Cirrus Bay - A Step Into ElsewhereCirrus Bay - The Slipping of a DayCirrus Bay - A Step Into Elsewhere ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cirrus Bay audio clips

Cirrus Bay - The Slipping of a Day ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cirrus Bay mp3 clips

Cirrus Bay is led by American multi-instrumentalist Bill Gillham. On Cirrus Bay’s 2008 debut The Slipping of a Day, Gillham is joined by a drummer/bassist, several singers (male and female), and two musicians providing tenor sax on two tracks. Gillham plays electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, bass, mandolin, recorder, and percussion. Our opinion of Cirrus Bay’s first album changed completely about a third of the way through its 77-minutes, and this is because the album was recorded in different sessions spanning a number of years. The first third of the CD contains a lot of pastoral, folky progressive, reflecting the fact that Cirrus Bay began as an acoustic duo. There are pitch problems with some of the vocals on the early tracks that are not present on the later tracks. The CD then transforms into much more powerful, more instrumental symphonic prog. Gillham’s biggest influences are Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Jade Warrior, and Bo Hansson. We can state this confidently because it says as much in the booklet. (Among younger bands, he mentions a fondness for Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, and The Watch.) There are tracks here that would have fit on Banks’ A Curious Feeling and have been the second-best track (after the song You, if you must know). Overall we’re reminded of Canadian Ken Baird. Read reviews here.

The second Cirrus Bay CD A Step Into Elsewhere (2009, 55-minutes) is the CD they really wanted to make, a significant improvement over Slipping... and a cohesive musical statement. It’s female vocals only on this one, from two singers, and the easiest way to describe the album is a blend of Genesis circa Wind and Wuthering and Renaissance. Renaissance because the vocals are in an Annie Haslam style, and there is that breezy folkiness blended with classical piano. Genesis because Gillham is a musician who gets what Tony Banks does. It isn’t about how fast one can play scales, it’s about the chord progressions. There is plenty of electric and acoustic guitar in addition to keyboards, so it sounds closer to Genesis than a Tony Banks solo album, and there are influences of other progressive artists as well. Instrumentally, the appeal of this album is similar to the Willowglass albums, on top of which you get the beautiful vocals. “Had Genesis replaced Peter Gabriel with Annie Haslam instead of Phil Collins in 1975, the band might have sounded something like this. Cirrus Bay... so closely echoes the crisp prog sound of Wind and Wuthering-era Genesis it could double as a tribute band... Most tracks feature lush keyboard swells, delicate guitar-and-flute passages, strong soprano vocal melodies, tricky meter changes and classically-inspired instrumental breaks that would give Tony Banks and Steve Hackett a run for their money.” [Progression]

IZZ - Live at NEARfestIZZ - The Darkened RoomIZZ - The Darkened Room ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IZZ - Live at NEARfest ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  IZZ - "Live at NEARfest" audio clips

IZZ - My River Flows ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  IZZ - "My River Flows" audio clips

IZZ - AmpersandIZZ - My River FlowsIZZ - Ampersand ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart    IZZ audio clips

IZZ - I Move ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  IZZ - "I Move" audio clips

IZZ - Sliver of a Sun ($11.99)  out-of-print  IZZ - "Sliver of a Sun" audio clips

IZZ - Sliver of a SunIZZ - I MoveSliver of a Sun (1999) is a great American progressive rock album. Imagine a heavier and more complex version of Ambrosia during their progressive phase (first two albums). IZZ combine that whimsy, playfulness, and constant invention with some serious chops, on a par with Echolyn and Spock’s Beard. IZZ have a keen melodic sense and are capable songwriters, yet their songs twist and turn in unexpected directions. Over the album’s 59 minutes, there is quite a bit of diversity. Elements of Yes and Genesis crop up without IZZ ever coming close to being copyists. Excellent vocals too. Fans of Spock’s Beard especially should jump on this. Note Sliver of a Sun is currently out-of-print, but hopefully a new edition will be available in the future.

IZZ show a lot of growth on I Move (2002). They still produce a lot of melodic Ameri-prog, the song-oriented material having moved closer to the Echolyn sound of this same timeframe, often with acoustic textures balancing the electric. But the playfulness of their debut has given way to a more serious and ambitious sound. While this 73-minute CD begins very song-oriented, that gives way to intense instrumentals and majestic symphonic rock workouts with superb playing all around. The final series of linked songs is particularly impressive and should erase any doubts that IZZ is one of the top progressive bands around.

The 56-minute Ampersand (2004) is somewhat of an interim album for IZZ, though it’s every bit as good as their others. As the band says: “The songs contained in this album span virtually IZZ’s entire career. A few have been with the band almost from the beginning, often in a dramatically different form. Others have been recorded during or between sessions from Sliver of a Sun, I Move and IZZ’s next studio album. In short, these songs have all shared the common bond of homelessness. With this release, they have now found their home.” Ampersand also includes the first live tracks from IZZ.

It’s hard to say enough good things about My River Flows (2005, 66-minutes). Each IZZ album has been more ambitious than the last. While some of this album overlaps with the current styles of Echolyn and Spock’s Beard, IZZ demonstrate that they are far more of a classic symphonic progressive band than either of the others is now. There are more elements of IZZ’s style that relate to Genesis and Yes, but as has been the case all along, IZZ don’t come close to being derivative. They now have two female vocalists in the band, though they don’t appear together on the same song until the incredible 22-minute Deafening Silence suite that concludes the album, where the harmonies are sometimes similar to The Northettes of Hatfield and the North. Should be on every Top Ten list for the year.

Live at NEARfest (2007, digipack) is IZZ’s first live CD, recorded June 2007 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracks are drawn from Sliver of a Sun, I Move, and My River Flows. This is IZZ’s seven-person lineup including Laura Meade and Anmarie Byrnes on vocals. Read the DPRP review.

The Darkened Room is their 2009 studio CD. IZZ have their own quite original style, and if anyone still wants to compare them to other contemporary bands, we’ll take IZZ. Instrumentally, IZZ have become so sophisticated that the more mainstream end of the prog fan base is in danger of not keeping up. Yet IZZ balance their challenging side with their strongly melodic side, so their music remains accessible. The piano work that is the foundation of many sections is particularly impressive, incorporating jazz and contemporary classical influences that elude most of their prog peers. Tracks can be previewed at CDBaby.


Laura MeadeLaura Meade - same (CD-EP, $7.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Laura Meade audio clips

This is a 5 song, 15-minute CD-EP from singer/songwriter Laura Meade. Meade made her songwriting debut on IZZ’s Ampersand CD in 2004 and was featured prominently on their 2005 CD My River Flows. Meade multitracks her vocals and plays piano and is backed by IZZ’s Paul Bremner on electric guitar, Brian Coralian on drums, and John Galgano on bass & acoustic guitar. This is warm, beautiful, intelligent and sensitive female-vocal pop, with some progressive flavoring via the instrumentalists. It’s as good as anything in this genre on a major label, somewhat suggestive of recent Kate Bush, and you’ll be able to say you knew Laura Meade when she was just starting out.


Paul Bremner - WombsongPaul Bremner - Wombsong ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Paul Bremner - "Wombsong" mp3 clips  Paul Bremner - "Wombsong" mp3 clips

Paul Bremner is IZZ’s guitarist and Wombsong (2004) is his first solo CD. This is a refreshing change from the typical guitarist album, a very intimate and emotional disc with a late-night ambience. While a few other musicians lend a hand including two other IZZ members, this is primarily Bremner on electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, and percussion, with lovely female vocals on three tracks. Bremner, a native of Glasgow, injects Scottish folk into several tracks, while others feature electric guitar laden with effects, soaring over an ambient synth backdrop. Lush and always tasteful, Wombsong has that ability to leave the listener spellbound.

Ajalon - This Good PlaceAjalon - On the Threshold of EternityAjalon - This Good Place ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ajalon audio clips

Ajalon - On the Threshold of Eternity ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ajalon mp3 clips

Seattle’s Ajalon was ‘discovered’ by Rick Wakeman, who released Ajalon’s first album on his own indie label. On the Threshold of Eternity (2005) is Ajalon’s second, and Rick contributes keyboard solos to two tracks, while Neal Morse contributes vocals to the title track and Phil Keaggy guests on another. If you’ve noticed what all these musicians have in common, then you may have guessed that Ajalon’s lyrics are Christian-oriented. Their music is very professional, most influenced by Yes but with an American style that also relates to Kansas, Ambrosia, and Glass Hammer, with tight harmony vocals. The shorter songs have elements of pop and AOR and are sometimes simply grand arrangements of acoustic folk ballads. The epic tracks are pure melodic progressive rock. The 16-minute title track especially will leave no doubt that this is a first-rate progressive rock band. This 69-minute CD contains a bonus track, a cover of The Moody Blues’ You and Me.

This Good Place (2009, 60-minutes) is their third, and a new high-water mark for the band. This is the classic American take on symphonic prog, executed with proficiency and class by seasoned musicians. Highlights include the instrumental Abstract Malady, on which Fred Schendal (Glass Hammer) guests, and the 19-minute Redemption.

Castle Canyon - Gods of 1973Castle Canyon - Gods of 1973 ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Castle Canyon audio clips

Castle Canyon are an unknown early-1970’s American instrumental progressive rock band. Two short tracks on Gods of 1973 (2009) actually were recorded in 1973-74. Four were composed in 1973-74 but not recorded until 2008, and three are new but sound consistent with the others. There is some guitar, but this is keyboard-dominated symphonic prog using vintage sounds. While ELP is the most frequently-heard influence and Trace is often a good reference point, the music ranges wider than that and is fairly original, including some excellent impressionistic soundscapes. Close your eyes and imagine it’s a lost classic from 1973, because in a way it is.

Bondar & Wise - A Live LegacyBondar & Wise - A Live Legacy ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Bondar & Wise audio clips

This is the only existing recording of a previously-unknown American progressive duo from Michigan. Allen Bondar played Hammond B3 & C3, ARP 2600 and bass pedals, while Bob Wise played drums. The music of Bondar & Wise is instrumental and very ELP-influenced, with just as big a sound. This CD is of an early-1970’s concert that was originally recorded on reel-to-reel tape. The band spent 60 hours of studio time restoring it, and the sound is now quite good. This is wild, virtuosic progressive keyboard rock that, like the hair styles pictured in the booklet, is not likely to come back. In addition to the audio available on the Bondar & Wise MySpace page (mp3 icon above), here is an mp3 of the song Quintessence.

Planet P Project - 1931: Go Out Dancing Part IPlanet P Project - Levittown: Go Out Dancing Part IIPlanet P Project - Levittown: Go Out Dancing Part II ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Planet P Project - "Levittown" mp3 clips

Planet P Project - 1931: Go Out Dancing Part I ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart   Planet P Project - "1931" WMA clips

Planet P Project - Pink World ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Planet P Project (1st)Planet P Project - Pink WorldPlanet P Project - same ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Planet P Project is Tony Carey, one-time keyboardist for Rainbow, with help here and there from other musicians. While recording more commercial albums under his own name, he reserved the Planet P Project name for his progressive output, and his two Planet P Project albums in the 1980’s resulted in some chart success. This CD edition of the self-titled 1983 Planet P Project debut includes four bonus tracks, alternate versions of album tracks. “Their eponymous 1983 debut was defined by the synthesizer-laden style of the day with a nod to the progressive rock of the prior decade.” [All Music Guide] Pink World (1984), the second, was originally a double-LP and was often compared to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. These are the Renaissance Records editions.

1931, released in 2005, is the first part of a planned trilogy entitled Go Out Dancing. While some of the recording for this album dates back as early as 1992, it is a product of the 2000’s in terms of music technology. The subject matter of 1931 is the radical right, from the rise of Nazism to present conditions in the U.S. This is the ProgRock Records edition. Levittown (2008, 66-minutes) is Part 2, which uses post-WWII America as its departure point. These conceptual works will draw comparisons to Pink Floyd and Roger Waters’ work from The Wall on. They also exhibit a Peter Gabriel or Francis Dunnery flavor. Levittown in particular is an exceptional work that so far is getting overlooked -- try to locate a review of it on a prog rock review site.

The Tea Club - General Winter’s Secret MuseumThe Tea Club - General Winter’s Secret Museum ($8.99)Add to Shopping Cart  The Tea Club audio clips

The Tea Club are a young band from New Jersey who play ‘modern’ progressive rock in the sense that, for the most part, they do it with only vocals, guitars, bass and drums, a la Oceansize and others. This naturally gives them a more alt-rock sound than a classic prog band. But they get a very full and varied sound that includes influences of King Crimson (all eras), Nektar, and Echolyn, full of the intricacies required of prog, unafraid to be delicate at times. The predominant mood is melancholy and slightly psychedelic. More keyboard pads could be added without rewriting the songs, but as it stands, this is a surprisingly good debut album, without any tracks we’d want to exclude for being non-prog. Here are lots of reviews.

The Source - All Along This LandThe Source - Prickly PearThe Source - Prickly Pear ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

The Source - All Along This Land ($12.99)  out-of-stock  The Source - "All Along This Land" mp3 clips

All Along This Land is the 2006 debut CD by a young Los Angeles prog band whose surprising sound is in many ways very early-1970’s retro, with elements that include early Yes, The Beatles, a little Pink Floyd and dreamy psychedelia. But beyond that, they don’t sound much like anyone else today. Much of their sound derives from the low-distortion jazz and country tones favored by guitarist Harrison Leonard, similar to Peter Banks and Steve Howe. Vocalist, principal songwriter, and keyboardist Aaron Goldich favors grand piano, with some Hammond and analog synth sounds. There’s a good balance of vocal and instrumental passages, and like any good prog album, there’s a five-part suite. Charming, to say the least. Read the DPRP review.

All Along This Land was a good start, but Prickly Pear (2009) is a significantly proggier and more ambitious album, with three epic length compositions. The Source’s sound is still early-70’s, with more Hammond and more electric guitar leads this time, everything taken up a couple notches. Amazing that this record has come out of Los Angeles in 2009. Here is an mp3 medley of excerpts from Prickly Pear. Read the DPRP review.

10T Records: Undercover10T Records: Undercover ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  10T Records: Undercover mp3 clips

This is a various artists tribute CD from the 10T Records stable. The songs are by King Crimson, A Perfect Circle, Led Zeppelin, Japan, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kraftwerk, Duran Duran, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, and Kevin Gilbert. “The concept behind Undercover is simple. The label asked each of its artists to select a song by another artist that was influential in the development of their own musical identity; a composition that might not sound exactly like what that 10T Records artist has evolved into, but one that significantly inspired their creativity at some point in their musical past. The mission was then to not simply do a faithful cover of that song, but to reinterpret the tune such that it represented where the artists musically find themselves currently.” Read the reviews at Sea of Tranquility and Ytsejam.

TCP - The WayTCP - The Way ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  TCP audio clips  TCP audio clips

TCP, short for Temporal Chaos Project, are a promising new U.S. progressive band, a collaboration between several east coast musicians with a number of guests helping out on The Way (2009), their 74-minute debut. The music draws primarily from classic early 1970’s symphonic prog but doesn’t strongly resemble any one band. The dark, slightly Gabriel-esque vocals are one element that suggests early Genesis, and the keyboard sounds (mainly organ, piano, Mellotron strings) tend to be of that vintage. The music features extended instrumental passages with layers of keys and guitars over shifting and complex rhythms. OK, we cribbed some of that last sentence from the press release, but it’s accurate. The Way could be grouped with the first Deluge Grander CD. Read the DPRP review.

Zingale - The Bright SideZingale - The Bright Side ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart   Zingale audio clips

Zingale are the most famous Israeli progressive rock band; their album Peace (recorded in 1975, released in 1977) is usually considered to be the best progressive rock album to have come out of that admittedly small scene. The Bright Side (57-minutes) is their 2009 comeback CD. Zingale now are founding members Ephraim Barak and Udi Tamir, both playing electric guitar, bass and keyboards as well as singing, with a new drummer. There was some Yes influence on Peace and there is even more on The Bright Side, but Zingale’s sound has changed, now more modern sounding, more reliant on synths, with a lot of sonic elements competing for space in the mix. Musically and spiritually though, Zingale still have their hearts in the 1970’s. Lyrics in English. The CD comes in a lightweight mini-LP sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. In addition to the audio clips on the band’s MySpace page (mp3 icon above), here is an mp3 of the song Sooner or Later.

Orphan Project - Spooning Out the SeaOrphan Project - Spooning Out the Sea ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Orphan Project audio clips

Maryland-based Orphan Project debuted in 2003 with Orphan Found and followed with a four-song EP in 2008. Spooning Out the Sea (2009) is their second full-length album. Orphan Project clearly fall into the ‘modern prog’ camp, meaning their music is really a blend of prog rock, contemporary rock and metal, with the mix greatly favoring heavy guitar over keyboards (though Orphan Project do have a dedicated keyboardist). Their greatest strength is the passionate and powerful lead vocals of Shane Lankford, while they also have a very good melodic sense and solid musicianship. As Progression magazine (issue 57) says: “These 10 mid-length tracks mine hard-edged progressive/symphonic rock that stops just shy of metal, due in part to its predominantly upbeat, positive tone.” Well, they could have applied the brakes earlier, as each track has some metal riffs and the tone is not without gloom; this will undoubtedly find its way onto countless metal review sites. But Spooning Out the Sea is sure to impress those who worship at the altar of Riverside and other contemporary heavy prog bands.

The Vital Might - Red PlanetThe Vital Might - Red Planet ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  The Vital Might audio clips

The Vital Might are a Boston-based guitar/bass/drums alt-prog trio with all members singing. This is the remastered edition of Red Planet (2009) on 10t Records, who describe it thusly: “On their second full-length CD Red Planet, The Vital Might’s unique sonic palette is on full display with a winning mixture of hard-hitting melody and monster chops that doesn’t shy away from mixing pop-rock with metal, funk with prog, and good old-fashioned songwriting with psychedelic breaks. Although the music on Red Planet has been compared to such modern trailblazers as Radiohead, The Mars Volta, and A Perfect Circle, Red Planet showcases a band that has fully come into its own as a powerful new voice that will soon be exerting its own influence on the modern progressive rock scene.” Read reviews here.

Elf Project - MirageElf Project - Mirage ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Elf Project audio clips

Mirage (2009) is the third CD by a U.S. prog band from New York State who get high marks for keeping melody and songcraft to the fore and for not going down the same well-beaten prog paths. There are a variety of influences at work here. The more energetic numbers come first, often resembling Rush with more keyboards and a (multi-tracked) Moody Blues vocal style, while a Yes influence is more apparent on some tracks. The latter part of the disc is more peaceful and mystical, with more acoustic textures, including a cover of The Beatles’ Norwegian Wood and a traditional Irish instrumental. A late-1960’s psychedelic vibe appears with the use of electric sitar within a song framework (as opposed to a rambling raga). But the album doesn’t sound retro, rather a creative modern work where different threads from earlier eras are woven into a compelling tapestry. Open your copies of Progression magazine Issue 55 to page 56 for a feature article on Elf Project, and read the reviews at Ytsejam.com and Sea of Tranquility for a better description than our lame tapestry metaphor.

Jolly - 46:12Jolly - Forty-Six Minutes Twelve Seconds of Music ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Jolly mp3 clips

Jolly is a New York City band signed to the Swiss Galileo label, whose albums are released in the U.S. on ProgRock Records. Jolly’s 2009 debut CD (46:12 for short) shows a modern dark and melancholy prog band in the vein of Riverside and, to a lesser extent, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Oceansize, et al. Jolly have the expected guitar-centric sound, but they do have a keyboardist, and the beauty is in the details behind and surrounding the aggressive guitars: keyboards providing elegant soundscapes and haunting ambiences, the intriguing melodies, the richly textured sound; in short, all the elements that make the modern prog style appealing.

Rare Blend - SessionsRare Blend - Stops Along the WayRare Blend - Sessions ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Rare Blend audio clips

Rare Blend - Stops Along the Way ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Rare Blend - Evolution Theory ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Rare Blend audio clips

Rare Blend - Evolution TheoryRare Blend is a band from Cleveland playing killer instrumental fusion, very rock-oriented and frequently spilling over into progressive rock territory. A good clue to their music is their list of influences, which includes Tribal Tech, Santana, Steely Dan, Yes and Genesis. Cinefusion (1995) and Infinity (2000) were first, followed by Evolution Theory (2002), featuring a guitars/keys/bass/drums lineup, fusing symphonic prog with jazz-rock.

Stops Along the Way (2006, 60-minutes) is generally comparable to Evolution Theory. There are three live-in-the-studio improvisations in which Rare Blend come across as a progressive jam band. There are two tracks with (female) vocals from Bobbi Holt. These vocals are of the soulful/bluesy variety, so these two tracks are probably not going to be the highlight for prog fans. Rare Blend keep the tracks on this CD at six minutes or under, so even the improvs are not long-winded or rambling, making for an entertaining disc that can hit a lot of styles in its 13 tracks.

Rare Blend’s fifth CD Sessions (2009) is a 14-track disc of live instrumental recordings from stage and studio. Unlike their previous CDs, Sessions highlights Rare Blend’s ‘one takes’ and ‘in the moment’ jam-fusion instrumentals. It features new songs and improvisations from shows in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore, and studio improvs recorded at Odyssey Studios in Cleveland. Also included are selections from a taping for the Crooked River Groove television program as well as performances during their 2008 Bridging the Gap music/film series against the backdrop of such classic films as Phantom of the Opera and Metropolis. “Sessions varies from tasty fusion to spacey improv and occasional symphonic prog flourishes... While Samalot’s guitar shows occasional bite, these tracks exhibit the band’s knack for agreeable pacing and smart use of breathing space. In competently mining the heady realms of Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc., Rare Blend joins exclusive company.” [Progression]  Also read the ProgNaut review.

