It may have taken six years, but Tumbletown are back with their third album. It is the same line-up as previously, so we have Aldo Adema (guitar, bass, keyboards) who I will always think of as being part of Egdon Heath, Han Uil (lead & backing vocals, keyboards, harmonica) who was with Also in Seven Day Hunt, Erik Laan (piano, organ, keyboards, backing vocals) from the wonderful Silhouette while the drums are provided again by Arjan Laan.
This album has been out just over a year, yet there is not a single review on ProgArchives which is something of a shame as in many ways this is an improvement on the last one. Back then I was not a fan of the vocals or the way the lyrics scanned, but it is much better this time and is often now a benefit as opposed to a distraction, although it must be said they come across better when the band is moving rapidly as opposed to ballads. Erik has a much higher profile on this release, often providing multiple layers at the same time and the end result is something which has more breadth and depth than I expected. I was not sure about reviewing this, given my last experience, but whereas I felt the last album was a 6/10 there is no doubt this is much more of a 7. It is solid crossover, but there are enough guitars to provide some nice edge which means there are times when they almost move into Neo, but not quite. This makes it far more palatable and anyone into the Nineties prog scene may well find much in here to enjoy. 7/10 Kev Rowland
For fairly obvious reasons, the first two paragraphs of this review are the same as for another Echolyn release, but it does change from there on, honest! In March 2025 Echolyn released (or releases, depending when you read this) two new albums on the same day, this one, and the companion album, ‘Time Silent Radio vii’. This contains just two long tracks while the other contains seven shorter ones, and the band have also made available artwork which combines both releases so if one wishes to keep them listed as one double album then it is easy to do so. I first came across Echolyn many years ago when they released their third album, ‘As The World’ in 1995. This was their first (and last) release to a major label as they were signed to Sony for a period, but after more than 250 live shows, three full length albums and one EP the band broke up.
The band have reformed and gone on hiatus a few times since then, but the first reformation in 2000 saw founders Brett Kull, Christopher Buzby and Ray Weston get back together, this time with drummers Jordan Perlson and Paul Ramsey. There have been five albums since 2000, with slight changes in line-up, but Brett, Chris and Ray have been the constants and now they are back with their first releases since 2015’s ‘I Heard You Were Listening’, since when there has been another line-up change with Brett Kull (guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals), Ray Weston (lead vocals, bass, backing vocals), Chris Buzby (keyboards, backing vocals) welcoming back Jordan Perlson (drums & percussion, backing vocals).
The two songs are “Time Has No Place” (16:37), which is broken into four parts, and “Water in Our Hands, Pts. 1-4” (28:51). Playing this album straight after the other one it is interesting to see the similarities and also the differences, as the pop mentalities are again prevalent (The Beatles being an obvious influence), but there is also the impression that the guys are more relaxed. There is a famous quote from Blaise Pascal (often wrongly attributed to Twain and others), “I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.” Here they have been able to expand on ideas which would have necessarily needed to be curtailed if they were going to reduce the length, but at the same time they have not extended songs needlessly. There are plenty of bands out there who could do with some judicious editing on some of their releases, The Flower Kings spring to mind, yet here there is a relevance and continuity which takes the listener along for the journey.
All the styles we hear on ‘Time Silent Radio vii’ are again present but somehow are just “more”. It makes it very difficult indeed to pick a favourite of the two as they are so close yet also separate, and I can certainly understand why the band made the sensible decision to make them available as separate albums as opposed to one lengthy one. Personally, whichever of the two I am listening to is my favourite, with its combination of wonderful musicianship, vocals and melodies, so currently it is this one but at the back of my head is the niggle that I really enjoyed the other one as well. The only solution for progheads is to investigate both: you will not be disappointed.
For fairly obvious reasons, the first two paragraphs of this review are the same as for another Echolyn release, but it does change from there on, honest! In March 2025 Echolyn released (or releases, depending when you read this) two new albums on the same day, this one, and the companion album, ‘Time Silent Radio II’. That contains just two long tracks while this contains seven shorter ones, and the band have also made available artwork which combines both releases so if one wishes to keep them listed as one double album then it is easy to do so. I first came across Echolyn many years ago when they released their third album, ‘As The World’ in 1995. This was their first (and last) release to a major label as they were signed to Sony for a period, but after more than 250 live shows, three full length albums and one EP the band broke up.
The band have reformed and gone on hiatus a few times since then, but the first reformation in 2000 saw founders Brett Kull, Christopher Buzby and Ray Weston get back together, this time with drummers Jordan Perlson and Paul Ramsey. There have been five albums since 2000, with slight changes in line-up, but Brett, Chris and Ray have been the constants and now they are back with their first releases since 2015’s ‘I Heard You Were Listening’, since when there has been another line-up change with Brett Kull (guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals), Ray Weston (lead vocals, bass, backing vocals), Chris Buzby (keyboards, backing vocals) welcoming back Jordan Perlson (drums & percussion, backing vocals).
