11 August 2026: The Anaton Project "The Ocean Conductor"; Andrew Latimer "One Word"; Mark Hjothroy "The Static Between Heartbeats"

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I am also hosting Rural Electric from 7-9 pm, this week spotlighting Mel Parsons' new album Castle Hill 

 

The Anaton Project is a Oslo-based progressive reminder of what can happen when musicians from very different backgrounds come together with a shared curiosity rather than a fixed formula. The band was founded by guitarist and vocalist Johnny Normann Berg, whose roots lie in neo-progressive rock, and quickly evolved into a collaborative project shaped by contrasting influences.

The current lineup features drummer Jimmy Dapper (The Lucky Bullets), bringing a rockabilly-informed sense of groove, Carl Fredrik Berg (The Multiverse Ensemble) on synthesizers and sound design, with a strong focus on analog textures, and bassist Magnus Charles Døssland Bjørnstad (Tempelheks), whose background in heavier music adds weight and edge. Together, they form a sound that moves freely between progressive rock, melodic songwriting, and exploratory arrangements.

The band released their debut EP Luck in late 2024, introducing a project still in motion but clearly defined by strong compositions and a willingness to cross stylistic boundaries.

Their first full-length album, The Ocean Conductor, was released on February 13, 2026. The album is a progressive concept record inspired by classic maritime literature, including The Odyssey, Moby-Dick, and The Old Man and the Sea, and presents a cohesive narrative framed by expansive arrangements and thematic songwriting.

REVIEW:  Not content to be a Winter Olympics powerhouse every four years, the space between is filled by a colossal fjord of incredible musical artists, most specifically within the progressive realm. Two Berg brothers are featured prominently, namely guitarist/vocalist Johnny Norman and Carl Fredrik, the keyboard man, ably assisted by a solid rhythmic crew of Magnus Charles Dossland Bjornstad and drum stool master Svein Age Lade Lillehamre (they each have four names because they have four tentacles). Debut album, so no preconceived notions nor any expectations, a situation that provides a clean slate to wander free and let the music decide. Though definitely on the more bombastic side of prog, clearly a concept on navigating the cruel seas and vast oceans, I am letting my hair down on this one, wherever the drakkar takes is fine with me.

“Blue Skies & Evidence of Things to Come (Chapter 1)” sets the ambitious mission onwards with a sombre intro, a whirlpool of striking cellos, forlorn narration and splashing waves, with piano tingling in the wake. The scorching upfront guitars steam full speed ahead, as the bass and drums initiate the route to be taken, ready for whatever nature brings, a compass and heartbeat in hand, and a distant siren seducing and beckoning the valiant to forge enough courage to resist any temptation. Exciting beginnings and a prefect set-up.

Sublime keyboards take the helm on “Mirador”, with austere orchestrations that temporarily hide the enormous tidal surge of overwhelming guitars that unfurl unchallenged. Inserting beams of sharp light into the storm, violins searching for salvation, warnings of imminent danger amid the rocky crags that the ocean hides in its endless ebb and flow.

Little girl narration and sweet piano, ‘the weather is perfect and the sky is blue’, the Starlette lament is a plea and a promise. “Lady Luna” maintains the subdued atmosphere, the cannonading drums mimic the sea’s infinite allure, and the high-pitched vocal is outright breathtaking. When the crushingly slow axe solo unfurls its sails, the paroxysm is reached due to a memorable melody that adheres immediately to the wet skin. Segueing into “Songs Only Sirens Sing” is so extraordinarily organic and absolute, the mind becomes embalmed in salty ocean spray, the gales turning into a breeze, the obscure sirens ahead perched on the stony bluffs. The intensity rises as the proximity dwindles, the unescapable power of nature in full regalia. Stunning cinematographic delight!

 The titanic, effect-laden “The Hunt” is propelled by an unrelenting marine bass line, trembling strings, and enough flotsam and jetsam to sink an entire armada. Gradually, the raging surf reaches uncontrollable heights, the pace helter-skelter, clanging guitars clinging to watery riffs, mellotrons elevating the pursuit, a lead violin setting its sights on the hapless target.

Incredibly, there is never any victory ahead, as the grinding orchestrations ensure the most abysmal melancholy, on  “Reflections Under a Starless Map (Chapter 2)” like a ‘barnacle clinging to a prayer, my breath a threat’, the narration impeccably expressing the angst of always sitting on the edge of silence. The scream says it all.

The oppressive title track combines all the elements that make this release a poignant affair. The captain always goes down with his ship, not as an act of tradition but rather one of defiance, as well as a tacit respect for the authority of mother nature. The second half institutes all the fury of swirling tsunamis, the iron clad guitars grating against the hull, aware that, in the end, silence will join the unseen.

