. In the fifth minute (!) we finally kick into the realm of a rock instrumental palette. This turns out to be a very pretty almost-1960s song (due to the presence and extended solo of Hammond organ. I like it. (13.375/15)

Total Time 44:32

92.92 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; despite less-than-stellar marks for the album's other four songs, the presence of the 19-minute epic--the best epic I've heard (so far) in 2024--elevates this album to a higher level than it might deserve but such is the possibility of an album as opposed to a single song. As a whole, Väistyy Mielen Yö is definitely my top Symphonic Prog album of the year.

PLANTOID Terrapath

British newcomers Plantoid debut with this very interesting collection of eclectic crossover songs, each employing multiple styles and dynamics from such diverse realms as Prog Folk and Jazz-Rock Fusion, 1960s Brazilian bassa nova pop, Indie quirk, and even Metal. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Chloe Coyne / vocals
- Tom Coyne / guitar
- Louis Bradshaw / drums
- Bernardo Larisch / bass

1. "Is That You" (6:01) opening with gently yet-quickly picked arpeggio chords, synth bass chord, and lead guitar melodies being gently plucked from within the arpeggi. Bass, and then, basic drum and percussion (tome time and occasional tambourine) join before synth string chords and wordless female vocal strains enter. This is heavenly!

     Around 2:45 the song "launches" as full drums, full percussion work, very cool active bass, and multiple tracks of female voices jump into the fore. Amazing power in this beauty! Then, at 4:10, after a black midi-like crescendo, the music all stops and the guitar switches to intricate rock chord-and-pick play that sounds like something between A FORMAL HORSE and a heavily-distorted George Harrison. Weirdly incongruous combination of motifs! (Great first four minutes.) (9.333/10)

2. "Pressure" (3:07) aggressive Indie-Metal of the A FORMAL HORSE type with heavily-treated Siouxsie -like Hayley McDonnell vocal of Chloe Coyne. I feel as if we're being taken back to the Punk Rock sound and styles of the 1970s with this song. Kind of the odd duck on the album--but good to know … for persepctive. (8.75/10)

3. "Modulator" (5:43) wonderful fluid, slightly funky and seductive jazz-rock pop song that reminds me of both LOUIS COLE and GENEVIEVE ARTADI (otherwise known as KNOWER). Even with all of the song's instrumental side alleys, this is a totally bewitching song in much the same way that "Overtime" is. There are so many subtle notes of genius here that I think I could get something fresh and amazing out of even my 100th listen! (9.5/10)

4. "It's Not Real" (2:00) an odd little jazz-rock theme with the song title whispered repeatedly within the jazzy-trip-hoppy instrumental weave. (4.5/5)

5. "Dog's Life" (3:58) opening with wonderfully-creative studio-manipulated morphing guitar before rhythm section and gentle guitar guitar chords provide the full base for Chloe's ethereal voice to sing over. There is almost a modern jazz-funk feel to these verses while the choruses are more aggressive, more heavy rock 'n' roll. The instrumental passage in the third minute is more about alien space effects than impressive technical skills on display. The final 30 seconds, then, sees Chole's most angelic voice (sometimes harmonized with multiple tracks of her own voice) accompanying very sparsely with synth-sounding chords and a tiny bit of bass. Man! What a song! There are so many clever and ingenious note subtleties--even in the vocal arrangement--I could listen to this hundreds of times and never tire of the surprises and nuances. (9.25/10)

6. "Only When I'm Thinking" (2:30) Again there is this wonderfully enticing, alluring, even sexy GENEVIEVE ARTADI-like quality to Chloe's voice. Jazz guitar, slowly-panning delicate drum play that sounds computerized, bass and synth bank chords (also computerized or computer-enhanced?) and Chloe's voice: that's pretty much it. (9/10)

7. "Wander Wonder" (6:04) for the first two minutes, a cool little diaphanous funk-jazz sound palette backs Chloe's dreamy vocals, but then a more rock guitar motif starts up an entirely new section--one that is fully guitar-centric--in which Tom's multiple guitar tracks flail and riff with deft subtlety. By the end of the fourth minute this guitar display morphs into a kind of jazzy motif over which Tom solos in a more formal, typical Jazz-Rock Fusion way over the strum-and-plucked jazz chord progressions and dynamic, Latinized drums and percussion instruments. (9.125/10)

8. "Insomniac (Don't Worry)" (4:02) bleeding directly over from the previous song, Chloe returns to sing in a shyly-seductive "hiding" voice over the same BLACK MIDI-like jazz-guitar chord play that Tom and Chloe used in "Wander Wonder." Nice MELODY FERRIS-like melody-making by Chloe in both the verses and chorus--and great drum and guitar play in those choruses, bridges and transitions! (9.125/10)

9. "G.Y. Drift" (2:09) again, the song starts as if launched like a rocket from the previous song: bursting into fast-paced, full-powered THE MARS VOLTA/YES/KING CRIMSON/BLACK MIDI-like rock aggression while using jazzy chords and sound palette. This is the band's take on black midi! (4.4375/5)

10. "Softly Speaking" (3:41) piano and horn-like infinity-guitar notes support Chloe singing in more of a jazz-lounge torch singer's voice--until, that is, the multi-voiced chorus starts at 1:19. This is the most plaintive, most tortured and emotional vocal I've heard from Chloe. She's really good--really powerful--in a k.d. lang/Jane Siberry-kind of way. What a beautiful surprise! (9.5/10)

Total Time 39:15

An album that reminds me a lot of modern crossover prog bands like A FORMAL HORSE, BENT KNEE, KNOWER, INNER EAR BRIGADE, iNFiNiEN, or even the multiple projects involving New York's CONIGULIARO BROTHERS and BLACK MIDI--which helps win me over to their party--but it is the intermittent and often surprising and unexpected appearance of pure Jazz-Rock Fusion guitar that really makes me smile and, if truth be known, keeps me engaged as I hope for more. I love this music! It's so creative and unique!

92.80 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of modern Pop-Jazz-Rock Fusion. This is an album that just keeps giving more and more with each and every listen. Highly recommended for any lover of music. I feel that this grower is going to be near the top of my Year-End Top 10!

MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER Tarot, Part I

The Neo-Canterbury band from Catalan is back with their sophomore album--and I'm so excited. (Their 202 self-titled debut, is one of my top 5 favorite albums of the 2020s, so far.)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Eva Muntada / piano, synthesizers, organ, Mellotron, vocals
- Xavi Sandoval / bass, guitars, mandolin (3), vocals (6), sitar (7), backing vocals (11)
- Alejandro Carmona / drums
With:
- Dominic O'Dair / spoken words (2,5)
- Maddy Gray / spoken words (4)
- Tony Jagwar / sitar (6)
- Didac Ruiz / percussion (7)
- Maya fernandez / flute (8,9)
- Glenn Brigman / voice (11)

 

1. "The Fool" (5:39) great bass with a bit of a mix of THE BEATLES' "Tomorrow Never Knows" and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT feel with their uses of panned synthesizers, reversed lead guitar, and vocoder, respectively. Once the vocals, drums, and chugging rhythm guitar join in, it becomes more like a psychedelic song from someone like The PRETTY THINGS on S.F. Sorrow or GENESIS' first album or, from the 21st Century, WEST INDIAN GIRL. Very warm and inviting. (8.875/10)

2. "The Wizard" (3:05) male vocal recitation over the spacey opening, but then piano, drums, and bass take us into a more psych-rock motif before switching over to a very NEKTAR-like passage starting at 1:25. This is excellent psychedelia! Too bad it doesn't have more of a "finished" quality to it. (9/10)

3. "The High Priestess" (3:38) dreamy female vocals (many tracks) with some Baroque instrumentation beneath. Very beautiful--and so Sixties-ish! The vocal arrangements could rival anything from THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, STEELEYE SPAN, or MELLOW CANDLE (or, in the 21st Century, The MEDIÆVAL BÆBES). Eva Muntada's vocal arrangements are amazing! (9.5/10)

4. "The Empress" (3:42) more dreamy, floating vocals over more normal folk-rock-like instrument palette. I am so impressed with Eva's amazingly etheric vocal layering! It's so Siren-like in its calm and ultra-confident allure. Whale-like lead guitar arrives in the third minute. Nice! And thank you, Maddy Gray, for those seductive words to finish! (9.125/10)

5. "The Emperor" (2:52) a little more reminiscent of the band's first album, the rich palette of Fender Rhodes, thick bass, "distant" horn synth, and fuzz guitar make for a wonderfully alluring sound. The spoken voice of Dominic O'Dair fills the pause in the middle with pertinent descriptors and nouns from the lexicon of the Tarot world. (9.125/10)

6. "The Hierophant" (3:21) guest Tony Jagwar's searing sitar soloing over fast-rocking bass and drums and hypnotic floating waves of synths! This reminds me of KULA SHAKER at their absolute best! Xavi Sandoval is the listener's champion: he makes his bass sound and lines so infectious! (9.5/10)

7. "The Lover" (3:21) Mellotron and keyboard bells (and distant flute) make for a very dreamy, Days of Future Passed-like soundscape. Then harpsichord takes over to back the angelic multi-tracked voices of Eva Muntada before the music switches to pure Indian with Didac Ruiz' tabla play and Xavi's sitar. Unexpectedly fragmented but it all works! It is an amazing cross-cultural view of the cosmic phenomenon we call "love"! (9.125/10)

8. "The Chariot" (3:06) more bass-led music that could very well have come from the band's debut album, Xavi, Alejandro, and Eva create a wonderful groove over which wah-ed lead gutar, flute, and organ take turns soloing. I love the flanged drums! Great tune! Xavi's electric guitar really cooks in that 30 seconds! This one reminds me very much of something from Devonshire band MAGIC BUS. (9.25/10)

