UK group Solstice are set to release their 8th studio album, Clann, next Friday, April 4th, 2025 through specialist US label Progrock.com Essentials.
To celebrate the album’s forthcoming release, the band have shared the video for the track “Life.” You can watch the video here:
“As an album title, ‘Clann’ acknowledges the strong sense of family both within the band and among our supporters. As for the song ‘Life’, it’s the recognition of those bonds as they grow and make whatever time we have left together the greatest gift of all” – Andy Glass
Recorded both in a variety of recording studios and by individual band members at home, Clann includes a first in the band’s career with the track Plunk which features a brass section recorded at the beautiful Grand Chapel Studio in Toddington, Bedfordshire. Glass admits that “there might be a bit of a Big Big Train influence there somewhere!”
Clann manages to cover a great deal of musical ground in its nearly 40-minute running time. Firefly opens up proceedings and will be familiar to many already through its airing at numerous gigs and its inclusion on both the band’s Live At The Stables and Return To Cropredy releases. Its pulse-pumping energy, hard-edged yet infectious grooves, whirling bursts of synth and violin and its glorious guitar solo lift the spirit and sweep us into Solstice’s mesmerizing world. Elsewhere Life delivers smooth, soulful, modern pop with an elegant dance-friendly heart and Plunk is taut swaggering funk in 7/8 with brass stabs and a left-field, gritty guitar solo. Frippa is built on an urgent, bluesy Crimson-esque riff in 5 and spotlights organ, violin and even more incendiary guitar. Final track, the 14-minute Twin Peaks, in some ways harks back to what prog polymath and longtime Solstice fan Steven Wilson once described as the band’s “spacey and spacious” early material – it’s gentle, reflective and airy with pastoral, folky strains, yet builds into a soaring expression of rapturous celebration and spiritual freedom.
Lyrically, the album continues established Solstice themes of love, joy, peace, harmony and acceptance, yet Clann admits that not everything in the garden is always rosy. Although longing for some ultimate redemption, both Plunk and Frippa feature a level of reproach for unidentified liars and cheats with Plunk even exercising some wry schadenfreude at the downfall of the song’s antagonist.
‘New album Clann is the third and final chapter of what has become known as the Sia Trilogy which began in 2020 with the band’s current revitalized lineup. These three albums spread love, joy and good vibes throughout every cell of their listener’s bodies.’ – Sonic Persepctives
Clann Track List 1.Firefly 2.Life 3.Plunk 4.Frippa 5.Twin Peaks
All songs written by Andy Glass
Solstice line-up Andy Glass – Guitars, backing vocals Jenny Newman – Violin Pete Hemsley – Drums Jess Holland – Lead vocals Robin Phillips – Bass Steven McDaniel – Keyboards Ebony Buckle – Backing vocals Dyane Crutcher – Backing vocals
Voted Best Band in Prog magazine’s latest annual Reader’s Poll, and arriving on an exuberant wave of positivity created by previous albums Sia (2020) and Light Up (2022), both widely acclaimed within the prog community and beyond, Clann completes the most recent phase of Solstice’s 40-plus year career. As band founder, composer, and guitarist (winner of Prog magazine’s most recent Best Guitarist Prog Award) Andy Glass explains, “[Sia] made me realize the potential and by the time we were working on Light Up the whole band had raised its game. I believed then that a trilogy of albums was what it would take to create our best work and track that journey. Clann is the final album in the Sia Trilogy and it’s everything I’d hoped it would be. Let’s hope the universe likes it too.”
Few albums in Gong’s discography capture the band’s whimsical, irreverent take on life’s complexities and the enigma of death as vividly as 2014’s I See You. Now, the legendary psychedelic collective mark a decade since the release with a brand-new 10th Anniversary Edition on Kscope. Set for release on Kscope on May 9th, the new edition has been remixed from the original multi-track recordings by Frank Byng, producer and sound engineer of the last four Gong albums.
“A triumph of creativity, imagination, and spirit.” – Classic Rock Magazine
This milestone reissue celebrates not only the existential beauty of Gong’s music, but also the enduring legacy of frontman and visionary Daevid Allen, whose boundless creativity continues to resonate with fans worldwide. I See You was the final studio album featuring Daevid Allen before his passing in 2015 and stands as a testament to his vibrant spirit and revolutionary ethos. Infused with the anarchic energy that defined Gong’s origins in the 1968 Paris counterculture movement, I See You takes its place as one of the finest gems in the band’s heroic catalogue.