“Goodbye Starlette (Chapter 4)” means only that the drowning sailor will not see his daughter again, he will never return to port, swallowed whole within a moment into the darkness of a watery grave. The scream of doom returns for a final plunge, before disappearing into the merciless void. The longest piece combines sonic snippets of waves, winds and worry. The swerving strings become a eulogy to those who have braved the intensity of depths, where nadir meets zenith, what was once up is now below. The piano plays the mariner’s tale, the effusive choir singing the praise of the valiant. What an emotional finale. Gulp!

A superb discovery, much more that I even hope for. Time for me to get out of these drenched clothes and have some well-deserved rum.

4.5 nautical skippers

 

Released July 30, 2026

Childhood
Ebb and Flow
Mother Earth
Supersister Groove
Rhumba
One Word
Fup
Sunset

Childhood : Written and played by Andrew Latimer & Joe Sigretto
All other tracks : Written and played by Andrew Latimer
Drums on One Word by Denis Clement
Artwork & Positivity by my dearest talented Brother Colin Bass

Mark Hjorthoy's "The Static Between Heartbeats" opens against the noise of constant connection, the endless stream of tools designed to keep us tethered, distracted, elsewhere. Against this saturation, the album proposes a threshold: a passage between presence and abstraction, between signal and static.The recordings follow a path upward, away from the device, through trees, through silence, through the slow accumulation of sound into atmosphere. Nature's rhythm becomes an electronic pulse here, filtered through memory and distance. The forest breathes through the circuit. The sky opens through the drone. Static settles between heartbeats, a soundtrack for walking outside the feed, a hike suspended between the physical and the perceived.

credits

released July 18, 2026

REVIEWS

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2026/07/26/amn-reviews-mark-hjorthoy-the-static-between-heartbeats-2026-zerok

Bad Alchemy
badalchemy.de


Music by Mark Hjorthoy
Photography by Gang Hao
Cat. Num. ZK14
© 2026. All Rights Reserved 

 

ambient dark ambient drone ambient industrial noise ambient soundscapes Italy

 

28 July 2026: Timothy Pure "Blood of the Berry"; James Murray "Islands Alight" QD52

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Timothy Pure biography
American progressive rock band from Georgia has made 3 albums so far, two of them are concept albums. With a lush songwriting approach and a conceptual and highly symbolic perspective on lyrics, the band excels in building up structures of emotional richness that allow for an uninterrupted storyline immersed in drama and sharp social analysis. Their music is a mixture of sweet atmospheres and fine prog passages. Certainly influenced by PINK FLOYD, they manage to produce a typical dark and melodic sound with very strong lyrics.

"Blood Of The Berry" is a concept album that tells a story of love and sacrifice. The music features light and dark musical tones and flows which is what makes this American band so good. The last album "The Island Of The Misfit Toys" (2000) is something more than a prog album: music and words seem to tell us a story you never would be over. This album describes the problems and nightmares children and adolescents deal with nowadays (mainly because of war or child abuse). Matthew Still has a beautiful and emotional voice, the instruments are played in a very subtle way and the production is high standard. Fans of bombastic or overly complex music would be advised to look elsewhere. This is very emotional music which should appeal to fans of concept albums. A must!
(Claude Bpl)

 Review by tszirmay
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

This sophomore album was a definite harbinger of things to come as the next "Island of Misfit Toys" will consecrate Timothy Pure with prog excellence. The band came out of peachy Atlanta with a decent debut that had all kinds of promise plastered all over it. A few personnel changes to set the boat straight and a style is born, a strong spacey Floydian influence but thankfully without the immense showoff egos. Matthew Still is an effective keyboardist but an even better vocalist, owner of a dreamy set of pipes that amplifies the murky energy of the music and can snarl when needed. Andre Neitzel on bass does a lissome job weaving his down low notes deep into the rhythmic fabric set by drummer Chris Wallace. Guitarist Zod (yeah, I know.) does not attempt to be a guitar god (zod=god?), staying well within his tonal limitations and sealing the arrangements as a team concept and not 4 virtuosos showing off their chops. Let it be said right away, this is not the most complex material ever recorded but it has a very original style that reverberates often through the course of these tracks that flow into one another, as if one long suite. Not much change of pace either, Timothy Pure come across as jacks of one trade, relying on some superbly mysterious melodies to keep the doom moving forward. "Blood of the Berry" has some luminous moments, such as on the fantastic "Slide", the extraordinary "The Afterglow" and the lilting "Magdalena Hell", all imbued with a mystical haze that is quite attractive, even after multiple spins. There is a slight similarity with fellow American bands Singularity and Discipline, both having made some admirable recordings. While this is a good release and thoroughly enjoyable, it still lacks some fire in the belly which would catapult it into the upper reaches of excellence. The best is yet to come. 