9. "The Justice" (4:56) Xavi's great bass, front and center, seducing us from his first notes, with reverbed drums and piano and dreamy 1960s flute open this one before Eva's balmy vocals--in a lower register--come in to sing us her folk wisdom. Great pop-jazziness to this one. Should/could be a hit! Eva's Melltron and Xavi's heavily-effected chorused lead guitar come in with about a minute to go but it's 'tron and flute that take us to the end fade. Wow! A perfect song! (10/10)

10. "The Hermit" (3:11) floating strummed guitar chords with matching lead guitar notes and Mellotron male voices open this instrumental like some kind of Steve Hackett impressionistic piece. More vocals and heavily-flanged cymbal play join in during the second half. Great atmosphere with a very mystical result. (8.875/10)

11. "The Wheel of Fortune" (4:21) lightly-flanged 12-string pickings for an intro before the music shifts into a psychedelic pop waltz with Glenn Brigman's dreamy DONOVAN-like flanged voice singing. It's so Sixties dreamy Psychedelic Pop! Masterful! Even the rising chord progression that carries the song has something magically mind-altering to it! Absolutely, astonishingly wonderful! (9.5/10)

Total Time 41:12

The band has definitely chosen to proceed down the more space/psychedelic form of Canterbury that Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage, Pierre Moerlin, and Gillie Smyth travelled over their careers--maybe even moreso! I have to agree with fellow reviewers that this is one of the finest collections of Neo-1960s-Psychedelia that I've heard--and that it surely qualifies of one of 2024's prog masterpieces!

92.61 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a minor masterpiece of wonderfully-suggestive Canterbury-tinged Space/Psychedelic prog--my favorite of its category for 2024!

BENT KNEE Twenty Pills Without Water

Despite the loss of founding members and BEN Levin and Jessica Klon (who have moved on to devote more attention to their own other projects), the Boston-based progressive rock band goes on, here releasing their sixth since their 2011 self-titled debut.  

Line-up / Musicians:
- Courtney Swain / lead vocals, keyboards, bass
- Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth / drums
- Chris Baum / violin, backing vocals, guitar
- Vince Welch / synthesizers, rhythm guitar, bass, sound design, production

1. "Enter" (0:47)

2. "Forest" (5:07) interesting, very Eastern musical palette that, in my opinion, would probably be better without any contribution from a Western-oriented (KATE BUSH-like) drum kit. Lots of distorting psychedelic effects on nearly everything and everybody--at least, until the electric piano break in the fourth minute. I absolutely LOVE the restart and finish! (9/10)

3. "I Like It" (3:10) great bleed over from the previous song with sustained though unstable strings synth note/chord to which Courtney eventually sings sounding like something from the 1980s: Siouxsie and the Banshees or Laurie Anderson. She is so fricken talented! Great bass/synth bass play from Vince Welch and the strings and violin arrangements are amazing! One of the coolest songs the band has done in a long time. (Maybe the best, most engaging things I've heard from them since Shiny Eyed Babies.) (9.75/10)

4. "Illiterate" (3:28) Once again the band treads into the World Music pop blending world that Peter Gabriel really exploited in the 1980s, and once again Courtney morphs her voice into something totally unexpected: something sexy, sassy, aloof, and disinterested. Amazing! Genius! (9/10)

5. "Big Bagel Manifesto" (5:12) here Courtney morphs yet again: treading onto the grounds that Julia HOLTER and Elizabeth HEATON have elevated to such esteemed heights. A song that may be close to achieving perfection. (9.75/10)

6. "Cowboy" (2:57) old-time acoustic guitar with an old-time front porch singing imitation. Tough to pull off, but they do. Wow! And then the way it gets sucked down a distortion hole in the alley of barking dogs! Who would have ever expected anything like this on a Bent Knee album?! (4.75/5) 

7. "Never Coming Home" (4:00) despite a retro-poppy opening, this one serves as a brilliant blend of several highly recognizable, wildly eclectic styles. Very clever and well done--end eminently enjoyable. And, (believe it or not), incredible lyrics--such a poetic selection of words. I am completely under a spell! This could--should--be a radio hit! (or should have been back in the 1980s!!) Great guitar and keyboard effects at the end, Chris and Courtney! (9.5/10)

8. "Comet" (0:45) a synth wash bleed over from the previous song within which a dream scenario of a family eating at the family dinner table. Somehow this serves as a bridge between "Never Coming Home" and "Drowning." 

9. "Drowning" (6:40) a fairly simple, straightforward song that is totally reliant on Courtney Swain's vocals and lyrics. It's okay. Courtney's great but I guess I'm always hoping for something more in a progressive rock song--more change, development, hooks--something. The one encouraging thing I can say about this is that it is gorgeous if drawn out a little long. (8.75/10)

10. "Lawnmower" (5:03) more based in bucolic, acoustic-sounding instrumentation (acoustic guitars and bass!)--almost like a proggy folk song--this one succeeds. I love the use of power chords and "I never mow the lawn" lyrics to convey the symbolism of accepting/resigning one's comprehension that one's loved one is never coming home. (9.25/10)

11." DLWTSB" (3:23) another surprisingly well-conceived and cheeky blend of retro sounds and styles delivered with absolute perfection. The first half sounds very much like an outtake from The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots; the second half like something from a 1980s New Waver like DEPECHE MODE, SIMPLE MINDS, or MADHOUSE. (9/10)

12. "Exit" (2:39) a large banked chord of sustained-yet-subtly-morphing synth strings swells before slowly decaying into a Lethe-like river of floating soul-fluid. Beautiful, dreamy, uplifting, and inspirational. The perfect bookend to the opening song for this nearly-perfect masterpiece of an album. (9.75/10)

Total Time 43:11

This is an album I enjoy so much that I can see myself listening to it every day for quite some time: it's filled with so many ingenious and effective nuances and layers that it'll take a long time to get to really know much less distinguish and memorize each and every song--songs that are definitely all unique and thus deserve this kind of attention. It is an endeavor that I greatly look forward to.

I am so surprised with the absence of such virtuoso musicians as Ben Levin and Jessica Klon how able and wonderful are the bass and guitars throughout this album. At the same time, I think this is Courtney Swain's breakout "solo" album: She somehow chameleonically transmforms her voice and the emotions and very-personhood she possesses with virtually each and every song on this album. I am left stunned--humbled before her skills and talent. And I mean no disrespect to her stalwart crew of supporters: they are absolutely brilliant! But, come on guys, Courtney is the show! As an overall soul-sucking album, this might be as good or better than Shiny Eyed Babies! (I'll let you know in a few months the staying effect this album holds when compared to that of their 2014 masterpiece.)

92.35 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of very diverse and impressively innovative crossover progressive rock music. Without doubt, this is an album that is an essential listen (if not acquisition) for any self-professed lover of progressive rock music. It is my favorite Crossover Prog album of 2024.

MIDAS FALL Cold Waves Divide Us

The amorphous Scottish trio is back with its first album in five years--since the masterpiece that is Evaporate. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Elizabeth Heaton / vocals, guitars, strings, synths, piano, drums
- Rowan Burn / guitars, synths, piano, drums
- Michael Hamilton / bass, synths, drums

1. "In the Morning We'll Be Someone Else" (4:09) Post Rock perfection. This one opens with a delicate and spacious palette of atmospheric sound before spaced-out drums, guitar harmonics, and the occasional guitar power chord over/within which the great Elizabeth Heaton sings in her voice that sounds like it comes from the Queen of the Underworld. The song keeps building and building--especially with the cymbal crashes and additional sustained guitar note play embellished by axe-master Rowan Burn in the fourth and fifth minutes. (10/10)

2. "I Am Wrong" (5:12) true Post Rock with all of its walls of sound in their dynamic glory, getting better, stronger, more powerful, with each minute of the song's progression. Elizbeth's vocals are amazing--using words that strike one like a cascade of arrows! I have to, here, thank Michael Hamilton for his love of metal music--and Rowan for her excellent acquisition of drumming skills/choices (as well as her awesome duet of guitar arpeggi). When Elizabeth pierces us with the her long-held vowel howls (within the lyrics) and then the "O-o-ooooh" screams in the second half, I think I've been seduced against my will she And then if you are fortunate enough to see the band's video of the song on YouTube with dancer Amber Dollin's extraordinary performance of videographer Stephen Alexander's Possession-inspired cinematography, you know why this is one of the best songs--maybe the best song--of 2024! (10/10)

3. "Salt" (5:28) a more tenderly-rendered song though it is still fraught with angst and latent danger like all of the other music from this album. Elizabeth's performance(s) are awesome--especially that background siren's voice. This is another true Post Rock song. Too bad the vocals don't soar more and that the instruments don't crescendo as high as usual. (8.875/10)

4. "In this Avalanche" (4:04) gentle wooing of the listener with plenty of heavy-hearted words. The music is solid though very slow and drawn out in its subtle and deliberate build. (8.875/10)

5. "Point of Diminishing Return" (5:00) an interesting song for the weird warbling effect imposed upon the lead synthesizer--the instrument that presents and carries the melody over the course of the first half of the song. All of the heaviness backs off at the half-way mark so that the music can reform and rebuild--this time with "cello," guitars and synths sharing the polyphonic re-presentation of the melodies. Were it not for Elizabeth's wordless vocalese in the fifth minute this would be a complete instrumental! (9/10)

6. "Monsters" (4:18) after a very delicate vocal in the sparsely-populated atmospheric opening, the song gets much better in the mostly-instrumental second half. If I weren't so deaf to lyrics, this typically-emotional vocal performance might strike deeper chords. As it is, it feels more like a nice Unforgettable Fire-era U2 song. (8.75/10)