OHMphrey (1st)OHMphrey - same ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  OHMphrey audio clips  OHMphrey audio clips

OHMphrey is a band comprised of three members of proggy jam-band Umphrey’s McGee (keyboardist Joel Cummins, guitarist Jake Cinninger and drummer Kris Myers), OHM guitarist Chris Poland, and bassist Robertino Pagliari. The Magna Carta label describes their 2009 debut as “improv-heavy, a record that assimilates not only disparate musical genres but the individual playing styles of everyone involved. Fortunately for OHMphrey (and the rest of us), this project cuts against the grain in so many ways, not the least of which is by eschewing the pitfalls of modern production techniques in favor of a straight-ahead live recording setting. These extended instrumental jams are exciting and cohesive statements. The band seamlessly weaves together elements of metal, jazz, blues and prog rock.” Digipack.

Hour of the Shipwreck - The Hour is Upon UsHour of the Shipwreck - The Hour is Upon Us ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Hour of the Shipwreck audio clips

The 2008 debut by this Los Angeles band is dark progressive rock with the modern aesthetic of grandiose melancholy, deeply mystic, frequently beautiful, and not quite like anything else. It touches upon the styles of Anekdoten and Radiohead, with fuzzy-around-the-edges vocals lending a surreal quality. There are many refined and delicate elements in these dense and unpredictable arrangements, revealing more detail upon each listen. In addition to the expected instrumentation, there is a large choir, 12-string guitar, pump organ, cello, French horn, glockenspiel, and more. With music this inventive, it’s essential to listen to the clips on the band’s MySpace page (mp3 icon above) and read the review excerpts there. Read the review at Ytsejam.com.

Jimmy Hotz - Beyond the Crystal SeaJimmy Hotz - Beyond the Crystal Sea (CD-R, $9.99)Add to Shopping Cart

This 1980 album is one of the great unsung American progressive rock records, and somewhat legendary among those actually aware of its existence. It was originally released on vinyl but was never easy to find. (If you want an LP, you can get one now for $100 at Hotz’s website.) Hotz has been selling these for $15 on his website and at CDBaby, priced even higher on other sites, most of which don’t mention that this is a CD-R. The cover looks good, the rest of the printing is not at a professional level. The audio however sounds great -- buy this for the music, not the physical package. Hotz sings, plays guitar, and shares keyboard and bass duties with several other musicians, while still other musicians handle drums and backing vocals. The major influence here is Yes, though Hotz’s voice is in a more typical range than Jon Anderson’s. There is a good balance between keys and guitar, with some fantastic synth work. Apparently it’s a Christian album, but unless you sit down and read the lyrics (which don’t come with the CD), you’re unlikely to be aware of it. CDBaby has audio samples and more info. The good people at jimmyhotz.com will replace discs that mistrack at any time for free.

Echo Us - The Tide DecidesEcho Us - The Tide Decides ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Echo Us audio clips

This is the 2009 second album by Echo Us, the work of Ethan Matthews, keyboardist of American prog-metal band Greyhaven. However, the music of Echo Us bears little resemblance to Greyhaven. Instead it is a beautiful blend of progressive rock and new age, with Matthews on keyboards, electric guitar and vocals, and other musicians contributing harp, viola, bass and drums. The term ‘new age’ can mean different things; here we refer to the more musical side of new age represented by Andreas Vollenweider, a good reference given the harp and preponderance of plucked sounds and the overall mood. The more Asian-sounding samples also suggest Vangelis circa China. But the new age elements are integrated into vocal progressive rock songs that include occasional heavy guitar riffs. Our one criticism is that, over a playing time of 69-minutes, there is room for more variation in tempo and mood, but otherwise this is an original style, and very well done.

Fractal - SequiturFractal - Sequitur ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Fractal audio clips  Fractal mp3 clips

Sequitur (2009, digipack) is the second full-length CD for Fractal, a prog rock quartet from San Jose, California whose members include two Americans, one Brit and one Dutchman. The San Francisco Bay area bands have tended toward the more adventurous, less conservative side of prog, and Fractal are no exception. As the band says, Sequitur both compares and contrasts with their first CD Continuum – the repertoire is still rife with odd and compound-meter riffs, metric manipulation and complex song structures, but adds vocal, lyrical and contextual dimensions since the instrumental trio debut. It de-emphasizes improvisation in favor of composition and conceptual cohesion. King Crimson is the biggest influence, but Fractal stretch well beyond that. Significantly, there are varied, symphonic textures that elevate this above guitar-only bands. Adventurous and innovative yes, but structured, musical, and with one foot in classic prog. Read reviews here. 66-minutes.

Aethellis (1st)Aethellis - Aethellis remastered ($8.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Aethellis audio clips

Aethellis is a Baltimore-area progressive rock band, but this CD was recorded solo circa 2003 by bandleader Ellsworth Hall, the band assembled later for touring. This is the 2008 remastered edition. This sounds like the album Tony Banks should have made after A Curious Feeling. In fact a lot of this would fit well on Genesis’ 1980s albums as proggier pieces. The Aethellis album is keyboard-dominated (though there is electric guitar), and there is some Banksian playing and chord progressions, but like Banks’ albums, the emphasis is more on songwriting. And Hall is a quality singer. Whereas Banks headed off in a pure pop direction, Aethellis maintains a good balance between pop songwriting and progressive rock. All but one track exceeds seven minutes, and the nearly 12-minute Final Affinity is darker and requires no qualifiers; it’s just prog rock. Oh, and the chorus of Saint Augustus is a mind worm. The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. Read reviews here.

Ancient Vision - Lost at SeaAncient Vision - Lost at Sea ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ancient Vision audio clips

The American band Ancient Vision released two Jethro Tull-influenced CDs in the early 1990s. After 15 years, the band resurfaced with the original lineup and a new CD Lost at Sea (2008). This work is much more eclectic and diverse. The Tull influence can still be heard at times, but there are also similarities to Camel, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, and Kansas. All of these are just approximations though. While the music remains faithful to the 1970s progressive rock aesthetic, it is not a retro album. The use of plucked sounds, Celtic folk, and ethereal female voice may suggest Clannad; in any event, such touches take the music into more original territory. This is Ancient Vision’s best and most mature album.

Product - The FireProduct - EarthProduct - Earth ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Product - The Fire ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Product mp3 clips

Product - On Water ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Product RealAudio Clips

Product is primarily the work of Arman Christoff Boyles (vocals, guitar, keys), with help from Scott Rader (drums, bass) and guests. Their first CD On Water (2000) tells a surreal story from the viewpoint of a drowning young sailor, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution. The level of originality is high; the closest comparisons are Porcupine Tree, No-Man, and Hogarth-era Marillion, specifically their moodier tracks. Vocally, Boyles has a deep voice with some suggestions of Peter Gabriel and some of Steve Hogarth’s style. Songs usually start off in acoustic singer-songwriter mode, with dry, close-miked vocals, then blossom into lush, majestic progressive rock. A wealth of subtle production effects warrants repeated listens. There’s a Ring of Myth connection, as Danny Flores contributes bass, classical guitar, and mandolin, and Scott Rader is currently the Ring of Myth drummer. One customer described this as “brilliant... the album Porcupine Tree hasn’t made yet”.

Product’s 2003 second CD Aire is currently out-of-print, but the band plans to reissue it. Their third CD The Fire (2005, 63-minutes), released by the British Cyclops label, is based on the life of Nero and restores some of the fire that was missing from Aire. This album sounds like a meeting of Hogarth-era Marillion and Pink Floyd with touches of King Crimson, generally quite dark and moody as always. Product complete their water/air/fire/earth tetralogy in grand style with Earth (2008, 67-minutes), their most fully-realized work. Earth is based on the life of Nikola Tesla and reflects on our relationship with technology. Read the DPRP review.

Jack Foster III - Tame Until HungryJack Foster III - JazzRaptor’s SecretJack Foster III - JazzRaptor’s Secret ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Jack Foster III - "JazzRaptor's Secret" mp3 clips

Jack Foster III - Tame Until Hungry ($14.99)  out-of-stock  Jack Foster III audio clips

Jack Foster III - Raptorgnosis ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart    SALE!

Jack Foster III - Evolution of JazzRaptorJack Foster III - RaptorgnosisJack Foster III - Evolution of JazzRaptor ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Jack Foster III - "Evolution of JazzRaptor" audio clips

Jack Foster III’s third CD Tame Until Hungry (2007, digipack) is billed as “Jack Foster III with Trent Gardner and Robert Berry”. Trent Gardner is of course Magellan’s mastermind, and Robert Berry should be well-known from his stint with Emerson and Palmer in the short-lived 3, his solo albums, and working with most of the acts on the Magna Carta label during the 1990’s. These three musicians are of like mind, and although Foster is firmly in control here, the result will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Magellan and Robert Berry, and probably Spock’s Beard as well. Tame Until Hungry also suggests a John Wetton who had been born later; Foster’s music is more contemporary and higher energy than Wetton’s, with far fewer ballads. There is a serious singing and songwriting talent at work here, and fortunately for us, Foster frames his songs in adventurous arrangements. There is a strong pop/rock sensibility, surrounded by plenty of symphonic prog elements. 61-minutes. Read the DPRP and Prognaut reviews.

Gardner also produced, arranged, and played on (keys, vocals, percussion) all of Foster’s first album Evolution of JazzRaptor (2004). It was recorded at Robert Berry’s studio, and Berry plays on almost every track (bass, drums, guitar). Ignore the word “jazz” in the title. It’s a very good album that covers a lot of territory and integrates it all into a proggy whole. As with Tame..., Spock’s Beard fans as well as Magellan fans will probably enjoy this album a lot. This is the Musea edition.

On Raptorgnosis (2005, 62-minutes), Foster again gets a lot of help from Trent Gardner and Robert Berry. This one is less progressive, coming closest to 1990’s Rush, with a bit of early Chicago here, a bit of Queen there, that sort of thing. As you’d expect from these guys, it’s very professional and competent, but more of an energetic AOR album than a symphonic progressive one.

Jack Foster III’s 2008 CD JazzRaptor’s Secret again features Robert Berry on every track and Trent Gardner on all but two tracks. This one is as good as contemporary American-style progressive rock gets. Think of Echolyn with some latter-day Yes stirred in and you’ll be very close. Many prog fans will pass on albums that are under an individual’s name while snapping up albums by, say, Magellan, though Magellan is no more and no less a band than Jack Foster III is. And this album sounds every bit as much like a band as Echolyn does. So at this stage, prog fans ignore Jack Foster III at their own peril. What else can we say, JazzRaptor’s Secret is really, really good!

John Orr Franklin - TransformationJohn Orr Franklin - Transformation ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  John Orr Franklin audio clips  John Orr Franklin audio clips

Transformation (2009, digipack) is the second CD for guitarist/singer/songwriter John Orr Franklin from Austin, Texas. Franklin also adds keyboards and bass and is assisted by other musicians on bass, drums, and backing vocals. His guitar style is close to David Gilmour’s, and Transformation is a melodic progressive rock album that may remind listeners of Gilmour’s solo albums at times, with a predominance of songs rather than instrumentals, the work of a guitarist more interested in establishing himself as a songwriter. The Gilmour style is blended with something resembling The Alan Parsons Project or Duncan Browne, that end-of-the-1970s aesthetic (though there are modern elements), rhythmically straightforward but with world class songwriting. Many of the songs here have exceptional choruses, and the two instrumentals are gorgeous, concise symphonic rock pieces. The production is excellent. There are prog fans who won’t give consideration to a CD under an individual’s name unless the individual is from a well-known band, regardless of how an album was actually recorded; in this case it’s their loss.

Deluge Grander - August in the UralsDeluge Grander - The Form of the GoodDeluge Grander - The Form of the Good ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Deluge Grander - August in the Urals ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Deluge Grander mp3 clips

Birds and Buildings - Bantam to Behemoth ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Birds and Buildings audio clips

Birds and Buildings - Bantam to BehemothDeluge Grander sprung from the ashes of Baltimore progressive band Cerebus Effect. It was the addition of keyboardist Dan Britton that made the final Cerebus Effect CD their most symphonic, and on their 2006 debut August in the Urals, Deluge Grander continue in that same direction, more symphonic and, well, grander. Britton is the primary composer here, and he is a tremendous keyboardist. The pieces vary from long to really long, so that only five tracks comprise the 71-minute CD. No one will be able to digest this music in one go. It is complex symphonic prog in a 1970’s style, with some vocals but no attempts at songs per se, as instrumental content clearly dominates. The 27-minute first track is the closest to Cerebus Effect, the most angular and dissonant of the pieces, though the dissonance is used more for contrast than as the sole style. The other tracks are more melodic and symphonic. There are many possible reference points, including King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Fireballet, Genesis, and Yes, but the music rarely suggests any other band for long. There are times when Britton’s piano playing suggests John Tout and Renaissance, times when his organ playing suggests Rick Wakeman, and lots of times when he uses Mellotron strings. This album has turned a lot of heads among the fan base for classic progressive rock.

Birds and Buildings is Dan Britton’s other band and is fairly similar. The two bands also share a bass player. Bantam to Behemoth (2008, 69-minutes) has some vocals by Britton and a female singer on one track, but they are so buried in the mix that this still feels like an instrumental CD. The major difference between this and Deluge Grander is the presence of a woodwinds (sax, flute, clarinet) player in the band. The flute tends to be used in the gentler, pastoral passages, while the sax is used in the more energetic passages. The sax style is similar to David Jackson or Mel Collins, ranging from melodic to frenzied. The presence of sax leads to comparisons with King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, and Gong, and there is more of a Canterbury influence here than in Deluge Grander. There are still gobs of Mellotron strings and choir, and highly-skilled ensemble playing. The production is a little bass-shy, but overall this is a tremendous CD in the tradition of the complex side of British symphonic progressive.

The Birds and Building CD was recorded between the two Deluge Grander CDs, and the second Deluge Grander CD The Form of the Good (2009) seems to have more in common with Bantam to Behemoth than August in the Urals, perhaps not surprising given that B&B’s woodwind player guests here. The Form of the Good is entirely instrumental and has more of the sonic maelstrom approach of the French band Clearlight. Here the core quartet of keys/guitar/bass/drums in augmented by a large number of guests contributing clarinet, flute, sax, violin, cello, trumpet, trombone, and oboe. Clearlight had Didier Malherbe’s woodwinds and either David Cross’s or Didier Lockwood’s violin, so Deluge Grander usually have a sonic counterpart to those in the mix here. As with B&B, this is blended with a more symphonic style highlighted by Mellotron.


Cerebus Effect - Acts of DeceptionCerebus Effect - Acts of Deception ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cerebus Effect mp3 clips

That’s how this band spell their name, even though the three-headed watchdog Cerberus appears on the traycard. Acts of Deception (2005) is the second studio CD for this Baltimore-area instrumental band. There is a small amount of “vocals”, but it is not singing as we understand it, and the vocals are very low in the mix. With the addition of keyboardist Dan Britton, Acts of Deception contains a unique blend of symphonic progressive and heavy fusion. Cerebus Effect like to play it fast and furious and in odd time signatures. They’ve been listening to their progressive rock, and you can catch influences of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Djam Karet, Volaré, Happy the Man, Kultivator, Van der Graaf Generator, Magma, and Genesis, to name just a few. Actually, the Genesis and Magma occur in the same song, which is typical of their eclecticism. The tracks that won’t allow you to catch your breath are broken up by a few more peaceful tracks, one suggestive of Steve Hackett’s acoustic pieces and another of Happy the Man’s slower tracks. There are enough bands that impress with technical skills while making for a fatiguing listen, but Cerebus Effect blend in enough structure and symphonic textures to make this an album to return to.

The Fractured Dimension - Towards the MysteriumThe Fractured Dimension - Towards the Mysterium ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  The Fractured Dimension audio clips

Toward the Mysterium (2008, 60-minutes) is the debut by an American band of musical mad scientists, playing intricate instrumental progressive rock and symphonic fusion on the avant-garde side. The musicianship is high caliber, with synths and piano to the fore, giving the band a symphonic sound. It’s not only the playing that is dazzling in its complexity, but the compositions themselves, which are highly structured and influenced by contemporary classical. As the band describe themselves: “not technical for the sake of being technical, but extremely musical for the sake of transcending normality”. Frank Zappa would be impressed. Note there may have once been a CD-R version of this, but this is a replicated CD. Read the Proggnosis review.

The Other Side - A Higher Vantage PointThe Other Side - A Higher Vantage Point ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  The Other Side audio clips

The Other Side are a Colorado instrumental progressive trio led by composer/keyboardist/saxophonist Alan Mallery, who is also a member of the fusion band Zed. The other members of The Other Side play bass and drums, so this is classic keyboard progressive rock. The first song blends Egg and Happy the Man. The second song is Genesis style, joyous and bombastic. Later tracks introduce an American fusion-tinged style, a little ELP, a little heaviness, and so it goes. The final track is dedicated to Peter Bardens and has a strong Camel feel. The Genesis symphonic style is probably the strongest of the various influences. Mallery uses piano, organ and Mellotron, but doesn’t restrict himself to retro sounds -- the variety of keyboard sounds is one of the album’s strong points. The sax is used sparingly but is always played melodically. Certainly a contender for best keyboard prog album of 2008.


Zed - You Are HereZed - You Are Here ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Zed audio clips

The Colorado-based fusion quartet Zed includes guitarist Scott Cleland, also a member of prog band Singularity, saxophonist/keyboardist Alan Mallery, also a member of The Other Side, bassist Jeff Smith and drummer Ian Keldin. You Are Here (2008) is Zed’s debut, on which they play Weather Report-style fusion. Lightweight digipack, counts as only one-half CD for shipping.

3RDegree - Human Interest Story3RDegree - Narrow-Caster3RDegree - Narrow-Caster ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  3RDegree audio clips

3RDegree - Human Interest Story ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

3RDegree - The Reunion Concerts DVD-R + 2CD-R ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

3RDegree - The Reunion Concerts DVD-R + 2CD-RNarrow-Caster is the 2008 CD from New Jersey progressive rock band 3RDegree, whose first CD was 1996’s Human Interest Story CD, following a 1993 cassette-only release. 3RDegree disbanded in 1997 but reformed more recently, finding their new singer and playing their first live shows in over ten years at the NJ Proghouse in 2007. The DVD+2CD The Reunion Concerts (counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping) contains their traditional electric show plus an unplugged show. The show was recorded in 1080i HD (downres’d for the DVD) and 24-bit audio (downres’d for the CDs), 16:9 widescreen. These are recordable CDs and DVDs housed in an Amaray case. The DVD is NTSC, all-region and includes some behind-the-scenes and interview footage.

Narrow-Caster is a contemporary-sounding prog rock record, with some similarities to Echolyn or Izz. While lead singer George Dobbs has a voice that reminds us of Dave Lawson of Greenslade (though Dobbs is a better singer), 3RDegree’s greatest strength may be their Yes-like harmony vocals. The result is sometimes similar to the band Ring of Myth -- 3RDegree use more keyboards and are more melodic but lack the Howe-like guitar. Narrow-Caster comes in a lightweight “Eco-Wallet” and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. Read reviews at DPRP, Sea of Tranquility, The Prog Files, USA Progressive Music, and Rock Report. Human Interest Story (72-minutes) is also an excellent album of Ameri-prog, sounding like a cross between Rush and Echolyn.

Electric Forgiveness - Echoes & BoomsElectric Forgiveness - Echoes & Booms ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Electric Forgiveness audio clips

While recording keyboard tracks for the band Third of Never, The Who keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick began a collaboration with Third of Never guitarist Jon Dawson. They brought in Jeremy Morris of Pilgrim’s Journey and Celestial City fame to play guitar on many of the tracks of this 2008 CD. The resulting material is nothing like Third of Never or The Who. What it is like is Porcupine Tree’s Voyage 34, flowing spacey instrumental tracks where progressive rock meets electronica, with similar found vocals from an old record about LSD or something. Call it Voyage 34A, another great trip. The song titles also provide clues to their inspirations, e.g., Tangerine Dreams, Gilmour Was Pink, Eno the Disco, Valentine from a Porcupine, Syd Barrett Blues, Dark Side of the Sun, and an alternate mix of the last song referred to as the “Looking for Hackett mix”. 77-minutes.


Third of Never - MoodringThird of Never - Moodring ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Third of Never audio clips  Third of Never mp3 clips

This is a short CD at 31:37, hence the low price. The first three tracks (12-minutes) of the CD are why this is here. John “Rabbit” Bundrick, keyboardist of The Who, plays on seven tracks on this CD, but his presence is felt most strongly on the first three. He plays Mellotron on the first track Mystic Slide, which is a Mellotron wet dream and will startle those old enough to remember the days of bands such as Spring and Fantasy. It sounds like something from 1970, from the period when psychedelic pop was becoming progressive rock. Slathered with powerful Mellotron strings, it is a style you probably thought you’d heard the last of. The next two tracks Bag of Boxes and DJ are almost as good. The rest of the CD is power pop, a modern, high-energy take on The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Who. If only the whole CD had stayed in the British proto-prog style, we’d be talking retro masterpiece. If you have an affinity for the power pop style too, then this is a no-brainer.

Hermetic Science - These Fragments I Have Shored Against My RuinsHermetic Science - These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruins ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Hermetic Science - "These Fragments..." mp3 clips  Hermetic Science audio clips

Ed Macan is the author of Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture, the definitive scholarly tome on progressive rock, and Endless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He also has his band Hermetic Science, who released their first three CDs between 1997-2001. Macan’s biggest influence seems to be Keith Emerson, especially harmonically.

These Fragments... is the 2008 Hermetic Science CD, their first for Musea, and their first studio album since En Route in 2001. Paul Whitehead provided the cover art. Here Macan divides his time between piano, Hammond, mallet percussion, and synths, with Jason Hoopes on bass and six-string guitars and Angelique Curry on drums. The music is sophisticated classical rock, with ELP still the closest reference. The difference is in the execution and feel. ELP sound like a rock band when they play classical-rock, whereas Hermetic Science perform it more in the manner of classical music, with a feel closer to that of a chamber ensemble.