 

                                                        James Murray  "Islands Alight"

 

From Alex at Quiet Details:

Very happy to say that next in the quiet details series, with his second solo album, is an artist with a uniquely special talent - UK-based James Murray, with Islands Alight
 

Full release 29th July 2026.

Undoubtedly familiar to followers of the label - James first appeared in collaboration with our good friend Ian Hawgood on qd15 Slowreels - Everyday Exotic, a gorgeous example of what can happen when two wonderful musicians come together. Then again on his first individual album, qd23 Weeds - another spellbinding album.

Along with all his many other releases on the likes of Home Normal, Ultimae, Eilean Rec, Fluid Audio, Morr Music, his own Slowcraft and more - James is an artist dearly loved across the community.

Islands Alight is James combining his peerless ability to craft deeply touching synthetic vistas, now sent through a prism of rhythmic forms. Four years in the making, and much inspired by the history of dub in electronic music, James has made a singular and mesmerising work of art.

The introductory lush chordal waves and modulating melodic shapes are soon joined by the first indication of the true direction of this album - textural percussive patterns give us an initial glimpse into James’ vision.

Huge spaces open up and the drums morph into new forms; psychedelic echoes disintegrate into the distance; the emotions of the listener are brought to the forefront by radiant synth contours that reach into your consciousness.

The album evolves from here - countless textures and beautifully subtle percussive programming meshes perfectly with James’ melodic refinement - hypnotic, all- compassing, and one of a kind.

As James says:

Islands Alight making landfall amidst these relentless heatwaves and impending drought feels about right; environmental anxiety courses through the album like wildfire, consciously balanced only by the rising of pale, elemental waters.

Developed over four years, the origins go back further still. Drawing together wide- screen melodic, rhythmic and electroacoustic concerns, Islands Alight stands as a deliberate, defining work at the confluence of ambient dub roots and the artist I am now.

Huge thanks to James, a fantastic addition to the series.

The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from James 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 six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.

The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, unique and representing the music in its purest form.

Credits:
Music by James Murray
Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios
Artwork by quiet details in collaboration with James Murray
Design by quiet details
© quiet details 2026 all rights reserved

 

 

21 April 2026: Gentle Giant "The Power and the Glory"; Theo Travis, Steven Wilson AEOLUS

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 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Power and the Glory is the sixth studio album by the British progressive rock group Gentle Giant, released in 1974. Contrary to popular belief, the title of the album and its many lyrical themes were not inspired by author Graham Greene's novel of the same name, although Derek Shulman was aware of Greene's novel.^[5] Guitarist Gary Green has cited this album as his favourite by the band.^[6]

The album was originally released in the US and Canada by Capitol Records, as would all Gentle Giant's albums until Civilian. The original LP cover was diecut, with rounded upper corners.

Background

A loose concept was hatched for the album prior to recording. "At the time, the Watergate scandal was happening," recalls Derek. "The Cold War issues were coming to a head. The concept for the album was based on the corruption of power and how people on the bottom are affected by the people on top. Money and power will win no matter what and the people that are hoping for the best won’t usually get the best. The label we were on at that time, WWA, was an imprint of Vertigo. Vertigo was a fully owned company of Phonogram which is Polygram which is now Universal which will probably be GE in a week which is going to be the government soon enough. So there’s the corruption of power right there! The power and the glory! Again! Still to this day!"^[7

Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. They were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of the members. All of the band members were multi-instrumentalists. Although not commercially successful, the band achieved a cult following.^[2]

The band stated that their aim was to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular",^[3] although this stance was to alter significantly with time.

Gentle Giant's music was considered complex even by progressive rock standards, drawing on a broad swathe of music including folk, soul, jazz, and classical music.^[4] Unlike many of their progressive rock contemporaries, their "classical" influences ranged beyond the Romantic and incorporated medieval, baroque, and modernist chamber music elements. The band also had a taste for broad themes for their lyrics, drawing inspiration not only from personal experiences but from philosophy and the works of François Rabelais and R. D. Laing. In 2015 they were recognised with the lifetime achievement award at the Progressive Music Awards.^[5]

 

Theo Travis new solo album Aeolus: One hour Duduk meditation

With Production and Soundscapes by Steven Wilson

(Panegyric Records. Released 6 September 2024)

Available from Burning Shed- Click Here!