7. "Atrophy" (4:01) opens with a very pregnant, very delicate feeling sonic field--double bass-sounding MIDI keyboard notes and heavily-reverbed & sustained ("infinity" Michael Brook called it) guitar notes in the background. Elizabeth introduces her Celine Dion-like style voice with heart-wrenching precision. At the end of the second minute her voice gets a little meatier while the soundscape remains ambient heavily-repressed metal. Extraordinary performance from Elizabeth; I don't know if I've ever heard quite this kind of stretched out, almost-operatic of a vocal performance from her before. The insidious build in the sonic realm here comes from layers upon layers of synthesized chords instead of strumming guitars. Devastatingly powerful song. (9.25/10)

8. "Cold Waves Divide Us" (5:54) softly bounding keyboard chord notes and ominous distorted guitar chords in the background support Elizabeth's etheric, child- (or ghost-) like vocal here. The drums and electric guitar that arrive in the third minute are by far the most dynamic/aggressive of the whole album. Elevated by the awesome ending. (9.75/10)

9. "Little Wooden Boxes" (5:23) a palette and feel that reminds me of the spacious latency of Chris Isaac's 1991 world mega hit, "Wicked Games," yet Rowan, Michael and Elizabeth have taken the soundscape into an entirely different direction--one that remains richly atmospheric in spite of its Post Rock slow build. In the first part of the fourth minute things empty our leaving Elizabeth's voice in a deep well of heavily-reverbed space, but then the storm surge wave of full power unleashes to carry out to the song's end. (9.25/10)

10. "Mute" (3:41) ominous low-end chords and a pulsing yet-syncopated tom-tom sequence and synth bass ground this one to the heavy metal core of the Earth. Even Elizabeth is compelled to sing in lower-than-usual register until all hell breaks loose at the three-minute mark. Awesome guitar from Rowan! And then Elizabeth's plaintive attempt to patch things up with her healing voice closes the song out. Wonderful! I love the force of this one! (9.25/10)

Total Time 47:13

Everyone paying attention to my writings and playlists knows that Elizabeth Heaton possesses one of my favorite voices of the 21st Century--made even better by the stupendous music that she and Rowan Burn and Michael Hamilton weave around her as well as by the tremendous effects they use on her vocal tracks. This album feels quite different from its predecessor, Evaporate, not quite as reverb-drenched atmospheric, with a more diverse choice of song styles and instrumental palettes. Cold Waves Divide Us may not be as consistently high as Evaporate, but the highs ("In the Morning …", "I Am Wrong" and the title song) might very possibly be higher. 

92.25 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece of powerful, atmospheric, vocal Post Rock music from my favorite act in the Post Rock sub-genre. It's my favorite Post Rock album of 2024! Highly recommended: essential for you post rock fans. And, if you've never had the extreme privilege of hearing the voice of Elizabeth Heaton, this would not be a bad place to start!

ARNAUD BUKWALD Orange Fuze

Dijon's funk culture historian returns with another album flowing from his true best love: 1970s Funk Jazz and R&B--peppered with a little Frank Zappa and George Clinton zaniness, of course.

 
Line-up / Musicians:
- Cherry Pob / vocals
- Captain Cosmic (Arnaud Bukwald) / vocals, guitars, keyboards, composition, arrangements

1. "highs and lows" (2:02) long-time favorite collaborator Cherry Pob is back and in her best CHAKA KHAN voice for this late-70s-like Pop-R&B tune. Too bad they didn't extend it into a full song. (4.5/5)

2. "reborn" (2:41) bursts out of a little funk-jazz intro into a full-on jazz/R&B vocal with multiple tracks from Cherry Pob supported by Captain Cosmic's great funk-jazz-R&B instrumentation--and then joined by the Captain himself on the vocals. Love the horn section accents. (9.25/10)

3. "purple garlic" (1:52) funk organ, drums, bass, clavinet, horn banks, with synth horns and live horns (sax) soloing over the top. A little sample of the JBs, anyone? (4.625/5)

4. "knock out" (3:11) a little Betty Davis attitude! Nice lead guitar work, Maggot Brain! (8.75/10)

5. "revolution" (1:49) son of Kool & The Gang, Gil Scot-Heron, and Chic, here's Arnaud at his most nostalgic! (4.375/5)

6. "casus belli" (3:11) very engaging smooth jazz opening that leaves you salivating for what is possible--for what might come--and then the Captain delivers a sexy Euro-African-accented narration vocal as if we're watching some Black Sexploitation film from the mid-Seventies. Cherry Pob's eerie vocalise gives a Get Out! feel to the song. Awesome! (9.25/10)

7. "sunbath" (2:07) smooth jazzy Disco-R&B of the Minnie Ripperton/Randy Crawford/Chaka Khan vein. (5/5)

8. "the Groovy show" (1:27) Expanded/jazzed up Billy Preston "Outta Space" clavinet opening turns jazz funky with horns. (4.375/5)

9. "dynamite" (3:32) funk rhythm track with great funk rhythm guitar, clavinet, saxophone and horn section. Then comes the raunchy fuzz guitar, Afro scream, flutes, and Talk Box. Also, outstanding percussion throughout this song. More like this, please! (9.5/10)

10. "rebirth" (0:40) brief but awesome synth/keyboard piece. (5/5)

11. "city child" (4:04) Arnaud's Sly Stone/Gil Scot-Heron voice reaches for some Barry White sexiness. Big Switch at 1:40 to some Chic/Jamiroquoi. Great to be back in the late 1970s! At 3:05 there is another shift into some funk jazz with clavinet and trumpet before moving back to some Sly Stone style for the finish. Awesome blend and recap of the best of the groovy years. (9.75/10)

12. "cheeba" (1:37) a little jazz funk with some Reggae flavor. Again, awesome blend. (4.5/5)

13. "butterflies" (1:38) Arnaud has that rare gift of being able to melt the legs of the listener with only two words of his uber-sexy singing voice. Here it's just Arnaud with his Fender Rhodes. (4.375/5)

14. "phoenix" (3:46) beautiful Smooth Jazz chords with fretless bass and Steve Gadd-like drum perfection. Surprisingly, this is "only" an instrumental: sometimes it surprises me that Arnaud and/or Cherry aren't don't occupy every second of every album with their AMAZING voices. (8.875/10)

Total Time 33:37

It seems a bit unfair to assign this album a "progressive rock" categorization (even Jazz-Rock Fusion), but there is no hesitation that this is a GREAT album of pop-funk-R&B-jazz fusion from a major sound magician, master of many instruments, and true and devoted student of the 1970s funk scene.  

92.125 on the Fishcscales = A-/five stars; a masterpiece of modern retro-Jazz-Funk/R&B--my favorite of the year 2024! Definitely HIGHLY recommended to all lovers of the Funk!

ARNAUD BUKWALD with DIDIER MALHERBE Moondragore

Arnaud teaming up with his hero, GONG founder and master of many of the world's traditional wind instruments, Didouk (Didier) Malherbe. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Arnaud Bukwald / composer, performer
- Cherry Pob / vocals, bongos, frame drum, tongue drum, tabla
- Didouk Malherbe / suling, flute, bawu, ocarina
With:
- Arno de Bâzenho / vocals, guitars, weissenborn, sitar, keyboards, arrangements
- Cloudy Myster / drum kit

1. "The Crescent Moon" (5:23) an excellent song with two parts: one in which the sublime voice of Cherry Pob sings the poem of Amy Lowell's while Arnaud accompanies on Richie Havens-like strummed steel-string acoustic guitar, and then when Didouk takes over with some wind instruments (ocarina and flute). I absolutely love hearing Cherry sing in this Susan Osborn "Lay Down Your Burden" (Paul Winter Consort) style. (9.5/10)

2. "Le Sorcier" (3:29) Arnaud's folk strum-and-picked acoustic guitar with Cherry Pob's percussion instruments accompany Didouk's play on the Chinese bawu. (9/10)

3. "Daydream" (2:27) gently picked acoustic guitars, piano, and synth strings support Arno's deep voice (singing in English). Again, Richie Havens comes to mind (only with much better sound recording). The second half of the song is all instrumental. (4.5/5)

4. "Bindi Blues" (1:58) sitar, tabla, acoustic guitar and other percussives launch a very East Indian-sounding song--but with a Ry Cooder-like Western acoustic guitar fitted into the mix. Great tune--one that could've gone longer (for dance purposes). (4.5/5)

5. "Papangue" (6:04) Arno's acoustic guitar with Cherry Pob's kalimba-like tongue drum and Didouk playing a lively ocarina over the top. Great world music blend! The pensive, patient, middle section with its loose improvisational feel to it is my favorite part. (9/10)

6. "Seeds" (3:01) a blues-rocker with slow paced drums, bass, acoustic guitar, and prominent organ used to support Arno's gospel-bluesy vocal and Ry Cooder-like dobro soloing. Then, in the second verse Cherry Pob sings harmony, eventually taking over with her soaring gospel-blues vocalese. Wow! (9/10)

7. "Karma" (3:37) dobro (or is it Arno's weissenborn?) with droning sitar notes opens this one with a one minute introduction before frame drums, synth strings, and guitar jump into a propulsive motif for Arno to sing over. At the two-minute mark Cherry Pob's Shiela Chandra-like East Indian voice dronings enter and take the fore for a bit before Arno returns with the second and final verse. Very cool. (9.25/10)

8. "Looking Across" (3:26) folk-Americana acoustic guitar two-chord strumming supports Cherry singing in English a jazzed-up folk vocal that reminds me of some of the incredible psychedelic folk-blues music that came out of the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-to-late Sixties! What a voice! Everytime Arno let's her shine on one of his compositions she blows me away! Amazing! (10/10)

9. "Hobgoblin" (1:44) a nice folk guitar display. (4.25/5)

10. "Crimson Skies" (2:20) guitar and synth strings combine to support Arno's final Richie Havens-like (4.5/5)

Total Time 33:29

Music that is balm to my soul! The music here is superbly composed, performed and, as usual, impeccably rendered. I am in absolute heaven listening to the album that Arnaud has just sent me: some of them simple ethnic-feeling folk songs, others more sophisticated jazz-rock fusion songs that the other Gong founders would be quite proud of!