“As impish and perverse as ever” – Uncut
“Daevid Allen’s final album, I See You is such a transitional Gong record in so many ways, not that any of us realised it at the time. Work on the album had just commenced around the time I was asked to join and Daevid was in fine health but by the time we were at the mixing stage he was undergoing intense treatment for his cancer which would ultimately prove unsuccessful. As you can imagine, the record was completed under extremely fraught circumstances, very different to the upbeat way it started. Getting it over the line was not an especially joyful process. Decisions needed to be made under a great deal of pressure and, with emotions running high, they weren’t always the right ones. Nonetheless, I’m so happy Daevid got to hear it completed, that he loved it and that we got to put it out into the world.
When, during his final months, Daevid expressed his desire for the band he had assembled to continue without him we felt pretty uncertain about the prospect. Yet here we are after ten years of constant touring, three studio albums (with a fourth on the way) and a double live album later, looking back at the record which launched the current incarnation of this wonderful mythology.
Hearing Frank Byng’s remarkable new mix, thankfully completed without time constraints, has brought an increased sonic clarity which accentuates the eccentric psychedelic majesty of the original release. I was moved to tears hearing it. For me, this is the definitive version of I See You, the record I always hoped it would be.” – Kavus Torabi
For I See You, Allen was joined by his son Orlando Allen on drums, and members of the current lineup: guitarist and frontman Kavus Torabi (formerly of Cardiacs), horn player Ian East, Dave Sturt (the sonic manipulator) on bass, and the Brazilian Fabio Golfetti, weaving his own lysergic patterns on guitar. The result is an impressive, multi-layered and irrepressible world, populated with a series of dazzling musical gems – melodically rich, lyrically engaging and musically refreshed.
“It’s extraordinary that Allen’s work continues to be so… extraordinary” –Record Collector
Gong continues to carry the torch ignited by Daevid Allen with a tour of the UK and North America planned for Summer 2025 – MAY 21 – York, UK – The Crescent 22 – Huddersfield, UK – The Parish 23 – Allendale, UK – Allendale Village Hall 25 – Liverpool, UK – Outer Waves Festival (Invisible Wind Factory)
JUNE 06 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister 07 – Colorado Springs, CO – Lulu’s Downtown 08 – Denver, CO – The Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room 11 – Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club 13 – Yakima, WA – Bearded Monkey Music 14 – Seattle, WA – Rainier Arts Centre (Cascadence Festival) 15 – Portland, OR – McMenamins White Eagle Saloon 16 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall 18 – Redding, CA – The Dip 19 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall 21 – Studio City, CA – The Baked Potato 22 – Studio City, CA – The Baked Potato 23 – Costa Mesa, CA – The Wayfarer 25 – San Marcos, CA – The Bornemann Theatre 26 – Phoenix, AZ 27 – Tucson, AZ 28 – Flagstaff, AZ – The Orpheum Theatre
AUGUST 29 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Psych Festival 30 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Psych Festival
With members from bands like Krokofant, Red Kite, WIZRD, Grand General and more, Soft Ffog returns with their 2nd album “Focus” on May the 2nd. But those curious to hear what the band has in store for them need wait no longer, because today “Oh Jimi”, has been released as a single, which can be streamed or downloaded from various services at
Oh Jimi starts of with a heavy riff, then transitions into a train ride to Bluesville, the guitar solo part is probably the only place the «Jimi» reference is detectable, the blues’esque solo rounds up with another heavy riff, spaced out with echo laden Rhodes solo glazed in acid.
The song concludes with doom riff that’s falling apart as it goes, just as a reminder that the end is nye. (PS. End og the song, not the world)
Regarding the new album “Focus”, it’s more progrock than ever – The Soft is Ffoggier and the Ffog is softer. Highly influenced by 70s underground heroes like Camel and Focus, sprinkled with that old jazz dust, this new record should satisfy all you 70s nostalgics with a jazz tickle out there!
The combined members of Soft Ffog have probably played with everyone in the Norwegian jazz scene, but here they do their own thing. All songs are composed by Tom Hasslan, and the band is playing his compositions like there’s no tomorrow. But then again, there will probably be a tomorrow, and then you buy the record, and «YoU Will Be happy»!!