Emily Bezar - Angels’ AbacusEmily Bezar - ExchangeEmily Bezar - Exchange ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Emily Bezar audio clips

Emily Bezar - Angels’ Abacus ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Emily Bezar mp3 clips

Emily Bezar - Four Walls Bending ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Emily Bezar - Four Walls BendingEmily Bezar’s music is breathtaking, magical, and defies categorization. As Exposé magazine said, “Bezar is a genre unto herself”. Emily is a northern Californian who spent time living in Europe. It’s impossible not to think of Kate Bush when hearing Emily sing. She is a classically-trained pianist, and her virtuoso piano playing is at the center of her music along with her incredible voice, which has similarities to Kate’s but is more operatic. While Emily’s music flirts with pop, it is much more progressive and less pop-oriented than Kate’s. But each of her albums is distinct, making it difficult to generalize about them. Her 1993 debut Grandmother’s Tea Leaves (out-of-print) was her most intimate and, at times, experimental, but the style established here is at the core of all her following albums. Emily formed a band (adding guitar/bass/drums) to record Moon in Grenadine (1996) and Four Walls Bending (1999). Her bandmates are also stellar players. Of her first four albums, Four Walls Bending is the most (progressive) rock-oriented.

Angels’ Abacus (2004) is a long one at 73-minutes. Here she uses a varying lineup of musicians rather than the fixed band of the previous two albums, and there are more electronic textures. While it isn’t as rock-oriented as the previous album, Angels’ Abacus is more sophisticated and ambitious. As Emily describes it, “This is music as architecture, as crystalline objects in time, with no agenda but its own sensual and complex beauty.” Is it progressive rock? To our way of thinking it is, but every genre from fusion to cabaret to rock will undoubtedly want to claim Emily as their own. The production and recording quality are exceptional, and this CD as well as Four Walls Bending are HDCD-encoded.

Patience pays off, as Emily’s 2008 album Exchange (72-minutes) is stunning, merging all aspects of her previous work into her most progressive album and perhaps the most live-sounding. On this CD, Emily again has a more than capable band with her, including saxes, trumpet, trombone, violin and cello in addition to guitar, bass and drums. There is a lot of jazz influence in the sophisticated harmonic vocabulary, but the result is closer to Hatfield and the North than jazz per se. Emotionally these songs have a depth and intimacy that reminds one of Peter Gabriel, but with feminine rather than masculine energy. Kate Bush is the better pop songstress, but Emily’s work is musically more intricate and challenging. Forget about pretenders like Tori Amos – that is pop, this is art.

Moth Vellum - same (1st)Moth Vellum - same ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Moth Vellum audio clips

Moth Vellum’s 2008 debut CD (digipack) introduces a Los Angeles-based symphonic prog quartet heavily influenced by Yes and committed to classic 1970’s progressive aesthetics, albeit with modern production. They resemble Yes both vocally and instrumentally, often using similar guitar and bass tones as Howe and Squire, and generally staying near the Wakeman keyboard style, Mellotron washes included. There’s enough room in the Yes universe to fit several bands heavily influenced by Yes that sound little like each other, as for example no one will confuse Moth Vellum with Starcastle. There’s also a little Genesis in Moth Vellum’s style. Six tracks cover the 58-minutes of this CD that will surely excite many prog fans. For a genre that was supposed to be long dead, there sure is a lot of activity.

Days Between Stations - sameDays Between Stations - same ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Days Between Stations audio clips

This is the 2007 debut CD by Days Between Stations, a Los Angeles band formed by guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboardist Oscar Fuentes, with a large number of other musicians assisting. The music is instrumental (with some wordless vocals), certainly influenced by mid-period Pink Floyd but more surreal, ambient, and cinematic. Some of the material could be compared to so-called post rock bands such as Godspeed You Black Emperor, and there are many other progressive elements as well. The lush soundscapes and rich sonic detail reveal an uncommon talent. Read the Proggnosis and Sea of Tranquility reviews, or just see this compilation of reviews. Also see the feature article on Days Between Stations in Progression Issue 54 (Summer 2008) for more info. 56-minutes, digipack.

Rich Casey - ShadowblackRich Casey - House of CardsRich Casey - Shadowblack ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart   Rich Casey mp3 clips

Rich Casey - House of Cards ($11.99)  out-of-stock

Rich Casey - No Way Out ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Rich Casey - No Way OutBoston’s (the city, not the band) Rich Casey has quietly been producing some stellar keyboard-dominated symphonic prog CDs, and making steady progress with each release. No Way Out, Casey’s 2006 debut, divides its time between progressive rock and symphonic/melodic/rhythmic synth music. Apart from a drummer who plays on three tracks, a female singer on one track and a soprano sax player on another, this is Casey’s show. While it’s a keyboard-dominated album, Casey also plays electric guitar on nearly half the tracks. His primary influence is Tony Banks, and even the synth music tracks often sound like Tony Banks doing solo synth music. 69-minutes.

House of Cards (2007, 59-minutes) is a keyboard-centric progressive rock album and is more band-oriented than his first CD. Casey still handles keys and electric guitar but has brought in a drummer on seven of the tracks, a female singer on five tracks, a male singer on one, and a guest guitarist. 1970’s Genesis/Tony Banks remains the dominant influence, while a few tracks have more of a Goblin or Il Balletto di Bronzo feel.

Shadowblack (2008, digipack) is Casey’s best to date. There are two tracks with vocals by Gabrielle Agachiko; the rest is instrumental. His other guests are Walter Stickle (guitar solos, sax solo) and Tony Caliendo (drums) from Pink Floyd tribute band Pink Voyd. The aforementioned influences are also present on this album, along with one excellent Tangerine Dream-ish track. Some beautiful Mellotron strings and choir on this one. “Dark, atmospheric explorations is the name of the game here. Symphonic layers with a focus on mood exploration in mostly slow-paced compositions is the main feature throughout, more often than not setting up multiple layered pompous sonic tapestries with one dominant and one or two additional underscoring melodic layers. Bass and drums provide rhythms, acoustic and electric guitars are added sparingly; the latter mostly in the form of atmospheric guitar soloing. Nothing really complex on this production, but fans of symphonic rock inspired by Genesis of old, and in particular those enjoying music in this style at its most lush and mellow, may find this one intriguing, especially if dark, melancholic moods are of general interest.” [Prog Archives]

Rubber Universe - Parliament of FoolesRubber Universe - Parliament of Fooles ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Rubber Universe audio clips  Rubber Universe audio clips

Rubber Universe is a band from the American Midwest that grew out of an Alan Parsons Project tribute band called Projectronics, as unlikely as the existence of an APP tribute band may seem. The band consists of eight musicians (three female) plus guests, with both male and female vocals. Their debut album Parliament of Fooles (2008) features contributions from APP members Ian Bairnson, Godfrey Townsend, and Eric Woolfson. The music is unique amongst current progressive rock bands, most similar to APP’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination, impressionistic and European-sounding, often with a Floydian spaciness and pacing and sometimes similar to the more peaceful Eloy tracks. The production is excellent. As the band says, Parliament of Fooles is a concept album about dreams from cultural, psychological, and historical perspectives, and includes ideas and narrative text from Edgar Allan Poe, Geoffrey Chaucer, Freud, and Dante, among many others.

Pravda - The Echoing SoundsPravda - Walking Through WallsPravda - Walking Through Walls ($8.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Pravda - "Walking Through Walls" mp3 clips

Pravda - The Echoing Sounds ($7.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Pravda - "The Echoing Sounds" mp3 clips

Pravda are an American progressive band from Boise, Idaho whose two CDs are quite different from each other. Their 2003 debut The Echoing Sounds has vocals on the majority of tracks. There is a mix of symphonic prog and classic rock here, but the instrumental content is stronger than the vocals; the vocals just seem to be holding the music back. Which may be why Pravda abandoned vocals entirely on their 2006 second CD Walking Through Walls. Here they are more focused and aggressive, with guitar playing a larger role, while the rough production edges of their debut have been smoothed out. They are also heavier here, inviting comparisons to Liquid Tension Experiment or Djam Karet. There is little improvisation or jamming though, as everything sounds structured. One could also mention Rush, Umphrey’s McGee, and Dream Theater. There may actually be more symphonic keyboards on The Echoing Sounds, though unevenly distributed, but Walking Through Walls is the better progressive rock album.

Charles Brown - Thru the FlamesCharles Brown - Journey in a New LandCharles Brown - Journey in a New Land (CD-R, $9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Charles Brown audio clips

Charles Brown - Thru the Flames (CD-R, $9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Charles Brown mp3 clips

Denver Guitarist Charles Brown plays instrumental symphonic progressive that combines hard rock riffs (think Ritchie Blackmore) with soaring guitar synth melodies and lush, acoustic and classical guitar textures and interludes. Few guitarists make progressive rock as lushly orchestrated and epic as this, as the synths and guitar are actually of equal weight here, and it even gets bombastic (just the way prog fans love it!). Brown has seven albums to his credit; Journey in a New Land is from 2007 and Thru the Flames is from 2003. Start with Journey in a New Land. Note these are CD-Rs with inkjet-printed booklets/inlays. Here are reviews of Journey in a New Land and Thru the Flames from an English-language Polish review site.

Evolve IV - Decadent LightEvolve IV - Decadent Light ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Evolve IV audio clips  Evolve IV audio clips

This is the 2008 debut CD by a Los Angeles progressive rock band whose lead guitarist Peter Matuchniak is British and was a member of the early 1980’s neo-prog bands Mach One and Janysium. Kudos to you if you remember those bands -- Mach One managed only one vinyl release along with a couple cassettes, while their alter-ego Janysium had only two cassette releases. Evolve IV may not be the most progressive band on earth, but their songs combine catchiness and lush vocal harmonies with prog rock stylings and arty twists and turns. Evolve IV blend a number of different styles and influences, even an American sound vaguely resembling the Eagles. It’s a collection of songs that grows on you. Read the Jerry Lucky and DPRP reviews. “Intense, inventive and melodic, Decadent Light is a triple-threat tour-de-force of solid musicianship, strong songcraft and remarkable production quality. Highly recommended.” [Nick Tate, Progression] This is the new ProgRock Records edition.

A ReflectionGiant for an HourVarious Artists - A Reflection ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart  "A Reflection" audio clips

Various Artists - Giant for an Hour ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Subtitled Music Inspired By and In Tribute to Gentle Giant, Giant for an Hour (2006, 79-minutes) and A Reflection (2008, 77-minutes) are the third and fifth in a series that began in 2004. The other CDs in the series are currently out-of-print. Musicians from around the globe, all members of the On Reflection Gentle Giant mailing list, created original music inspired by Gentle Giant. The degree of GG influence varies, and the music does extend beyond the GG universe, but GG were nothing if not eclectic. It all remains within the progressive rock universe though, it’s all quite professional, and the amount of creativity and talent showcased here exceeds all expectations. These aren’t just for Gentle Giant fans then but for most prog rock fans, two excellent prog albums that stand on their own. Both were professionally mastered. Alan Kinsman, who wrote liner notes for some of the Gentle Giant CDs, wrote the liner notes for A Reflection, which you can read at the CD’s MySpace page (click mp3 icon above). “It is not very hard for good musicians to copy others, but to learn from them, then convert this knowledge and experience to create something as unique and innovative as this work, that's a different story.”  More info on this series can be found here.

Ad Astra - 1stAd Astra - Ad Astra ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ad Astra mp3 clips  Ad Astra audio clips

New York-based guitarist Joe Nardulli’s debut CD (see below) inspired and intrigued a bunch of local progressive rock musos. After jamming with a few, Joe finally found the right keyboardist, bassist and drummer for his live band who have now become Ad Astra. Their 2008 debut CD takes the style of Nardulli’s solo album to another level, with the compositional contributions of the other musicians and a full band recording. This is top-notch guitar-led symphonic prog with touches of fusion, featuring a fluid, thematic playing style and soaring, uplifting melodies. Nardulli is also guitarist in the prog rock band Celestial O’euvre, whose second CD is due soon.


Joe NardulliJoe Nardulli - same ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Joe Nardulli mp3 clips

Now when you read that this is a guitarist’s solo CD, a large percentage of you are going to yawn. We made that mistake too. Joe Nardulli’s 2003 debut CD is in a class with Steve Morse. Nardulli doesn’t attempt the stylistic diversity of a typical Morse CD, but that works to the prog fan’s advantage, as this album is nothing but the good stuff. Nardulli has the skill, tone, and melodic sensibility of an Eric Johnson, and while he has soloing skills on a par with the usual cast of guitar gods, Nardulli doesn’t just blast away over a few chords in 4/4 time. The odd and shifting time signatures and the chord progressions make this so much more engaging, and that he can keep the energy level so high and still leave you wanting more is a feat in itself. Soaring melodies and exceptional compositions and arrangements set this apart from most guitarists’ CDs.


Static - PatternsStatic - Patterns ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Static mp3 & Streaming RealAudio clips

Static are a New York City band based around drummer David Penna and guitarist Mike Fortin, with other musicians lending a hand on bass and keys. Penna is also the drummer in Ad Astra. In Static’s own words, they play “heavy instrumental progressive rock fusion”. Keyboards play only a minor role; this is a guitar-god album in which the drummer gets equal billing. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, this DPRP review will.

Amaseffer - Slaves for LifeAmaseffer - Slaves for Life ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Amaseffer audio clips  Amaseffer audio clips

Amaseffer is the first Israeli band signed by InsideOut Music. Slaves for Life (2008) is the first volume of a planned trilogy about the history of the Israeli people as portrayed in the Old Testament. The music is a unique progressive metal featuring an orchestra adding the style of an epic film score and incorporating Middle Eastern elements.

Spirits Burning - Alien InjectionSpirits Burning & Bridget Wishart - Earth BornSpirits Burning & Bridget Wishart - Earth Born ($17.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Spirits Burning - "Earth Born" audio clips

Spirits Burning - Alien Injection ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Spirits Burning audio clips  Spirits Burning mp3 clips

Spirits Burning - Reflections in a Radio Shower ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart    SALE!

Spirits Burning - Reflections in a Radio ShowerSpirits Burning are an ad hoc space rock collective led by keyboardist Don Falcone, a member of Trap and Spaceship Eyes. On Reflections in a Radio Shower (2001, 72-minutes), other participants include guitarist-singer Daevid Allen (Gong), drummer Paul Williams (Quarkspace), Karen Anderson (Spaceship Eyes), and Kurt Gerwers (The Moor). Many other guests contribute to this adventurous space rock extravaganza, revisiting the influences of its participants. The miracles of technology allow the participation of the late Robert Calvert (Hawkwind).

Alien Injection (2008, 79-minutes) is their fourth CD, released on the Black Widow label. It is heavier than the previous Spirits Burning album Found in Nature, with vocals on many of the tracks. Read the Aural Innovations and Sea of Tranquility reviews.

The fifth Spirits Burning album Earth Born (2008) features Bridget Wishart, best known as the only female singer for Hawkwind. She was part of that crew from 1989-1991, appearing on four albums and one DVD. Earth Born involved 29 musicians including Simon House, Daevid Allen, Richard Wileman (Karda Estra), Cyndee Lee Rule, members of Cartoon, Jefferson Starship and more. Click the mp3 icon next to this title to go to a website dedicated to this album, where in addition to audio samples there are reviews and all the info you need.

Mawwal - Black FliesMawwal - This Is All There Is, There Is No Other PlaceMawwal - This Is All There Is, There Is No Other Place ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Mawwal audio clips

Mawwal - Black Flies ($12.99)  out-of-stock  Mawwal - "Black Flies" mp3 clips

Paranoise - Ishq ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Paranoise - Private PowerParanoise - IshqParanoise - Private Power ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Paranoise - "Private Power" mp3 clips

Paranoise are the Deep Forest of heavy progressive rock. On eight of Private Power’s (1999) twelve tracks, the vocals are sampled artists from third-world cultures. Paranoise have reharmonized and rearranged these for western ears, and of course added aggressive rock timbres and rhythms. They also throw some ethnic instruments into the mix, creating one of the first progressive world rock albums. The prog rock underlying it all stands on its own, solid and infectious, dominated by guitar and violin and owing a debt to King Crimson. It’s the ever-present violin that elevates it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. All in all, a great idea that works, and unlikely to sound quite like anything you’ve heard before.

Ishq perfects the style established on Private Power. This one is simply astounding, as the band take traditional songs from Morocco, Afghanistan, Kenya, Bulgaria, and elsewhere and turn them into powerful progressive rock. In addition to the sampled vocals, Paranoise add their own vocals, including an appearance by a Slavic singing group from Yale. Several guest musicians on various percussion instruments shift some of the tracks into rhythmic overdrive. Even if you have no interest in “world music” per se, keep in mind that Paranoise is to world music as progressive rock is to ordinary rock.

Paranoise is now Mawwal. Black Flies (2007) is a further development of Paranoise, not as heavy but just as energetic, and probably more melodic. The ethnic percussion is stronger, but the major addition is the ensemble female vocals. Percy Jones (Brand X) plays bass on most of the tracks. For fans of Peter Gabriel’s brand of world music, Mawwal should be the next step, as this is the most advanced fusion of Middle Eastern and western progressive music we’ve heard. Percy Jones also appears on several tracks on the second Mawwal CD This Is All There Is, There Is No Other Place (2008), which continues the trend toward more acoustic timbres, ethnic percussion and vocals, at the expense of the rock side which was more dominant in Paranoise.

Terramara - Four Blocks to HennepinTerramara - Dust & FictionTerramara - Dust & Fiction ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Terramara - "Dust & Fiction" mp3 clips  Terramara audio clips

Terramara - Four Blocks to Hennepin ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Terramara - "Four Blocks to Hennepin" mp3 clips

Minneapolis-based Terramara are a progressive pop band that, on their second album Four Blocks to Hennepin (2005), sound like the second coming of Steely Dan blended with Sting. It’s a very intelligent, jazz-tinged, large and lush-sounding pop-rock that, were this the late 1970’s, would be all over the radio. Whatever “it” is, these guys have it. There actually is one instrumental and another mostly-instrumental song where they do play progressive rock and fusion, but for most of this 60-minute disc, you are treated to first-rate songwriting and production, warm vocals, rich harmonies, and tight musicianship. The songs are the work of keyboardist and lead vocalist Rob Meany, with the rest of the band (guitar, bass, drums) contributing to the piano & synth based arrangements. “Jazz-tinged” in this context really means that the band use an expanded arsenal of chords, adding a complexity that elevates their music above typical pop and rock.

Terramara return in 2008 with Dust & Fiction (digipack), which shifts away from the Steely Dan style and toward XTC. At times Terramara could be the American equivalent to older English progressive pop bands such as Stackridge, 10cc, or City Boy, with their quirky art-pop of Beatles lineage. With Terramara, the progressive aspect comes from the keyboard-centric arrangements, the clever harmonic twists and turns, lush harmonies and layered sound. Simultaneously intelligent and incredibly catchy, they might just single-handedly save pop music.

Never Wasn'tNever Wasn’t - same ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Never Wasn't mp3 clips

Never Wasn’t is a U.S. symphonic prog band made up of seasoned musicians, debuting in 2008 with this self-titled 67-minute CD. Their primary influence is Yes, to which they add some AOR flavoring, as the American prog bands have always been inclined to do. Singer Ronny Lapine has a powerful voice which is more typical of rock singers of eras past, and he is a huge Yes and Jon Anderson fan. The best tracks here are the most Yes-like, along with the more Tull-ish Leprechaun. If pressed for time, listen to the mp3's of the tracks Undertow and In Tune with the Moon. Overall an excellent progressive rock CD oriented toward the late 1970’s into the early 1980’s, and further evidence that Yes had the greatest impact in the U.S. of any progressive rock band. (ELP was close, but Genesis received no substantial airplay in the U.S. until Follow You Follow Me, at which point it was too late.)

Din Within - Awaken the ManDin Within - Awaken the Man ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Din Within mp3 clips

Released late in 2007, Awaken the Man is the 63-minute debut CD by an American symphonic prog band that will no doubt elicit comparisons to Spock’s Beard, mainly because that’s the easy reference these days when a variety of British progressive rock influences are run through an American filter. It’s not a bad reference though, as Din Within have that same huge symphonic rock sound, technical skills and crisp production married with catchy melodies. Kansas is also a good reference, Rocket Scientists to some extent, and the one reviewers below a certain age will miss, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (more so vocally and in the ballads). In addition to the Yes and ELP influences, Din Within have more of a Genesis influence than Spock’s Beard, while one song is quite Floydian. There are loads of instrumental passages. Din Within’s singer is not on a par with a Neal Morse when the lead vocals go it alone, but when backing vocals have been added, it produces the Utopia effect of average singers combining to create powerful ensemble vocals. Maybe the best reason to compare Din Within to Spock’s Beard is that one gets the same feeling listening to Awaken the Man that one got when listening to the first Spock’s Beard CD, that it will be difficult to keep this band a secret much longer.

Farpoint - Cold Star Quiet StarFarpoint - From Dreaming to DreamingFarpoint - Cold Star Quiet Star ($11.99)  out-of-stock  Farpoint audio clips

Farpoint - From Dreaming to Dreaming ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

For all the computer-generated sci-fi imagery and the Star Trek connotation of their name, South Carolina-based Farpoint actually have quite an organic sound, a blend of folky art-rock and mellow progressive. Their first two CDs appeared in 2002 and 2003. For the first incarnation of the band, it all comes together best on their third CD, the 65-minute From Dreaming to Dreaming (2004). The band’s first live performance was at Yescamp ’98, where they played several Yes covers. There is an early, pastoral Yes influence present at times on their CDs and an overall positive vibe, but it would be misleading to make too much of that. The lineup has changed since then, and Farpoint’s music is too diverse. There is both an American as well as a British Isles folk influence present, and their instrumentation includes the standard rock instruments (electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, keys) augmented by classical guitar, mandolin, flute, and various types of percussion. They have a male singer with a voice like Ritchie Havens and a female singer with an angelic voice, an interesting contrast. Kansas and the first edition of Renaissance are probably better references.

Farpoint had actually disbanded late in 2005 but put things back together soon after with several personnel changes. Their fourth studio CD Cold Star Quiet Star (2008) is the result and it is probably their best yet, appealing from start to finish, with quite a bit of instrumental content. The Yes style is there at times, but Farpoint still display a much wider range of influences, and the result is that they don’t sound like anyone else.

