Here’s some music that various members of the Prog team have been grooving to this week…
EDITOR – JERRY EWING
Steven Wilson
The Raven That Refused To Sing
At the end of a week that saw two triumphant sold-out shows at London’s Royal Albert hall, I had to go with Mr. Wilson. He ended the first night with a slew of numbers from …Raven…, ending with this quite lovely, but stark and hugely emotive title track complete with visual accompaniment. The sad tale of a lonely old man nearing the end of his life, reminiscing about his long dead older sister who would sing to him to comfort him. He sees The Raven as the embodiment of his sister’s spirit, come to take him over. Watch this and find you don’t seem to have something in your eye…
DEPUTY EDITOR – Hannah May Kilroy
Bruce Soord
Familiar Patterns
The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord announced today the details behind his upcoming solo album, which you can read all about here. He’s included this new track in the announcement, and it’s a soft, wistful and enchanting piece of mesmerising music. We can’t wait to hear the rest!
ART EDITOR – RUSSELL FAIRBROTHER
Chon
Can’t Wait
Short, sharp, refreshingly clear prog songs that would even get my teens nodding approvingly (if they ever stayed in a room with me long enough when I put my music on) - these are the order of the day on Chon’s debut album Grow. No song is more than four minutes long, but each has enough twangy guitar noodling for the art rock musician that resides in all of us. Clocking in at just over three minutes, this one merges adolescent angst with pop harmonies and clever-clog fingerpicking. If you like your prog to feature the word ‘baby!’ and plenty of ooooooooooohs then look no further.
NEWS EDITOR – NATASHA SCHARF
Gazpacho
*Know Your Time*
This is the gorgeous lead track from the new studio opus by those arty Norwegians Gazpacho. The album, called Molok, tells the story of a man who invents a machine that can calculate the future mathematically. It’s part-Metropolis, part-I, Robot and completely addictive. Molok is out through Kscope on October 23 and every CD is embedded with a cryptic code that could destroy the universe!
REVIEWS EDITOR – GRANT MOON
Gentle Giant
Think Of Me With Kindness
Can’t wait to get my ears around the upcoming Steven Wilson remix of the Giant’s 1972 offering Octopus. This beautiful ballad - gently warped, almost hymn-like in parts - is just one highlight from a record full of ‘em…
WRITER – TOM DARE
Arctic Cascades
Sunset In The 12th House
The Romanian pair masterminding this are better known for woodsy black metal, first in Negură Bunget and more recently in Dordeduh. So it’s surprising just how recognisable their creative voices are in this bright, airy and melodic instrumental psychedelic project. It’s uplifting and warm and sprinkled with prog grooves, but like their extreme bands, it all still feels like a walk through the misty forests of their homelands. Mind-expanding and gorgeous.
