September's Music

These monthly summaries kind of make trying to remember all the music I tend to listen to a little easier. I hope they are proving informative and perhaps even entertaining for you who bother to read these posts.

A little more settled now in the new house, and quite a bit more music consumed this month. One of the benefits of our new house is that it is only about 200 yards (in old money) from a wonderful little real ale and live music pub by the name of The Greystones, here in Sheffield. I've managed to get to a couple of gigs there in the past month. The first was by a collective called The John Martyn Project, a group of musicians who got together to play John Martyn's music as a tribute to him on the 10th anniversary of his death earlier this year, and afterwards decided to tour with the music, They were faithful to John's legacy, though mainly played material from Solid Air, Bless The Weather and Sunday's Child. An excellent evening, enhanced by the support act, a local act called Mishra, who play Indian Ragas on banjo, double bass, whistle and tabla. Totally enthralling and fascinating, and I hope to find them again locally soon. Later that same week I was back for an evening with Kathryn Williams, Mercury Prize-nominated in 2000, looking back over her 20-year career so far and playing material from most of the 10 albums she's released in that time - which have recently been released as an Anthology box-set with 10 bonus CDs and a lyrics booklet and some of her personal artwork. Had a lovely chat with her after the gig, which was excellent, and managed to pick up a copy of the anthology for a much reduced price!

My other live outing was to the City Hall (Ballroom) for a fantastic evening with Focus, who were as engaging and entertaining as ever, and delved into their wide repertoire for an excellent show.

My recorded music falls into three, or possibly four, main categories. First there's the Old Stuff, mostly if not entirely bought as a result of hearing it played on Progzilla Radio, one of my go-to Progressive Internet radio stations. This month they led me to Camembert Electrique by Gong, thus adding to my now growing Gong collection. This is wonderfully bonkers and brilliant music - weird, eccentric, off-beat, but enticing and evocative of the music that drew me in during my teenage years. The other was Rain Tree Crow's only and eponymous album from 1991. This was a band I was unaware of, and discovered that it is essentially a late reunion album by Japan. Most of that 1980s electronic music slipped me by at the time, but it has grown on me since then, and this is a dark, brooding, atmospheric, ethereal and magical work.

My possible fourth category (yes, it's out of sequence, but hopefully you'll see why...) is Old Stuff that's actually New Stuff - or possibly New Stuff that's actually Old Stuff! This month has seen 'new' albums from Jazz giants John Coltrane & Miles Davis. Coltrane gives us Blue World, a collection of material that was originally recorded in June 1964 mainly for the soundtrack of the film 'Le chat dans le sac', and is typical of his work at that time and wonderfully melodic and strident. Miles Davis's 'lost album' from 1985-86 is finally released as Rubberband. Davis was a true progressive of the Jazz world, and having gone through his Be-Bop and Fusion phases among others this is a collection more of a soul or funk groove with Miles's horn at times providing more of a background that a lead, but always being unmistakeably there. For any fan of jazz I would strongly recommend both albums, though the Davis may take some time to grow.

So the second (or is it now the third) category is New Jazz. If you've read these posts before you'll know that I am a keen listener to the output of Edition Records, who release a wide selection of music from the jazzier end of the spectrum. Three of their albums have come my way this month. The first was by Laura Jurd, another Mercury Prize nominee with her band Dinosaur, and her project entitled Stepping Back, Jumping In. Here are 6 good length compositions - nothing under 8 minutes - exploring their themes through brass, strings, piano, keys, double bass, drums, banjo, guitars & santoor. Laura is ably assisted by a host of fellow musicians including fellow Edition players Elliot Galvin, Rob Luft & Corrie Dick. Moody, stirring and emotive stuff. Secondly was  Hope by Kevin Hays & Lionel Loueke. Simple music on piano & guitar with some vocal input from both men, this has a rounded yet exotic feel to it. I was not that aware of Hays's work previously but had come across Loueke about 12 years ago with a song called Abominwe.Captivating stuff. And then there was the latest offering from Oddarrang, a Finnish quintet who make dark, brooding experimental music that I suppose could only come from Scandinavia. This new album, Hypermetros, is a typical offering from them and has been well worth the wait.