Signed copies available direct from Theo – Click here

When Theo Travis began experimenting with long-form improvised instrumentals for duduk – a woodwind instrument from Armenia sometimes described as ‘the saddest sounding instrument in the world’, he could hardly have imagined a world in which such a one-hour piece would clock up in excess of a million plays on YouTube. Yet that is precisely what happened, with the multi-functional music finding fans purely in its own terms as well as for an array of uses from meditation to yoga, to relaxation & more. Something about the sound, the performances, the context, found, built & maintained a much wider audience than most, far more mainstream music, all without hype, marketing or a dedicated record label supporting the release.

Extending the idea, Theo worked with producer Steven Wilson, (who has previously mixed and mastered many of Theo’s solo recordings & in whose band Theo has played) to produce a new duduk improvisation in multi-channel audio as well as stereo, with soundscapes assembled by Steven Wilson from Theo’s alto flute playing. The result is a stunning & utterly unique piece of work which helps to define new possibilities for so-called “Immersive audio”, without losing focus on the pure sound of the duduk improvisations which have struck such a chord with a wide & growing audience online.

The new piece ‘Aeolus’ (again, one hour long) appears in Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound & 24/96 high resolution stereo on the Blu-ray & in standard 16/44 audio on the accompanying CD. Pre-orders now open on burning shed (see link above)

AEOLUS: Composed by Theo Travis & Steven Wilson

Theo Travis – Duduk & Alto flute

Steven Wilson – Production & Soundscapes

Ancient Soul, Modern Times: Composed by Theo Travis

Theo Travis – Duduk & Soundscapes

Comments on Theo’s One Hour Duduk Meditaitons

“I think God wanted to gift humanity an instrument to remind them of Him and this how we ended up with such divine sounds “

“This is the most melancholic sounding and most beautiful instrument on earth. Thank you.”

“Duduk touches my soul like no other instrument”

“The sound of the Duduk is totally different from all the music I have heard. Once your consciousness, your awareness connects with this sound fully, it empties the mind of self-centred thoughts and gives a blissful feeling!”

“Amazing divine sound of Armenian duduk when I feel overwhelmed and at lowest lows, I listen to this and it's the only music that helps me”

“When I feel emotionally high or overwhelmed and carried away from reality, I instantly turn to the sounds of the duduk, to bring me back down, planted, rooted and stay real. It’s really an antidote for my soul. Greetings, Armenia....! Much love from Canada.”

“Certainly one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. Sounds very, very ancient and haunting. “

“Theo is a gem, love his work with Soft Machine”

“It elevates my soul to higher places beyond earth “

“So poignant, so serene, so soulful... Thank you for this”

 See also Theo’s YouTube channel  @TheoTravisOfficial

 

The Armenian duduk (/duːˈduːk/ doo-DOOK; Armenian: դուդուկ IPA: [duˈduk])^[1] or tsiranapogh (Armenian: ծիրանափող, meaning "apricot-made wind instrument"), is a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood originating from Armenia.^[2][3] Variations of the Armenian duduk appear throughout the Caucasus, the Balkans, and the Middle East.^[4][5] The duduk, balaban and mey are almost identical, except for historical and geographical differences.^[6]

It is commonly played in pairs: while the first player plays the melody, the second plays a steady drone called dum, and the sound of the two instruments together creates a richer, more haunting sound. The unflattened reed and cylindrical body produce a sound closer to the English horn than the oboe or bassoon. Unlike other double reed instruments like the oboe or shawm, the duduk has a very large reed proportional to its size.

UNESCO proclaimed the Armenian duduk and its music as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005 and inscribed it in 2008.^[7][8] Duduk music has been used in a number of Hollywood films.

 

04 November 2025: Genesis "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway". 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

 

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I am also hosting Rural Electric (Mostly) Country Music from 7-9 pm right after the Island Messenger.  I'll be spotlighting tracks from Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska 

 The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) will provide a deep dive into the music and visual elements around this seminal album and pivotal period of time for the band. The album was the pinnacle of the band’s early success and is regarded as one of the most important progressive rock records of all time.   The Genesis band members have been involved in the oversight and approvals around this new Super Deluxe Edition of the album, including new liner notes. The album will celebrate its 50th  Anniversary in 2024.

Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition): A Detailed Analysis with Insights from Collins, Hackett, and Banks

By Nick Tate

This review includes excerpts from interviews by the author with Steve Hackett (July 2025), Phil Collins (phone interview in 2007).

It’s the Genesis album that has divided progressive rock fans and critics for five decades: “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” has been both revered and reviled as the most experimental album featuring the classic lineup of Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. The 1974 double album (Gabriel’s last with Genesis) marked a huge departure from the band’s prior five studio recordings. While those earlier Genesis works centered on mythical themes and characters (carnivorous weeds, woodland hermaphrodites and watchful space aliens), “The Lamb” chronicled the story of a Puerto Rican street punk named Rael and his surrealistic journey of self-discovery on (and below) the streets of New York City. Even the music veered sharply from the pastoral Victorian Englishness that defined early Genesis to embrace an edgy contemporary urbanity.