When I reviewed ‘As The World’ some 30 years ago, I noted it had been licensed to Cyclops Records in the UK, and although at the time no-one else had reviewed it, it was already the label’s biggest seller (this is pre-internet remember, when everything was word of mouth and fanzines). I ended the review by saying Echolyn were a superb band, and it was a brilliant album, and I am glad to say that all these years later I am still saying the same thing. The longest song on this album is 8:29, and the guys have concentrated on melody which moves them more into crossover than symphonic, with vocals front and centre and a heavy usage of harmonies. There are times when I am reminded of classic ELO, and in an ideal world the lush “Cul-de-Sacs and Tunnels” would be a hit single. There is so much to love here from fretless bass to toms in the background, stunning vocals, the underlying piano holding it all together, the guitar providing just the right amount of cut through, the large number of hooks and singalong quality and the way they drop in different sounds and styles at just the right point. It may be less than eight minutes long, but it feels like a pop epic.
By deliberately restricting themselves to shorter lengths (“Silent Years” is only 4:31) they have concentrated on melody, and have somehow crammed a great deal into the arrangements without them ever feeling cluttered and over the top as somehow there is still plenty of space and freshness which makes the listener wanting to come back for more. This album has reminded me of why I loved them so much back in the day, and one can only hope they don’t take nine years to release the next album, although it could be argued I am being greedy as there is already another new one to listen to, but hey, if you don’t ask you don’t get! They may be an “old” band who predate the resurgence in progressive rock, but this album is exciting and vital, with nods to AOR and pop but always with prog at its heart and soul and is a delight from beginning to end.
This is somewhat unusual for a live album in that while it is being released in February 2025, it was only recorded on December 14th, 2024, at the “Antonio Di Iorio” Theater in Atessa. This means there has been no attempt to “clean up” the recording by fixing any bum notes which is to be admired, but there is no doubt there are a few times over the 97 minutes when I think it might have been an idea to clean up a few of the vocals which just miss the mark. What we have here is the same line-up which recorded the 2023 release, ‘MMXX’, and it is probably no surprise that they play the whole of that album given it is the only one this line-up have been involved with, and they bookend the concert with the opening and closing tracks so we start with a song which is more than 23 minutes in length and end with one which is nearly nine, with the other 12 all being somewhat shorter.
Ifsounds have a long history, releasing their debut more than 20 years ago and their first four albums were released under the name If, including 2008’s ‘Morpho Nestira’ which was the first time I came across them. They have had quite a few line-up changes, with only Runal (lead vocals), Dario Lastella (guitar, vocals) and Lino Mesina (drums) still members of the line-up which recorded 2018’s ‘An Gorta Mór’, as well as musical changes, and here they are showing off the depth of their catalogue by including two songs from their early days as If, with the songs being sometimes performed in English and sometimes in Italian.
I must praise the booklet as not only are there some nice photos but there is information provided in both Italian and English, as well as lyrics which is somewhat unusual in live releases. Obviously, if one is going to see a band in concert it is normally because one is aware of the material, and there will be certain songs one would like to hear. Also, a band will generally favour their latest album (unless they have so many popular songs it would be difficult to leave them out of a set). However, what I found with this release is that while it will undoubtedly be of great interest to their fans who have stayed with them over the years, to the average listener there is too much variety and change and I found there were certain songs which made no sense to me in the overall context. There is no doubt that opener ‘MMXX’ is a triumph, while “Stendhal Syndrome” is a nice belter which shows the band in a much rockier and different light to the more RPI approach at other times. But I found working through the album quite disjointed, with the sum of the parts feeling less than the parts themselves.
I have never been worried about bands singing in different languages so the changing between Italian and English is not a concern, it is more the changing in styles. Given the individual songs are often very good indeed, I am sure this is much more down to personal taste than any fault with the band and there will be a great many who will be delighted to have this available. However, I suggest listen before purchase.