So, the final category for me is New Prog (however broad that particular tag is), and most of this month's material comes from a label that proudly represents that breadth and diversity in its output - Bad Elephant Music. The five albums from them all represent material from established acts on the labels roster, but they are all wonderfully different. In order of release, We Are Kin's third album, Bruised Sky, is moody, dark, brooding modern progressive rock, with a soulful edge courtesy of Emma Brewin-Caddy's wonderful voice. Tom Slatter's Demon carries on the unique acoustic steam-punk balladeer-ing that Tom has made his own, and continues to do so with wonderful aplomb. The Bob Lazar Story continue their bonkers approach to music making with Vanquisher, a collection that leaves me simultaneously with a smile on my face and scratching my head in bafflement. Emmett Elvin once again with The End of Music produces sublime music, at times rock, at times almost classical, but always stimulating, thoughtful and profound, an epithet that could also be used of Charlie Cawood, whose Blurring Into Motion is a modern-day classic of composition and musicianship. And the final new Prog is the much-awaited seventh album from Thieves' Kitchen. Genius Loci explores the idea of the Spirit of Place in their inimitable jazz-laden progressive style, something they do to great effect, and Amy Darby's voice never fails to send shivers down my spine!

So, that's been September -  a busy time in all aspects of my musical world, but one that continues to give me life, hope and inspiration. The coming month offers much in the way of live music - with 2 festivals and other gigs I've got at least 26 bands in my diary between now and Armageddon - sorry, Brexit Day... (if it happens...)

August's Music

August, the height of summer in the UK, was a mixed kind of month for me. Much of it was taken up with settling into a new house and into retirement, but there was time for some music as well, so here goes a very brief summary...

Elsewhere I've written about three albums that came my way: "The Sky Has Fallen" by Apolis; "A Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" by Nova Cascade (a little early: not released until September 9th); and "Star Chamber" by Hollow Hand. I picked up the latter of the three at the Greenbelt Festival, where I had my only experience of live music during the month. All three were different in their own ways: shorter, poppy Prog; more ambient Progressive music; and some interesting, almost psychedelic, rock.

On the Psychedelic front I also picked up Rosalie Cunningham's new self-titled album, which picks up on the psych vibe of the Purson album which she fronted in 2016, and is an excellent addition to the collection. Alongside that was the new CD from iamthemorning, The Bell, which carried on their evocative canon with another fine example of keyboard virtuosity and breath-taking vocals.

I've just taken delivery of a cornucopia of delights from Bad Elephant Music, and am expecting some new jazz from Edition Records, which will, no doubt feature in next month's instalment. See you then, I hope!

Hollow Hand - Star Chamber

One of the joys of this time of year is that it is Festival season, and over the past six or seven years the Greenbelt Festival has featured in our calendar. Greenbelt is a creative gathering, which for the last 6 years has met at Boughton House in Northamptonshire, and although faith-based in its foundation it is not overtly so, and certainly not cloyingly so.  The programme is always varied, with speakers, actors, activists and musicians filling a variety of venues over the four days.

Whilst it is a time to catch up with old friends, and listen to nationally- and internationally-renowned acts, Greenbelt also offers opportunities to expand one's horizons - to try something new. This I did on the opening evening when I joined a select crowd for a 40-minute set by Brighton-based band Hollow Hand. I was drawn to them by the 'blurb' in the programme, which said that they "cite Syd Barrett and The Grateful Dead as influences, and conjure up a rural idyll accompanied by beautiful stories and sunny guitars. Lovers of Big Star and Super Furry Animals will find themselves resonating with their blissed-out, summery, ever-so-slightly-psychedelic sound." I was intrigued.

The set delivered what it promised: the cited influences were evident, and they even performed a cover of one of Syd Barrett's songs alongside their own material (can't remember which one, sadly...). For a three-piece band - guitars, bass & drums - the sound was solid and full, and there was plenty of musical dexterity on display. I was impressed enough to pick up a copy of their CD, Star Chamber, after the gig  and had a nice chat with their guitarist/ songwriter/ singer, Max Kinghorn-Mills.

Star Chamber is the second album by the band - though both seem to be more or less the work of Max on his own. The credits on Star Chamber include Atlas Shrugs on drums, and Pan Andrs on various keyboards and additional guitars. Their first album, 'Ancestral Lands', from 2015, is available as a digital download on Bandcamp, and alongside Star Chamber it offers a wonderful nostalgic feel bringing to my mind the music of The Kinks, The Grateful Dead and particularly the dreamy acoustic sound of early '70s Pink Floyd (Summer '68/ Granchester ... kind of thing)


Star Chamber opens with a track called Ancestral Lands, a reflective solo acoustic song, in contrast to One Good Turn which opens with the sound of children playing and is more of a full band song, electric, joyful and jangly with good strong vocal harmonies. Blackberry Wine  is up-beat, with a strong Kinks or Steve Harley feel to it. A World Outside ticks along nicely with some good chord progressions and a familiarity about it for a 'new' song, (Stealer's Wheel?...) and for me just a hint of Paul McCartney in the vocals at times. Milestone is kind of Syd Barrett meets The Killers, strong and metronomic throughout with an understated guitar solo towards the end (a bit more to the fore in the live setting). Side one (the album is also available on vinyl) ends with It's You, late-Beatles-like in its vibe and a mellow end to the first half of the album.

