Month of June 2022

 What happened? My usual weekly posts all of a sudden dried up and became a monthly edition. The plan was at the end of May to pack a whole bunch of new stuff to take with me on vacation and then put a post up in the two weeks or so the vacation was swallowing up. The vacation listening time turned out to be a nothin’ burger and other stuff involving rental properties and home sales just kabashed the whole plan. So here it is. It seems like a whole lifetime has passed - well, okay, just a couple of months. For the most part, this is brand new material for the past year. A lot of material here.

Best of the Week Month

Gazpacho - Fireworking at St. Croix 2022

Brand new album is another outstanding effort. As far as I’m concerned, these guys are the prog rock gods of Europe. I have yet to be disappointed by their work. This was a little unusual in that they were intending to piece this together and tour, but Covid ruined their plans (like, who didn’t have plans ruined by Covid?). So they did a remote concert with long multi-segment passages.

The Pineapple Thief - Dissolution 2018

Gavin Harrison climbed on board to join The Pineapple Thief (from one PT to another???) and one has to wonder if the additional spark in this album is partly due to his influence. It’s delicious stuff.

Von Hertzen Brothers - Red Alert in the Blue Forest 2022

Yeah, they are actually three brothers. They may be Finnish, but they have elements of Irish folk along with a Renaissance twist. This release after a five-year gap seems to be worth the wait. Like Flying Colors and Spock’s Beard, the music is allowed to develop and flow.

Envy Of None - Envy Of None 2022

A new band formed by Rush veteran Alex Lifeson sounds nothing like Rush. More in the electro pop vein featuring outstanding female vocalist Maiah Wynne. “Never Said I Love You” is a catchy infectious pop tune. Lots of other good stuff.

Hayden Thorpe - Moondust For My Diamond 2021

Capable of Brian Ferry-esque songs, most are on the shoegaze side featuring his distinctive voice. His vocals are nearly the only sounds not created electronically. Bass, drums, chords are all electronically sourced. Fortunately, it is put together well and most of the work is excellent.

Interesting Finds

Kalle Wallner Blind Ego - Voices 2022

The “W” in  RPWL on his own in a new release. He didn’t put a lot of effort in naming the tracks (Track 1 is “ONE”, Track 2 is TWO, etc.) but the music is another matter.

Rosalie Cunningham - Two Piece Puzzle 2022

Multi-instrumentalist and stylish vocalist Cunningham and her partner Rosco Levee have produced a captivating album. “Duet” sounds like Camper Van Beethoven meets 10CC. It’s “fun” rock.

Public Service Broadcasting - Every Valley 2017

Okay, the vocals are voice snippets instead of actual musical warbling. Think of it as an instrumental album with voiced lyrics. There are advantages to this. The messaging may be less aesthetically pleasing, but the meaning is clear. “They Gave Me a Lamp” has a woman talking about how she did things typically done by men because that is what she was taught and that made her more motivated to do that work. Musically terrific too.

Empire Springs - The Luminescence 2022

Another 2022 album by the legions of bands out there pounding out hard driving rock with mediocre tunes. It wasn’t like I didn’t like it, but more it didn’t raise more than a casual interest. Put it this way, if one of their songs came on the radio, I wouldn’t change the station because of it. I’d just wait for the next song.

Jomo Tuun - One Tuun 2021

A Tool knockoff, and not a bad one at that. Song structures are reminiscent of Gentle Giant, using abrupt atonal shifts and funky rhythms. Not the most relaxing music to listen to but it is sure interesting.

Flicknife Records - Flipside Freaks 2021

A various artist release from Flicknife Records showcasing bands steeped in psychedelic rock. The recording quality is low, often sounding like demo tapes done from a bedroom using a 4-track recorder. Some of the artists worth checking out are Che Macello, Nick Potter, Mr Dibs

Harkoan - Traveler 2021

EP by an unknown artist is mildly interesting. Not riveting, but it doesn’t make you switch to the next track in search of a better song.

Haken - Virus 2020

Power metal rock (Pain of Salvation, Soen, etc.) has a lot going for it. A steady diet of it could dull the senses but interspersed with other varied work is good for boosting the energy of a playlist.

New Model Army - Between Dog and Wolf 2013

An older (2013) release by this Irish band capable of delivering quality time in and time out. “Pull the Sun” has a relentless drumming and percussion thread that keeps your head bobbing.

Archive - Call To Arms & Angels 2021

Industrial art rock with dark tones heavy with walls of electronica. As with most art rock groups, there are some excellent moments and tracks that fall flat on their face. For example, the 14-minute “Daytime Coma” track is quite enjoyable, using sultry vocals and a variety of synth-based segments.

Alcest - Spiritual Instinct 2019

Interesting somber industrial prog rock. Often using simple guitar rhythms with deep echo as a backdrop, the melodies are ethereal and haunting. Worthy of a listen.

Blood Incantation - Timewave Zero 2020

Spacy rock, a little more tuneful than Tangerine Dream. When you have those moments where simple soundscapes and textures are desired, this music is a welcome relief to the staccato of metal rock.

Nosound - Afterthoughts (Remastered) 2018

Enjoyable prog rock similar to RPWL I do like the restrained pace and layered instruments of “In My Fears”

Meri - Something Out Of Place 2021

Finding information about this act (group, individual?) is tough. Meri may be the lead vocalists’ name or could be the name of the band or none of the above. Whatever it is, it is intriguing and likable enough to keep checking in for future releases. The one deficiency is how a song will start out with a good vibe and then the air is let out of it. It happens frequently.

Bjorn Riis - Everything To Everyone 2022

Founding member and guitarist for Airbag, Riis knows how to craft interesting songs. Not quite the same as Airbag, he uses more simple arrangements. That is not a bad thing. In fact, a few songs made the playlist and nothing stunk. That’s a win.

Pattern-Seeking Animals - Prehensile Tales 2020

More solid prog rock along the lines of Big Big Train and The Flower Kings. While their roots stemmed from Spock’s Beard, their music is more theme based. The longer songs (“Soon but Not Today”) have multiple movements.

Omega Point - Omega Point 2021

A little electronic dance music, a little Tangerine Dream-ish synth band music. There is little information on where this band is from or who is in it. It appears to be a new group and has limited following.

Forgettable

Silent Skies - Nectar 2022

Dreamy rock (“Taper”), it’s a little too dreary for my tastes. Vocals are the centerpiece with musicianship taking a back seat.

Tapio Ylinen - Nuoruus 2018

Easy going generic rock reminds me of Al Stewart. Nothing is really wrong with the music, it just doesn’t inspire or sizzle. Plus, the songs depend heavily on the vocals which are all sung in Finnish. Pass.

Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum 2009

Art rock (“West Ryder Silver Bullet”). My memory doesn’t match up with their current form. The earlier times of well written rock ballads has morphed into extensive production and cagey patterns without a sufficient musical path to enjoy. They seem to know what they are doing but missing a key element of successful prog rock - a melody you will remember.