Welcome to this week's Tracks Of The Week. Seven brand-new and diverse slices of progressively inclined music for you to enjoy.
A big well done to Thumpermonkey's Michael Woodman, whose new solo single Lychgate romped home in last week's TOTW, ahead of Magic Pie's brand new single Everday Hero and worriedaboutsatan's Tangerine Dream-like La Mouche in a respectable third place.
The premise for Tracks Of The Week is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it?
The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it's a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post. Couldn't be easier, could it?
We'll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we'll update you with this week's winner, and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you're a band and you want to be featured in Prog's Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
SWALLOW THE SUN - MELANCHOLY (HOLY EDIT)
Understandably, some sections of the prog community still refuse steadfastly to engage with any kind of growled vocals, which is, of course, their prerogative. Doomy Finnish prog metallers Swallow The Sun have decided to counter that by releasing a growl-free version of MelancHoly (Holy Edit). The original was on the band's Shining album, soon to be released as a digital deluxe edition album, Shining Dark Deluxe, out through Century Media on April 11.
The band are understandably, in celebratory mood. "We’re also incredibly grateful to all of you who have supported us and listened to our music along the way, this means the world to us," they enthuse.
TÖRZS - OTTHON
TÖRZS are Hungary’s biggest instrumental post-rock band, and new album Menedék, is their first new music in six years. It's released through the Pelagic label on May 16, and the title loosely translates as 'refuge' in Hungarian. It's the trio's fourth studio album.
First single, the hauntingly mesmeric Otthon, which means 'at home', serves as a perfect introduction to the band's sound. This is dynamic and detailed music, with a clever touch of simplicity. Music where every note matters and every space has equal importance.
MATT BERRY - SILVER RINGS
Matt Berry's recent album, Heard Noises, entered the UK album charts at No. 22, his highest ever chart placing. The classic 60s pop of Silver Rings is to be released as a standalone seven-inch single whih comes in a brand new sleeve designed by Matt and is limited to 500 copies.
Berry describes creating the song as wanting it to sound like it was “being recorded live on The Ed Sullivan Show, with a band that someone like Simon And Garfunkel would use, like a bloke who had been a session musician since the early 1950s being told to play Byrds style pop 12-string because The Byrds and The Beatles were doing it – Right, that’s what we’ve got to play these days, let’s do it. That was what was going through my head.”
CONSTELLATIONS OF ATLAS - PETRICHOR
Constellations Of Atlas are a new and upcoming prog band based in the Netherlands. They have recently released their debut single, Petrichor, which combines their influences into a sound that's been described as a mix of Sungazer, Plini, and Snarky Puppy. A full EP is to be released in the near future.
Jazz musician and music critic Sonny Floyd de Jong described the single thus: "Their first single start with symphonic keys and guitar arpeggios that suddenly transition into hard rock. This surprise is no accident; their album is bursting with timbre changes that keep the listener engaged. Hyperspeed drum fills with complex time signatures alternate with almost psychedelic passages of intertwined drum and guitar rhythms.
"It’s clear that the musicians skillfully use their mathematical background from TU Delft. Impressive, sometimes singing, sometimes raging guitar elements will make any Plini-loving shred enthusiast happy. The original samples chosen by the keyboardist play a key role in the multiple surprising shifts in ambience. The rock comes to a dreamy halt with a fairytale-like interlude, where even strings, celeste, and a choir can be heard."
ALEX HENRY FOSTER - I'M AFRAID
The prolific Canadian post-rocker Alex Henry Foster and his band The Long Shadows will release a new live album, A Nightfall Ritual, through Hopeful Tragedy Records later this year. The album was recorded at the band's show in Cologne, Germany, on July 27, 2024, and features four lengthy songs, two of which have never been released before. The ten-minute I'm Afraid is the first single, released today.
"A Nightfall Ritual refers to every moment with which we define the nature of our faith and hopelessness in the colours of mornings to come," declares Foster.
![Alex Henry Foster - I'm Afraid (Live in Köln, July 27, 2024) [Official Live Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tgg6zU388Q8/maxresdefault.jpg)
AVAWAVES - EARTH
Earth is the new single from art rock duo AVAWAVES, who are composer, producer and artist Aisling Brouwer and former Jethro Tull and Roxy Music collaborator Anna Phoebe, who will release their third studio album, Heartbeat, through One Little Independent Records on May 9.
"Earth is about digging your hands into the dirt to pick yourself up and put one foot in front of the other and letting nothing get in your way," the pair say. "The album is about peeling back all the layers we cloak ourselves in until there is nothing left but the source, and discovering the strength that resides there. We wanted this album to feel raw, honest, and intuitive. There are themes of resilience, determination, grit, and optimism in forever chasing the dawn after dark. It’s the bursting of bubbles and realising how much lighter everything feels without them.”
TRANSCENDENCE - TAKE CONTROL
A quick scout around the Internet shows there's been several bands called Transcendence, all within the prog sphere too! But the one we're dealing with here are the Dallas quartet who released Meridian Project in 2002, toured a lot but then kind of faded away. Well, they're back, with their first new single for 22 years.
“Take Control was the first song we recorded after joining Transcendence," says vocalist Brian Dixon. "Already being a big fan of their previously released materials, I had a really good idea of what they wanted vocally, even though Greg (original vocalist) and I sound nothing alike. Kirk and I spent about 3 hours with Bart at Fort Worth Sound hammering out the details”.