Two of Us opens side 2, and has a kind of Allman Brothers feel to start with before becoming more Kinks-y and Floyd-y and flowing into an eastern vibe. End of Everything, perhaps understandably, has a darker feel to it, played in a lower register and with brooding drums and eerie harmonies. Made Up My Mind is thoughtful, and almost reggae-like at the start and carries on with a laid-back vibe throughout. Avalon is in 3/4 and has a cheeky, playful air to it, acoustic in feel and a very pleasant song. Land of the Free is the album closer, the longest song in the collection, and another in triple time. It is an excellent, thoughtful song with many aspects to its structure that interplay wonderfully well together, and the length of the song gives time for these aspects to work their own particular spell. The long slow fade brings the album to a close and one is left uplifted yet chilled by the experience.

This is certainly a band that I will keep an eye on in the future, as a third album is on the horizon, and I encourage you to check them out if you haven't already.

Nova Cascade - A Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

In my review of Nova Cascade's debut album, Above All Else, I urged readers to buy a copy, to 'encourage the band to create and develop more ideas'. This, it seems has borne fruit, as the second album - 'A Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows' - is about to be released.

Like the debut, this is a collection of ambient Progressive music, around 36 minutes in length (some might say an EP rather than an album, these days...), and a mixture of vocal and instrumental songs. There are 9 tracks in all, all of which bar one are between two and four minutes in length - the exception being over 10 minutes: what we call 'an epic!' Four of the musicians from the first album: Dave Hilborne (vocals, synths & programming); Dave Fick (bass); Charlie Bramald (flute); and David Anania (drums) are joined by Eric Bouillette (violin & guitar). Charlie is, I believe, also responsible for the cover art, which is quite stunning and draws you in to this collection of fine music.

Anyone familiar with the band's first album - and if you're not, do yourself a favour and listen to it! - will know the kind of music that they produce, but this follow-up is definitely a progression for them: a more accomplished work, with songs that have been developed more and a much fuller sound.

The album opens with 'Unwavering', an instrumental track which builds layers of keyboards over strong but not intrusive guitar, strong bass and decorative drums, which then grows into strident and striking chords before the final brief fade: a strong start. 'Antillas' is a more thoughtful piece with a more percussive, 'plucked' feel, feeding into a central section of Dave H's restrained vocals (with more than a hint for me of Chris Isaak about them) and a smoother, quieter backing, before a return to the opening texture. 'Rabbit Hole' is a little more upbeat, but still with the restrained vocals that are, for me, a trademark of the band. 'Echo & Narcissus', the pre-release 'single', opens with a drum machine that immediately puts me in mind of early solo Phil Collins or Duke-era Genesis, a thought reinforced by the keyboard sounds later. The violin gives some depth to the sound that has a wonderful ethereal feel to it. 'Apophis' opens with a simple motif played concurrently on piano and wind, and flows into an instrumental piece that has a much more ambient feel to it than has so far been present.

'Plasticine & Paint' is the track on this album that is most reminiscent of the work on the debut in its overall feel and structure, and is also wonderfully evocative of childhood and innocence. 'Joseph', the next instrumental track, is quite 'jolly', but not in a supercilious way, with the violin dancing playfully at times: quite understated at times, but positive as well. And then comes the 'epic'! The title track, 'A Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows', twice the length of anything the band has done before, and drawing its inspiration from the urban dictionary of the same name by John Koenig, is for me the most accomplished song on the album. There's a wonderful contrast of tempos working together, with fast drums and slow keys & guitars overlapping. The song gives them time and space to develop ideas that I thought was lacking in the debut album - some tracks were just getting going when they finished. There are hints of Tangerine Dream in places for me, and even of Pink Floyd. In contrast to the epic, 'Thaw', the album closer, is the shortest song in the collection at just over 2 minutes, but it draws things to a close well - quiet, reflective, and atmospheric.

This album, if given the attention that it richly deserves, should increase Nova Cascade's reach into both the ambient & Progressive schools of music. There is definite and evident growth musically from their debut, and in such a short time too, and if that trajectory can be maintained we are certainly in line for more sublime music from the band. You can order a copy of the album here - I would strongly encourage you to do so!

Apolis - The Sun Has Fallen

When one mentions 'Progressive Rock', there are certain assumptions that many people make. One is that the genre is a particularly English phenomenon: most of the leading lights from the heyday of Prog were English, or at least British; another is that the songs will be at least 8 minutes long, and preferably 15 minutes-plus, and will be on some fantastic theme.