Early reviews were mixed, with some critics praising the album’s ambitious reach and others deriding it as the epitome of prog-rock excess (“an unfocused mess,” as one put it). While the years have softened some of the initial criticism, even the band members recall that the album’s release was hardly the watershed moment Genesis hoped it might be back in the day.

“When ‘The Lamb’ came out, people hated it!” Collins told me once in a candid interview that was never published (until now). “What makes me laugh about this actually is that people talk about the Gabriel days in revered terms today — the golden age of Genesis. We had our hardcore fans, of course, and some of them are still hanging on. But the farther away it gets from when it happened, the more glowing the memories become.” Banks has echoed Collins on the early response to “The Lamb” and made no secret that he feels the band’s prior two albums —“Selling England by the Pound” and “Foxtrot” — were superior efforts (Ultimate Classic Rock).

And even Hackett, who is reprising selections from “The Lamb” on his current Genesis Revisited tour, called the record an outlier in the band’s catalog. “I think it’s a one-off,” he said in an interview during a break in his new tour. “I don’t think there are any other Genesis albums that are quite like it. It has its fans, its adherents, and it has its critics. So, you cannot say that this is Genesis’s ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ But time is a great healer and I do think that some things sound sweeter with the passing of time.”

Hackett also told me that “The Lamb” recording sessions were fraught, revealing deep divisions in the band that would lead to Gabriel’s departure and a sea change in Genesis’s sound and approach. The concept album was primarily Gabriel’s brainchild, and he insisted on writing all of the lyrics himself, leaving the musical composition largely to the others. This approach broke from the collaborative songwriting approach the band had taken on previous albums and it didn’t sit well with everyone, Hackett said.

“It was almost as if this was Pete’s solo album within the band context; you could see that Pete was heading towards a solo career,” he noted. “It is a concept album, it is a story, and it’s driven by one person’s need to describe that narrative and have that control over it — and that was Peter Gabriel.”

Another complicating factor: Gabriel’s wife, Jill, was pregnant with their first child, and both the pregnancy and birth were difficult, so he was frequently absent from the sessions. On top of that, Gabriel had been approached by Hollywood director William Friedkin (of “Exorcist” fame) to write an ill-fated screenplay, which prompted him to quit the band for a time. He eventually returned to complete work on “The Lamb,” but the groundwork was laid for his departure from Genesis long before the album hit record store shelves, Hackett said.

“This was his swan-song with Genesis, and he made it conditional — he insisted on writing all the lyrics — so there was a division and the tensions ran high. Unfortunately, all of that was just too much, and the string just had to break at the end of the day.” That said, those troubled sessions would end up producing the most groundbreaking Genesis album. Love it or not, “The Lamb” was a landmark that helped define first-wave progressive rock. Released in November 1974, it cracked the Top 10 on the UK Albums Chart and reached No. 41 on the U.S. Billboard 200, despite the mixed reviews.

Now, 50 years on, the album is being reissued in a five-disc boxed set containing the original studio recordings, a gussied-up concert from 1975 and a few rare demos, remixed and remastered in stereo and 5.1 surround sound. “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)” arrives just as several new album tributes are also hitting the shelves, inviting fans and critics alike to revisit and reassess the most audacious of the Gabriel-era Genesis albums.

Of course, there’s little point in discussing the finer points of what made “The Lamb” such a high-water mark for the band. The real appeal of the new deluxe edition is the superior quality of the high-gloss remixes of these studio and live tracks, in addition to a few previously unreleased rarities. If you’re on the fence about whether those extras are enough to warrant owning this release, the answer is an unqualified: Yes.

These new mixes carve out each member’s individual contributions with gemstone clarity, revealing how the distinct musical personalities of Genesis combined to create the band’s signature sound. Finer details and textures, barely audible in prior releases of “The Lamb,” are crystal clear — giving the mixes a sparkling new sheen so fresh it’s almost like hearing these classic tracks for the first time. Among them:

