GENTLEMAN BASTARDS – IN THE MIDDLE EIGHT – THE HIGHLANDER COMPANY RECORDS
Bassist/songwriter/producer Bob Madsen (41Point9 etc.) was wondering what would happen if you attempted to mix Disturbed with Level 42 style bass with vocals, so brought together some friends to attempt to make that a reality. Here he has been joined by guitarists...
JELENA JOVOVIĆ – HEARTBEAT – INDEPENDENT
Jelena is a jazz singer from Serbia, who since 2002 has been a full-time lecturer at the music school ‘’ Kornelije Stankovic’’ in Belgrade. She has studied in Austria and was a lecturer at music colleges in Cape Town where she lived for four years, so she has quite a...
JUKKA IISAKKILA – CLOCKS AND CLOUDS – ECLIPSE MUSIC
If you were to search for Jukka on Google you will discover that he is he’s best known as a conductor of symphony orchestras, as well as working on crossover productions with many artists, including pop band Goldfrappe as well as guitar hero Steve Vai. However, this...
LITTLE SPARROW – WISHING TREE – INDEPENDENT
When it comes to music I have been fortunate to hear this year, then I will think of 2019 as the year of the ladies. Thanks to the wonderful Elfin Bow I have been introduced to some amazing singers from the UK scene I would never have found on my own from the other...
LOONYPARK – PERPETUAL – LYNX MUSIC
Loonypark has long been one of my favorite Polish progressive rock bands, and one with an incredibly stable line-up. This 2016 release was their fourth album, and apart from the replacement of drummer Jakub Grzeslo after 2008’s debut, ‘Egoist’, it was the same as it...
MARK WINGFIELD & GARY HUSBAND – TOR & VALE – MOONJUNE RECORDS
Even before I started listening to this album, the omens were good. Firstly, the two improvisers recorded it in its entirety on my birthday, and then we have the title. For non-Brits, tor is a hill or rocky outcrop, while a vale is a valley, so they co-exist side by...
KAPREKAR’S CONSTANT – – ALL YOU WISH YOURSELF – TALKING ELEPHANT
Here we have a two-track digital single from one of the best new prog bands around, Kaprekar’s Constant, with all proceeds going to the charity Crisis. While the title cut is a new song, the second “Call It A Memory” was their debut single back in 2017. Their mix of...
POTTER’S DAUGHTER – THIS WINTER’S CHILD – MELODIC REVOLUTION
This 4:34 long song has also been featured on Melodic Revolution’s end of year giveaway for those helping others less fortunate than themselves but is now also available as a single. Progressive and folky, this is all about having Dyanne’s vocals front and center with...
OPERATION: PAPERCLIP – THE RETURN OF THE STANISLAUS COUNTY KID – HIGHLANDER
Here we have the debut release by Operation: Paperclip, another project put together by Bob Madsen (he has a few on the go at the moment, check out https://www.thehighlanderco.com for more information) along with keyboard player/singer Tony Carey (although...
AGNOSTIC FRONT – GET LOUD! – NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS
Any fan of Agnostic Front will look at the front cover of ‘Get Loud!’ and immediately recognize the characters from their 1986 classic ‘Cause For Alarm’, and have an idea of what they are going to find inside. But when a band has been at the forefront of a musical...