So when I was asked if I would listen to an album by a Greek band, my ears pricked up a little. I'm aware that Greek Prog has been around since at least the days of Aphrodite's Child, and that there are some excellent Greek bands out there at the moment - Verbal Delirium and Residuous Mentales are a couple that I have written about on this site - so my interest was piqued at the prospect of more. And then the album arrived. 15 tracks, a total playing time of around 50 minutes, and none of the songs were longer than 4:45.  Is this Prog, as we know it?, I found myself asking.

So I gave the album a listen.

The Sun Has Fallen is the work of Apolis, a three-piece band from Athens, who list their influences as including Socrates and Pink Floyd!: Tassos Loukos, vocals & guitar; Christos Kyrkilis, keyboards & piano; and Simos Melissourgos, bass & vocals. There are drums also on the album, but I'm not sure who plays them. The band have been together since 2008, but this is their first album, released in 2017. Well, I say first album: the band apparently were originally called 'The Sun Has Fallen' and released an album called 'Apolis' in 2008, but then changed their name and the name of the album accordingly! The cover art is simple yet effective, and reminded me of Utopia's album, 'Ra' a little.

The album opens with 'Intro', a simple instrumental lead into the songs with ringing arpeggio guitar into a crescendo of keys and swiftly segues into 'Solve Me'. This is a more driving, heavier song, with a powerful bluesy guitar riff that carries the song throughout, supported by a Hammond-esque keyboard, and a good rock-y guitar solo towards the end. My only gripe is that the vocal could be a little stronger. 'Misty Trips' is gentler, the vocals a little breathy, and the feel a little psychedelic, though the pace picks up as the song progresses as guitar and keys vie for dominance. 'The Yard of the Strangers' is the first, though not the last, song in 3/4, which gives it a different feel to the other songs so far. There is flute (or similar) throughout, and some simple but pleasant vocal harmonies in the chorus which gives a different feel to the tune. 'Just a Sweet Melody' has a slow funky vibe, with quiet, breathy vocals again that gives a laid-back feel enhanced by the guitar solo that comes in half-way through and again towards the end.

'Ariadnes's Thread' has a kind of Middle Eastern feel to it, and is slightly darker and more syncopated than hitherto, with a heavier, staccato edge with guitars and bass working well together. 'Evening Walk' is a gentle acoustic guitar song that grows with the addition of keys, drums and bass, and is the second song in 3/4 time. There is some oboe & xylophone sounds at times which gives an interesting colour to the song. 'Ridin' in The Night' is a longer instrumental track and for me one of the stand-out tracks on the album. A quieter tune, with funky, phased guitar & keys and some simple wordless vocalising. For me it had clear 70s blues-funk feel to it, almost Isaac Hayes-y at times, with some great screaming Hammond and driving bass towards the fade-out at the end. 'Inside War' opens with lyrical piano, and with the vocals comes some excellent fretless bass. And that's all that this song has - no guitars, no drums: just piano, fretless and voice, and that gives it an increased melancholia that is quite staggering at times.

'Face Your Idols' has fast arpeggio guitars in contrast to the last song, and almost military snare drums, then some more ponderous vocals. But the song changes its dynamic in places, and even its signature in the final section moving from 8/8 to 3/4. 'Bring Me Home' has some dominant bass and vocals that are almost rap-like in their attitude and style, though quite ponderous in their delivery at times (in a good way). Acoustic & electric guitars tootle alongside an almost Latin feel at times, and they then go into a radio fade to a quieter acoustic guitar to finish.. 'Waltz Of Fear' is, unsurprisingly, also in 3/4 time (!), and surprises with Oboe again and even accordion and upright bass, which give the song a distinctly "wooden", homely, almost Parisian feel to it. 'Apolis' is, I suppose, the band's theme song: a steady, ponderous tune with phased guitars & keys giving it a kind of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter' vibe musically combined with an almost Steven Wilson vocal edge. 'Outro' is just a solo plucked electric guitar and some quiet vocals that ends with 19 seconds of silence. And then, almost as a after-thought, or perhaps a coda, is 'Childhood', the final instrumental piece in this collection, a pleasant work of solo acoustic guitar that draws the album to a thoughtful and fitting conclusion.

So, is it Prog? And, in the end, does it matter? It is, I believe, a collection of interesting, stimulating, entertaining music, that touches on rock, blues, funk and ethnic European music, drawing it all together in a magical musical melting pot. This is an album that has grown on me with every listen, and I invite you to join me in discovering its many delights. With Apolis, Greece continues to give us some excellent contemporary music at the Progressive end of the spectrum, and long may it do so!