• Gabriel’s tour-de-force vocals pop from the speakers with 3D-like depth, as he summons every trick in his vocal bag and moves seamlessly from romantic balladry (“The Carpet Crawlers”) to blue-eyed soul (“The Chamber of 32 Doors”), punk-Pavarotti theatricality (“Back in New York City”), social commentary (“The Grand Parade of Lifeless Packaging”) and bizarro histrionics (“The Colony of Slippermen”).
• Banks’ keyboard wizardry is high in these new mixes, emerging as a defining feature of the best tracks here — including the trilling electric piano lines on the title track, “The Carpet Crawlers” and “The Lamia,” and dazzling synth runs on “Back in New York City” and “In the Cage.”
• Hackett’s master-of-darkness fretwork lends an otherworldly quality to “Fly on a Windshield,” “Broadway Melody of 1974,” and “The Waiting Room.” But he also taps a deep vein of soul on “The Chamber of 32 Doors” and “Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist,” reflecting his mastery of multiple genres of acoustic and electric guitar
• Rutherford’s contrapuntal basslines pop and snap, driving the band forward with every measure, notably on the opening track and the booming “Lilywhite Lilith,” which pulses like a beating heart.
• Collins delivers the most inspired drumming of his career, bridging rock, jazz and even tribal percussion to thunderous effect on “Back in New York City” and “In the Cage.”
• In many places, the band cooks with orchestrated ensemble jams that showcase some of the best prog-rock collaborations ever recorded (“Riding the Scree,” “Broadway Melody of 1974”). They’re so strong, in fact, a few instrumental-only extras would have been welcome.

In addition to the studio recordings, the deluxe edition features a complete live show, taped at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. on January 24, 1975 (the only one of the tour’s 102 dates recorded in multi-track). It includes “The Lamb” in full, as well as the show’s previously unreleased encore — “Watcher of the Skies” and “The Musical Box.”

It is a fine musical time capsule of Genesis in concert back in the day, with a few caveats. First of all, this is not an entirely live performance from 50 years ago. Gabriel re-recorded some of his vocals in the mid-1990s for the original release of the Shrine show on the 1998 “Genesis Archive 1967–75” boxed set because the elaborate stage costumes he wore sometimes muffled his voice. (The closing track, “It,” is an entirely re-worked studio version from the 1990s because the original concert tape ran out.)

Secondly, Hackett also opted to redo some of his parts in the studio in the 1990s because an injury to his left hand, sustained just before the start of the “Lamb” tour, affected his playing ability. The injury, from a broken wine glass, forced him to modify his technique and undergo physical therapy (including shock treatments to his hand) on the road.

“I had to fix a couple things on the Shrine live version because my thumb was literally hanging off my hand at the time it was originally recorded,” Hackett explained. “I severed a tendon and a nerve, and I had a shirt button sewn on the end of my thumb in order to keep things straight!”

While both artists’ overdubs are seamlessly merged with the (unretouched) live performances of Banks, Collins and Rutherford — a bit of studio magic that is truly amazing — Gabriel’s do-overs are more noticeable and obtrusive than Hackett’s because his voice had deepened over time. It’s easy to distinguish between Gabriel’s 1975 and 1995 vocals, which are sometimes presented side by side in the same song. The new vocals differ not only in quality and timbre, but also in new phrasings Gabriel gives them. As a result, some tracks are stripped of the urgency of the originals — such as “Back in New York City” (as close as Genesis ever came to punk-rock) and “Counting Out Time” (an ode to adolescent sexuality).

It’s almost as if Gabriel elected to step out of the role of Rael (delivering his protagonist’s first-person story in the moment) to assume the role of an older narrator recounting the story of his long-lost youth. This must have been a deliberate choice that clearly improved on the quality of the show’s original vocals, which can be heard in bootlegs that have circulated among fans for years. But Gabriel’s overdubs won’t be everyone’s cup of Earl Grey.

Even so, this is a minor, very-inside-baseball quibble that is easily forgiven with a package as rich as this one. And, as others have suggested, Gabriel’s involvement with anything Genesis-related after 1975 is a cause for celebration. But it does beg the question: If two-fifths of the band elected to re-record some of their parts in the 1990s — and “It” —why didn’t all five redo the whole thing or regroup for a “Lamb” tour? After all, this lineup recorded a new version of “The Carpet Crawlers” issued as a single in 1998.

Was that ever even a possibility that was discussed?
For the record, Hackett said the answer is, yes — the band did indeed discuss reforming for a series of “Lamb” shows years before Collins, Banks and Rutherford regrouped for two reunion tours in 2007 and 2021-22. “Pete wanted to do something based on the Cream model — maybe we’ll do two shows in London and two shows in New York,” he said. “Then there was a bit of banter that maybe there could be a month’s worth of shows.”

Hackett said he was open to it and, at one point, it seemed like it was going to happen. “When I was approached about it, I said, ‘yeah, great.’ I knew what would happen if we had toured with that lineup,” he said. “Whether it had been with all the costumes, with the avatars, in full technicolor and all the rest, or had been much more stripped down and more bare, I think would have been extraordinary.”

Collins agreed, suggesting a Genesis reunion tour would have been a watershed event for the classic five-man lineup. But he acknowledged even getting the band together for the new recording of “The Carpet Crawlers” in the late 1990s was “like pulling teeth — I don’t think everyone was ever in the room at the same time!”