Invisigoth - NarcoticaInvisigoth - Narcotica ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Invisigoth - "Narcotica" mp3 clips  Invisigoth audio clips

Narcotica (2008, 70-minutes), the second album from this New York State duo, is a big step forward from their debut. There is only a little metal here and the music, while dark, is not relentlessly so. It’s an impressive symphonic prog album with somewhat of a psychedelic rock opera feel. There is a wealth of detail in the music, layer upon layer it. The lack of a human drummer sometimes holds the music back just a little, but also gives it a modern feel, and this is definitely a modern progressive record. Magellan having an hallucination may be the best reference.

Magellan - Innocent GodMagellan - Innocent God ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Magellan audio clips

Magellan - Symphony for a Misanthrope ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Magellan - "Symphony for a Misanthrope" mp3 clips

Magellan - Impossible Figures special ed. ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Magellan - Symphony for a MisanthropeSymphony for a Misanthrope (2005) is the sixth CD for Magellan. By now most prog fans should know what to expect, a heavy symphonic rock along the lines of a heavier and more bombastic Kansas. So perhaps not surprisingly, Steve Walsh guests on keys. The ubiquitous Robert Berry also puts in a guest appearance. When Magellan first began, a valid criticism was that you could break up their long tracks into small sections, rearrange them in any order, and it would make no difference. By now their writing skills have improved and their compositions flow more logically, including the epic piece on ...Misanthrope, the 18-minute Cranium Reef Suite. This is the special edition of Magellan’s previous CD Impossible Figures (2003), which comes in the hardcover digibook format and includes the bonus track Hallucination. Sure it gets overblown at times, but it wouldn’t be Magellan if it didn’t.

On Innocent God (2007), Trent and Wayne Gardner are joined by Robert Berry throughout. Trent states that Innocent God is a transitional album and that Magellan is in the process of moving out of traditional 1970s-style progressive rock. But have no fear; this is still very obviously a symphonic prog album. The only thing they’ve done is keep the song lengths under 10 minutes and moderate the heavy, overblown style of their past. It works, as Magellan’s ideas were sometimes overstretched on their longer tracks, and now the song ideas are better developed. This is the Musea label edition.

Jordan Rudess - The Road HomeJordan Rudess - The Road Home ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Jordan Rudess - "The Road Home" mp3 clips

On this 2007 CD, Jordan Rudess pays tribute to progressive rock itself with his full-length renditions of Dance on a Volcano (Genesis), Sound Chaser (Yes), Just the Same (Gentle Giant), Tarkus (ELP); a piano medley with bits of Soon, Supper’s Ready, I Talk to the Wind, And You and I (you know damn well which bands wrote these); and one original composition. Guests include Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), Neal Morse, Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles), and more. Digipack.

Little Atlas - HollowLittle Atlas - Hollow ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Little Atlas audio clips

Little Atlas - Wanderlust ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Little Atlas audio clips

Little Atlas - Surface Serene ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Little Atlas - Surface SereneLittle Atlas is a Miami-based progressive rock band whose lineage is certainly Genesis, Yes, or Kansas, but they are not retro. Their songs seemingly are built up around a core of piano and voice, giving the music that organic, natural sound of the 1970’s prog bands. Songcraft is one of Little Atlas’s strong points. Surface Serene (2003) is an engaging musical journey that harkens back to those classic progressive songs, but with lots of new twists and energy. Wanderlust (2005) represents a more adventurous and mature work than Surface Serene, which was already quite a good prog rock CD. All the songs on Wanderlust were fully co-written by the four band members, the compositions filled with vocal-driven melodic passages punctuated by thrilling instrumental flights. Little Atlas is a working, live band, so the songs feel like they were fleshed out by playing them live before entering the studio and enhancing them with studio wizardry. If Surface Serene led some to dub Little Atlas as “Spock’s Beard Jr.”, then Wanderlust may reverse that relationship – we would take Wanderlust over Octane. Frogg Cafe’s Bill Ayasse contributes violin to the final track. As a bonus, the CD contains a multi-camera live video of the band performing one song, playable on a computer.

Hollow (2007) is Little Atlas’s masterpiece, at least until their next CD. Their sound has evolved significantly, and the production quality has improved with each CD. While the music still resembles Spock’s Beard or Echolyn at times, here it is more intense and moody. And yet the dark passages are in perfect balance with the uplifting passages, and the contemporary prog style is balanced by classic prog stylings and vintage keyboard sounds. An exceptional record.

Spiraling - Time Travel Made EasySpiraling - Challenging StageSpiraling - Time Travel Made Easy ($11.99) + free CD-EPAdd to Shopping Cart  Spiraling audio clips

Spiraling is the band of keyboardist/singer Tom Brislin, who has played with both Yes and Camel and is a contributing editor at Keyboard magazine. Brislin is a tremendous keyboardist and apparently a very quick study. We haven’t actually listened to Spiraling’s previous CDs, because all indications are that they are primarily indie pop. But Time Travel Made Easy (2008) can easily be called modern progressive (you were expecting Yes or Camel?) with strong pop songwriting. Keyboards have the central role and are responsible for nearly all the proggy elements, while the guitar is usually in the modern rock style. Many of the tracks are not far from The Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, and their ilk. This is catchy stuff with enough going on musically to satisfy the progressive rock fan. Digipack (soft hub, no plastic tray). While supplies last, we are including Spiraling’s 2004 four-song CD-EP Challenging Stage at no extra charge.

Canvas - Digital PigeonCanvas - Digital Pigeon ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Canvas audio clips

American progressive rock band Canvas debuted in 2002 with the double-CD Avenues (currently out-of-print), about which we wrote: The band has a quintessential American 1970’s style, sometimes close to the U.S. Now or Under the Big Tree, though there are also occasional similarities to early Camel. You might even call some of this an American Canterbury style, in that it is slightly jazz inflected, has a generally relaxed vibe, and eschews bombast and drama. There is also a folk element in the vocal tracks, especially where acoustic guitar is prominent, probably owing something to both America and Kansas. Not all of the songs are out-and-out progressive, but at worst they are an intelligent, non-commercial pop with quality vocals, some reminiscent of the band Café Jacques (anyone remember them?). When Canvas do play out-and-out progressive, the results are very good, especially during instrumental passages. Perhaps if Steely Dan or Phish decided to play progressive rock, the result would sound something like this.

Digital Pigeon (2007) is a stronger sophomore effort, with more overt progressive stylings, though the essential style is the same, a blend of symphonic prog and a 1970’s pop/rock aesthetic. The band is strengthened by the presence of Greg Lounsberry (Laserdogs) on several tracks, contributing both vocals and guitar, and the addition of brass on a few tracks. The album is 77 minutes long, and of the 14 tracks, one is a cover of Saga’s Catwalk and one is Jaco Pastorius’ Teen Town.

Zoldar & Clark - The Ghost of WayZoldar & Clark - The Ghost of Way ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Zoldar & Clark audio clips

This is a CD reissue of a very rare American progressive rock album that had previously only been bootlegged, first as an LP, later as a Japanese CD. No one in this band was named Zoldar or Clark, but one member was named Jeff Cannata, whose later work appears below. Zoldar & Clark is in fact the Connecticut band Jasper Wrath. There are seven tracks that appeared on the LP plus four previously-unreleased tracks, 58-minutes total. The year is not given, but these are early-1970’s recordings. The audio quality is quite good. Some of this material went on to become Jasper Wrath and Cannata tracks, and Jasper Wrath’s official lifespan is 1969-1976, so that bounds it. This is outstanding symphonic prog featuring flute and keys (including Mellotron), with lots of Yes influence but also of most of the other early-70’s British progressive bands. Given half a chance, this would have been an American progressive rock classic the first time around. That treasures like this can still be unearthed in 2008 is pretty remarkable. Digipack.


Cannata - Mysterium MagnumCannata - Mysterium Magnum ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cannata mp3 clips  Cannata audio clips

Few musicians blend AOR and progressive rock as well as Jeff Cannata. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Jasper Wrath, which was active from 1969-1976. The 1983 album by his band Arc Angel was a hit in Europe, and the albums Images of Forever and Watching the World under the name Cannata followed in 1988 and 1993, respectively. Those albums are all out-of-print.

The 60-minute Mysterium Magnum (2006) can comfortably be called AOR-flavored symphonic prog. There is no more AOR here than in 1980’s Yes, Conspiracy, World Trade, the first Asia album, or Robert Berry, all of which Cannata’s music resembles at times, and it occasionally gets even proggier than that. Two of the tracks are reworkings of Arc Angel songs. Gorgeous tri-fold digipack with 16-page full-color booklet.

Ghost Circus - Across the LineGhost Circus - CyclesGhost Circus - Across the Line ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ghost Circus - "Across the Line" mp3 clips  Ghost Circus mp3 clips

Ghost Circus - Cycles ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ghost Circus - "Cycles" mp3 clips  Ghost Circus audio clips

Ghost Circus is a collaboration between Dutch musician Ronald Wahle (guitars, keys, drums) and American Chris Brown (vocals, guitars, bass, keys). Cycles (2006, 56-minutes) is an intelligent and impressive debut with a full-band sound. It is melodic modern progressive rock with touches of prog-metal and sophisticated pop/alternative. Brown has a slightly gruff voice that is very much in-vogue, while the instrumental passages are unmistakably symphonic progressive. If you crossed Marillion’s Marbles with the Polish band Riverside, you’d probably end up pretty close to Ghost Circus.

Across the Line (2008, 70-minutes) is their more fully-realized follow-up, a concept album “following one man’s path from death to the hereafter”. Wahle and Brown again prove that distance is no impediment to producing an album that sounds the same as a full band. Aside from a little metal, this is creative symphonic prog with a contemporary edge and a melodic sense that is not so common these days. They use modern music technology to full advantage. (Anyone who thinks that means cut-and-paste, loop-based music is not keeping up.) The ten-minute title track that concludes the album may be the highlight, as it builds to a Mellotron-and-all climax.

No Nation - IllumineNo Nation - Illumine ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No Nation mp3 clips

Illumine is a progressive rock opera originally released in 2005 by the band, now available in this 2007 Renaissance Records edition. No Nation are three Americans augmented by many guests. Keyboardist Stevie Roseman is best known for his recordings with Journey and Neal Schon. Drummer John Hernandez has worked with Journey, Yes, Peter Gabriel, and Neal Schon. Singer Ed Ulibarri had a major label release in 1977 with the band Alexis and has been a studio musician for years. Among the guests are Jon Anderson (vocals), Mike Pinder (narration), and Ross Valory of Journey (bass), plus others on guitars, violin, and some Japanese and Chinese instruments (the kind made of wood, not Korgs and Yamahas). Vaguely in a Kansas or Americanized-Yes style, the approach is a little more streamlined but never goes too far to the ballad side before being pulled back by proggy instrumental sections. Overall it is a finely-crafted work sharing Jon Anderson’s optimistic worldview.

Might Could - All IntertwinedMight Could - Wood KnotMight Could - Wood Knot ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Might Could mp3 clips

Might Could - All Intertwined ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Originally formed at the University of Maryland, Might Could is an instrumental group of three crafty acoustic guitarists and a bassist, the latter being Luis Nasser of Sonus Umbra. The title of their 2005 debut CD All Intertwined (51-minutes, digipack) gives away their style, and 2007’s Wood Knot (49-minutes, digipack) is in the same style. 1980’s King Crimson’s interlocking guitars style may come to mind, but Might Could’s approach is more classically-influenced, emotional, melodic and bounteous, less of a mathematical exercise and not confined to pentatonic scales. There is a rock sensibility to it even if it isn’t rock. We’re reminded of Swiss guitarist Thomas Diethelm, but since that’s probably not much help, just rest assured that this is about as exciting as acoustic guitar music gets, and a sure bet for fans of the California Guitar Trio. Read reviews here.

Cathedral - Stained Glass StoriesCathedral - The BridgeCathedral - The Bridge ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cathedral - "The Bridge" mp3 clips

Cathedral - Stained Glass Stories ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Cathedral audio clips

Stained Glass Stories, released on LP independently in 1978, is generally considered to be one of the top American progressive rock albums of all time. This CD reissue is from 1991. This Cathedral was influenced by Yes, King Crimson, and maybe Genesis. They use lots of Mellotron, and their sound is close to that of Änglagård, who came along much later. Read the review at Progressive Ears. This was the only album by this New York band until...

Cathedral returned in 2007 with The Bridge, with only one lineup change, guitarist David Doig taking the place of Rudy Perrone. The band have not changed their style, but neither have they made the same album, and this one is sonically different. For one, the drummer is triggering samples. (The problem is not with the technology -- there are drum sample libraries today where it is possible to get a realistic sound with a bit of mixing -- but Cathedral are catching up with 30 years of music technology.) Cathedral’s songwriting and melodic sense were never on the same level as their influences, but that is true of most second-generation prog bands. The Bridge is however full of the same drama, bombast and other essential elements that made Stained Glass Stories a minor legend, and Mellotron strings are still used heavily. Just seven tracks span 59 minutes; one is a showcase for Doig’s Hackett-like nylon string playing/composing. Digipack.

Tony Castellano - The Red HourTony Castellano - The Red Hour ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Tony Castellano is known for playing bass and keys in Holding Pattern, and his earlier CD-EP Fun Size received a little attention, but the 70-minute follow-up The Red Hour (recorded 1997-1999) seems to have fallen between the cracks. It’s criminal negligence, because this is a fantastic progressive rock CD, actually closer to the original Holding Pattern style than the current Holding Pattern. For the most part, it is very Genesis-influenced, but not a sonic clone as with The Watch; The Red Hour shows a distinct personality and far more charm. Some of it reminds us of Stefan Zauner, a reference that is sure to help two or three of you. Castellano sings and plays everything including drums, with help from another drummer on several tracks and many different guitarists contributing guitar solos, including Tony Spada. It is indistinguishable from a full band. Here are excerpts from the tracks Recurrence, Cyclops, and The Big Bang in Windows Media Audio format.


Holding Pattern - Breaking the SilenceHolding Pattern - Breaking the Silence ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Holding Pattern - "Breaking the Silence" mp3 clips

Holding Pattern - same ($8.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Holding Pattern - "Holding Pattern" mp3 clips

One of America’s great symphonic prog bands Holding Pattern has reunited with original members Tony Spada (guitars), Tony Castellano (bass, keys), and Mark Tannenbaum (keys), plus drummer Rob Gottfried, who played on Spada’s The Human Element. Original drummer Robert Hutchinson appears on the bonus live version of Honor Before Glory from the first Holding Pattern album, this version recorded live in Japan in 2005. Breaking the Silence (2007) is a more symphonic development of the style of The Human Element. It is instrumental and sounds like the Dixie Dregs at their most symphonic, and every bit as good. Some influences of 70’s King Crimson and Happy the Man are also present. Essential instrumental progressive rock. Paul Whitehead provided the cover art.

Holding Pattern’s four-song, 29-minute debut album was originally released on vinyl in 1981, back when you could get away with calling that a full-length album. This is a classic instrumental symphonic prog album. The first two tracks are heavily influenced by Genesis (Mellotron and all), the third by Camel, and the fourth by Happy the Man. More great music in a half hour here than on most of today’s 70-minute CDs. Holding Pattern’s Majestic may get reissued in the not-too-distant future.


Tony Spada - The Human ElementTony Spada - Balance of PowerTony Spada - Balance of Power ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Tony Spada - "Balance of Power" mp3 clips

Tony Spada - The Human Element ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Tony Spada - "The Human Element" mp3 clips

American guitarist Tony Spada is known to prog fans for his band Holding Pattern but also for his 1993 album Balance of Power. The first edition of Balance of Power was on the Art Sublime label but had been out-of-print for a long time. This new edition on the Cypher Arts label comes in a wide-format cardboard sleeve (same dimensions as a digipack) and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. The album is instrumental except for one vocal track. Spada is backed here by most of the members of the final incarnation of Holding Pattern, most notably bassist/keyboardist Tony Castellano. It is an excellent album of guitar-oriented progressive rock, with nods to Steve Hackett and Steve Morse.

Spada returned in 2005 with The Human Element, which features Tony on guitars and guitar synth, ace session man Rob Gottfried on drums, and Tony Castellano on bass and keys. This could pass for a prime period Dixie Dregs album. The violin and bluegrass are absent, but otherwise Spada covers every style you’d find on a Dregs album and a bit more. Spada has played quite a few shows with Steve Morse, and includes one Morse composition on this album.

Carlton Walker - Avery: A Rock OperaCarlton Walker - Avery: A Rock Opera ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Avery: A Rock Opera mp3 clips  Avery: A Rock Opera audio clips

Yup, it’s a rock opera. Avery is the 2007 creation of Carlton Walker from Tennessee, who assembled a full band to realize this 74-minute CD, the instrumentation including keyboards, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, flute, violin, viola, cello and mandolin. Walker lists his influences succinctly as Peter Gabriel, Genesis, and The Who, and given that Walker’s singing voice is fairly Gabriel-esque, it’s easy to feel the Gabriel/Genesis influence. But Avery is executed differently, with the strings and other acoustic instruments having a big impact on the sound and style, perhaps Genesis in an alternate (less British, for one) reality. As Walker puts it, “Take one disc from Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and one disc from The Who’s Quadrophenia and shuffle them. I wore out several copies of both those albums and they’re still rotating in my brain.” No one is suggesting that Avery is the equal of those albums, but you get the idea. The Who influence manifests on a couple tracks where you can hear those characteristic power chords. The Avery story is a self-referential one, about a guy who writes a rock opera (based on the medieval morality play Everyman).

Matthew Parmenter - AstrayMatthew Parmenter - Horror ExpressMatthew Parmenter - Horror Express ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Matthew Parmenter audio clips

Matthew Parmenter - Astray ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Discipline - Unfolded Like Staircase ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Discipline audio clips

Discipline - Push & ProfitDiscipline - Unfolded Like StaircaseDiscipline - Push & Profit ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Discipline audio clips

Matthew Parmenter is known for his narrative songwriting and costumed performances as front-man for the band Discipline, who have rightly been hailed as the American Van der Graaf Generator, and Parmenter as the American Peter Hammill. The first album under his own name, the 68-minute Astray (2004) is decidedly psychedelic in atmosphere and striking in its early 1970’s British vibe. Parmenter’s voice is smoother than Hammill’s and Astray is much more of a progressive rock album than any Hammill solo album. Parmenter was the main creative force in Discipline and came to dominate the band more and more, so in all important respects, this is the third Discipline studio album. Parmenter shows he is quite capable of handling the guitar and drums in addition to all the instruments he covered in Discipline. Discipline bassist Mathew Kennedy appears throughout the CD, the sole guest musician. Parmenter is modestly credited with “vocals, et cetera”, which includes piano, guitar, drums, saxophone, violin, organ, synthesizers, marimba, Theremin, and Mellotron. While Van der Graaf is the dominant influence, especially on the magnificent 21-minute finale Modern Times, there is also a substantial Pink Floyd influence as well as King Crimson circa 1973.

Parmenter handles everything on Horror Express (2008, 63-minutes): keyboards, violin, cello, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, and of course vocals. The result is again very much like a full band and more suggestive of Peter Hammill than ever before. But while voice and piano are often at the core of the songs -- Parmenter plays an 1880 Steinway piano throughout -- this is like a Peter Hammill solo album with all Van der Graaf Generator musicians playing on it. As with Astray, Horror Express is much more of a progressive rock album, much more orchestrated than most Hammill albums. A world-class work. There are in-depth reviews at Progscape.com and DPRP.

Unfolded Like Staircase (1997, 65-minutes) is the second and superior of the two Discipline studio CDs, boasting three nearly 15-minute songs including the brilliant Canto IV (Limbo) as well as the 22-minute epic Into the Dream. Majestic and dramatic, it varies from soft and brooding to confident and aggressive, a classic of 1990’s progressive rock. While Unfolded Like Staircase is their masterpiece, Push & Profit (1993) is no slouch. In addition to the nascent Hammill/Van der Graaf influence, there are elements of Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Caravan. Discipline manage to sound British without it sounding like an affectation and without cloning anyone’s style. Check our DVDs page for the Discipline Live 1995 DVD.

Acuity - SkywardAcuity - Skyward ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Skyward is the 2004 debut for this American band or project out of Michigan, and it is a terrific one, with an aesthetic similar to Discipline and Eyestrings. Acuity is well aware of those other Michigan bands, seeing as how Matthew Parmenter guests on violin on one track. After a somewhat out-of-place first track of heavy and fast guitar rock, this settles into magical 1970’s-style progressive rock with complex, long tracks full of atmosphere. Mellotron is key to the album’s feel, and other vintage-sounding synths are also employed. Like Discipline, the style comes closest to Van der Graaf Generator, but there is also some Genesis, Rush, and Led Zeppelin in there. The lyrics are in the verbose Peter Hammill vein, and the vocal style fits well with the music. 68-minutes.

Ryan Parmenter - The Noble KnaveRyan Parmenter - The Noble Knave ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Ryan Parmenter - "The Noble Knave" mp3 clips

Ryan Parmenter is the leader of the band Eyestrings. One can hear songwriting chops and a melodic sense underlying Eyestrings’ dark, brooding progressive rock that is absent in many prog bands, and on The Noble Knave (2007), Parmenter makes that songwriting ability abundantly clear. The Noble Knave is a wonderful progressive pop album, a collection of songs written by Parmenter over the past ten years. There is a strong Beatles influence, songs reminiscent of City Boy, some Beach Boys-level vocal harmonies, and much more. It is lively, fun, and very English. How a guy from Michigan can make such English-sounding music is a mystery. It's all very clever and carried off with an obvious progressive sensibility, and the album is not as self-consciously retro nor as derivative as some other modern attempts at bringing the spirit of The Beatles forward. This is a must for fans of Fritz Doddy’s The Feeling of Far album, which is quite similar.

