Hello @everyone,
I am on holiday until mid-August. Until then I recommend the group below for your progressive rock fix.
You can also check out my Bandcamp collection which contains most of the music you hear on the show and much, much more.
https://bandcamp.com/petrichorian
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1377012959794163/?ref=share
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The music you hear is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages, websites, and Spotify.
Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released on 3 March 1972. The album contains one continuous piece of music, split over two sides of an LP record, and is intended as a parody of the concept album genre. The original packaging, designed as a 12-page newspaper, claims the album to be a musical adaptation of an epic poem by fictional eight-year-old genius Gerald Bostock, though the lyrics were actually written by the band's frontman, Ian Anderson.
The album was recorded in late 1971, featuring music composed by Anderson and arranged with the contribution of all band members. The album was the band's first to include drummer Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow, replacing the band's previous drummer Clive Bunker. The live show promoting the album included the playing of the full suite, with various comic interludes. Thick as a Brick is considered by critics to be the first Jethro Tull release to entirely consist of progressive rock music. It received mixed reviews upon its release, but was a commercial success and topped various charts in 1972. Today it is regarded as a classic of progressive rock, and has received several accolades. Anderson produced a follow-up to the album in 2012, focusing on the adult life of the fictional Gerald Bostock, and being released as Anderson's solo album instead of as Jethro Tull's album.
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“It’s amazing what music can do,” says Bryan Josh. “It lubricates any sort of stress or fear, things that are clogging up when you’re in a dark place. Music becomes like an exhaust pipe. There’s no two ways about it. It’s one of the best things in the world for that, actually.”
Graveyard Star, the new album from Mostly Autumn, was born out of the fear and darkness of the pandemic and the loss of people close to Josh and his wife Olivia Sparnenn-Josh. Facing lockdown with their young daughter at home, music was a way to process the experience. “All the inspiration for doing normal things like songwriting just went really, because it was a crazy, strange time,” says Josh. “It left a vacuum. It strips away the normal juices that flow, the inspiration, and what I found personally was that all that was left was dealing with the situation. That’s where this album came from, really. It was a real-life diary of what went on through the months.”
For bandleader Josh, the muse can descend without warning and must be answered before she slips away. “I don’t write songs, they happen,” he says. “They come really quickly: it’s like you’re a little radio station tuning into something, and it just comes in.” If there’s no guitar or keyboard to hand, the voice recorder on his phone will suffice to capture not just a song idea but the feeling that inspired it. “If you listen to the demos which I’ve got on my phone, you’re always trying to recreate what that was,” he says. “The feeling that was in it was deep and thick and emotional – it’s trying to make sure we kept that, but in a more polished version. But the songs are generally what they were in the first place. It’s very much written in that time.”
Graveyard Star may be the most heartfelt release yet in Mostly Autumn’s storied career, conveying a spectrum of emotions, from the depths of grief to the promise of brighter days ahead. “Every song is very different. For someone’s first listen you would never anticipate the sound of what the next song is going to be, but it takes you on a journey,” says Josh. “It’s a concept of how we felt going through it. You could almost say it’s a bit War Of The Worlds or Pink Floyd’s The Wall.”
The record features appearances from Nightwish’s Troy Donockley and Chris Leslie from Fairport Convention. “Troy has been a friend for about 35 years – we’re very close, almost like brothers,” says Josh. “He’s played on a lot of our stuff. He’s a very positive energy, a phenomenal player.” Donockley contributed uilleann pipes and whistles to four songs: “And some Portuguese mandolas.”
“I think he plays everything,” adds Sparnenn-Josh. “He just knows what the right thing is for the track, and he gets it perfect every time.”
Music by Loula Yorke
Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios; our thanks to Alex for providing us with a copy of this release
Artwork by quiet details in collaboration with Loula Yorke Design by quiet details
So pleased to announce that next to give their interpretation of the
quiet details idea is one of the most creative forces in recent times,
the synthesist and sound artist, Loula Yorke.
Having been involved with music for many years, Loula’s star is burning
brighter than ever - following a series of incredible studio albums,
this year’s Volta landed to widespread critical acclaim, adored by fans
of nuanced and highly musical synth work - this, coupled with her
stunning live modular performances have made her one of the most loved
and admired artists around.
speak, thou vast and venerable head sees Loula taking all this innate
understanding and skilled experience to dive deeper into her psychedelic
worlds of the raw electricity and vast soundscapes.