91.875 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive folk or prog world music in the traditions of Richie Havens, Ry Cooder, and the Paul Winter Consort. Awesome stuff! Highly recommended.

HANDS OF THE HERON Quiet Light

The Sirens from Bristol are back with a much-anticipated followup to their 2021 Prog Folk masterpiece, 13 Moons…

Lineup / Musicians:

Beth Roberts / Vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, double bass, violin, shaker

Bec Garthwaite / Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Claire Vine / Vocals, clarinet, harmonium

1. "Evergreen" (4:08) the dulcet strains of female folk singers performing over gently plucked banjo arpeggi. I love the spacious, patient, giving, turn-taking of the three vocalists as well as the subtle joinder of cello and violin in the underneath. There is a timeless, Judy Collins-like feel to this piece. (9.5/10)

2. "Making Space" (3:09) gently picked acoustic guitar with bass and hand percussives open this one before a single voice enters to start singing. (I'm going to assume that the lead vocalist is the song's composer: Bec Garthwaite). It sounds like a delicate old-time Country-Folk song--until the tangential harmony vocal motifs begin to seep in (starting at the end of the second minute). (8.875/10)

3. "Dearie" (4:04) banjo and harmonium start this one before a single voice (composer Claire Vine?) enters. The well-developed and even surprisingly dynamic music is offset by the surprisingly solo vocal performance over the first 2:30. Once the rest of the vocalists join in the song becomes even more interesting. I really love (and appreciate) the creativity of their vocal arrangements! I would not be surprised to find out that the album's first four songs came out of the isolation and distancing of the Coronoa Virus Pandemic. (8.875/10)

4. "Aquamarine" (2:46) a gorgeous a cappella song composed by Beth Roberts that sounds very imitative of the traditional English country folk songs in their most intricate arrangements (reminding me very much of MEDIÆVAL BÆBES' "Return of the Birds" and "The World Fareth as a Fantasye" from their 2005 masterpiece, Mirabilis)--the songs that became the reels and jigs, ballads and dances of a pre-electricity world. Incredible stuff! (9.25/10)

5. "Pieces of Me" (4:12) guitar and delicately sung and arranged vocal weaves as composed by Claire Vine. The song is most unusual for sounding like a suite with at lease four distinctive parts. Also, the sparse use of violin in the fourth minute is a brilliant touch. Such gorgeous background harmonies in the  final motif. (9.25/10)

6. "Which Waters" (5:30) this Beth Roberts song opens with some awesome clarinet playing within arpeggiated chords coming from the acoustic guitar. The mood conveyed by the extraordinary vocal arrangement (and lyrics) is simply heavenly! I feel so privileged to be privy to such celestial beauty! Made by humans! Bravo! (9.75/10)

7. "Boat Song" (3:03) another a cappella song that definitely falls into the sea shanty category made prominent by Katharine Blake's Mediæval Bæbes. (8.875/10)

8. "Improvisation: Lament for Palestine" (3:26) an absolutely brilliant musical expression brilliantly rendering the discord and disharmony being experienced by those living in war torn Israelestine. (9.25/10)

9. "Lullaby for a Friend" (3:55) a lot of harmony vocal staccato notes repeating the assurance that these ladies are here for their friend (which seems, if I am not mistaken, to be extended out to the listener as well). Another song that seems reflective of the challenges of the Pandemic. (8.75/10)

10. "Picturing Myself" (3:48) very delicately yet-quickly picked chords of an acoustic guitar supported with bass and other bowed strings open this song before the harmonized vocals of the trio of Fates enter to present the song's signature phrase. The vocals between these vocal chords are singular though beautifully-, as if hesitantly-, accented by injections from the other two. What exquisite timing and definition these singers have, even when woven into time-honored traditional knots. (9.75/10)

11. "Half Moon Horizon" (2:27) another a cappella sea shanty composed by Bec Goldthwaite though vocally led by all three singers, taking turns at the front while the others remain a fixture of constancy just behind with their worded chords. (9/10)

12. "Improvisation: Quiet Light" (2:18) another a cappella piece, this time wordless three-part vocalese. (4.375/5)

Total Time: 42:46

… and they do not disappoint! This collection of songs may not creep over into the garden of Progressive Rock as much as their previous album, 2021's masterpiece, 13 Moons, but the exquisitely-crafted songs pervading the album imbues the listener's soul with the same feeling of awe (for the heights of creativity possible/available to our often-destructive species) that good prog can do. Seeing as there are many songs that seem to express some of the universal difficulties experienced during the Pandemic--especially during the lock down periods--I wonder if the lyrics came from poetic journals from the actual Pandemic.

91.74 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Prog Folk and definitely a stellar achievement of beauty and human potential. Emerging from a listen to this album is like emerging from a soul-cleansing bath of celestial Light and Love. I feel so good! Quiet Light is my favorite Prog Folk album of 2024!

VIENTOS MODERADOS DEL ESTE Un Manual de Signos y Síntomas

Very interesting and enjoyable stuff from a bunch of retreads from Alicante, Spain who've just started collaborating. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Pablo Mateo / guitars
- Paco Esclapés / bass
- César Espí / drums, piano, vocals

1. "La Familia" (5:54) there is an interesting vibe to this rocker: like a blend of Bent Sather/ MOTORPSYCHO at his most energetic and Norwegian sophisticates, SEVEN IMPALE. I like the vocal sounds issued here: there's something old yet modern to it--like And I love the sound choices for many of the layers of instrument tracks. Great drumming! Definitely a Motorpsycho thing going on here.  There's even a little "Free Bird"-like jam passage toward the end to get your blood pumpin'. Awesome! Great start to the album! Definitely a top three song. (9.75/10)

2. "No Habrá Paz para los Vencidos" (6:15) what starts out as a kind of black midi-SEVEN IMPALE-like music for the first three minutes turns Beach Boys, then full-on Surfer Rock, before coming back to a chugging stoner version of Seven Impale at 4:20. Interesting but definitely not my favorite. (8.75/10)

3. "Proxémica. Partes 1-3" (6:04) this one has some hooks! Like the "(Darling) You Send Me" Hawai'ian slide guitar riff in the opening motif. Bass and keyboard roles in this section are awesome--and Pablo Mateo's guitar work as well--volume controlled and, later, wah-wah and searing distortion! At 3:50 there is an incredible shift beneath one of Pablo's high-flying sustained guitar notes, but this motif is short-lived as at 4:33 there is another shift into a slighly-Latinized motif on which Pablo has at least three tracks delivering key components. Around 5:30 we return to the opening melody for the finish. And did I mention that this is an all instrumental song?! Great song! (9.125/10)

4. "El Discurso de Despedida" (6:19) piano-based for a change--and sung in Spanish--this one sounds like THE ASSOCIATION's "Along Comes Mary"--in many ways! The bounce, the enthusiasm and force behind the singers' vocal, the chord progression, the vitality in the music as a whole. I just wish it wasn't so close to "Mary." But, at the 1:10 mark, almost as if the band had heard my musings, there is a delightful shift into a kind of lounge music instrumental passage--something Brian Auger might have done in his early days--and it's even graced by a pretty solid (and long!) wah-wah lead guitar solo in the third and fourth minutes before a return to the "Along Comes Mary" motif and group vocal delivery right up to the very end. Delightful. (9.125/10)

5. "La tarde en que Nietzsche pegó a Platón con el Mechero de Jim Morrison" (5:25) a song that projects some of the snark of countrymates ZA! as well as the sound and melodic genius of GREGG ALEXANDER (THE NEW RADICALS) (and young TODD RUNDGREN). Great stuff that is fairly simple in its foundation and construction but benefits tremendously by the infusion of a little crazed "youthful" imagination. And, with a title like this, how could they go wrong? Another top three song. (9.25/10)

6. "Te Hace Falta un Escarmiento. Partes 1-2" (6:45) despite the fairly-controlled heavy-ish rock music sound palette, there is definitely a little punk rock spirit blasting through on this one; Vientos Moderados Del Este are definitely kindred spirits to young Todd, young Gregg, and maybe even a bit of young Eric Burdon. Just how do these no-longer young men do it? Perhaps their new union as a band has injected each of the members with a new-found joi de vivre or esprit de jeunesse. Another top three song. (14/15)

7. "Vasilisa y la Bruja" (16:25) a finger-picked acoustic guitar chord opens this one, soon joined by a blues-rock ensemble of instruments and choral-delivered vocals, establishing a kind of slightly-heavier PINK FLOYD pastiche for the first couple minutes. I'm not sure where Part 1 ends as the same two-chord motif continues well into the tenth minute with the first six minutes being centered behind the choral vocals, followed by four minutes support to Pablo Mateo's long and passionate wah-wah guitar solo. At the 10-minute mark there is a slight pause as drummer César Espí introduces the Flintstones-like musíca Cubano tom-tom pattern that dominates the next two minutes. It is a near-droning tom-tom pattern that just as suddenly disappears at the 12-minute mark when there is an immediate shift into a swinging old jazz guitar and piano two-step, which then just as unexpectedly morphs at 13:12 into something anthemic when the boys start blasting out their vocal delivery of "sigues en pie" over a kind of Allman Brothers-ish four-chord vamp over which the choir boys continue belt out their instructions (or plea--I really wish my Spanish were better because I find myself wanting to know what it is their so insistent upon). This is what, then, takes us out--to the end of the song (and album)--with the choir vocals continuing while Pablo injects raw and raunchy guitar riffs beneath and in-between the vocal lines. Musically this is not very sophisticated but the guitar play and totally unexpected and sudden style changes earn points for creative inventiveness. Repeated listens render me more attentive to Pablo Mateo's excellent guitar play but more inured to the rather simplistic music--except for the freaky psychedelia of the eleventh and twelfth minutes: I LOVE that section. I think, overall, this is excellent but not quite worthy of superlatives. Were I attuned to the Spanish lyrics perhaps I could/would value it more. As it is, it feels like a song on a par with some of PINK FLOYD's classic songs that have now become little more than pleasantly numbing background music. (27/30)

Total Time: 53:06

How did this album hide from our attention for six months? (That's the time it took since the album was released [July 25] for it to appear in the ProgArchives top ten.) As other reviewers have said, it is such a delight to stumble upon artists like these who enter the fray with such a fresh and enthusiastic angle on music: here a blend of the 1960s Proto-Prog with a modern swag that comes with youth or a new relationship. But these guys are older: retreads from other bands that have been active since the Naughties. How the heck did they manage to harness and convey such a youthful spirit?