In 2022, the Captain released his fourth album, the absolutely amazing ‘Hidden Gems Chapter 3 – Mysterium Tremendum’ which I gave maximum marks to and declared it to be a “review killer” in that once it hit my player, I was unable to listen to anything else, greatly reducing my output for a time. It has taken longer than expected for Shaun to come back with his next album, because he and his family were the innocent victims of a road traffic accident where someone fleeing police drove into their car. It has taken eighteen very long months for everyone to work through the physical and mental injuries, which also had a huge impact on them in other ways, as Shaun is a working musician as opposed to someone doing this as a hobby. Through these terrible times, the Captain still had the need to create music, albeit in a very slow, labored, and somewhat sedate ‘late-night fashion’. Musically this is a very different release to what we have come to expect from him, far more thoughtful and reflective, with less energy, but more power and emotion. He provides vocals, bouzouki, mandolin and guitar, and here he has been joined by Damian Clark (keyboards, synthesizers, sound design) and Wendy Ross (violins). We find the Captain taking his alternative folk roots, with all songs having his acoustic instrumentation at the base, and then lifting them into something quite different which brings in both progressive and ambient styling. What is so hugely impressive with this release is the sheer presence of the man, he has created a swirling soundscape where he is at the very center, somehow imbuing a sense of being and self into a world here that presence is often fleeting and passing. He is rooted, and the music is at times ethereal and magical, a gossamer web of strands being brought together in an incredible manner. At any time, this would be a remarkable release, but knowing what he was going through makes this truly something incredible and essential. The way he moves his vocals into clear falsetto is like no-one else I know, and there is clear direction and purpose, a single-minded laser vision of taking us on a journey, to where we know not. Since I first came across COTLW and ‘Hidden Gems Chapter 1’ in 2016 I have loved all his works, and is someone unique in the current scene, quite unlike anyone else around, yet at the same time he is wonderfully approachable and everyone I have played his music to wonders where he has been all their lives and why they have not previously come across the artist. In this plastic, disposable, transient and permanently connected artificial world the reason is simple, Captain of the Lost Waves is a man out of time. His music is rich, thoughtful, deliberate and designed to last for eons. Like rich swamp kauri it is full of depth and passion, something which people want to touch and cherish, and hold close to their hearts. A remarkable person has released a remarkable album, and the only reason I give this 10/10 is that mathematically I can’t give it anymore. Incredible. Kev Rowland
There are very few bands who have impacted the progressive scene like (The) Soft Machine, who are still enthralling and challenging audiences more than 50 years since their debut. Over the years they have had numerous incredible musicians through their ranks, with multiple different line-ups, and while there will always be some disagreement about which was the best, there is no doubt that the tenth version of the band can lay claim to that accolade. While Lyn Dobson was with the band just long enough to record one track on ‘Third’, it was the remaining quartet of Elton Dean (alto sax, saxello, Hohner pianet), Hugh Hopper (bass), Mike Ratledge (Hohner pianet, Lowrey Holiday Deluxe organ, Fender Rhodes) and Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals) who completed that seminal work and then went on to record ‘Fourth’.
In February 1971, Soft Machine performed two concerts at the Henie Onstad Art Center near Oslo, Norway, as part of an art exhibition by the Boyle family, with Mark Boyle’s films projected during the performances. Mark Boyle, with his partner Joan Hills and their Sensual Laboratory light show, had accompanied Soft Machine on many of theirs gigs in the band’s early years, and this was a reunion of sorts. The set came mostly from ‘Third’ and the newly-released ‘Fourth’, with a few extras—“Neo-Caliban Grides,” soon to appear on Elton Dean’s self-titled solo album; ‘All White’, the only new composition in the set (and the only one to utilize Ratledge’s newly-acquired Fender Rhodes piano); and “Pigling Bland,” which, despite appearing alongside “All White” on 1972’s ‘Fifth’, actually dated back to 1969, having been written as a new ending for the septet arrangement of “Esther’s Nose Job.” Both nights were recorded by Meny Bloch with a tape machine connected to the mixing desk, but it was some years before they were made available, with Michael King releasing the second night as ‘Live At Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971’ in 2009. That has long been unavailable, while the first night has not previously been available at all, but that has now changed.
Ian Beabout was given the job of mixing and mastering the tapes, and an amazing job he has done. The best way to listen to this is on headphones, and when one really has the time to do just that, as this release is nearly three hours long, broken into four sets of continuous music. There are long periods where Wyatt shows incredible restraint and control by not playing at all, leaving it to the musicians in front of him to bounce ideas off each other. There is no doubt that the best way to appreciate The Softs is in a live environment, and thanks to Cuneiform we now have the opportunity to revisit four musicians at the height of their powers, and from their performance no-one would believe that in a few short months after this recording that this line-up would be no more with the departure of founder Wyatt.
It is arguable that the second night has more of a togetherness about it, but one would expect that given they had played in the same venue the previous night so were able to get back into the connections more easily, but all four discs show a band very much at the height of their powers. This is Canterbury progressive rock at its very finest, and Cuneiform have provided a lot of information and photos in the booklet, telling the story of the nights and how the recordings were rediscovered. The result is something which is absolutely indispensable to anyone who enjoys this style of music, as Ratledge and Dean combine to create interweaving melodies which bounce off each other, Hopper does much more than “just” play bass as he provides incredible foundations and groove and then at the back is one of the more under-rated drummers from the scene who was then in the prime of his health.
Here we have a wonderful set showing just why Soft Machine have had such a major influence on so many others and why they continue to be an important force in the present day, even if the current line-up has no-one in common with the one from 1971. According to ProgArchives, the most highly rated album by the band is ‘Third’ (and rightly so), and here we have that line-up doing what they did best, performing incredible music in front of an appreciative audience. Now we are able to experience it for ourselves. 10/10 Kev Rowland
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