Still, Collins said he would have welcomed it. “Personally, I would have preferred to go back to the original Genesis and be sitting there playing the drums,” he told me. “For me, the fun of it would be to get together, rehearse ‘The Lamb’ for a couple of weeks and just take out a well-lit show and play the music.”

Hackett added that the band had discussed other possibilities in the 1990s.“There were other things on the table,” he said. “There was the idea that maybe ‘The Lamb’ could be a film or maybe a stage musical.” But, of course, none of those things materialized — something Hackett regards today as a missed opportunity. “Then again, Genesis was full of missed opportunities,” he said. “But at the same time, it was a highly productive band in all of its various incarnations. Life is full of what ifs.”

About that time — perhaps in response to those uneventful band conversations? — Hackett launched his own Genesis Revisited project, reprising most tracks from the albums he made with the band between 1971 and 1977. Since 1996, the long-running juggernaut has been performing and recording live shows virtually nonstop and is currently playing nine tracks from “The Lamb” on its current tour.

“With Genesis, I’ve always said, ‘Yeah, OK, fine, include me in or include me out — whatever.’ ”Hackett said. “Meanwhile, I will go out and celebrate it myself, because with band politics, the wheels can move very very slowly, and it doesn’t always come to a thrilling conclusion. So, to protect and take the heritage forward, I have now celebrated ‘Selling England By the Pound,’ ‘Foxtrot,’ ‘Seconds Out’ in their entirety, and ‘The Lamb’ partially.”

For the record, Hackett suggested “The Lamb” wasn’t his clear favorite of the early Genesis albums, partly because of the divisions within the band when it was recorded. “When I look back on ‘Foxtrot’ and ‘Selling England,’ I think of that as a golden period for Genesis,” he said.

He added, however, that the new mixes of “The Lamb” are perhaps the best representation of the band’s sound and progress in 1974 — marking the end of one era and the start of another for Genesis.

Worth noting: In addition to the remixed studio and live “Lamb” recordings, the deluxe edition features a few extras to sweeten the pot for uber bans. There’s a 60-page booklet, replicas of the 1975 tour program, ticket and promo poster, and several early demo takes of “The Lamb Lies Down on Broad/Fly on a Windshield,” “The Chamber of 32 Doors/The Lamia,” and “In the Cage.” These few works-in-progress demos (available via download) are rough and raw low-fi takes. But they offer glimpses of the band in the early stages of capturing lightning in a bottle with what would become one of the most celebrated (if controversial) progressive rock albums ever made.

The bottom line: This richly expanded boxed set captures the classic Genesis lineup at the very top of its game — a cohesive masterwork that reveals the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts, live and in the studio. It is the definitive edition of one of prog’s most striking concept albums. You’ll want to make room for this one on your top music shelf, alongside Yes’s “Close to the Edge,” ELP’s “Tarkus,” Jethro Tull’s “A Passion Play,” Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and King Crimson’s debut album.

Post-script: For “Lamb” fans wanting more, three additional tributes to the album are out or soon to be available:
• Steve Hackett’s latest album, “The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall” — recorded during his current tour — features highlights from “The Lamb,” along with other Genesis fan favorites and his own solo works. Check out the review here: https://progreport.com/steve-hackett-the-lamb-stands-up-live-at-the-royal-albert-hall-album-review/
• Dave Kerzner’s Sonic Elements has released “IT — A 50th Anniversary Celebration of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis” — which reimagines the album as a film soundtrack of sorts, featuring a Who’s Who of contemporary prog artists. Read more here: https://progreport.com/it-a-50th-anniversary-celebration-of-the-lamb-lies-down-on-broadway-by-genesis-album-review/
• In November, Nick D’Virgilio is releasing a remastered version of “Rewiring Genesis: A Tribute to the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” his 2008 reworking of the album with co-producer Mark Honsby, featuring Nashville studio musicians, some of whom had never heard the original. Here’s a promo video from the album: https://progreport.com/nick-dvirgilio-shares-fly-on-a-windshield-broadway-melody-of-1974-with-steve-hackett-on-guitar/

 

12 August 2025: Marsupilami "Marsupilami"; Brad Rose "A Life We Once Lived". Quiet Details 37; Pete Swinton "Light Green, Vol. 2"

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Marsupilami were an English progressive rock band active in the early 1970s. Their name was taken from a famous Belgian comics character created by Belgian artist André Franquin.^[1] In 1969, the band toured with Deep Purple, and played at the opening of the Isle of Wight Festival when King Crimson withdrew. They released two albums, Marsupilami (1970) and Arena (1971), on Transatlantic Records.^[2][3] The albums were reissued on Cherry Red Records in 2007. The band briefly reunited for gigs in 2011.