91.58 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic progressive rock music that offers a refreshing balm to my despondence over the stagnating state of progressive rock music.   

THE ARISTOCRATS Duck

The unapproachable trio of modern-day virtuosi are back with another display of skills that may be unparalleled in 21st Century rock and prog.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Guthrie Govan / guitar
- Bryan Beller / bass
- Marco Minnemann / drums
With:
- Rusanda Panfili / violins (9)

1. "Hey, Where's MY Drink Package?" (7:01) A quirky fun song with astonishing musicianship that twists and turns as if the band members were racing through the streets of a Renaissance-designed city. A top three song. A top three song. (14/15)

2. "Aristoclub" (4:48) (8.875/10)
3. "Sgt. Rockhopper" (5:51) (8.875/10)

4. "Sittin' with a Duck on a Bay" (7:21) an entertaining display of familiar riffs and phrases strung along with virtuosic ease and effortlessness. A couple of the passages are even kind of cool--something the likes of Randy Bachman and Jeff Beck would even envy. (13.375/15)

5. "Here Come the Builders" (6:16) more blues-rock-based music with an endless string of regurgitated riffs based on the memorable earworms from our musical heritage. I don't really like the song but I cannot deny the talents on display. Amazing. (9/10)

6. "Muddle Through" (7:01) could very well have been a song from Steve Vai's most recent album. A very good song with lots of space to allow the listener to appreciate the remarkable subtleties routinely employed by these virtuosi. (13.75/15)

7. "Slideshow" (7:15) opens sounding like something light and delightful from a MONOBODY album, Marco and Bryan turn it into something a little more rock/prog rockish. Te third motif in the third minute, then, is a little spotlight back to Robert Fripp and King Crimson: a melodic guitar line within a Belew-Fripp-Levin-like weave that Robert, I think, would kill to know he could create. Guthrie's guitar solo in the fifth minute is more rock standard, but then the band goes heavy power chord like Tears For Fears did on Sowing The Seeds. The finish finds the boys reverting to the MONOBODY-like Post Rock. Definitely a top three song for me. (14.25/15)

8. "And then there Were Just Us/Duck's End" (9:04) opening with a Southern guitar rock sound like The Outlaws or Jared Leach's GHOST MEDICINE, the band then turns down a mellower side road--kind of a CHRIS REA guitar-centric Smooth Jazz path. Then in the third minute Guthrie takes on a WES MONTGOMERY jazz guitar style before Bryan is allowed to express a little at the end of the minute. Then there is a crazy wah-wah-pedal solo that STEVE VAI could've/would've done before a bridge of chord repetitions and progressions holds space for Marco to show off a little. Back to the Chris Rea/Bruce Cockburn palette for the sixth and seventh minutes before a pause at 6:50 allows a reset into the opening Southern Rock world--with bassist Bryan Beller really knocking the sound out of the park here while Marco does what Marco does (impeccably). My other top three. (18.75/20)

9. "This is Not Scrotum" (5:06) a Spaghetti Western? No, it's a klezmer tune! A klezmer tune with amazing musicianship (ncluding the multiple violin play of guest Rusanda Panfili). Great fun! (9/10)

As accomplished as these musicians are--and as sophisticated these songs are--I'm not much of a fan of this kind of heavy blues-jazz-rock music, and yet I cannot deny the "Wow!" factor that these guys' performances evoke from me: all three of them; multiple times in each and every song! There is no better guitarist on the planet right now than Guthrie Govan, there is probably no better drummer on the planet right now than Marco Minneman, and this bass player really impresses. It's too bad that all of the music here seems to draw from already-familiar, previously rendered sounds, riffs, forms, and structures as it seems that the possibilities for the creation of new music with these guys is totally possible: they have the talent and skill and understanding to go "where no one has gone before." But, other than piecing together their own unique and unusual collages of song bits, they don't. At the same time the boys owe so much to the masters of the past--especially the likes of Jeff Beck, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Vinnie Colaiuta. 

91.5625 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of stunning musicianship from three of the 21st Century's most virtuosic instrumentalists. Despite the fact that I don't always like the musical sounds, styles, or palettes presented here, I can only recommend this album very highly to any music lover. Duck has to be 2024's album with the most impressive collective instrumental performances.

BELIEVE The Wyrding Way

I have to start off by saying that I am an absolute sucker for the searing lead guitar playing of Mirek Gil--and have been since I first heard his play on COLLAGE's Moonshine. Though it is my opinion that Mirek has never achieved the gut-wrenching adrenaline highs of that album, I can and will never stop listening to his music--always in hope for another fix of those Icarus-like soaring solos. And so here we have another Believe album. It's their seventh since peeling off of the Satellite wagon in 2006 but first in seven years--and yet another lead vocalist. They've all been good (I particularly loved Łukasz Ociepa from 2017's Seven Windows), but Jinian Wilde might be the most complete one they've had.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Jinian Wilde / vocal
- Mirosław Gil / guitars
- Satomi / violin, keyboards
- Przemysław "Przemas" Zawadzki / bass
- Maciek Caputa / drums, piano

1. "Hold On" (21:22) opens with a very catchy two chord motif that is performed as by a string quartet. For three and a half minutes--even when new singer Jinian Wilde joins in--remains really engaging, really enteresting. Then, at 3:30 the rock band bursts forth with a typically-awesome Believe motif: great chord progression with Mirek Gil's signature lead guitar wailing away out front but everybody else sticking close by in a rich/lush weave. Man! Has prog ever generated a warm, comforting sound better than this!  Jinian does a wonderful job with creating those great vocal melodies one expects from Mirek Gil songs but also with the layered harmony and background vocals. At the 12-minute mark there is a complete break and restart from the previous motif, this time a little heavier with ominous church organ chords and deep thick bass notes that are balanced by mandolin-like picked arpeggi up top. Here Jinian tries to go fiercer with his vocals, alternating his assertive delivery of the lyrics with some of Mirek's signatory electric guitar flash-leads. After a long instrumental slow-build and vehicle for some nice Mirek Gil soloing, the music drops down at 19:30 to an acoustic guitar-plus-"strings" variation of the opening two chord motif. This is what plays out to the song's end. What a gorgeous ride! I'd do that again in a hearbeat! There are no real innovative or truly astonishing high points, but the overall quality and enjoyability definitely counts for something. (37.5/40)

2. "Wicked Flame" (11:44) I'm not sure what happened here but the mixing of Jinian's vocal track is both muted and far farther back than I would ever have expected. On the positive side, the recording/engineering and mix of all of the other instruments are incredible: Satomi's violin rarely gets this kind of forward presence or crystal clarity--though it still sounds perfectly set within the mix of the other instruments. Jinian's performance feels a bit forced and, therefore, false in the fourth and fifth minutes, but then an acoustic guitar strumming section bridges the music over into some fine string-woven heavy prog--almost string quartet-like even though some of the instruments in the weave are electric. This is by no means a bad song it's just got some flaws (besides feeling not-fully-polished). The cool instrumental groove that picks up at 6:40 is nurturing my soul, though the ensuing Mirek Gil guitar flourish falls a bit flat, but the following vocalized section feels like Jinian's best part of the song.  (17.75/20)

3. "Shadowland" (11:21) opening with Jinian in the lead role, his vocal and melody choices are okay. The keyboard music beneath gets more and more interesting as they careen through the second minute, but then they coalesce into a full-band motif for a bit before cutting out and leaving a droning spaciousness for Jinian to try again. The progression into the heavy prog instrumental motif is this time almost perfection: great keyboards, great upper register electric violin, great supportive electric guitar and bass staccato chords, great drum punctuation. This is one of Believe's more interesting (and, for them, unusual) song constructs I've heard in long time. The instrumental section plays out for a few minutes with some nice violin soloing, electric guitar riffing, and doubling up by the two. At 6:40 we return to another sparsely-(synth-)supported vocals--which then takes an unexpected turn at 7:30. There's an overall very STYX-like feeling to this music--to this song. I think it's due to both the vocal and the unusual keyboard sounds used (which I really like). And then, as if on cue, a piano solo! Again, it's not a great song, but there's not much else as good out there today. (I always have this gnawing feeling that if some great producer were able to get involved with these artists they could easily produce one of the greatest progressive rock albums of all-time.) (17.875/20)

4. "By My Tears" (11:17) the first minutes of this song are very bland, almost flat, and definitely not very engaging or exciting. It just sounds like every NeoProg band of the last 15 years. In the fifth minute, however, the introduction of some great background vocals and fiery Satomi violin play lift the song from boring mediocrity to a different level. Mirek's superheated guitar begins to join in, to try to lift it even higher, but then the music steps back into a more Prog Folk palette and then, shockingly, at 6:45, into a symphonic/theater-like bridge of staccato chords progressing toward something crescendo like--which Mirek Gil tries to fill (but, once again, never quite reaches the mountain top). The weave that surrounds, supports, and lifts Mirek up over the next minute is awesome--and works to a degree as Mirek seems to come flying out of the melée like Tom Cruise out of a perilous situation. Wow! Now that I was not expecting. Another song that is really tough to rate. (17.75/20)

5. "Shine" (7:28) a very nice NeoProg song with somewhat simple and oddly incongruously mixed sound palette that happens to hit on several awesome ear-candy riffs and motifs. I do, however, feel compelled to rate this down slightly for "uneven" or even "layered" mixing. (13.375/15)

Total Time: 63:13

New vocalist Jinian Wilde is quite talented, his highs very high, though he has some weaknesses that, hopefully, will be improved upon, I really enjoyed his workings of the background vocal arrangements. But the real revelation of this album comes from Satomi! Her keyboard play (and sound choices) are so creative. And it's so wonderful to hear her violin not only so distinctly but also moved forward into prominence in the mix. On previous albums' songs there were many, many times that I felt the violin was completely buried in the mix.