This is music made with a symbiotic relationship to her machines, and
you can feel Loula’s energy flowing through as it moves ever forward,
huge spatial plains of infinite depth guided by pure
intuition. Galvanic analogue vibrations meets acidic resonant shapes,
constantly moving timbres and spaces - endless drones and atmospheres
underpin this voltage controlled and uniquely tactile universe.
Adept at bringing the natural world into her work, highly processed
field and environmental recordings feature prominently and provide an
unknown familiarity and perfect juxtaposition to the filtered and
manipulated harmonics so beautifully crafted from each electronic
oscillation.
You can feel the human emotion guiding this music, Loula at her perceptive and spontaneous best.
Always thoughtful and incisive, the inspirations for the album draw on
literature (Moby Dick, Wordsworth), and delves into history and
connections only someone with her sensitive originality could see. In
her own words:
This album is a plank in the hull of an imaginary ship that once set sail on a quest to uncover the meaning of it all.
By recombining patterns of synthesised sounds with field recordings
taken from my immediate vicinity, I attempt to cause a glint in the
surface of the waves.
Onward together, Loula
Huge thanks to Loula for everything, a complete and gorgeous addition to the series.
The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind
the album - originating from a photo from Loula which was then captured
with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios.
As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom 6-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.
The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, representing the music in its purest form.
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We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio.
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The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites and Spotify.
It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards.
David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once performed as a soloist with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, had previously been in the group Orkustra playing five-string violin. The other members of It's a Beautiful Day in its early years were Val Fuentes (drums), Mitchell Holman (bass) and Hal Wagenet (guitar). Although they were one of the notable San Francisco bands to emerge from 1967's Summer of Love, the band never achieved the success of contemporaries such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana, with whom they had connections. The band created a unique blend of rock, jazz, folk, classical, and world-beat styles.
It's a Beautiful Day is the debut album by San Francisco band It's a Beautiful Day. This album's song "White Bird" was the band's biggest hit. The album rose to number 47 on Billboard's Top LPs American albums chart.
The group's signature song "White Bird" was inspired by the experiences David and Linda LaFlamme had while living in Seattle, Washington. For a few weeks in December 1967 the group members lived in the attic of an old house while playing and rehearsing at a Seattle venue originally known as The Encore Ballroom. The band's manager, Matthew Katz, had recently assumed control over the club and renamed it "San Francisco Sound". In an ironic twist on the band's name, the song was partly inspired by Seattle's rainy winter weather. In a later interview David LaFlamme said:
Where the 'white bird' thing came from ... We were like caged birds in that attic. We had no money, no transportation, the weather was miserable. We were just barely getting by on a very small food allowance provided to us. It was quite an experience, but it was very creative in a way.[6]
A substantial part of the theme and arrangement of the song "Bombay Calling" was used by Deep Purple as the basis for their song "Child in Time".
Review by
Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
The INVISIBLE OPERA COMPANY OF TIBET is actually the idea of GONG's Daevid Allen. His
goal was to have like-minded bands playing under that banner from different places of the world. Of
course by like-minded we're talking about the love of playing Psychedelic music that is positive and
uplifting.There is one band in the UK, one in Australia and of course this one from Brazil.This
particular projected was put together by the guitarist for VIOLETA DE OUTONO (Fabio Golfetti)
who contacted Daevid Allen about participating and has since played with Daevid in concert in
Brazil under the GONG GLOBAL FAMILY name, and the DVD for that is listed here. I have to
mention that Fabio contacted me some months ago thanking me for my review on his
band's "Volume 7" album. In all honesty that album by VIOLETA DE OUTONO is one of my all time
favourites and I can't even describe why it touches me so deeply but it does. So to get this message
left me both numb and elated at the same time.To have one of my heroes message me (we
exchanged several messages) is difficult to put into words. He sent me this particular cd along with
that DVD I was talking about earlier from the GLOBAL GONG FAMILY.Talk about a humbling yet
uplifting experience.The music on this album is gorgeous by the way. Fabio like Daevid plays this
Glissado guitar which brings an otherworldly aspect to this music."First Contact" is the over 27 minute opener.The guitar to open is so beautiful that i can't help but be moved. Bass and drums join in then we get a second guitar that starts to solo so tastefully over top. It turns more aggressive a minute later. Check out the bass and drums 4 1/2 minutes in ! It settles before 10 1/2 minutes then kicks back in after 12 minutes. Hell yeah ! Killer drum work then the guitar is crying out in a powerful way. Drums and bass only after 16 minutes.The guitar is back and Fabio is lighting it up 19 minutes in.My God ! It then settles back as they jam.