Mind Furniture - Hoop of FlameMind Furniture - Hoop of Flame ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Mind Furniture are a progressive rock quintet from the San Francisco bay area that share members John Mabry (vocals, guitar) and Greg Miller (drums) with the band Metaphor, and lead guitarist Christopher Scott Cooper with the band New Sun. Rounding out the band are Brett Barnett (keys, vocals) and Michael “Doc” Ray (bass). Hoop of Flame (2007) is their second album, following the self-released The End of Days (2000). Hoop of Flame consists of two long suites (23:25 and 29:40) of generally 1970’s-style prog with some Marillion influence. Mind Furniture’s sound is similar to Metaphor’s but shifted slightly toward Kansas or Jethro Tull, not surprising given that Mind Furniture and Metaphor have the same singer and Hoop of Flame was recorded in the same studio using the same engineer as Metaphor’s The Sparrow and Entertaining Thanatos. Add Mind Furniture to the first tier of current U.S. progressive bands. Here is a 1:20 mp3 excerpt from the song Between Two Voids.


Metaphor - Entertaining ThanatosMetaphor - The SparrowMetaphor - The Sparrow ($12.99)  out-of-stock  Metaphor - "The Sparrow" album sampler mp3

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Maybe all you need to know about this San Francisco-area band is that Metaphor spent two years as a classic-era Genesis tribute band. Their second CD Entertaining Thanatos (2004, 57-minutes) is a finely-crafted 1970’s-style symphonic prog album with Genesis as the primary influence, replete with vintage keyboards (including Mellotron) and long dramatic tracks. Relative to their debut, the music incorporates a wider range of proggy influences (Gentle Giant, for one), expanding beyond the Genesis base. Fans of the Ad Infinitum CD especially should take note.

Metaphor’s 2007 third CD The Sparrow is a 71-minute rock opera about the first Jesuit mission to another planet, based on the best-selling novel by Mary Doria Russell and with the author’s cooperation. The music continues within the territory mapped out by the previous two CDs, with an even stronger individual identity emerging. Note the mp3 icon next to this title above links directly to a single mp3 containing several short clips from different songs on The Sparrow CD. More mp3 samples can be found at CDBaby.

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Fernwood is the duo of Gayle Ellett of Djam Karet and Todd Montgomery, playing contemporary instrumental acoustic world music. The instruments are all made of wood and are from the Irish, Greek, Chinese, Moroccan, Indian, and Balinese traditions. Despite all the exotic instruments, the music is often conventionally western and therefore familiar, sometimes even suggesting Anthony Phillips. Overall the music is haunting and strongly cinematic. Read the DPRP review.

Greg Wollan - Deep Calls 2 DeepGreg Wollan - Deep Calls 2 Deep ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Greg Wollan mp3 clips

It’s always a pleasure to come across an unknown progressive rock artist. Deep Calls 2 Deep (2007, 68-minutes) is actually the sixth CD for American Greg Wollan. His five earlier CDs stretching back to 1997 sometimes flirted with progressive rock, but Deep Calls 2 Deep is a full-fledged melodic prog rock work. Wollan always had a passion for 1970’s progressive rock and grew up playing it. Guitar is his primary instrument, and he lists his guitar influences as Andy Latimer, Steve Hackett, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, and David Gilmour. Wollan plays several instruments and sings, but the album has a full-band sound, as a number of other musicians contribute bass, drums, keyboards, vocals, violin and flute. The style on Deep Calls 2 Deep is often reminiscent of Yes and Kansas, with a bit of Genesis or Pink Floyd here, Gentle Giant or Jethro Tull there, and a mellower vibe on average. It is not derivative however, and as with the music of Kevin Gilbert, Todd Rundgren, and similar prog-minded individuals, a singer-songwriter influence can sometimes be heard at the music’s core. While modern rock, prog included, often seems aimed at angst-filled, disaffected youth, Wollan’s music is intelligent, majestic, and heartfelt, with Yes-like beauty and hope. Note the disc is a CD-R while the disc label, booklet and traycard are professional quality.

Yoke Shire - A Seer in the MidstYoke Shire - The Witching HourYoke Shire - The Witching Hour (2CD, $17.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Yoke Shire - "The Witching Hour" RealAudio clips

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Yoke Shire - Masque of Shadows ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Yoke Shire - "Masque of Shadows" RealAudio clips

Yoke Shire - Masque of ShadowsYoke Shire are a Boston-based progressive rock band that are difficult to describe because, for the most part, they sound like no one else. They are 1970’s-oriented in style and have an organic sound. They only sound like Jethro Tull on a few tracks, but overall they are similar in that they blend 1970’s hard rock and instruments such as flute, mandolin, and acoustic guitar into their prog rock. Singer Craig Herlihy has a unique lower-register voice, and there are some great vocal harmonies somewhat in the style of the British band Haze.

The Witching Hour (2007) is a double-CD and is Yoke Shire’s most accomplished work, not only the culmination of many years of work, but the product of a band that gigs relentlessly. While there is no major change in style, the compositions are Yoke Shire’s most ambitious, the acoustic and electric instruments are integrated better than before, and the vocal harmonies have been perfected. Also the audio fidelity is very high. This comes in the old-style double-wide case with a 16-page full-color booklet and counts as two CDs for shipping.

A Seer in the Midst (2002) is a 58-minute retrospective of sorts, though there is no overlap with their previous CD Masque of Shadows. Seer... contains two new 2002 studio tracks, an expanded half-hour live version of the Maiden Voyage trilogy from Masque of Shadows with excellent sound, and remastered versions of the four songs from their 1995 first EP, which has been out of print for years. Notably, the 20-minute live version of The Brook, the Mirror and the Maiden is very different from the 9-minute studio version on Masque. The live version is full of virtuosic piano that turns it into a progressive epic, probably the best thing Yoke Shire had done to date.

After a short proggy intro, the first song of Masque of Shadows (1999) is a mix of 1970’s hard rock and Santana. But halfway through the next song, the prog rock kicks in and doesn’t let up for the rest of the album. Two tracks are reminiscent of Jethro Tull, one because of the use of mandolin, the other flute. They succeed in creating atmospheres to match the album’s imagery, and shift effortlessly from hard rocking songs to delicate medieval folk.

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D’arcana - As Worlds They Rise and FallCalifornia-based D’arcana is a progressive rock band fronted by Jay Tausig, who has also been a member of E-Motive, Lunar Sea, and Solid Space. With their ambitious 2007 double-CD Premonitions (147-minutes), they have put themselves on the prog rock map in a big way. The tri-fold digipack features Ed Unitsky’s artwork throughout. The title track is broken into two parts totaling 42-minutes that bookend the album. Yes is the dominant influence on this piece, but the rest of the album is more diverse and equally impressive. D’arcana take most of their cues from the British 1970’s progressive bands, and you can throw The Beatles in there as well, specifically their psychedelic side. But D’arcana aren’t dogmatic about excluding more modern elements, so the whole affair is not simply a recreation of a bygone era. There is a little spaciness, a little folkiness, and a little hard rock influence, but none of the metal that plagues younger prog bands. About all one can conclude is that D’arcana have their own unique style, and that this is one of the essential progressive rock albums of the year.

D’arcana’s self-titled 2004 debut (58-minutes) sounds like it came straight out of the early 1970’s British scene, with a Peter Hammill / Van der Graaf Generator influence apparent on several tracks. There is a dreamy/spacey psychedelic feel throughout, ample acoustic textures, and warm, melancholy, soft-focus vocals. The album has great depth and the purity of that bygone era. As Worlds They Rise and Fall (2005, 64-minutes) is their second CD and is between the style of their first and Premonitions. D’arcana add some Genesis, Yes, and King Crimson influence to the style of their debut, increasing the Peter Hammill / Van der Graaf feel and expanding their sound palette with Mellotron and a little Tangerine Dream-style electronics. This album also has great depth and a magical, surreal atmosphere. Can’t recall another American band making records like these.

Azureth - The Promethean SyndromeAzureth - The Promethean Syndrome ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Azureth mp3 clips  Azureth - "Yesterday’s Future, Tomorrow’s Past" mp3 clips

Azureth is a progressive rock band that began as the project of two Americans and one Norwegian. Their 2004 debut CD Yesterday’s Future, Tomorrow’s Past showed influences of Yes, Genesis, Camel, and Pink Floyd, but executed with a more American approach, the overall appeal similar to The Flower Kings. While their debut was good, The Promethean Syndrome (2007) is brilliant. The new Azureth lineup adds a bassist/singer and a lead vocalist. You will hear Genesis, Yes, Camel, and ELP certainly, maybe Pink Floyd, Barclay James Harvest, and a half dozen other first-generation British progressive bands. It is all more vintage and epic than their first CD. Azureth are a band using modern software and hardware to create classic symphonic prog, and there was no better 70’s British-style prog CD to come out of the U.S. in 2007, and maybe not for some time to come. Read the DPRP review.

Alpha Wave Movement - The Mystic and the MachineAlpha Wave Movement - The Mystic & the Machine ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Alpha Wave Movement - "The Mystic & The Machine" mp3 clips

Alpha Wave Movement has been the solo vehicle for electronic musician Gregory Kyryluk, and the Alpha Wave Movement CDs until now have been electronic music works. On The Mystic and the Machine (2007), Kyryluk shifts to progressive rock and is assisted by British musician Steve Hillman on electric guitar and “vintage authenticity”. Hillman himself is well-known for working in both the electronic music and progressive rock genres. Kyryluk describes this CD thus: “...melds the beautiful melodic orchestrations of classic prog giants such as Genesis, Camel, ELP with a sprinkle of cosmic rock by virtue of synthesizers, samplers and a tasteful splash of electric guitar. The Mystic & the Machine is a sonic road-trip into the fairytale land where melodic progressive rock instrumentals meet modern day electronica.” It’s a great crossover work that carves out a unique niche, like a blend of the ethereal side of early Genesis with Tangerine Dream, with touches of the aforementioned Camel and ELP. Be sure to check out some of the other Alpha Wave Movement CDs here, along with the related Thought Guild CDs.

Dreadnaught - Musica en FlagranteDreadnaught - High Heat & Chin MusicDreadnaught - High Heat & Chin Music (2CD, $14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

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Based on their 2001 album The American Standard, Dreadnaught’s music earned the tag progabilly (“King Crimson at a hoedown”, “Zappa meets Yes at Willie Nelson’s BBQ”) for their mix of progressive rock and Americana, vaguely along the lines of The Dixie Dregs. But Dreadnaught have made a habit of not making the same album twice, covering more stylistic ground between two albums than some bands cover in a career. Musica en Flagrante (2004) is their fourth, a 54-minute album of sophisticated instrumental progressive marking a further expansion of the band’s musical palette with the addition of orchestral strings and brass, electronics, and loops. There’s still some of the progified rock & roll that has made them such a fun and energetic act, but a wide range of other influences also come into play: modern classical, jazz-rock, you-name-it, giving the album a more serious and cinematic feel. With skills born of extensive gigging, they do it all well.

High Heat & Chin Music (2007) is a 28-track double-CD compilation covering the albums Dreadnaught (1998), Una Vez Mas (2000), The American Standard (2001), Musica en Flagrante (2004), and Live at Mojo (2005) and adding four previously-unreleased studio tracks. Read the Progressive Ears review.

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Pentwater - Out of the Abyss ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Pentwater - The Pentwater Album ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

American progressive semi-legends Pentwater, who formed in 1970, have returned in 2007 with a new 60-minute CD, a mix of new material, newly recorded versions of vintage songs, and recently restored/remastered unreleased songs from the 1970’s. If you can find a better old-school progressive rock (Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis, ELP) album released in 2007, buy it. Digipack.

The Pentwater Album is Pentwater’s 1977 album remixed and remastered with rare bonus tracks added, released in a digipack CD. Out of the Abyss was released on CD in 1990, consisting of tracks recorded between 1973-1976. Read reviews here.

Amaran's Plight - Voice in the LightAmaran’s Plight - Voice in the Light ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Amaran's Plight mp3 clips

We’ll spare you the use of the term “supergroup” and just say that Amaran’s Plight is a new band comprising Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery), DC Cooper (Silent Force, Royal Hunt), Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), and Kurt Barabas (Under The Sun). Michael Sadler (Saga) sings on two tracks. From that list of parent bands, one can get a good idea of the style on Voice in the Light (2007), which is bombastic symphonic prog and prog-metal, in the style often associated with the Magna Carta label, Magellan included. Ayreon is another reference point. An excellent album, but clearly one with more appeal to the Dream Theater set than the classic 70’s progressive set. 79-minutes.

Steve Unruh - The Great DivideSteve Unruh - Challenging GravitySteve Unruh - Challenging Gravity ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

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Steve Unruh - Invisible Symphony ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Steve Unruh - Two Little Awakenings ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Steve Unruh - Two Little AwakeningsSteve Unruh - Invisible SymphonySteve Unruh - The Beginning of a New Day ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart

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These are progressive folk-rock albums from multi-instrumentalist/singer Steve Unruh. We don’t use the term progressive here lightly. The rock passages are high energy, and Unruh favors epic length tracks. Believe? (1997), his first, consists of two continuous suites, while most of the other albums are full of very long tracks. Unruh’s music is highly orchestrated and full of changes, and he’ll readily admit to being a major Yes and Dream Theater fan. While Unruh’s main instruments are acoustic guitar and drums, he also adds bass, violin, mandolin, flute, and percussion. His lyrics are insightful, intelligent, and entertaining. The dynamic range on these albums approaches that of classical music, a refreshing change from today’s overcompressed pop and rock music. There are few artists working in this style; we’d mention Guy Manning, Kevin Gilbert, and perhaps Neal Morse as reference points.

Prog fans should especially be drawn to Two Little Awakenings (TLA), sonically the densest of his albums, some of the pieces recorded on 48 tracks. Two Little Awakenings was originally released in 2001 as a handmade double CD-R. In 2005, Unruh edited TLA down to a single CD, remixed and remastered it using technology and experience he lacked in 2001, and had it properly manufactured. So consider this the “TLA official edition”. The tracks that Unruh has left off were the assorted short songs and the lengthy improvisations, yielding a much more cohesive album containing some of Unruh’s best work.

Invisible Symphony (2002) is a slight departure from the others in that it is instrumental and less aggressive. Here Unruh emphasizes his “secondary” instruments more, especially the violin. It’s his warmest album, blending American folk melodies (themselves descended from Scottish and Irish folk music) with his progressive approach. This is the 2009 remastered and expanded edition, which adds four tracks.

Out of the Ashes (2004) is simultaneously Unruh’s most rock-oriented and most personal disc to date, very fiery, with a more aggressive tone than the others. We’re again reminded of Guy Manning, though Out of the Ashes is more guitar-oriented. Here Unruh focuses on acoustic, electric, classical, and electric classical guitars, electric bass and drum kit, with flute and violin in secondary roles, and just a bit of synth and electronic percussion. And vocals of course. With the guitar orientation, some of this crosses over into modern rock territory, except that they don’t allow 40-minute suites there, and Out of the Ashes is just too challenging and progressive. This is the 2009 remastered edition, which adds a 6:21 bonus track.

Unruh’s describes Song to the Sky (2005, 62-minutes) stylistically as a cross between The Beginning of a New Day (1998) and Invisible Symphony. Aside from electric bass, the textures here are all acoustic. The album is less angry and more reflective than Out of the Ashes, and Unruh’s production skills are at their peak. Read ProgressiveWorld.net reviews of Song to the Sky, Out of the Ashes, Invisible Symphony, Two Little Awakenings, and The Beginning of a New Day.

The Great Divide (2007, 59-minutes) is now our favorite of Unruh’s albums, solidly progressive and yet, acoustic! This album may change your perception of what acoustic music can be. There are bass and drums, the music is complex and powerful, even heavy at times. Call it heavy wood. Unruh plays everything with consummate skill: steel and nylon-string acoustic guitar, violin, drum kit, 4 and 5-string bass, flutes, mandolin and percussion, but this in no way sounds like a solo project. At times, this album suggests an American equivalent of Jethro Tull (maybe it was the flute that made this apparent), substituting Americana for Tull’s Englishness and whimsy. The centerpiece of the album is the 36-minute title suite. As Unruh says in the liner notes: “I love odd time signatures, uncommon scales and harmonies, and ambitious subject material. I tried to make The Great Divide an album that people like me would love.” There’s an entire free, downloadable sampler CD here which includes one track from The Great Divide.

Challenging Gravity (2010, 51-minutes) continues the style of The Great Divide in a more song-oriented direction (no 36-minute suites), though there are still only two tracks under 5:30. The electric bass gets a waiver, otherwise it’s all acoustic: vocals, acoustic guitars, violin, flute, and drum kit. It is again acoustic progressive rock with strong singer-songwriter and American folk aspects, and weighty lyrics. The album has Unruh’s trademark dynamics shifts and odd time signatures, the sound so big during the high-energy passages that it’s easy to forget you’re listening to acoustic instruments. Here is a 3:28 mp3 album sampler.

Wetton • Downes - Icon II: Rubicon ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Wetton/Downes - "Icon II" mp3 clips

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Geoffrey Downes / The New Dance Orchestra - The Bridge ($17.99)Add to Shopping Cart

This is the 2006 U.S. release of John Wetton & Geoffrey Downes’ first Icon CD (2005), which had previously been released only in Italy and Japan (not counting digital download). This edition includes the bonus track from the Japanese edition, Heat of the Moment ’05, plus two additional bonus tracks There in Your Bed and The Smile Has Left Your Eyes ’05, taking the length up to 57-minutes. Assisting Wetton and Downes are Steve Christey (Jadis, John Wetton Band) on drums, John Mitchell (Arena, Kino, Frost) on guitars, Hugh McDowell (ELO) on cello, Ian McDonald (King Crimson) on flute, and Annie Haslam (Renaissance) guesting on vocals on two songs!  We know now that this album was foreshadowing the Asia (original lineup) reunion tour. The style of music here will not surprise anyone. It is prog/pop/AOR in the Asia style but mellower and ballad-heavy, featuring Wetton’s unmistakable voice and lush orchestration from Downes’ layered keyboards. Hearing John and Annie sing a duet on the chorus of In the End is alone nearly worth the price of admission.

A spark was apparently ignited, as the duo released Icon II: Rubicon in 2006, a stronger album in just about every respect. They are again accompanied by Christey, Mitchell, and McDowell. Anneke van Giersbergen of The Gathering sings duets with John on two tracks, and 15 year-old American violin prodigy Katie Jacoby plays on two tracks. Eddie Jobson has a co-writing credit on one song, King Crimson lyricist Richard Palmer-James on another. Wetton’s voice has never sounded better, and the whole album is more upbeat than the first Icon, with some new musical elements in a few of the songs. As the audio samples should make evident, this is the best work for these gentlemen since the first Asia album.

Never in a Million Years was recorded live during 2005/2006 following the first Icon album, with John Mitchell on guitars and Steve Christey on drums. It features songs from the first Asia album through the first Icon album including some from the 20-odd years in between.

Geoff Downes is known for being the keyboardist in Asia and (briefly) Yes. The Bridge (2006, 75-minutes) contains a previously-unreleased 2003 studio recording of the 22-minute title piece, which is in the same vein as Downes’ first solo album The Light Program, though benefiting from more modern technology. The piece was originally premiered in 2003 at an exclusive live performance by Downes at a church in London, and a binaural recording of this follows the studio version on the CD, plus the rest of the concert, which features selected works from Downes’ past, including Asia songs, two songs from Yes’ Drama, and of course The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star. The live portion of this CD was released on a very limited basis to the Asia Fan Club in 2004.

Check for more John Wetton CDs here.


Wetton / Downes - Icon II: Rubicon
Wetton / Downes - Icon Live: Never in a Million Years
Wetton / Downes - Icon
Geoffrey Downes & The New Dance Orchestra - The Bridge

WhiteWhite - White ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  White mp3 clips  White audio clips

This is the 2006 debut from Yes drummer Alan White’s side band, which includes Geoff Downes on keyboards and three Seattle-area musicians on vocals, guitar and bass. Now anyone that expects a Yes side project to produce a great progressive rock album in this day and age must feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. This album is a mix of prog and AOR. Singer Kevin Currie sounds like Fish or Peter Gabriel... with a cold. Recent Fish albums are a reasonable comparison in terms of progginess, and there are a few Yes-isms here. So some decent tunes, but the appeal is along the lines of Yes at their most commercial, Asia, GTR, Saga, etc.

Derek Sherinian - Black UtopiaDerek Sherinian - Molecular HeinosityDerek Sherinian - Molecular Heinosity ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Derek Sherinian audio clips

Derek Sherinian - Black Utopia ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Derek Sherinian mp3 clips

Whether with his band Planet X or under his own name, ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian makes some of the best heavy instrumental keyboard rock and fusion you’ll hear, with virtuosos on each instrument. As always, Sherinian recruited a number of name musicians for his sixth album Molecular Heinosity (2009, digipack), namely Virgil Donati (Planet X), Tony Franklin (Whitesnake), Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Billy Idol), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society), and some new talent. Black Utopia (2003, digipack) features Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Al DiMeola, Jerry Goodman, Tony Franklin, Simon Phillips, and Billy Sheehan.

Spock’s Beard - Live DVD ($17.99)  out-of-stock

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The Live DVD (NTSC, all-region) was recorded live in The Netherlands in 2007 and includes the tracks: On a Perfect Day, In the Mouth of Madness, Crack the Big Sky, The Slow Crash Landing Man, Return to Whatever, Surfing Down the Avalanche, Thoughts (Part 2), Drum Duel, Skeletons at the Feast, Walking on the Wind, Hereafter (Ryo solo), As Far as the Mind Can See (Dreaming in the Age of Answers, Here's a Man, They Know We Know, Stream of Unconsciousness), Rearranged, and The Water / Go the Way You Go medley. A photo gallery entitled A Brief History of SB in Music and Pictures is included. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.

The companion Live double-CD contains the same tracks as the DVD.