91.52 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music. While the first song, "Hold On," is the best, each of the others are close behind. The Wyrding Way definitely offers a refreshing reboot to the Believe sound and way. The Wyrding Way is my favorite melodic Heavy Prog album of 2024!

SLIFT Ilion

The Toulouse-based psych-rock trio that debuted in 2017 releases their fourth album.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Jean Fossat / Guitar, Synth, Vox
- Rémi Fossat / Bass, Vox
- Canek Flores / Drums, Percussion
with:
- Etienne Jaumet / Saxophone, Synth
- Olivier Cussac / Synth
- Clemence Lagier / Heavenly Vocals

1. "Ilion" (11:08) one of the best heavy psychedelic songs I've heard in a long time. I love the near-Gregorian chant group monotone vocals when they start. More layers of vocals--now screaming and harmonizing--join in during the second minute and then the shouting ones take over. A great instrumental passage starts around 2:30 with awesome searing guitar solo(s) (not sure if there are two tracks of the guitar or merely a strong echo/delay effect being applied to it). Great sound! The vocals are back with all layers working, chant and scream/shouts until the sixth minute when another more KINGSTON WALL-like instrumental passage takes over. Great walls of sound! 

     Things begin to slow down and deconstruct at the end of the sixth minute, leaving an ominously atmospheric PT-like section of multiple synths weaving together like a HANS ZIMMER soundtrack (Interstellar). This is also awesome! On to the ninth minute--the 8:22 mark--when one of the Fossat brothers enters to emit his battle cry. Then a solid wall of heavy Post Rock sound starts up with drums, bass chords, and tremolo guitar strumming their fury (or adrenaline hype) until 10:20 when there is a let up--as if the has reached the mountain top--where the scream/shouting vocalist reenters to claim his victory. (19.75/20)

2. "Nimh" (9:38) bleeding over from the previous song, the chords have changed and drums and bass backed down a bit, but M. Fossat is still finding it necessary to scream/shout his impassioned gospel. It's tense, intense, and powerful, if not as melodically- or harmonically-rich as the previous song. Another stripped down, more pregnant than the other softer passages, and eventually, in the sixth minute, releases its pent up energy with full, sustained orgasm, leaving in its wake a very quiet, spacious empty-cave-like passage in which Clemence Lagier issues her "Heavenly Vocals." Sinister-feeling snaking synths beneath  Clemence appear and soon reveal a very heavy monstrously-plodding section over which M. Fossat screals and then fills with his screaling guitar to the song's end. (17.875/20)

3. "The Words That Have Never Been Heard" (12:32) starts off with ticking sounds, joined by a faster clipping sound, before all hell breaks loose with a KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION-like pattern and a little Fossat screal. In the second half of the second minute the song moves into a different variation of its sound and a new motif: one with some awesome bass play and guitar chords matching M. Fossat's "distant" and a little-less-insistent scream vocals. A brief pause in the middle of the third minute unleashes a more intrusive vocal verse, but then the music goes a bit more techno with screaling guitar chords being slashed away in the background while multiple synths weave their melodic magic within and over the top. Man this amazing bass player (Rémi Fossat) and drummer have a great rapport! Guitar arpeggio riff is matched by "Heavenly Vocals" over the top in the eighth minute. Then, at the end of the eighth minute, the music backs off except for an excellent fast-paced percussive track over which M. Fossat starts to shout. So cool! This lasts a bit before the rest of the band rejoins with the Kitchens of Distinction sound palette. At 11:00 the band moves back into another quiet, spacious passage with only sustained guitar notes playing a slow arpeggio to the song's end. (23.75/25)

4. "Confluence" (8:37) bass synth drone and synth water-trickling rhythm track carry over from the previous song before reverbed sax and guitar join in, playing slow, rather sad and plaintive melodies, note by note, as if in their own private lonely universes, even after the hard-charging bass and drums step in at 1:20. Around the 2:00 mark the guitar and sax begin to come to life a little more--and then a synth horn joins in to harmonize with the reverbed sax, note for note, until the guitar chords start to come crashing in mark like falling rocks at the three-minute mark. Again I hear KINGSTON WALL as well as great Post Rock riffs in the mix at this point. At 5:15 Jean Fossat leaps off of the cliff with some serious guitar soloing. A slight break in the middle of the seventh minute is followed by some viciously epic guitar shredding over the next minute. Marveilleux! The song then ends with just guitar feedback. Brilliant! (19/20)

5. "Weavers' Weft" (9:41) opening more like a Viking Metal song with more male chorus chants over steady plodding processional-like music--the shout/screaming voice of M. Fossat taking over in the third and fourth minutes. The music then shifts into greyhound racing mode at 3:42 over which a repeating guitar strummed poser chord progression recurs with lots of space in between as the bass and drums play frenetically. At 5:20 we stop, recharge with choral and screaling vocals leading the band back into a heavy motif, but this time slower. At 6:04 this slowed down plodding heavy wall of sound becomes more DEVIN TOWNSEND-like in its pacing while the choral men chant in their monotone style only, this time, in a far higher pitch than their previous choices. Simple but oh-so-heavy SWANS-like guitar, bass, and drum Post Rock ensues as the vocals stop. At 8:12 there is a KEVIN SHIELDS-like bending-guitar chord between SWANS-two chord bashes that eventually becomes more sedated triplet chords from high on the guitar's fretboard. This is the end. (17.625/20)

6. "Uruk" (9:55) arpeggiated guitar chords become small chords while drums and bass thrums support choral vocals that sound like they come from some Scandanavian Psych rock band. The whole sound palette almost harkens back to some of the more trippy band/albums of the late 1960s. The middle of the song follows the guitarist's four-chord progressions (they change a couple times). Awesome drumming on display here! Distant reverbed vocals are screamed from way back during the seventh minute--M. Fossat holding shockingly long notes! Things break down to guitar's three-note four-chord progressions accented by matching cymbal taps, going very quiet in the ninth minute, and then the full band bursting back out into full volume at 8:20. Man! I love this drummer! At 8:45 the lead guitar and sax start screaming at one another with wicked ferocity! But they do not sustain it, instead they let the band slowly deflate or decompress their instruments to let the song end. Wow! (17.75/20)

7. "The Story That Has Never Been Told" (12:35) this one opens up like a spiritually-based German Kosmisches song but then goes the way of a SONAR-like Math Rock song for its second half. It's cool, and masterfully performed, just not the kind of piece that keeps me engaged like some of the other more-sophisticated constructs on the album. (21.75/25)

8. "Enter The Loop" (5:03) another trippy heavy prog psychedelic/stoner rock motif that the band "gently" pummels into our brains--though this sound palette contains a little more industrial sounds. (8.875/10)

Total time 79:08

Like many other reviewers, I am blown away to constantly have to remind myself that all of this sound is coming from just three guys (using, of course, lots of effects and multiple tracks as well as a few guests). Reminds me very much of Finland's great Kingston Wall in that way.

91.48 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a refreshingly creative minor masterpiece of finely crafted heavy prsychedelic rock. Ilion is the most impressive instrumental album of 2024. Highly recommended to any and all self-attested prog lovers. 

INNER EAR BRIGADE Perkunas

One of my favorite delights has returned with another album of quirky Canterbury style Jazz-Rock Fusion.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Bill Wolter / Guitar, Keyboards, Compositions, Producer
- Ivor Holloway / Saxophones, Ewi, Clarinet (5), Composer of Earendel and Brood X.