"Sal Paradise" has this pleasant and drifting sound to start. Marching styled drums come in around 2 minutes which signal a change. Bass and drums take over then the gutar joins in. Nice. Vocals come in around 3 1/2 minutes and they remind me of early FLOYD. So good ! Some whistling 5 1/2 minutes in then the vocals return a minute later.This is such a feel good track just like the opener.
"Stars" has this beat with the guitar playing over top. It reminds me of early PORCUPINE TREE. "Spirits" has this relaxed trippy sound and I love the tone of the guitar.The drums do get aggressive.The guitar late reminds me of FLOYD.
"Landing In Shambala" opens with drums as the bass comes in along with spacey sounds.The spacey sounds end up taking over and they echo 3 1/2 minutes in.The drums and bass then return to the fore but it's still spacey. "Moon In June" is of course a SOFT MACHINE cover and it was done live in Brazil September 8th 2007. Man the guy singing sounds like Wyatt too. Just a fantastic cover. Love the guitar after 9 1/2 minutes and check out the bass before 11 minutes as the drums and guitar continue.Vocal melodies follow. Freaking perfect !
This is an absolute joy, that's the only way I can describe the experience of listening to this album.
Studio Album, released in 2010
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. First Contact (27:16)
2. Sal Paradise (9:50)
3. Stars (3:02)
4. Spirits (3:15)
5. Landing In Shambala (11:36)
6. Moon In June [Live *] (15:11)
Total Time: 70:10
* Recorded at Centro Cultural São Paulo, in Sept 8, 2007
- Fabio Golfetti / guitar, vocals, mixing
- Gabriel Costa / bass
- Fred Barley / drums, vocals
With:
- Fernando Alge / guitar (2)
Be sure to follow KMXT FreeForm Radio on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Please support FreeForm Radio and KMXT by going to www.KMXT.org and pledging your support.
The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites and Spotify.
Be sure to follow KMXT FreeForm Radio on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Please support FreeForm Radio and KMXT by going to www.KMXT.org and pledging your support.
The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites and Spotify.
Be sure to follow KMXT FreeForm Radio on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Please support FreeForm Radio and KMXT by going to www.KMXT.org and pledging your support.
The music you hear on tonight's show is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites and Spotify.
If this is “dark prog” then dark prog sounds to me like jazz/rock fusion. Once you are past the descriptors, a look at the cast list suggests this might be a rather tasty fusion fest.
The latest in a series put together by Yes bassist Billy Sherwood (who writes all the material and plays on all tracks) is mainly instrumental.
It’s a chance to hear various guitarists outside of the straitjackets usually imposed by their big name masters. So we have Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens on the opener ‘Darkest Hour’ setting the scene with a suitably dramatic and moody edge.
Steve Morse’s workout on ‘Ominous Signs’ will be recognisable to fans of his prime Dixie Dregs era whilst itinerant violinist David Cross provides a King Crimson/Mahavishnu vibe to ‘At The Gates’.
Bumblefoot Thal sings and plays on one of three vocal pieces – the standout ‘Dark Days’ - accompanied by Patrick Moraz and drummer Omar Hakim. Another highlight ‘Between Two Worlds’ features Steve Hillage.
And as if to confirm this is really jazz rock fusion in disguise John Etheridge crops up on ‘The 11th Hour’ which sounds like Allan Holdsworth in an unholy alliance with Hawkwind (Del Dettmar period).
The space keyboard vibe is repeated on several tracks, Sherwood evidently likes this effect but to these ears it can be intrusive and when a piece like ‘Distant Thunder’ also meanders the results aren’t convincing.
Tagged on to 13 tracks are two bonuses which don’t really sit with either the dark theme or the rest of the album. So, bizarrely, there’s an “instrumental version” of ‘I’m Not In Love’ with Rick Wakeman when it’s actually got a vocal (originally featured on a Nektar “covers” album in 2012), whilst Todd Rundgren reprises ‘I Saw The Light’ (previously part of a Todd “covers” release in 2022). To me this is lazy and sloppy programming and detracts from an otherwise consistent offering.