The self-titled CD is Spock’s Beard’s 2006 release, their ninth studio album if we counted correctly, and it may set a record for latest point in a career to release an eponymous album. This 77-minute CD features all of the Spock’s Beard trademarks and is our favorite of their post-Neal Morse CDs. With an album of this length, listeners will likely find a track or two they don’t much care for, but the band seems to have found their identity sans Morse, so maybe there is something symbolic about the title. The CD comes in a slipcase with die-cut logo.

This is the hardcover digibook special edition of Spock’ Beard 2005 studio album Octane, with an additional disc featuring 8 bonus tracks and a multimedia section. It is their second album after the departure of Neal Morse, with Nick D’Virgilio on vocals. The band sound confident and their brand of progressive rock continues to develop, but you probably don’t need a detailed description here as Spock’s Beard have been the most popular U.S. progressive band for years now, and you’ll find plenty of reviews elsewhere.

The double-CD Gluttons for Punishment is the first live album for the post-Neal Morse version of the band, recorded during the European leg of their 2005 Octane tour. The material dates back to the first Spock’s Beard album but concentrates on songs from Octane and Feel Euphoria.

These are the latest Special Editions on Radiant Records of the Neal Morse-era Spock’s Beard CDs: the double-CD Snow (2002), V (2000), Day for Night (1999), The Kindness of Strangers (1998), Beware of Darkness (1996), and The Light (1995). The Light and Beware of Darkness were remastered for these editions. All come in slipcases, contain bonus tracks, and have expanded booklets with new liner notes by Neal Morse.
 


Spock’s Beard - Live DVD
Spock’s Beard - Spock’s Beard
Spock's Beard - Gluttons for Punishment 2CD
Spock’s Beard - Octane
Spock’s Beard - Snow SE
Spock’s Beard - V SE
Spock’s Beard - Day for Night SE
Spock’s Beard - The Kindness of Strangers SE
Spock’s Beard - Beware of Darkness SE
Spock’s Beard - The Light SE
 

Alan Morse - Four O’Clock and HysteriaAlan Morse - Four O’Clock and Hysteria ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Alan Morse audio clips  Alan Morse mp3 clips

The 2007 first solo release by Spock’s Beard’s lead guitarist. Alan’s brother Neal plays keyboards and acoustic guitar on the album, all recent Spock’s Beard members make an appearance, and Jerry Goodman plays electric violin on two tracks. It’s a very fine album of expertly-played instrumental guitar fusion (more rock than jazz), varying from fast and furious to melodic and symphonic. Several tracks call to mind Jeff Beck’s brand of fusion, some verge on Mahavishnu Orchestra style, while the more melodic tracks overlap with Daryl Stuermer’s style. Since a lot of the Spock’s Beard fan base is too young to have experienced the heyday of fusion, this album may be an education for some. 64-minutes.

Neal Morse - So Many Roads (3CD, $19.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Neal Morse - Lifeline ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart    Neal Morse audio clips

Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Neal Morse - ? ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Neal Morse - One SE (2CD, $19.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Neal Morse - Testimony (2CD, $18.99)Add to Shopping Cart

After leaving Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse established a solo career with Christian-themed albums. While he has a large discography, his progressive rock albums for the most part are Lifeline (2008), Sola Scriptura (2007), ? (2005), One (2004), and Testimony (2003). This special edition of One comes in a slipcase and adds a 39-minute second disc containing three more songs from the same sessions, one alternate version, and four new covers of songs by The Who, George Harrison, and others. Prog Archives is a good resource for reviews of these CDs. Check our DVDs page for the Neal Morse DVDs.

So Many Roads is a digipack 3CD live set recorded in various European venues in October 2008, featuring Neal Morse’s European touring band. It contains material from Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, and the later Neal Morse prog albums, 214-minutes total! See the track listing. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.


Neal Morse - So Many Roads
Neal Morse - Lifeline
Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura
Neal Morse - ?
Neal Morse - One SE
Neal Morse - Testimony


Transatlantic - SMPT:eTransatlantic - SMPT:e ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Transatlantic audio clips

SMPT:e (2000) is the album that started it all for Transatlantic, the prog rock supergroup of one-time Spock’s Beard leader Neal Morse, The Flower Kings’ Roine Stolt, Marillion’s Pete Trewavas, and Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy. This is the Radiant Records / Metal Blade edition.

Iona - The Circling Hour ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Iona - Open Sky ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Iona audio clips

Iona - Woven Cord ($17.99)  out-of-stock

Iona - Heaven’s Bright Sun (2CD, $21.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Iona - Journey Into the Morn ($17.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Iona - "Journey Into the Morn" audio clips

Iona - Beyond These Shores remastered ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Iona - The Book of Kells remastered ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Iona are the British band who marry symphonic progressive and Celtic music more convincingly than anyone. They have gradually reacquired the rights to their CDs and have remastered and reissued them on their own label -- everything here is the latest edition.

The Circling Hour (2006, 65-minutes) is Iona’s first studio album in over five years, and it is absolutely brilliant. Those who’d been tracking Iona’s trajectory through Dave Bainbridge’s 2004 Veil of Gossamer album might have anticipated that this would be their most progressive and fully-realized album, and it is. It is progressive rock from start to finish, still with Joanne Hogg’s lovely vocals, and strong Celtic elements particularly from Troy Donockley’s Uilleann pipes and whistles. Emotions range from the most sensitive to the most majestic and high-energy. The mix is notable, and the textural detail has reached a new level. The rhythm section of Frank van Essen (drums) and Phil Barker (bass) is exceptional, and van Essen also plays violin! Dave Bainbridge handles both guitars and keyboards masterfully and remains the main creative force in the band. Heather Findlay of Mostly Autumn has a brief guest appearance. There is no other band that makes music like this, and no band that can call themselves Celtic operating at this level of sophistication.

Open Sky (2000) is for most prog fans the band’s best studio album to that point. This album has more epic symphonic progressive instrumentals than their previous studio CDs, balanced as always by the sensitive tracks with the beautiful vocals of Joanne Hogg.

Woven Cord is credited to Iona with The All Souls Orchestra. Recorded at Iona’s 10th anniversary concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1999, the band is accompanied by the All Souls Orchestra (a symphony orchestra with several recordings of their own). At over 78-minutes, this is a massive CD with perfect sound, featuring new arrangements of pieces from Iona’s prior studio albums plus two new tracks. The title track is ecstasy, the instrumental that would open the next studio album Open Sky, here with the orchestra and the live energy just unbelievably powerful.

Heaven’s Bright Sun dates from 1997 and was the band’s first live album. This two disc set captures Iona’s live set of that time, drawing from the band’s previous studio albums: Iona, Book of Kells, Beyond These Shores, and Journey Into the Morn.

Journey Into the Morn (78-minutes), Iona’s fourth album, was first released in 1995. This is the 2009 reissue with new artwork. This was the first Iona album with Troy Donockley as a full member, though his role would increase later. Guesting on this album are Maire Brennan (Clannad) and Robert Fripp. Check our DVDs page for Iona and related DVDs.

The Book of Kells (1992) and Beyond These Shores (1994) are Iona’s second and third albums. These are the latest editions on the band’s Open Sky label, which feature new artwork and were remastered. The major difference between the early Iona albums and the current Iona sound is the presence of founding member David Fitzgerald on the first two albums playing saxes, flutes, and various ethnic wind instruments, while Troy Donockley appears only in a guest role.


Iona - The Circling Hour
Iona - Open Sky
Iona - Woven Cord
Iona - Heaven’s Bright Sun
Iona - Journey Into the Morn
Iona - Beyond These Shores
Iona - The Book of Kells

 

Dave Bainbridge - Veil of GossamerDave Bainbridge - Veil of Gossamer ($15.99)  out-of-stock  Dave Bainbridge mp3 clips  Dave Bainbridge audio clips

Dave Bainbridge is the main creative force in the band Iona. Iona as a band had been in a period of inactivity for a few years, allowing its members to work on solo projects. Bainbridge’s Veil of Gossamer (2004, 64-minutes) is stunning, as good as any prior Iona release and better in some respects. While Iona singer Joanne Hogg sings on every track except for the instrumentals, Bainbridge also employs two more incredible female voices: Rachel Jones (Karnataka) and Scottish singer Mae McKenna (at least three albums of her own). Jones and McKenna are used extensively; usually all three vocalists are present on the same track, with McKenna handling the Scottish Gaelic vocals. Also playing on most tracks are Iona bandmates Troy Donockley and Frank van Essen, as well as Tim Harries, Nick Beggs, and others. The album strikes the perfect balance between vocals and instrumental work, ranging from soaring progressive rock to orchestral splendor to that plaintive, yearning beauty that characterizes the best Celtic music.


Troy Donockley & Dave Bainbridge - When Worlds CollideTroy Donockley & Dave Bainbridge - When Worlds Collide ($17.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Troy Donockley & Dave Bainbridge mp3 clips

Troy Donockley and Dave Bainbridge are members of the band Iona (at the time of this CD anyway). When Worlds Collide (2005, 59-minutes) features five tracks recorded live in November 2003 plus five newly-recorded studio tracks, a mix of traditional tunes and new versions of tracks from Iona’s and Troy’s albums. It isn’t all relaxing music, as some of the playing is spirited and some of the tunes reach majestic heights. The duo plays acoustic guitars, electric guitars, E Bow, keyboards, percussion, Uilleann pipes and low whistle, and Troy sings on many of the tracks. It’s a mix of traditional folk and progressive rock, but the way these guys arrange trad folk is unlike anyone else. What may surprise some is how good a singer Troy is, and how good an instrumentalist Dave is. We knew he could play guitar, but his piano playing on the track Unconscious is stunning. Too much talent in these two guys.


Troy Donockley - The Pursuit of IllusionTroy Donockley - The Madness of CrowdsTroy Donockley - The Madness of Crowds ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Troy Donockley audio clips

Troy Donockley - The Pursuit of Illusion ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Troy Donockley audio clips

Troy Donockley - The Unseen Stream ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Troy Donockley audio clips

Troy Donockley - The Unseen StreamTroy Donockley may be best known to progressive rock fans for his time in Iona, though he is also in Maddy Prior’s trio, has played on albums by Mostly Autumn, Magenta, Mermaid Kiss, The Enid, Alan Stivell, Maire Brennan, Karnataka, Jennifer Cutting, and many others, toured with Midge Ure,... the list goes on. He is a multi-instrumentalist capable of playing just about anything stringed or blown, but his main instruments are Uillean pipes and low whistle; he also sings quite respectably.

This is the 2006 remastered edition of Troy’s first solo album The Unseen Stream (1998). A large number of musicians assist, among them Terl Bryant (percussion), Joanne Hogg (voice), Tim Harries (bass), and The Emperor String Quartet. The music is instrumental with occasional wordless vocals, propelled by percussion rather than a rock drum kit but showing a rock pedigree. This is gorgeous stuff that should be used in films. Not to imply that this is background music that doesn’t stand on its own -- far from it -- but it is so evocative and cinematic.

The Pursuit of Illusion (2003) is his second solo album. The album’s guest performers include Peter Knight (violin, from Steeleye Span), The Emperor String Quartet, The York Cantores Choir, Iona friends Joanne Hogg (vocals), Terl Bryant (drums & percussion), and Nick Beggs (Chapman Stick), plus several others. It’s a gorgeous album and a mammoth production, very orchestral, atmospheric, and evocative, with Anglo-Celtic flavoring throughout. At its most atmospheric, it is reminiscent of some of Danny Elfman’s scores. Troy has been influenced as much by classical music as by rock and traditional folk, especially by English composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams. In fact, Troy has a piece on a various artists orchestral music CD entitled Celtic Classics and has the distinction of being the only composer on it not dead.

Troy’s third solo CD The Madness of Crowds (2009) comes in a fat digipack plus slipcase, but it folds out into an 18-panel piece of art that must have cost a fortune to manufacture. The cast includes Joanne Hogg (Iona), Nick Holland (Maddy Prior’s band), Brad Lang, Frank van Essen (Iona), Rosie Biss, Barbara Dickson, Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn), as well as a quintet of harp, oboe, clarinet, flute, and bassoon. This is again cinematic Celtic progressive rock: atmospheric, majestic, sublime, and nearly unique. In some ways, this is an extension of what Clannad had begun circa 1983, taken into more classical and progressive realms. “If any modern music can shake off the ravages of fashion and hark back to a time when music was created and listened to as Art rather than as commodity and accessory, then by definition this does precisely that... the essence of that ‘lost world’.” Read reviews here.

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King: Original Master Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Lizard: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Islands: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Earthbound: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Larks’ Tongues in Aspic: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Red: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - USA: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Discipline: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Beat: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - Thrak: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - The ConstruKction of Light ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

King Crimson - The Power to Believe ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

The 40th Anniversary DVD-Audio surround versions of the King Crimson albums are on Page 1. Most of you have probably already bought some of these albums several times over. However, this 2004 edition of In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) is the first made from the recently discovered original studio master tapes, transferred direct and without any additional EQ by renowned mastering engineer Simon Heyworth. This is often considered to be the first album in the fully-mature progressive rock style, distinct from the psychedelic style from which it evolved. But you already knew that.

The rest of the reissues are the remastered 30th Anniversary Editions. As bonus tracks, this edition of King Crimson’s second album In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) adds the single version of Cat Food and its B-side Groon. The album proper is the same as the previous edition, which was remastered in 1999. Lizard was King Crimson’s third studio album and their second recording of 1970, also the first for which Robert Fripp provided all the music. It features a lighter, more delicate sound than the preceding albums and an expanded instrumental lineup. Islands followed in 1971, already with a different rhythm section and marking the final album for Pete Sinfield, which would leave Fripp as the only original member. Events seemed to happen in a compressed timeframe back then.

Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (1973) is one of Crimso’s best, the studio debut of their third live lineup. It ushered in a new era for the band and can be considered the first part of this trilogy of albums. Starless and Bible Black (1974) was the last from the Cross/Fripp/Wetton/Bruford lineup. It saw the band using material sourced from live gigs as the basis for some of the studio recordings on this album. Red (1974), King Crimson’s final album of the 1970’s, was one of the decade’s masterpieces. Almost without exception, when one of today’s “alternative” bands cites a progressive rock influence, they’re really talking about this album and no other. Too bad none of those bands have produced anything close to tracks like Starless or Red.

The live album USA was recorded on King Crimson’s final U.S. tour in June 1974 and issued as an epitaph for the band in the spring of 1975. The CD adds Fracture and Starless to the original vinyl version. The live album Earthbound may have been the first “official bootleg” (so called because of the audio quality or lack thereof). It consists of highlights from Crimson’s 1972 U.S. tour: one track each from their first and fourth albums, a single B-side, and two lengthy improvisations. 21st Century Schizoid Man is particularly manic.

Discipline (1981) was the first King Crimson album since Red. Either Robert Fripp had reinvented King Crimson for the 1980’s, or some would say, simply borrowed the name to apply to a new band whose style was pretty different from the original. But it established King Crimson as one of the most important and influential bands of the 1980’s, with the creativity of its members undiminished. Discipline features an alternate version of Matte Kudasai as a bonus. Beat followed in 1982, with the song Heartbeat even getting regular airplay. For the first time ever, a King Crimson lineup remained intact for two consecutive albums! Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) was the final album of the 1980’s lineup, now with six bonus tracks: three alternate mixes of Sleepless, two slabs of electronica, and the King Crimson Barber Shop Quartet. The album proper is clearly divided into an accessible side and an experimental side.

Thrak (1995) was recorded in Peter Gabriel’s RealWorld studios and is the only studio album of the double trio lineup, with Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn joining Fripp, Below, Bruford and Levin. This is the 2007 re-edition of The ConstruKction of Light (2000), an album which followed the series of “projeKcts” in which members of the six-piece Thrak lineup got together in various permutations for what Fripp deemed “research and development”. The ConstruKction of Light lineup is Belew, Fripp, Gunn and Mastelotto.

This is the 2008 re-edition of The Power to Believe (2003). “The group’s second studio album as a quartet in the wake of old hands Tony Levin and Bill Bruford’s departure fits fully into the ever-shifting but consistently regenerative Crimson continuum. Level Five and the multi-part title track are pounding, counterpoint-filled tunes that hark back to Crimson’s oft-revisited touchstone Larks Tongues in Aspic. Along the way, Fripp, Adrian Belew and company also manage to venture more fully than ever into the Balinese Gamelan sound they first began exploring on 1981’s Discipline, and drummer Pat Mastelloto throws in some electronic flavors that nod to drum-and-bass and garage beats. The dark, intense angularity that is a Crimson trademark is offset by a couple of ethereal, ambient electronic soundscapes... And naturally, there’s plenty of intricate musical invention for the longtime fans who expect nothing less.” [Muze]

Check our DVDs page for some of King Crimson’s DVDs.
 


King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon
King Crimson - Lizard
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
King Crimson - Red
King Crimson - USA
King Crimson - Discipline
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
King Crimson - Thrak
King Crimson - The ConstruKction of Light
King Crimson - The Power to Believe


David Cross - Closer Than SkinDavid Cross - Closer Than Skin ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart  David Cross mp3 clips  David Cross audio clips

Most know David Cross as the one-time King Crimson violinist. Since the late 1980’s, Cross has been releasing quality progressive albums with his own band. Closer Than Skin (2005) is the most cohesive album he’s done. As Robert Fripp says: “Good album! It continues a line of the work we did together in 1973 that no-one else has quite followed.” Cross is still working with lyricist Richard Palmer-James, and his excellent band consists of a vocalist, guitar, bass and drums, while Cross handles electric violins and keyboards. While there are many 1970’s King Crimson elements, there is a much wider range of material here, as Cross has taken those Crimson influences into the 21st century. Read a review by King Crimson biographer Sid Smith.


Robert Fripp - ExposureRobert Fripp - Exposure limited edition (2CD, $17.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Robert Fripp’s solo debut Exposure was originally released in 1979, following work Fripp had done on Peter Gabriel’s second album and Daryl Hall’s Sacred Songs. Gabriel and Hall both appear on Exposure, along with Phil Collins, Peter Hammill, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Brian Eno, and others. This new 2CD edition includes the original 1979 version of Exposure on disc one and the 1983 remix of Exposure on disc two. Disc two also contains five alternate mix bonus tracks, three of which have previously unreleased Daryl Hall vocal tracks. Everything has been remastered from the original master tapes by Simon Heyworth with Fripp’s approval. This is the limited edition gatefold mini-LP version with 24-page oversize booklet.


The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles & FrippGiles, Giles & Fripp - The Cheerful Insanity of ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

This 1968 album is where it all began for King Crimson. Robert Fripp and Mike Giles went on to form King Crimson the next year, and Peter Giles resurfaced there later. This album is a brilliant example of late 60’s psychedelic pop and proto-prog, sometimes recalling Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd or The Moody Blues, but with its own style and a very English sense of humor. Fripp’s guitar work is already in top form. This is the remastered reissue on Eclectic Discs. It sounds great and adds six bonus tracks to take the total time up to 59-minutes, with an enhanced booklet including extensive liner notes.

Nektar - Book of Days ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Nektar - The Prodigal Son ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Nektar - "The Prodigal Son" mp3 clips

Nektar - Man in the Moon ($9.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Nektar - "Man in the Moon" mp3 clips    SALE!

Nektar - Sunday Night at the London Roundhouse (2CD, $15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Nektar - "Sunday Night at the London Roundhouse" mp3 clips

Check our DVDs page for Nektar’s DVD. Man in the Moon (1980) was Nektar’s final album until reforming in 2001. Roye Albrighton had left Nektar and was absent on Magic Is a Child, then Roye assembled “Roye Albrighton’s Nektar” including keyboardist Taff Freeman and two new musicians. The LP was not released in the U.S. though the band did tour here, so with the striking cover, the LP was sought by American Nektar fans. This is the weakest of the Nektar albums, featuring more AOR / commercial hard rock than prog. Roye was doing what was necessary for a band to survive in 1980, but the album does have its moments, and the Nektar feel is often there. This is the 2002 Voiceprint edition (now deleted), which contains two bonus tracks and was remastered from the original master tapes by the team behind the Eclectic/Esoteric label.

The Prodigal Son was Nektar’s 2001 comeback album, though it sounds like it began as a Roye Albrighton solo album with Taff Freeman and Ray Hardwick brought in to play the keyboards and drums, respectively. This is the Bellaphon edition with the fold-out poster booklet.

Book of Days is Nektar’s 2008 studio CD on the band’s own Treacle Music label. Original members Roye Albrighton and Ron Howden are joined by new members Peter Pichl on 5-string bass and Klaus Henatsch on keys, both from Hanover, Germany. This is the best of the reformed (post-2000) Nektar albums. Some songs have a modern sound, but there is much of the old Nektar sound present, something the previous two albums needed more of. Listeners are guaranteed a couple flashbacks to Remember the Future. Here are mp3 samples of the tracks Doctor Kool and Where Are You Now. For the full 11-minute Doctor Kool, which is an instant classic, check Roye Albrighton’s MySpace page. More audio clips can be found here.

This is the 2005 edition of Sunday Night at the London Roundhouse on Dream Nebula, expanded to a 2CD that contains the entire concert. Recorded on 25 November 1973 at this legendary London venue, it captures Roye Albrighton, Taff Freeman, Mo Moore and Ron Howden just prior to the release of Remember the Future. This edition has been remixed from the original 16-track master tapes by Paschal Byrne, Mark Powell and Roye Albrighton and also remastered, resulting in greatly improved sound. Read the Sea of Tranquility reviews. Now out-of-print.