- Chris Lauf / Drums and Percussion

With:
- Madeline Tasquin / Vocals on all tracks but 6
- Melody Ferris / Vocals; Lead Vocals (5, 6)
- Stephen Wright / Bass (4, 6, 7)
- Jason Hoopes / Bass (1, 2, 3)
- Andrew Vernon / Keyboards (1, 2, 3, 6)
- Andrew Jamieson / Keyboards on 1, 2, 7)
- Aharon Wheels Bolsta / Tabla and Jews harp (1)

- Theo Pavodiosiois / Trumpet (4)
- Eli Wallace / Keyboards (4)
- Shayna Dunkleman / Percussion (5)
- Jordan Glenn / Drums (5)
- Curtis McKinney / Bass (5)
- Max Stoffregen / Piano and Synths (5)
- Charith Premawardhana / Viola (5)

- Alison Niedbalski / Lyricist and background vocals on "Perkunas"

1. "Ecobio Curves" (7:40) an amazing opening song, replete with fully-developed and wonderfully-performed and -rendered musicianship including wonderful group choir vocals in the background. (14/15)

2. "Sumimasen" (6:27) dirty Fender Rhodes introduction for the first 25 seconds before other instruments join in. By the end of the first minute, the band has congealed into a beautiful tapestry of sound that are founded on a cleverly-syncopated rhythm section while a chorus of vocalists including Melody Ferris and Madeline Tasquin (and others?!) sing a wonderfully-laid back and gorgeously-melodic vocal line over the top. Then there is a funny JANE SIBERRY-like all-female greeting conversation in the middle of the second minute. How fun! This reminds me a bit of The Northettes if they were in a MICHAEL FRANKS song. Great drumming from And there really isn't a single note or moment that I don't love! One of my favorite Inner Ear Brigade songs of all-time! (10/10)

3. "Earendel" (5:52) pure vocal-less instrumental jazz rock--Yacht Rock. Nice smooth sax play by Ivor Holloway (on multiple tracks)--especially the solo during the STEELY DAN-like fourth minute. (8.75/10)

4. "Goblin Gruel Part 1" (6:19) after the harpsichord opening, this cutie-pie turns into something with a bit more retro swing style--enhanced by the dominant presence of the truly more Northettes-like female choir vocals and quirky, syncopated and quick-to-turn music. As a whole, this one is definitely reminding me of the music of Canterbury band, NATIONAL HEALTH--despite the presence of Ivor Holloway's saxophone and an uncredited trumpet (perhaps MIDIed through Ivor's electronic wind instrument ["Ewi"] though it really does sound like a true trumpet). (9.5/10)

5. "Muse 2 Entropy" (4:35) Ivor's clarinet and Curtis McKinney's bass open this one before drums and Melody Ferris's familiar Barbara Gaskin-like voice and style joins in duplicating the clarinet's (and piano's and viola's) melody line(s). Nice jazz of the Dave Stewart-Barbara Gaskin style. It is clever how the clarinet, piano, viola, and guitar take turns with the melody line--sometimes doubling up, sometimes just subtly switching out--all the while maintaining the same line with Melody's vocal. (8.875/10)  

6. "Brood X" (6:04) a quasi-surf-and-clam bake rocker sounding like something from one of Frank Zappa's earliest albums. Jazzy like an Estradasphere Venice Beach-New Orleans Zydeco blend with ditzy-blonde vocalese (courtesy of brunette Melody Ferris). Pleasant and upbeat. (8.875/10)

7. "Perkunas" (9:27) incredibly poor sound engineering--as if someone stuck a single mike up on a stage during a live performance. The static/distortion allowed on the Fender Rhodes during the long, boring introduction is criminally bad. Madeline Tasquin's voice sounds frail. A kind of clunky, bull-in-a-china shop construct. (17.25/20)

Total Time 48:12

90.88 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; my favorite Inner Ear Brigade album since their 2012 debut, a minor masterpiece of modern Canterbury Style jazz-rock music. Highly recommended to all prog lovers--especially if you like Canterbury or Jazz-Rock Fusion.

RITUAL The Story of Mr. Bogd, Part 1

Despite the passing of 17 years since this band's last studio album release, their distinctive sound and

style of prog is immediately recognizable: delightful blend of folk-infused storytelling not unlike bands like MOON SAFARI, NEEDLEPOINT, THE DECEMBERISTS, RISHLOO, JEAVESTONE, JETHRO TULL, Guy Manning, Khatsaturjan, and even Frogg Café. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Patrik Lundström / vocals, guitar
- Jon Gamble / keyboards, harmonium, harmonica, vocals
- Fredrik Lindqvist / bass, bouzouki, mandolin, flutes
- Johan Nordgren / drums, percussion

1. "A Hasty Departure" (6:28) interesting use of the Wild West-sounding upright "saloon" piano within/beneath the overall weave. (8.875/10)

2. "The Inn Of The Haunted Owl" (4:47) as the music of this album flows and coalesces I find myself filled with this strange feeling that I'm a part of an Ian Anderson-guided Tolkein adventure. Great song, so engaging, with a totally-awesome chorus and great vocal performance. (9.25/10) 

3. "Dreams In A Brougham" (3:39) an instrumental interlude that provides a delightful and often hypnotically soothing emotional journey. Why don't more artists make this kind of sincere, honest music? For sure a top three song. (9.5/10)

4. "Chichikov Bogd" (4:19) so they want to bring Gogol into the picture, do they? Admirable! A dynamic song that picks you up and carries you away whether you were ready or not--especially in the GENTLE GIANT instrumental weaves between the vocal verses. (9.125/10)

5. "Mr. Tilly And His Gang" (3:09) a song that bears a remarkable similarity to a BEATLES' song of similar title: Mr. Kite" (8.875/10)

6. "Through A Rural Landscape" (3:03) another travelers instrumental--this time through some open soundscaped, piano-based slow-rolling hills. (8.875/10)

7. "The Feline Companion" (5:40) quite proggy with its heavy bass and thick syrup outpouring of Mellotron, the story continues--here with Patrik performing multiple voice parts. There's quite a little of the presence of vocal legend Freddie Mercury in Patrik's performance here. (8.875/10)

8. "Read All About It!" (4:17) has a pace and styling that is remarkably fitting for such a title and topic. The banks of choral vocals also seems surprisingly appropriate--giving the music even more of a stage musical feel. (8.875/10)

9. "Forgotten Qualities" (6:16) the sounds of stream water flowing with distant cave-played lyre or zither (Jon Gamble's bouzouki and mandolin with Patrik's acoustic guitar) opens this one before Patrik's bard continues to sing the story--this time with some wistful sadness (despite singing about "a pretty day").  A powerful prog folk song. (9.25/10)

10. "The Three Heads Of The Well" (3:57) I ahve to admit to being quite surprised at the Yossi "Sassi" Saharon/Orphaned Land Middle Eastern direction the music of this song took, I like it! Great vocal from Patrik. (8.875/10)

Total Time 45:35

Though my only other Ritual album, 2007's The Hemulic Voluntary Band, did not receive super high marks in my review from 2011, the album has remained firmly planted in my brain and has received more frequent replays than I would have thought. Back then my Prog Folk ear was still under development (I still have little interest and/or patience for Jethro Tull songs, albums, or music--and, at the time, detested the genius albums of The Decemberists). While my developmentally-challenged brain still remains occluded to lyrics and their messages, I definitely have learned to appreciate the vocal instrument that Folk and Prog Folk artists are so reliant upon. Patrik Lundström is one of the good ones. 

 

Based on the late Finnish cartoonist and children's author Tove Jansson (1914-2001)'s series of novels about the Moomintroll family, The Story of Mr. Bogd, Part 1 definitely runs along as one continuous story with some songs bleeding over into the next (or making their delineation points almost indistinguishable to the listener). Ritual's music has been my introduction to Ms. Jansson's writing and I have to say that getting to know this album has inspired me to start to get to know the Moomin series.

Musically, I truly appreciate the band's wonderful attention to detail and sincere emotional conveyance. I'll ask it again: Why aren't more bands/artists making this kind of music? We should be thankful! We should be rewarding this band!

90.375 on the Fishscales = / stars; the kind of music progressive rock should be making. To Patrik and company: I look forward GREATLY to the next installment of the Tales of Mr. Bogd and the Moomins but please take your time: make it as good as this one! The Best storytelling lyrics of 2024!

CIELO DRIVE Pieces from a Broken Star

Krautrock?! From España? You got me curious!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Óscar Sanfiz / Guitars, Bass, Kalimba, Voices, Samples, Sound Manipulation & Devices
- Dirk Ittenbach / Keyboards, Swarmatron & Samples
- Alberto Guillén / Drums & Electronic Percussion

1. "First Piece" (2:07) a gentle birth-of-the-universe-like ambient intro. (4.375/5)

2. "Second Piece "(3:23) one continuously droning piece that digs deep and never lets go. A piece that MASERATI would be quite proud of! Awesome! (10/10)

3. "Third Piece" (4:21) the use of the piano buried deep within the Trip Hop electronica is pretty ingenious. This piece reminds me very much of the Massive Attack song, "Everywhen." (9/10)

4. "Fourth Piece" (5:31) very much something rooted in the world of the 1990s Trip Hop scene: like a MASSIVE ATTACK song that's been sent through an engineer's effects box as a whole, complete song, and added to, here and there. The synth sword-spark swipes and strikes along with the drum and bass additions in the second minute also feel old school despite their heavily-processed sounds. I'm glad that the song's composers have adhered to some kind of ABABCAB form so that we, the listeners, get a break from some of the Star Wars/2001/Alien creepy sounds. Otherwise, I consider this song very entertaining. (9/10)

5. "Fifth Piece" (2:08) this one seems to owe its rhythm track to Graham Sutton and Mark Simnett and their BARK PSYCHOSIS project. The field of swarming and travelling bees, however, is all their own. (4.5/5)

6. "Sixth Piece" (2:36) a highly-processed 1980s techno drum-and-bass beat is given astral creepiness by the droning guitar strumming and vocal "oo-aah-oos" floating around within the mix (somewhere in the background but still in the center of the brain). (8.875/10) 

7. "Seventh Piece" (2:17) the floaty vocals carry over from the previous piece but the rest of the music turns more future Industrial tech--as if we're inside an engine room or huge power plant. Then an intense radio signal enters at the end, clearing the soundscape of its chaos (maybe ending lives in the process).  (4.5/5)

8. "Eighth Piece" (2:57) for the first 1:20 this is pleasant and gentle--a welcomed interlude--but then all hell breaks loose over a disco bass drum line. A little too grating and irritating, despite the calming "center" provided by the gentle piano notes. (8.6667/10)

9. "Ninth Piece" (2:50) a droning hallway white light in which we have to check to see (hear) what's behind every door we pass. (8.75/10)

10. "STAR" (11:45) steady clouded cymbal hits backed with scratchy, droning synth as an even more grated ride cymbal rises slowly into the mix, to the foreground, with a severely-mangled Hohner organ-like bass line also slowly joining the party in the third minute. Electro-cymbal crashes pick up in the fourth minute as more active heavily-distorted electric guitar strummed chords also rise and join the mélange. The drums/drummer becomes more active around the 5:00 mark as his drums very gradually emerge from out of the din of distortion. A second electric guitar, also heavily distorted, arises out of a different channel, playing a different melody in short rotation. In the eighth minute a very deep, full, and heavy distorted bass begins to rise and join the field, playing a three-note melody that mirrors that of the most recent electric guitar. At the nine minute mark the instruments begin to leave, just as they came: one at a time, only much more quickly in their fade out/removal than the way they came in. Very much what I think of when I think "Krautrock": music for which the engineering is every bit as important as the instrumental performances (maybe more). A cool listening experience but I'm not sure I need to hear this song again. (22.5/25)

Total Time 40:00

The music certainly drones on: it's all instrumental--without lyrics or vocals--created by a three-man ensemble, but somehow it never gets boring, managing to always maintains its tension and engagement. It feels as if the authors intend the album as a one-listen, one "suite" listening experience; thank goodness the album tends to alternate heavy, cacophonous "pieces" with gentler, almost-ambient ones.