Line-up: – Tom “Zappa-finger” Hasslan on the guitars – Axel “Pheel the Collin’s” Skalstad on the buckets – Trond “Geezer Jeezuz” Frønes on the bass – Vegard “Wake(up the)man” Lien Bjerkan on all the keyboards in the world
Focus was recorded by Christian Engfelt at Studio Paradiso. Produced by Tom Hasslan/Soft Ffog and Christian Engfelt, and mastered by Espen Høydalsvik at OSLO:Fuzz. With cover art by Einar Evju, layout and logo by Tom Korsvold, the track listing for the album is as follows:
SOFT FFOG’s genesis in 2016 was somewhat unusual in that it came about as a one-off gig commissioned by the Kongsberg Jazz Festival. Despite the success of this event, the band did not get the momentum it needed to be a proper working entity, and, combined with the busy schedules of the respective musicians, each with their other bands and projects, SOFT FFOG only played gigs every now and then. Playing live, did however, help to define and refine the band’s sound, so much so, infact, that founder Tom Hasslan decided that 2020 was the right time for SOFT FFOG to record their first album. Now, the band is well established, and the band will be seen at different venues in the months following the release of “Focus”.
Now available to pre-save on Spotify and pre-order exclusively on Bandcamp
Originally released in 2015, D A R K B L U E now marks its 10th anniversary with a special edition reissue. This deeply conceptual album intricately weaves a surrealist, self-penned narrative of exile, self-isolation, and love. Through its evocative soundscapes and haunting melodies, it guides listeners on an introspective journey into profound and mysterious emotional depths.
The anniversary edition of D A R K B L U E explores new artistic dimensions through a collaboration with Antwerp-based Greek graphic artist Fiobos Gkoubras. In a unique creative process, Fiobos will produce real-time chalk artworks as his immediate emotional response to the music and lyrics—without any prior exposure. These raw, unfiltered visual interpretations will be filmed and released monthly, starting March 20, 2025, leading up to the album’s reissue on Melodic Revolution Records on April 18, 2025.
D A R K B L U ETrack-list: 1. Black 04:40 2. Full Body Access 04:15 3. Sand Horizon 04:50 4. Imperial 05:34 5. Crossbreed 03:17 6. Sniper 03:51 7. Epitaph 08:06 8. Happy With The Future 06:12
Total Running Time: 41 Minutes
D A R K B L U ESessions Hamlet on Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, Sampling and Programming. Rachel Bauer as a Singer & Narrator. Music, Lyrics: and Concept by Hamlet
Additional Production info; Artwork and Photography by Hamlet, Jess Telmatt and Rachel Bauer Music, Lyrics, and Concept by Hamlet Recorded in 2014 in Leuven, Belgium Sound Production, Engineering, Mixing and Mastering by Hamlet
After each song’s release, the band’s blog will feature weekly updates with additional graphic and poetic reflections, offering a deeper exploration of the album’s themes. This ongoing project delves into the psychological depths of the music and may even evolve into live performances incorporating graphic art.
Graphic Artist Fiobos Gkoubras to Create Real-Time Visual Interpretations for Each Track of Transport Aerian’s D A R K B L U E Anniversary Edition Reissue
About the Videos Graphic artist Fiobos Gkoubras will create visual interpretations of D A R K B L U E upon hearing each song for the first time.
With no prior exposure, Fiobos will capture his immediate emotional response through real-time chalk artworks, translating the music and lyrics into raw, expressive visuals. These live drawing sessions will be filmed and released monthly, accompanied by additional content that delves into the creative process and the unique synergy between sound and visual art.
Be one of the first few to pre-order D A R K B L U EAnniversary Edition on Bandcamp and receive a free digital album of Live in Ghent, this offer is limited.
About Transport Aerian Transport Aerian is a progressive-oriented project led by a producer and multi-instrumentalist Hamlet. It sets no strict genre borders, knows no musical or spiritual limits. At different times, the project had been working with different musicians, always changing and shifting its live and studio experiences depending on what the current creative state demands, performing drastically different kinds of music, yet always staying in the shape of the poetic, sharp-edged artistic kind. The project’s philosophy is closest to those, calling themselves expressionists in poetry and fine arts, therefore, the inner side of the emotional expression is what intends to bring through the project’s music to whoever is willing to hear the word said.
D A R K B L U E by Transport Aerian will likely appeal to fans of bands that blend dark, atmospheric, and avant-garde elements with progressive rock and alternative influences. Listeners who enjoy the Riverside, Tool, Gazpacho, King Crimson, Hawkwind, The Residents and, Captain Beefheart may find Dark Blue intriguing.
Following unwavering support after a life-changing event in May 2022, the Captain felt it was time to give back—offering fans and devoted supporters a fresh listening experience with brand-new tracks.