Nektar - Book of Days
Nektar - Man in the Moon
Nektar - Sunday Night at the London Roundhouse


Porcupine Tree - The Incident (2CD, $15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Porcupine Tree audio clips

Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Metanoia ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun special ed. DVD-A+CD ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream special ed. DVD-A+CD digibook ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine 2CD digibook ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Signify 2CD digibook ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Warszawa ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Stars Die (2CD, $16.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34 ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - Up the Downstair 2CD digibook ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Porcupine Tree - On the Sunday of Life ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Steven Wilson - Insurgentes DVD-A+CD ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Steven Wilson - "Insurgentes" audio player

No-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts DVD-A+CD ($16.99)Add to Shopping Cart

No-Man - Together We’re Stranger DVD-A+CD ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No-Man - "Together We’re Stranger" RealAudio Clips

No-Man - Wild Opera (2CD, $14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No-Man - "Wild Opera" RealAudio Clips

No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray ($7.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No-Man - "Dry Cleaning Ray" RealAudio Clips

No-Man - Flowermouth ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No-Man - "Flowermouth" RealAudio Clips

No-Man - Speak ($11.99)Add to Shopping Cart  No-Man - "Speak" RealAudio Clips

See our DVDs page for the Porcupine Tree, No-Man, and Blackfield DVDs and Blu-rays. If you are one of the two or three people as yet unfamiliar with Porcupine Tree, suffice to say they are one of the most important and popular progressive bands to emerge during the 1990’s and are still going strong. The 2009 Porcupine Tree studio album The Incident is a double-CD with disc 1 containing the 55-minute title track, divided into 14 segments, and four more sensible-length tracks on disc 2.

Fear of a Blank Planet is the 2007 Porcupine Tree album. Nil Recurring is a half-hour mini-album consisting of four songs written during the Fear of a Blank Planet sessions. They aren’t leftovers but rather songs intended for a separate release because the band felt they didn’t fit with the rest of Fear. Robert Fripp guests on the title track. This is the 2010 Kscope edition, which comes in a super jewel box and lowers the price a bit.

This is the 2006 digipack reissue of Metanoia on the Snapper label. It contains studio improvisations recorded 1995-96 during the sessions for Signify and originally issued as a limited edition double 10" vinyl in 1998. There are two additional tracks recorded during the same sessions that were originally included on the Insignificance cassette. This is the Floydian space jam side of Porcupine Tree.

The 2008 special edition of Porcupine Tree’s classic 2000 album Lightbulb Sun contains both a CD and a DVD-Audio disc. The CD contains a new stereo remix and remastering of the original by Steven Wilson. The DVD-A contains a 5.1 surround mix in both DVD-Audio (hi-res linear PCM) and DTS (compressed) versions, the latter for those without a DVD-Audio capable DVD player, as well as a 24-bit version of the stereo mix. Wilson is getting rather good at this surround mixing. The DVD-A also includes 5.1 surround mixes of bonus tracks Disappear, Buying New Soul, and Cure for Optimism, as well as the original 2000 stereo mix/master, so you can give away your old CD and lose nothing. The artwork has been completely revamped. The set comes in a super jewel box (shorter version of DVD-Audio case) plus slipcase. “...the focus is on Wilson’s high-resolution, 6-channel mix -- and as we’ve come to expect from him by now, it’s state of the art. Thing is, he keeps advancing that state; here, the sound is often so seamless and all-surrounding that you may think your speakers have dissolved.” [Sound+Vision]

This is the 2-disc special edition CD+DVD-Audio of Porcupine Tree’s classic 1999 album Stupid Dream, containing a new Steven Wilson remix/remaster of the original stereo album and a DVD-A containing the album remixed into 5.1 surround sound (in DVD-Audio and DTS versions), as well as a 24-bit high-resolution version of the stereo mix. The DTS version will play on just about any DVD player. Also included are 5.1 mixes of bonus tracks Ambulance Chasing and the full 14-minute version of Even Less, the promo video for Piano Lessons, and a photo gallery. The artwork has also been completely revamped with exceptional new images and package design. This is the definitive version of one of the essential albums in the P.Tree catalog. As Sound+Vision magazine says: “Think current progressive-rockers don’t care for surround? Think again. Meet Mr. Wilson, who, among artists, is the field’s de facto caretaker.”

Warszawa is the general release of an album that had been available only from the band. This is a 79-minute Porcupine Tree concert recorded in Poland in 2001. It was recorded in a studio with an invited audience and broadcast over Polish radio. This CD sounds a lot better than what went out over the airwaves, as the music was recorded to 32-track digital tape and later remixed back home. The recording features tracks from Lightbulb Sun, Stupid Dream, Signify, Voyage 34, and more. Digipack.

The double-CD Stars Die is subtitled The Delerium Years 1991-1997. First released in 2002, it’s a compilation taken from Porcupine Tree’s five albums and various singles recorded for their first label Delerium Records. Stars Die includes rare tracks such as the legendary Men of Wood as well as Signify II, Phantoms, the full 8-minute version of Synesthesia, and other assorted gems. This 2005 edition is a digipack that has been remastered and recompiled by Steven Wilson, substituting some of the original masters with the new masters/versions that have subsequently appeared, notably the new mixes of the Up the Downstair tracks that replaced the sampled drums with real drums.

Kscope’s 2CD reissue of Porcupine Tree’s 1997 live album Coma Divine comes in deluxe digibook (hardcover) packaging and adds four tracks not included on the original release. The music was recorded during three nights in Rome on the Signify tour. The audio has been remastered. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.

Kscope’s 2CD reissue of Porcupine Tree’s 1996 studio album Signify comes in deluxe digibook (hardcover) packaging. The second CD in this set is a revised and remastered edition of Insignificance, an album that was only available to subscribers of the PT information service Transmission in 1997 as a cassette. Insignificance is a selection of Steven Wilson’s demos that includes several tracks that didn’t make it onto the Signify album, as well as formative versions of some that did. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.

The Voyage 34 CD is the 2004 remixed/remastered digipack edition. Originally recorded 1992-1993, this is not the first time this has been remixed. It contains Phase 1 through Phase IV, total time 63-minutes.

Kscope’s 2CD reissue of Up the Downstair comes in deluxe digibook (hardcover) packaging. Aside from the packaging upgrade, this edition is the same as the Snapper edition. Disc One is the 2004 version of Up the Downstair, which was originally released in 1993. The original album was completely remixed and partially re-recorded in 2004, replacing the drum samples with real drums performed by Gavin Harrison. Disc Two contains the remastered mini-album Staircase Infinities, comprised of material left over from the original Up the Downstair sessions. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.

On the Sunday of Life was originally released in early 1992 as a 2LP, mostly compiled from 1989 and 1990 cassette releases. It was remastered in 1997. This is the digipack edition.

For all the projects that Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson is involved in, usually as the leader, Insurgentes (2009) is yet the first album under his own name. For the album, Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests including bassist Tony Levin, drummer Gavin Harrison, keyboardist Jordan Rudess, flautist/saxophonist Theo Travis, singer Clodagh Simmonds (presumably the same Clodagh Simmonds who was in Mellow Candle), and others. Disc One of this set is the 10 track CD, while Disc Two is a DVD-Audio disc containing the hi-res (24-bit/48kHz) surround mix plus the hi-res stereo mix of the album. (All DVD-A discs include a DTS version for those who sadly must get by with DVD-Video-only players.) See the Insurgentes website for reviews and more info. “The once and future king of surround has done it again... [Insurgentes] pulsates with the confidence of a master creator at his peak in crafting the multichannel mix.” [Sound and Vision] Super jewel box plus slipcase, counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.

No-Man is one of Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson’s many side projects, a duo with Tim Bowness (Henry Fool) on vocals plus guest musicians. No-Man is like the ambient side of Porcupine Tree, a unique fusion of dream-pop, art-rock and moody minimalism. Schoolyard Ghosts (2008) is No-Man’s sixth official studio album and their first since 2003 (but it’s not as if Wilson hasn’t kept busy). On this album, Wilson and Bowness collaborate with Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson), pedal steel ace Bruce Kaphan, Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson), Theo Travis (The Tangent), and Dave Stewart (the Canterbury demi-god, not The Eurythmics guy) arranging The London Session Orchestra. This is a 2-disc digipack with a CD containing the stereo mix and a DVD-Audio disc containing a high-resolution 5.1 surround mix, a hi-res stereo mix, and three videos. Read the DPRP special on No-Man that reviews all their albums.

Together We’re Stranger was recorded between 2001-2003, beautiful in that melancholy way, quiet yet emotionally powerful, mixing epic orchestral textures, Frippertronics, and all the sonic experimentation that makes Porcupine Tree albums the textural masterpieces they are. The 2007 two-disc CD plus DVD-Audio deluxe edition is the definitive version. The CD contains the stereo mix of the album. The DVD-Audio disc contains the high-resolution 5.1 surround mix done by Steven Wilson, a high-res 24-bit stereo mix, the two bonus tracks from the sessions that appeared on the vinyl special edition, the video for Things I Want to Tell You, and a photo gallery.

Wild Opera was originally released in 1996. This 2010 remastered 2CD edition on Kscope also includes the entire 1997 Dry Cleaning Ray album (9 tracks), plus 6 bonus tracks of B-sides, alternate versions, and radio sessions. The set comes in a hardcover digibook featuring new artwork (counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping). Dry Cleaning Ray is also available separately. It consists of additional tracks recorded during the Wild Opera sessions, two remixes, and a song previously released only on a rare single.

Flowermouth was originally recorded in 1993 with five tracks remixed in 1999. This 2005 remastered digipack edition features improved artwork and adds two bonus tracks totaling 21-minutes: Angeldust and Born Simple. These are remixes from the deleted Flowermix album. Guests on this album include Robert Fripp, Lisa Gerard (Dead Can Dance), Mel Collins, Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri, and more. Don’t imagine that No-Man is all quiet stuff. To quote from the liner notes, the music is “…grand but not grandiose, as monumental as the loftiest prog album, but rejecting showboating in favour of an introverted songwriter intimacy.” Certainly there are times when the intensity builds to as high a level as Porcupine Tree is capable of.

Speak dates from 1989, back when Steven Wilson says they had “no record deal, audience or idea where we were going”. New vocal takes and a remix were done in 1999 and the whole thing remastered in 2004 for this reissue, which comes in a jewel box with slipcase and includes one bonus track. Follow the RealAudio icons above for lots of reviews.


Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Porcupine Tree - Metanoia
Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun special ed. CD+DVD-A
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream special edition DVD-Audio + CD
Porcupine Tree - Coma Divine 2CD
Porcupine Tree - Signify 2CD
Porcupine Tree - Warszawa
Porcupine Tree - Stars Die 2CD
Porcupine Tree - Voyage 34
Porcupine Tree - Up the Downstair
Porcupine Tree - On the Sunday of Life
Steven Wilson - Insurgentes
No-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts
No-Man - Together We're Stranger CD+DVD-A
No-Man - Wild Opera
No-Man - Dry Cleaning Ray
No-Man - Flowermouth
No-Man - Speak


Glass Hammer - Three Cheers for the Brokenhearted ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Three Cheers for the Brokenhearted" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Culture of Ascent ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Culture of Ascent" audio clips

Glass Hammer - The Inconsolable Secret (2CD, $17.99)  see note below  Glass Hammer - "The Inconsolable Secret" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Live at NEARfest ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Live at NEARfest" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Shadowlands ($12.99)  out-of-stock  Glass Hammer - "Shadowlands" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Lex Rex ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Lex Rex" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Chronometree ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Chronometree" audio clips

Glass Hammer - On to Evermore ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "On to Evermore" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Live and Revived ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Live and Revived" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Perelandra ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Perelandra" audio clips

Glass Hammer - Journey of the Dunadan ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Glass Hammer - "Journey of the Dunadan" audio clips

Check our DVDs page for Glass Hammer’s DVDs. Glass Hammer should be well-known to most prog fans by now. They specialize in glorious symphonic prog epics heavy on the keyboards, with loads of Hammond, Moog, and Mellotron. Their music is full of Yes-like positive energy, and the band does borrow heavily from Yes (vocally and instrumentally) as well as ELP and Kansas, with many other influences cropping up along the way (Camel, Focus, etc.). Most of their earlier CDs are concept albums telling a story, most often of a fantasy nature.

Live at NEARfest is a 73-minute live CD recorded by the 2003 Glass Hammer lineup, featuring the Glass Hammer choir and a guest appearance by Rich Williams of Kansas performing Portrait He Knew. Live and Revived contains live rehearsal recordings plus songs from the “Lost Album of 1994”, a second album that was scrapped in favor of Perelandra.

No epic is too epic in scope for the epic lads of Glass Hammer, and they pull out all the stops on their 2005 digipack double-CD The Inconsolable Secret. The core of the band has always been Fred Schendel (keys, guitars, vocals) and Steve Babb (keys, bass, vocals), back this time with the classic lineup of Walter Moore and Susie Bogdanowicz on vocals and Matt Mendians on drums. This album features a lot of guest musicians including a symphony orchestra, a string trio, and a choir. While the first disc stays pretty much in Glass Hammer’s familiar ELP-meets-Yes style, things really open up on the second disc where Glass Hammer explore new territory, including some dark orchestral material, and make good use of the choir. It’s another concept album, and the enhanced CD includes video from the recording sessions. Oh, and Roger Dean did the artwork. How can they possibly top this one? Note Glass Hammer intend to remaster and re-release The Inconsolable Secret sometime in 2009; it is unavailable until then.

Prior to The Inconsolable Secret, Shadowlands (2004) vied with Lex Rex (2002) for the title of best Glass Hammer album. Shadowlands opens with three long tracks which are unremarkable only in the sense that Glass Hammer have set the bar so high with their prior work. The fourth track, Longer, is a treat, a radical 10-minute rearrangement of Dan Fogelberg’s 1979 hit. You read that correctly. Glass Hammer have done with this song what Yes did with Paul Simon’s America. The fifth and final track is the centerpiece of the album, the 20-minute Behind the Great Beyond, where Glass Hammer pull out all the stops -- this may be their finest (one-third) hour.

Culture of Ascent (2007, digipack) is the 10th Glass Hammer album (not counting Live at NEARfest). It’s hard to believe the band could top the last few CDs, but this is the strongest Glass Hammer lineup yet. Joining Fred Schendel, Steve Babb, and Matt Mendians are French guitarist David Wallimann, the best guitarist GH have had, and Carl Groves (Salem Hill) on lead and backing vocals. Susie Bogdanowicz also supplies lead and backing vocals, and the band is augmented by a string trio. Guests provide backing vocals and acoustic guitar. One of these guests is Jon Anderson, who sings on two tracks. The CD opens with a cover of Yes’ South Side of the Sky. Rather than a pointless clone, this is a beautiful new arrangement featuring a trip-hop loop in some sections. The effect of arranging a Yes track seems to have carried over into some of the other tracks, which show a lot of Yes influence, nothing new for GH, but more work than ever seems to have gone into the vocal arrangements. More often though the music is closer to Song for America-era Kansas, especially when violin is in the mix. While we’re unlikely to ever say that any modern band is on the same level as classic Yes, we do feel comfortable saying that this album is on the same level as the best Kansas, and more consistent than any Kansas album. Six tracks span 69-minutes, with fully-professional production and mastering.

After a string of albums each more grandiose and a bigger production than the last, Glass Hammer had exhausted their epic style, at least for the time being, and would most likely have repeated themselves had they not changed things up. So on Three Cheers for the Brokenhearted (2009), they wisely concentrate on songwriting and sensible-length songs, with Susie Bogdanowicz handling most of the lead vocals. Glass Hammer are hopelessly good at this style too, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as it’s not entirely new for them, especially if one includes the U I Blue album. All the familiar GH elements are still present. There’s a neo-Beatles style on some tracks, while others rock hard. The lighter songs often bring to mind Stewart & Gaskin, which is meant as a high compliment. There are 10 originals plus a cover of The Zombies’ A Rose for Emily.
 


Glass Hammer - Three Cheers for the Brokenhearted
Glass Hammer - Culture of Ascent
Glass Hammer - The Inconsolable Secret 2CD
Glass Hammer - Live at NEARfest
Glass Hammer - Shadowlands
Glass Hammer - Lex Rex
Glass Hammer - Chronometree
Glass Hammer - On to Evermore
Glass Hammer - Perelandra
Glass Hammer - Journey of the Dunadan


David Wallimann - Deep Inside the MindDavid Wallimann - Deep Inside the Mind ($10.99)Add to Shopping Cart   David Wallimann WMA & RealAudio clips  David Wallimann audio clips

David Wallimann became Glass Hammer’s guitarist in 2005. However, he was born and raised in France, the son of a French father and an American mother, and the musicians on his 2006 debut CD Deep Inside the Mind appear to all be French. They contribute guitar, bass and drums, while Wallimann handles lead guitar, synths, and vocals. This is a concept album with heavy Christian content. Musically, this is no ordinary guitarist album. While there is a strong Steve Vai-style hard rock element, this is much more progressive and much more arty than most guitarist CDs. The album is mostly instrumental; the storyline is executed with spoken word, often of a dramatic nature, a bit reminiscent of Utopia’s Singring and the Glass Guitar from the Ra album what with the occasional helium voices. Regardless of how one feels about the narrative, this is musically very creative, a unique blend of progressive and guitar rock.

IQ - The Wake: 25th Anniversary 3CD+DVD boxIQ - The Wake: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 3CD+DVD box ($39.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Along with Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws, IQ’s The Wake (1985) is the best album to come out of the 1980’s progressive revival in the UK. This 2010 boxset includes three CDs and a DVD. The first CD contains the 2010 remaster of The Wake. The second and third CDs are chock full of bonus tracks, including demo versions, outtakes, rough and alternate mixes, a BBC Friday Rock Show session, and a live track. The DVD contains a 47-minutes live show from 1984, the oldest existing footage of IQ; album commentary from Paul Cook, Peter Nicholls and Mike Holmes recorded in April 2010; multitrack files for Corners for remixers; and another 2.5 hours worth of mp3 files of writing sessions, unused ideas, demos, and contemporary interviews. The 60-page full-color booklet features an in-depth account of the making of the album, illustrated with rare photographs and contributions from all band members. There is also a double-sided poster featuring the album artwork and memorabilia. Counts as 2 CDs for shipping.

IQ - Dark MatterIQ - FrequencyIQ - Frequency Sp. Ed. (CD+DVD, $17.99)  out-of-stock  IQ - "Frequency" mp3 clips

IQ - Dark Matter ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - The Seventh House ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - The Lost AtticIQ - The Seventh HouseIQ - The Lost Attic ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Subterranea: The Concert (2CD, $19.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Subterranea (2CD, $19.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - EverIQ - SubterraneaIQ - Forever Live (2CD, $17.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Ever ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - J’ai Pollette D’arnu ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - NomzamoIQ - Are You Sitting Comfortably?IQ - Are You Sitting Comfortably? ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Nomzamo ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Living Proof ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

IQ - Tales from the Lush AtticIQ - Living ProofIQ - Tales from the Lush Attic ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

The Lens - A Word in Your Eye ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Click here for IQ’s DVDs. Always our favorite of the second-generation prog bands, IQ stayed the progressive course when Marillion somewhat abandoned it. When the spirit of Genesis left its first host, it may have ended up in IQ. Frequency is IQ’s 2009 album. This Special Edition comes in a digipack and adds a full-length DVD (NTSC, all-region, stereo, 16:9) of IQ performing live in Holland in 2007.

The Lens - A Word in Your EyeDark Matter (2004) is one of IQ’s strongest albums. It consists of just five tracks spanning 52 minutes, including the epic Harvest of Souls (24:29). Notably, Martin Orford uses more vintage keyboard sounds than ever. The Seventh House is IQ’s 2001 CD, a solid album but lacking the spark of their best work.

Subterranea (1997) is a 2CD concept album and a milestone for IQ. Much more so than their other albums, this one may require several listens before it clicks into place and its brilliance become apparent. Subterranea: The Concert contains a complete live performance of Subterranea, recorded at the same 1999 concert in The Netherlands as IQ’s DVD of the same name.

Ever was the 1993 album that saw singer Peter Nicholls return to the fold and the consensus is that this is one of IQ’s top three albums. The double-CD Forever Live (priced as a single CD) is a recording of the 1993 showcase concert IQ performed to coincide with the release of Ever.

Nomzamo (1987) and Are You Sitting Comfortably? (1989) were the two albums IQ recorded with Paul Menel as the singer. Partly due to Menel’s voice and partly due to external factors, the two albums with Menel are more pop-oriented than the rest, but there are still many excellent songs here. This edition of Are You Sitting Comfortably? contains a bonus track, a live version of Nothing At All, while Nomzamo includes three bonus tracks: the studio track Colourflow, a piano & vocal version of the album track No Love Lost, and a live rendition of Common Ground. J’ai Pollette D’arnu was originally released on LP in 1991, a collection of rare non-LP studio tracks as well as live tracks.

This CD reissue of IQ’s magnificent debut LP Tales from the Lush Attic (1983) includes the bonus track Just Changing Hands. Living Proof is a live album recorded in 1985, featuring nearly all of The Wake plus Awake and Nervous from Tales..., It All Stops Here from Seven Stories into Eight, and the non-LP track Just Changing Hands.

The Lost Attic is subtitled A Collection of Rarities (1983-1999). This 77-minute CD is a collection of songs left off of earlier albums, plus a few songs from radio sessions that are of high quality. Like Genesis, IQ sometimes left songs off albums that were better than what went on the albums (and better than what some bands ever recorded). Some of these songs present a side of IQ not heard on their regular albums. For the IQ fan, this album is essential; for everyone else, still a quality prog album.

The Lens was the predecessor band to IQ. A Word in Your Eye contains new 2001 recordings of The Lens’ material and provides an insight into a missing link between 1970’s and 1980’s British progressive rock.


Martin Orford - Classical Music and Popular SongsMartin Orford - The Old RoadMartin Orford - The Old Road ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Martin Orford - "The Old Road" audio clips

Martin Orford - Classical Music and Popular Songs ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Martin Orford - "Classical Music and Popular Songs" audio clips

Martin Orford was of course IQ’s keyboardist but left the band in 2007 and has retired from music. He was also a major component of Jadis and John Wetton’s band for a long stretch. His first solo album Classical Music and Popular Songs is from 2000 and features Gary Chandler (Jadis), Steve Christey (Jadis), David Kilminster (John Wetton band) and all of IQ including Peter Nicholls, who sings lead on one song. John Wetton sings lead on another. About equally split between vocal songs and instrumentals, it’s a hugely enjoyable album that shows that Orford may be cut from the same cloth as Tony Banks.