I get why this is welcome/included in the datatbase of a progressive rock music sharing site; I get that this is a direction that Krautrock could have, might have taken (may still be on!) Like many of the original musics and albums that became labeled as "Krautrock" there are often elements or sounds or technologies more developed by the Berlin School of Progressive Electronic Music. The same can be said for this album.

90.167 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; if you're into the history, current state, and future of Progressive Electronic Kosmische Dance Musik, this is an album you will not want to miss. If you're looking for cinematic space electronica, this may also be for you. If you're looking for musicianship over production and engineering, this may not be for you. I would, however, recommend that you check it out! Pieces from a Broken Star is my favorite atmospheric album of 2024.

Special Mentions:

EMMA VOLARD Alibi

KNOWER/LOUIS COLE-like modern jazz-funk pop (I'm seeing the label "Future Soul") from a Caucasian singer who has African pipes similar to those of the late, great Teena Marie.

Lineup / Musicians:

- Emma Volard / vocals, songwriter, producer

- Noah Hutchinson / bass 
- Jordan Pereira / drums 
- Uno Lizard / guitar, songwriter, producer
- Jake Amy / keyboards, synths

- Tom Edwards / sax

- Audrey Powne / trumpet (4)
- Bailey Judd / backing vocals (5)
- Isadora Lauritz / backing vocals (3-7)

1. "Mind's Eye" (4:21) a little smoother and poppier than the rest of the album: reminds me of SWING OUT SISTER--especially Emma's voice: very similar here to that of Corinne Drewery. (8.875/10)

2. "Shinin'" (4:46) What a song! It's as if TEENA MARIE were singing for OPUS III (1992's "It's a Fine Day") and SWING OUT SISTER. The busy sax-laden instrumental centerpiece is amazing! (9.5/10)

3. "Alibi" (4:24) as if Graham Sutton (BARK PSYCHOSIS) had injected his song "Lazarus" with some Ruth-Anne Boyle (OLIVE) vocals and some awesome deep-organ-bass synths and heavily-fast-echo-treated electric guitar. A little reverbed b vox and heavily-treated sax complete the mix. (9.333/10)

4. "Healin'" (4:00) the vocal section of this is fast-tempoed and original but the instrumental tail end with the reverb trumpet is awesome. (9.333/10)

5. "Darker Waters" (5:31) more great music with an excellent extended chorus blended with instrumental mid-section. The opening synth wash chords are so original in both sound and progression, reminding me (again) of OPUS III. Wow! Wild song! Great vocal! (9.5/10)

6. "Brooklyn Loft" (3:36) I just love the big "fresh-but-feeling-old" synth wash chord sounds that Jake Amy uses! Another song that feels like a modernized SWING OUT SISTER or OLIVE. (9.25/10)

7. "Two Sides" (4:16) even more OLIVE-esque with this slowed down, stripped down, industrialized sex music soundscape. A lot of Erikah Badu here, too. (9/10)

Total time: 30:53

What a great album! I feel that the KNOWER sound and vibe have been picked up and expanded upon by this gifted singer, the awesome songwriting team, as well as the AMAZING musicians (and engineers and producers). There's even quite a little TREVOR HORN-like feel to the production here. Definitely one of my favorite finds of 2024! MEGA-KUDOS to EVERYBODY involved with the creation and production of this album! Noah, Uno, Tom, and especially Jordan, Jake and Emma! 

92.32 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a definite masterpiece of totally refreshing Future Soul/NeoSoul. What a discovery! I am so happy!  

BRAINSTORY Sounds Good

Lineup / Musicians:

1. "Nobody But You" (2:14) (4.375/5)

2. "Peach Optimo" (2:50) a top three song. (9.3333/10)

3. "Listen" (2:52) (9/10)

4. "Gift of Life" (3:21) old-time Soul like The Dells or Delphonics or today's Durand Jones & The Indications. Beautiful falsetto vocals, beautiful b vox, beautiful instrumental support. (9.25/10)

5. "NyNy" (2:28) Great quirky, fun groove with such smooth and inviting singing. A top three song for me. Great subtleties throughout--expressed as if with complete investment and sincerity. (9.25/10)

6. "I Will Be" (2:49) quirky with a touch of Hall & Oates and/or Harry Nilsson to it. (8.875/10)

7. "Hanging On" (3:11) kind of a subtle earworm: you don't know how much this one has got inside you until you're out on the road and find yourself singing it while the wind blows through your hair with the farmland/desert speeding by. (9/10)

8. "X-Faded" (2:48) my song of the Summer of 2024. Such groovy fun and brotherly silliness. Probably my favorite song on this great album. (9.75/10)

9. "Too Young" (3:02) acoustic guitar and vocal makes this song feel as if it comes from another musical genre--like Dylan or Tom Petty--that is, until the chorus with its Soul-ful background vocals. (8.875/10)

10. "Stay" (2:18) another brilliant little funk/R&B/NeoSoul song whose stay is far too brief. Horns like these would be quite welcome in more songs. Something / Anything era Todd-Rundgren comes to mind (as well as Hall & Oates). (8.875/10)

11. "Sweet & Lovely" (2:37) The Beach Boys or The Beatles? A merger of the two at their absolutely most romantic. Such great vocal arrangements--especially in the verses--outside of the chorus. (9/10)

12. "Rialto Winds" (1:35) an instrumental?! (4.375/5)

Total time: 

90.87 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of quirky, fun/funny modern funky Soul/R&B.

THE CURE Songs of a Lost World

Who knew that Robert Smith and his mates still had more GREAT MUSIC to share with the world?! One of the greatest bands to ever grace us with their music delivers yet another masterpiece--this one about the end of days that we are all facing and surrounded by.

Lineup / Musicians:

- Robert Smith / vocals, guitar, 6-string bass, keyboards

- Simon Gallup / bass

- Jason Cooper / drums, percussion

- Reeves Gabrels / guitar

- Roger O'Donnell / keyboards

A1. "Alone" (6:48) a beautiful, classic Cure song with powerful lyrics and a flawless, timeless Robert Smith vocal, but I don't like the sound(s) used to deliver the drums. (13.5/15)

A2. "And Nothing Is Forever" (6:53) very powerful lyrics delivered late over some almost nondescript purely-Cure music. (13.333/15)

A3. "A Fragile Thing" (4:43) now they're cooking: re-inventing themselves with some new sounds, new energy, and fresh ideas. (9.125/10)

A4. "Warsong" (4:17) now this is powerful! Is this Robert's new muse: the 6-string bass?! (9.5/10)

B1. "Drone: Nodrone" (4:45) The Cure still has that same energy of the 80s; very nice drumming (despite my displeasure with their sound). (8.875/10)

B2. "I Can Never Say Goodbye" (6:03) more 6-string bass--and I LOVE it! I love the vocal, lyrics and extended lead guitar solo in the fourth and fifth minutes. Another emotional masterpiece. Simple but, man! it packs a punch! (9.125/10)

B3. "All I Ever Am" (5:21) an odd mish-mash of sounds: "old" sounds made "new"! Like the fuzz guitar/bass, the deep thrumming of the Simon Raymonde-like bass line, the Mellotron-like synth chord progressions, the Phil Collins-like gated drums, the picking style of the Disintegration-like lead electric guitar in its solo, even the harmony vocal arrangements in the chorus sections feel old but new. Interesting and still nice. (8.875/10)

B4. "Endsong" (10:23) I'm just not a fan of these computer-programmed-like drums. Nor do I love the "dated" synth chord sounds that feel as if they've been tried to be "modernized." There's just something that feels too robotic and depersonalized in it. At 2:28 the "living" musicians try to come in and take over but they do not succeed in usurping or drowning out the computer-AI stuff. Is this intentional? Is Robert trying to give us a view of our robotic, Matrix-like future? If this were the last Robert Smith/Cure song I ever got to hear how would I feel? (Not good but not bad.) By the time Robert enters with his singing voice we've been practically beaten into submission: I mean, what choice do we have? The aggressive guitar solo in the ninth minute is awesome: I just wish it would have torn down those robotic constructs and leveled the playing field for a hopeful outlook instead of leaving me feeling full of futility and failure despite giving it "our" best intentions. (17.75/20)

As cited above, I'm not crazy about the "old" gated drum sound Robert and the band decided to employ, but I love the band's continued commitment to stretching themselves, love Robert's sincere and deep lyrics (and performance), and I LOVE Robert's new commitment/fascination with the 6-string bass. 

90.08 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of somewhat proggy, top-quality Cure music.