If you can dispense with that dark prog tag, this is still a satisfyingly dark album for lovers of the individual artists, Billy Sherwood, minor keys, or mainly instrumental fusion. ***
Songs / Tracks Listing
1. Darkest Hour (4:01)
2. Ominous Signs (4:01)
3. At the Gates (3:55)
4. Dark Days (5:09)
5. Lonely Landscape (3:37)
6. The Long Night (4:01)
7. The Quasi Effect (3:32)
8. The 11th Hour (4:01)
9. Between Two Worlds (3:33)
10. Distant Thunder (3:41)
11. Dark Money (3:30)
12. For All to See (3:25)
13. Beyond Reason (3:29)
Total Time 49:55
Bonus tracks on CD edition only:
14. I Saw the Light (3:39)
15. I'm Not in Love (5:53)
- Billy Sherwood / bass, guitar (7)
With:
- Steve Stevens / guitar (1)
- Steve Morse / guitar (2)
- David Cross / violin (3)
- Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal / guitar (4)
- Patrick Moraz / keyboards (4)
- Omar Hakim / drums (4)
- Kasim Sulton / bass (5)
- Frank Dimino / vocals (6)
- Marco Minnemann / drums (6)
- John Etheridge / guitar (8)
- Steve Hillage / guitar (9)
- Gregg Bissonette / drums (9)
- Todd Sucherman / drums (10)
- Joe Bouchard / keyboards (11)
- Pat Mastelotto / drums (12)
- Chad Wackerman / drums (13)
- Todd Rundgren / guitar (14)
- Rick Wakeman / keyboards (14,15)
- Nektar / (15)
Cover: Javier Carmona
Label: Cleopatra Records
Format: Vinyl, CD, Digital
March 15, 2024
FreeForm Radio thanks Alex at Quiet Details for providing us with a copy of this release.
Delighted to announce that next up in the quiet details series, with an incredible interpretation of the idea, is Whettman Chelmets.
A singular artist, Whettman truly defies genre-boundaries, taking his experimental and visionary approach to music creation through many different guises.
Largely guitar-focused and broadly covering drone/shoegaze/ambient, yet deconstructing each of those generic terms into something truly unique and purely his own. With releases on such diverse labels as Flaming Pines, Submarine Broadcasting, Girly Girl, Strategic Tape Reserve and more - each new release promises something very special and unexpected.
A New Place is exactly that - originating from an improvised, deeply poetic song from his young daughter and extrapolated into his own improvisations, thoughts circling of yearning for new things and the nostalgia for the past - ultimately creating powerful and moving pieces that are utterly compelling.
Highly textural, the three tracks are each complete worlds of their own - using a palette of guitars, synths, field recordings and trumpet from Whettman, his two children, Lucy and Reese guesting on vocals and screwdriver guitar respectively - we hear the full range of sonic emotion.
Soft and gentle murmurations morph into walls of layered structures - always shifting and advancing into yet new scenes that elicit unpredictable feelings. The musicality is a match for the sound design, both so refined and precise while always feeling organic and natural - you can feel his hands making this music, the nuances come through perfectly.
Beautiful picked guitar evolves into heavily saturated washes which turn into vast open spaces - this is a true masterclass in using every corner of dimensional space and the complete frequency spectrum to say exactly what he wants to say in this time and place.
“There's a cyclical nature to the whole thing, and I'd like to highlight that with the words. We humans spend most of out time longing. It seems to be what drives us. Not inherently a bad thing, I don't think, but at the same time, takes us away from the Now. I think the work here focuses on that. We long for things. Then we find said things. Then we continue to long. Always on the precipice of fulfillment, but never actually there.”
At times light and expansive, at times dark and evanescent, Whettman Chelmets has taken the quiet details concept to a wonderful and extraordinary world - A New Place in every wonderful regard.
Huge thanks to Whettman for everything, a complete and gorgeous addition to the series.
The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Whettman which was then captured with analogue photography and processed here at quiet details studios.
As usual, the album is presented on the physical edition, a custom 6-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.
The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, representing the music in its purest form.
Be sure to follow KMXT FreeForm Radio on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Please support FreeForm Radio and KMXT by going to www.KMXT.org and pledging your support.
The music you hear tonight is available on the artists' Bandcamp pages and websites and Spotify.
Variations is a classical and rock fusion album. The music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and performed by his younger brother, the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.
The Lloyd Webber brothers were always very close but their two different careers (a rock musical composer and a classical cellist) meant that a collaboration seemed unlikely. It was not until Julian beat his brother in a bet on a Leyton Orient football match that Andrew was forced to write his cello work.
As his subject, Andrew chose the theme of Paganini's 24th caprice and added 23 variations for cello and rock band. The work premiered at the 1977 Sydmonton Festival with rock band Colosseum II, featuring Gary Moore, Jon Hiseman and Don Airey being joined by Barbara Thompson (sax, flute), Rod Argent (piano, synthesizer, keyboards) and Julian Lloyd Webber (cello). It was subsequently rearranged and recorded in 1978. It reached Number 2 on the UK album charts.[3]
The cover is based on the painting Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his sisters by Philip Mercier.
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