The Old Road (2008, 58-minutes) is even more of a band album than Orford’s debut, an all-star band that is, as the participating musicians include Gary Chandler (Jadis), Nick D’Virgilio and Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard), Andy Edwards and Mike Holmes (IQ), John Mitchell (It Bites, Kino, Frost, Arena), Steve Thorne, John Wetton, Dave Oberlé (Gryphon) and more. Most of the songs have vocals. As Martin says in the liner notes: “...you’ll hear a lot of the trademarks of the golden era of prog rock, but this CD is not about pushing back the boundaries of music, quite the opposite in fact... This is all about doing things the old way: songs with tunes you can whistle being played by incredible musicians at the very top of their game, a simple formula that never fails.” As Martin was a principal writer in IQ and made important contributions to the other bands he was in, one can easily hear IQ, Jadis and John Wetton in The Old Road. IQ’s strength is the balance between light and dark moods, but The Old Road has little if any darkness, so one of IQ’s other writers must be responsible for the pensive stuff. The Old Road is all class and quality. Read the DPRP review.

Echolyn - The End Is Beautiful ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Echolyn - "The End Is Beautiful" mp3 clips

Echolyn - As the World 2005 reissue (CD+DVD, $13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Echolyn - "As the World" mp3 clips

Echolyn - A Little Nonsense Now and Then (3CD box, $34.99)  out-of-stock  Echolyn mp3 clips

Echolyn - Mei ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart      Echolyn audio clips

Echolyn - Cowboy Poems Free 2008 ($13.99)  out-of-stock  Echolyn - "Cowboy Poems Free" mp3 clips

Echolyn - Suffocating the Bloom ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Echolyn - "Suffocating the Bloom" mp3 clips

The End Is Beautiful is the 2005 studio CD from one of America’s premiere progressive rock bands. As the band says: “This begins a new chapter in Echolyn history. All the dynamics of what make this band so unique are here, however the album was written mainly around driving rhythms laid down by drummer Paul Ramsey, giving the songs an apparent extra dose of power. Blaring organ leads, acrobatic guitar melodies and multi-part harmonies also abound. This album also marks the return of bass player Tom Hyatt as a full-time member.” Echolyn’s current style is harder-edged and more urban in keeping with the times, but all their trademarks are easily recognizable: the vocal harmonies, the Gentle Giant-like counterpoint, the slight Beatles influence, the complexity so well integrated into a modern rock framework, and the great melodies. Echolyn being Echolyn, everything sounds like it was done with great conviction. This is more accessible than Mei and is another milestone for the band. Digipack. Check our DVDs page for Echolyn’s Stars & Gardens DVD.

As the World is the 2005 re-release of Echolyn's 1995 CD on Sony/Epic Records, which had been out-of-print for a while. Yes, a major label briefly flirted with progressive rock in 1995 before dumping Echolyn shortly thereafter. This album is many fans’ favorite Echolyn release and has been called one of the most important progressive releases of the 1990’s. This re-release includes the original 1995 CD recording plus a DVD of Echolyn performing the music from As the World in Michigan at The Ritz, filmed just two days prior to the release of As the World in 1995. The discs are housed in a fat digipack with all new artwork.

A Little Nonsense Now and Then is a beautiful 3CD set that includes remastered versions of the Echolyn albums that had been unavailable for some time and it empties the Echolyn vaults. Disc One contains their fully remastered 1991 self-titled debut release. Disc Two contains the fully remixed and remastered 1993 EP And Every Blossom plus the fully remixed and remastered 1996 album When the Sweet Turns Sour. Disc Three contains The Edge Of Wonder (aka E-Rad Glitch), a remixed 1989 track that was never commercially released; year 2000 remixes of the tracks Suffocating the Bloom, As the World, Shades, and Carpe Diem; and live versions of three songs from Cowboy Poems Free. (Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.)

Mei (2002) is one continuous 50-minute piece of music, with the band augmented by two violins, cello, flute, clarinet, and two percussionists. Overall the sound is hard-edged though, with keyboardist Chris Buzby favoring organ. A bit overwhelming at first, and less accessible than most of their earlier work, Mei requires several listens to absorb it all.

Cowboy Poems Free is Echolyn’s 2000 comeback CD, which focuses on Americana of the first half of the 20th century. This is the 2008 digipack edition, which was completely remixed and remastered and features all new artwork. When it was first released, this album was everything one could hope for, a superb album that reasserted Echolyn’s identity. Their music had not stood still, yet recognizable elements of their earlier style are here. The music is progressive through and through, but it has a very contemporary energy to it. 59-minutes.

Suffocating the Bloom is the remastered reissue of their 1992 second CD. This has always been our favorite Echolyn album and is for many the high water mark of 1990’s American progressive rock. 71-minutes.
 


Echolyn - The End is Beautiful
Echolyn - As the World CD+DVD
Echolyn - A Little Nonsense Now and Then
Echolyn - Mei
Echolyn - Cowboy Poems Free 2008
Echolyn - Suffocating the Bloom


Brett Kull - Orange-ish BlueBrett Kull - The Last of the CurlewsBrett Kull - The Last of the Curlews ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Brett Kull audio clips

Brett Kull - Orange-ish Blue ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Brett Kull - "Orange-ish Blue" mp3 clips

Brett Kull is Echolyn’s guitarist/vocalist, not to mention a member of Grey Eye Glances. He has continually honed his songwriting, production, and engineering skills, all of which are on display on his solo albums. These are songwriter’s albums, more personal and intimate than Echolyn but sharing a similar character. Orange-ish Blue (2002) was first, on which Kull had help from Echolyn’s Chris Buzby and Paul Ramsey, among others. It starts out very Beatles-influenced, then gets more modern and progressive, though the spirit of The Beatles is usually lurking nearby. Overall a very nice CD, sort of a folksier, friendlier Echolyn and perhaps an album to listen to right after Mei to balance things out.

The Last of the Curlews (2008, digipack) is Kull’s second solo CD, the result of three years of writing. Kull plays all the instruments except drum kit, which is handled by Paul Ramsey. There is more acoustic guitar than electric, and plenty of keyboards. There are also several guest vocalists. These 12 songs feature beautiful arrangements, understated musicianship, and powerful lyrics. The mood is generally languid, and the Beatles influence can usually be heard, though of course the execution is contemporary. Kull is clearly a very creative musician.


Land of Chocolate - Regaining the FeelLand of Chocolate - Regaining the Feel ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Land of Chocolate mp3 clips

Land of Chocolate is the youngest member of the growing Echolyn family tree, lead by keyboardist/singer Jonn Buzby, ex-Finneus Gauge and brother of Chris Buzby of Echolyn. Not surprisingly, Land of Chocolate has elements of both Echolyn and Finneus Gauge. While they don’t have the jazz aspects of Finneus Gauge, they apply the same intricacy, dexterity, and generally busy arrangements to more purely rock-based music. While Jonn’s lead vocals bear a slight resemblance to Gary Chandler of Jadis, the frequent harmony vocals owe a clear debt to Echolyn.

Regaining the Feel (2004) is Land of Chocolate’s second CD, with three new musicians joining Buzby, including guitarist John Covach. The music still seems to occupy a middle ground between Echolyn and Finneus Gauge, with a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary and no shortage of chord changes. Buzby does a good job fitting vocal lines over the complex chord progressions, and the band introduces more subtlety and atmosphere into the busy arrangements.


Finneus Gauge - One Inch of the FallFinneus Gauge - One Inch of the Fall ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Finneus Gauge - "One Inch of the Fall" mp3 clips

This is the second of two albums from Echolyn keyboardist Chris Buzby’s band that existed during Echolyn’s hiatus. This is a complex blend of fusion and progressive rock, with female lead vocals and the Holdsworth-like guitar of Scott McGill. This has hints of the first Bruford album. You will not want for chord changes!

Rocket Scientists - Looking BackwardRocket Scientists - Looking Backward (4CD+DVD, $49.99)Add to Shopping Cart

The American prog band Rocket Scientists, led by keyboardist Erik Norlander, debuted in 1993 with the CD Earthbound, and first gained international recognition with their 1995 CD Brutal Architecture, which was released on the Kinesis label. After a live CD, the heavier Oblivion Days appeared in 1999, but all three of these studio CDs had gone out-of-print. The beautiful Looking Backward boxset (2008) remedies this in a big way. It contains 2007 remastered editions of Earthbound, Brutal Architecture, and Oblivion Days. Oblivion Days contains both the Japanese edition bonus track and the two European edition bonus tracks. Brutal Architecture contains the Japanese edition bonus track, and Earthbound contains one previously-unreleased bonus track.

(And like a late-night TV commercial for a kitchen gadget...) But wait, there’s more!  There is a fourth CD entitled The 2007 Sessions (76-minutes), which contains new recordings of classic Rocket Scientists songs reinterpreted by the band live in the studio in 2007, including some unreleased material. Now how much would you pay for this set? Before you answer, the set also includes the Looking Backward DVD (NTSC, all-region). The main feature is video of the 2007 sessions (102-minutes). There is also a 25-minute featurette An Afternoon with Emmett Chapman, and 21-minutes of A Brief History of Rocket Science, which includes studio footage from 1993-2007. The main feature was recorded by an HD video crew, though of course it has been down-res’d for the DVD. The DVD includes 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround audio. All of the original artwork is included in the package as part of an enormous 64-page full-color 5x7" booklet. Counts as 3 CDs for shipping. For more information on the first three Rocket Scientists CDs, visit the dedicated Rocket Scientists section of our website, where you’ll also find Rocket Scientists’ 2006 double-CD Revolution Road.

Erik Norlander - Hommage Symphonique ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Erik Norlander - "Hommage Symphonique" mp3 clips

Erik Norlander and Friends - Live in St. Petersburg DVD+CD ($19.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Erik Norlander - Seas of Orion ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Erik Norlander - Stars Rain Down ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Erik Norlander - Music Machine (2CD, $15.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Erik Norlander mp3 clips

Erik Norlander - Into the Sunset ($12.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Erik Norlander RealAudio Clips

Erik Norlander - Threshold special edition (2CD, $13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

As many of you know, Erik Norlander is the keyboard wiz of Rocket Scientists, and his first solo album Threshold was released on Kinesis in 1997. Threshold special edition is the 2CD remastered reissue -- see the Kinesis-label section for details. Hommage Symphonique (2006) is an album of cover tunes, impeccably played and recorded, 66-minutes of symphonic prog with a very intelligent selection of tunes you can see by clicking on the corresponding mp3 icon above. Norlander is joined by Kelly Keeling on vocals, Gregg Bissonette on drums, and Don Schiff on NS/Stick, bowed guitar, and contrabass. Mark McCrite is among several guests, and so the current Rocket Scientists lineup is more or less here. Norlander adds many creative touches to these songs. This may be our favorite prog rock covers collection.

Seas of Orion (2004) sees Erik Norlander returning to the electronic sound of his first solo album Threshold, though this is not Threshold part 2. This instrumental album was commissioned by the Alfa Centauri Festival in Holland where Erik first played in 2001 when Rick Wakeman headlined, then returned in 2004 to headline the festival himself. The 22-minute Adrift on the Fire Seas of Orion’s Shield is clearly inspired by Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, but Norlander’s own style is easily recognizable by now. The first three tracks are melodic, higher-energy and more rock-oriented than anything to come out of the Berlin school, with the track Fanfare for Absent Friends closer to ELP. The album ends with a cover of Vangelis’ beautiful Hymne from Opera Sauvage. Norlander employs his arsenal of synths both ancient and modern, the oldest being a 1967 modular Moog that is just a bit older than Erik himself. Greg Ellis is back, adding his ethnic percussion and humanizing the feel. All in all, this is a fantastic electronics album. It may even introduce some of the younger, metal-minded fans of Norlander’s heavier rock output to electronic music which, along with fusion, are the real sister-genres of progressive rock.

Stars Rain Down is a 75-minute live CD recorded over the course of three years during Erik’s European tours. Songs are culled from Erik’s previous three solo albums and two Rocket Scientists albums. His backing band includes Kelly Keeling and Lana Lane on vocals, Don Schiff on NS/Stick, and Dutch musicians Peer Verschuren on guitar and Ernst Van Ee and Ed Warby splitting drum duties. The CD features a 20-page full-color booklet featuring extensive liner notes and tour photos.

Erik’s 2003 rock opera, Music Machine, is a double CD concept album about the dramatic rise and fall of a genetically-engineered rock star. It features a full compliment of world-class musicians including Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult), Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath, Dio), Gregg Bissonette (ELO, David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, etc.), Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Planet X, Ring of Fire), Mark Boals (Yngwie, Ring of Fire), Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder, Whitesnake), Kelly Keeling (MSG, Blue Murder, Heaven and Earth) and several others. Music Machine features both the instrumental progressive keyboard rock of Norlander’s debut Threshold and the prog-metal of his second CD Into the Sunset. So some of this album is bombastic, melodic, symphonic metal with progressive window dressing, akin to a keyboard-centric Ayreon, and some of it is pure keyboard-oriented progressive rock where the metal guitars are kept at bay. Even on the prog-metal tracks, Norlander’s Wakemanesque synth runs and Emersonian fanfares are all over, so it is his keyboards that unify the album. Erik has his own recognizable style, and he plays everything from Hammond organ to Mellotron to modular Moog and various synths from the 1970’s to the present. The overall result is something like a much heavier version of one of Rick Wakeman’s rock albums with vocals (in fact, Rick wrote the liner notes), and the best showcase for Norlander’s talents to date.

The second album under Norlander’s name, Into the Sunset (2000), is hardly a solo album. It’s a full-band effort, a heavy vocal prog rock album that is nothing like Threshold, more like a cross between ELP and Deep Purple or Rainbow. This is even heavier than Rocket Scientists’ Oblivion Days, and again features Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon on guitars. Vocalists include Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Edward Reekers (Kayak), Robert Soeterboek (Ayreon), and Lana Lane. This is the Brazilian edition (there is no U.S. release), which means a substantial price reduction versus the Japanese edition we had carried.

Erik Norlander’s first DVD documents his landmark concert in St. Petersburg, Russia. This 2006 DVD (NTSC, all-region) contains over 90 minutes of concert material plus the 51-minute documentary "The Road to Russia", which tells the story of Erik’s three month tour across the USA and Europe leading up to the final concert in St. Petersburg. The documentary contains interviews with Erik and all of the contributing musicians along with additional concert performances from American and European shows. DTS 5.1 surround and stereo audio. "Erik Norlander and Friends - Live in St. Petersburg" also contains a nearly 80-minute bonus audio CD containing the best tracks from the concert along with two studio tracks, one of which is a new version of From Russia With Love featuring Norlander’s wife Lana Lane on vocals. More details on this release including track listings can be found here.
 


Erik Norlander - Hommage Symphonique
Erik Norlander and Friends - Live in St. Petersburg DVD+CD
Erik Norlander - Seas of Orion
Erik Norlander - Stars Rain Down
Erik Norlander - Music Machine
Erik Norlander - Into the Sunset


Don Schiff - Peering Over CloudsDon Schiff - Peering Over Clouds ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Don Schiff audio clips

Don Schiff is probably best known as the NS/Stick player for Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane, though his résumé is rather more extensive than that. (He actually played with Elvis.) On the 71-minute Peering Over Clouds (2005), Schiff may shatter your conception of what the NS/Stick is capable of, in the right hands that is. Joined throughout the album by drummer/percussionist Greg Ellis, Schiff is an orchestra here – he’s mastered the variety of techniques that can be played on the NS/Stick and multitracks them so the sound is that of a full band. To quote Emmett Chapman from the liner notes: “Clouds is a roller-coaster ride through blazing two-handed lead solos, cracking bass lines that ‘speak out’, intricate patterns of clean string accompaniment, and brilliant slide guitar styled highlights.” This is no instrument demo though. Schiff is an accomplished composer, and this stands alone as a superb instrumental progressive rock album, one that would be called guitar-oriented except that there is no guitar per se. Rocket Scientists fans will find much that is familiar here, as Schiff is responsible for much of the rhythmic feel of that band.


Lana Lane - Red Planet BoulevardLana Lane - Red Planet Boulevard ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart  Lana Lane - "Red Planet Boulevard" mp3 clips

Lana Lane - 10th Anniversary Concert DVD+CD ($17.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Gemini ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart   Lana Lane - "Gemini" mp3 clips

Lana Lane - GeminiLana Lane - Lady Macbeth ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Return to Japan (2CD, $15.99) Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Winter Sessions ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Lady MacbethLana Lane - Covers Collection ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Project Shangri-la ($15.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Ballad Collection special edition (2CD, $14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane -  Winter SessionsLana Lane - Secrets of Astrology ($13.99)Add to Shopping Cart                  Lana Lane mp3 clips

Lana Lane - Best of Lana Lane 1995-1999 ($14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Curious Goods special edition (2CD, $14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Lana Lane - Return to JapanLana Lane - Love Is an Illusion special edition (2CD, $14.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Think Tank Media Sampler Vol. 4 ($5.99)Add to Shopping Cart

Think Tank Media Sampler Vol. 1 ($5.99)Add to Shopping Cart

We’re stocking the Lana Lane CDs because of Lana’s close association with Rocket Scientists and Erik Norlander. If we had to give a one sentence description of her many CDs, we’d say the energetic numbers tend to sound like a more progressive Heart, while the ballads have other influences, including The Beatles or Alan Parsons. Lana Lane’s 10th Anniversary Concert DVD (2006) contains the full concert from her final show in Tokyo on the Lana Lane 10th Anniversary Tour. Recorded on June 30, 2005, the 2-hour DVD (NTSC, all regions) contains all 19 songs from the concert along with a video tour diary containing candid behind-the-scenes footage of the entire tour from Europe to the USA to Japan. Both stereo and DTS 5.1 surround audio are offered. The package also includes a 78:54 audio CD that contains 17 of the 19 songs from the concert.

Red Planet Boulevard is Lana Lane’s 2007 studio album. Click the mp3 icon next to this title above not only for audio samples but for the full press release, which will explain all.

Gemini (2006) is an album of cover tunes, impeccably played and recorded. It contains classic rock covers from the late 1960’s and the 1970’s, sung by Lana Lane with Norlander on keys, Vinny Appice on drums, George Lynch on guitars, Mark McCrite on guitars and harmony vocals, and Kelly Keeling on vocals. Click on the mp3 icon next to this title above to see the track list and more info.

Lady Macbeth (2005) as usual features Erik Norlander, the other Rocket Scientists and Neil Citron, plus the Dutch musicians from Lana’s European touring band and the bassist from Pain of Salvation, not to mention Kelly Keeling (the singer from some of Norlander’s albums) on harmony vocals. Expect another heavy symphonic AOR album. This USA edition is identical to the Japanese and European editions and includes a bonus Quicktime video of one song.

Return to Japan is an over 2-hour double-CD that chronicles the vocalist’s last four Japanese tours from 1998-2002. Disc One contains full-band performances, while Disc Two contains acoustic duo performances of Lana Lane and Erik Norlander from 1998-2002 along with remastered full-band versions of Lana's renditions of the classics In the Court of the Crimson King and Long Live Rock 'n' Roll. Return to Japan includes a full-color 20-page booklet with extensive liner notes by producer Erik Norlander and live photos from the Japanese tours.

Winter Sessions is a 2003 release including eleven new recordings of both originals and select covers set in a moody and atmospheric style, with lush arrangements featuring both acoustic and electric instruments. Contributing musicians include drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, ELO, etc.), guitarists Neil Citron, Mark McCrite (Rocket Scientists), and Peer Verschuren (Erik Norlander’s Music Machine), Don Schiff on NS/Stick, David Schiff on flute/oboe/sax, and of course keyboardist extraordinaire Erik Norlander.

Covers Collection contains 11 recordings of classic hard rock and progressive rock songs spanning the 1970’s through the 1990’s, as always produced by keyboard and studio wiz Erik Norlander. Guest musicians include drummers Greg Bissonette, Nick D’Virgilio, and Ed Warby, guitarists Mark McCrite, Arjen Lucassen, Neil Citron, and Gabriel Moses, and fretless bass icon Tony Franklin. Highlights include Kansas’ The Wall, Led Zep’s Kashmir, Argent’s Hold Your Head Up, and Uriah Heep’s Weep in Silence (co-written by John Wetton). Secrets of Astrology (2000) runs over 73 minutes and features Ayreon guitarist Arjen Anthony Lucassen and drummer Ed Warby on every track. Erik Norlander continues to handle keys and much of the writing. This is the new U.S. edition.

Love Is an Illusion special edition reissues both the 1998 remixed version plus the original 1995 version of Lana’s first album on a 2CD set, with three bonus tracks added. Ballad Collection special edition is a 2CD containing 24 songs. One disc comprises the 1998 Ballad Collection CD, a collection of Lana’s ballads including two Rocket Scientists tracks, but they were rerecorded, the new arrangements generally more progressive than the originals. A cover of Marillion’s Seasons End is added as a bonus. The other disc was recorded in 2000 and includes many covers of songs both well-known and obscure.

Curious Goods special edition is a 2CD reissue of Lana’s second album, originally released in 1996 in Japan only. The first disc contains the new 2002 enhanced version, while the second disc contains the original 1996 version. Lana re-recorded all of her vocals on the album in early 2002, and Erik Norlander undertook an extensive remix and remastering of the entire record. A bonus track is included, the James Bond theme You Only Live Twice, recorded with Vinny Appice, Don Schiff and Mark McCrite during the Project Shangri-La sessions.

The rest of the Lana Lane CDs are Japanese editions. Project Shangri-la continues her by now well-established style of progressive-tinged AOR/pomp-rock, featuring Erik Norlander, Mark McCrite, and Don Schiff from Rocket Scientists. This Japanese edition includes a bonus track written by John Wetton specifically for this album. The Best of Lana Lane CD runs 73 minutes and contains a 9-minute live version of King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King performed with Rocket Scientists.

The Think Tank Media Sampler Vol. 1 CD (1999) contains 11 tracks spanning 74-minutes from Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, and Neil Citron. Sampler Vol. 4 (2005) contains 77-minutes of tracks from the Lana Lane and Erik Norlander catalogs. These are fully-packaged CDs in jewel boxes.


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