Starting in May 2024, a series of monthly releases began with Circles, A New Day, and Rainy Day Confession, followed by Ashes to Ashes (a reimagining of David Bowie’s classic), Limbo Dance, and No Protocol.
On March 21, 2025, the full Rainy Day Confessions album will be released digitally, featuring nine tracks plus three bonus songs: Beggars in the Shadows, Muhammad Ali in His Heyday, and a heartfelt reimagining of Angel by Sarah McLachlan.
This stripped-back, primarily acoustic album—crafted during the quiet, reflective evenings of an English winter—will be available on a “pay as you feel” basis, serving as a companion piece to the Captain’s most recent release, Beautiful Ugly.
Track list 1. Rainy Day Confession 04:48 2. Ashes To Ashes 04:52 3. Circles 03:47 4. Limbo Dance 03:43 5. No Protocol 04:10 6. Beggers in the Shadows 04:14 7. Angel 05:06 8. Muhammad Ali In His Heyday 03:48 9. A New Day 05:16
Rainy Day Confession Sessions Captain on Vocals and Bouzouki Carl Stipetic on Piano, Keys, Bass Wendy Ross on Violin
Additional Information
Produced by Captain Of The Lost Waves (Shaun T Hunter) Mastered by Mark Tucker mark.tucker@themarktucker.com
All Music and Lyrics composed by Captain apart from tracks 2,7
Track 2 Music and Lyrics composed by David Bowie Track 7 Music and Lyrics composed by Sarah McLachlan
The final single, Beggars in the Shadows, from the new album Rainy Day Confessions, was released on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
Watch the video here!
he Captain made his return in March 2024 nearly two years after a life changing road traffic accident where both he and his family were caught up in a police car chase resulting in being hit by the stolen vehicle. During the challenges of such a stark rehabilitation, music was miraculously still being created, albeit in a very slow, laboured and somewhat sedate ‘late night fashion’. Where strong painkillers/opioids became ‘married’ to those rare and fleeting moments of energetic impulses that screamed out to be expressed – hence a reflective, healing, contemplative album emerged.
The Captain has been described as an ethereal troubadour, a profound storyteller, music philosopher, poet, bard and eccentric free thinking renegade. His musical offerings are inspired by the great songwriters and philosophers of yesteryear.
All is in reverence of the song here, the art is always greater than the artist. Whilst the live performance and repertoire is designed to instigate and infiltrate the unknown depths of the listener, raising more questions than answers, both artistically and philosophically. Fronting his compositions with a haunting, range shifting vocal capable of high tremulous falsettos and deep baritone timbres, all expressed primarily on the Bouzouki though flanked by much use of the mandolin, guitar and ukulele.
This is visceral music for the mind and body, full of dreamy verses, life affirming choruses and sheer audacity. Where melodic artistic invention meets in a melting pot of alternative folk, progressive, classical world, baroque chamber orchestral pop and ambient soundscapes.
Previously signed to Voiceprint under his natural guise Shaun T Hunter and Quiet Rebellion, he released three critically acclaimed albums, two of which were Borders Book Store’s album of the month. Off the back of this he carried out a residency at the famous 12 Bar Club, London. He was also voted Acoustic Roots’ performer of the year at the Leeds Independent Music Awards in 2005. He was also voted outstanding songwriter of the year from the Yorkshire Gig Guide Awards 2017.
Making music is a communion to the Captain, and much of his work has taken place in a music therapy guise. Playing in secure units, prisons, mental health units and hospitals. The connection is always about the most authentic exchanges between an artist and his audience, based on a shared humanity.
The Captain was chosen by English Folk Expo as just one of 12 English artists to represent team England in the inaugural Global Music Match 2020, an exercise where 96 artists from 14 countries were featured worldwide.
‘Sometimes something comes along that is so completely extraordinary that you just go yep, the Captain is a superstar, truly cinemascopic and epic’ Tom Robinson, BBC6 Music
‘The Captain is a man born out of his time. Had this music been released in the mid to late 70s he would have rightfully taken his place among those we now regard as Rock Gods. This is highly innovative yet accessible music, hugely quirky, with moments of sing along amid the extremely fine instrumentation and arrangement’.
FATEA review of Mysterium Tremendum
‘This artist is a one-off, but maybe consider as a prototype for his idiosyncrasy Zappa, Beefheart or the sensational Alex Harvey Band. A unique showman with a unique artistic vision.’ *****COLIN BAILEY RnR Magazine
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