Personnel

• Mike Fouracre – Drums
• Fred Hasson – Vocals, harmonica, words and music
• Leary Hasson – Keyboards and music
• Richard Lathom Hicks – Bass
• Dave Laverock – Guitar, vocals, words and music
• Jessica Stanley Clarke – Flute and vocals
• Peter Bardens – Percussion and producer of Arena
• Mandi Riedelbauch – Woodwinds on 'Arena'
• Bob West – Vocals and words on 'Arena'
• Paul Dunmall – Tenor and soprano saxes and flute

Discography

• Marsupilami (Transatlantic TRA 213) 1970^[4]
• Arena (Transatlantic TRA 230) 1971^[5]

• In the beginning

  The band Marsupliami borrowed its name from the Belgian cartoonist André Franquin who created this comic character in 1952.   Marsupilami was a cross between a monkey and a cat, yellow with black spots; cute, resourceful and anti-authority.   Perhaps not an obvious choice, but the progenitors of the group, the Hasson brothers Fred (Vocals, harmonica, bongos) and Leary (Organ/piano), with their Anglo-French upbringing, had grown up with this comic character. 

  The idea was not to have a written name, and to use a drawing of the ‘animal’ to identify the group, rather than the name in letters (long time before Prince thought of Symbol) but when Transatlantic Record boss, Nat Joseph, wrote to seek permission, he neglected to mention this and clearance was given for the name only.  At that point a name change was suggested, but Nat Joseph said the name was cool and so it remained.   

  The idea for Marsupilami began in 1968 following a tour of Southern Spain, organised by Leary’s school R&B band, ‘Levitation.’  At the last minute Fred, was drafted in as a replacement for the absent lead singer, to sing standard Soul and R&B numbers. Returning to the UK the band secured gigs at the County Hotel Ballroom in its home town of Taunton (Somerset), backing both The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Joe Cocker Band, , and who they shared a pint with in a nearby pub before the gig.  After these, Fred and Leary were completely smitten with playing live gigs but none of the other members of Levitation could make the commitment.  

  

  The band reformed going through numerous iterations, including a short period when a bassoon player (Johnno Packer) was featured. The eventual line up for the often called ‘eponymous first album’ was recruited from local bands.  The rhythm section of Mike Fouracre (drums) and Ricky Hicks (bass guitar) came from local blues outfit ‘Justin’s Timepiece’ and Dave Laverock (guitar) came from a semi-pro band, ‘The Sabres.’  Leary’s flute playing, art student girlfriend, Jessica Stanley Clarke (now Jekka McVicar, Britain’s foremost organic herb grower) completed the line up.  

  In a short time, most of the members of the band were living in a farmhouse with a hay barn serving as an ‘open all hours’ rehearsal studio.     Musical tastes were eclectic: Jazz, Classical, Rock and Folk records littered the place: John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders,, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Messiaen, Ravel, Debussy,  Stravinsky, Fairport Convention, Soft Machine, and Frank Zappa – (in particular Absolutely Free and ‘We’re only in it for the money’) and long sessions late into the nights were spent listening to and dissecting the music. Under these influences the music of Marsupilami soon evolved from R&B and Blues cover versions to a very particular brand of what became known as ‘progressive rock’ ; the synthesis of musical influences was the result of a lot of careful listening, inspired writing, hours of relentless practicing and some respected musicianship.  The material was eclectic and not easy with frequent rhythm changes and jazz-oriented chords. The  band never wrote the music down, all the tracks were played from memory.

  What Marsupilami needed more than anything else was a recording contract. They entered the Melody Maker ‘Find a band competition’, and a discussion about this was overheard, in the ‘Full Moon’ pub in Taunton’s High Street, by an eccentric looking barefooted and bearded guy called Julian Palmer–Hill.   ‘George’, as he became known by band members, was older and wiser, had rejected an army career and after hearing the band, proposed to be its manager and get the band the recognition he believed it deserved.   George hitch-hiked to London in his bare feet, and soon got results.

  In September 1969, Marsupilami signed with Transatlantic Records, an independent label, that the band identified with, and went into the studio soon after. [Transatlantic wanted to diversify into rock music and also signed Stray, Camel , Jody Grind and others; Their stable was mainly folk artists such as Pentangle – John Renbourne and Bert Jansch,  John Fahey, the The Humblebums (Billy Connelly and Jerry Rafferty), and also published a catalogue of stuff too weird, blasphemous,  or just too far out for most labels to take on such as  John Cage, and Frank Zappa’s ‘Uncle Meat’.] 

  Marsupilami – 1st Album

  “Marsupilami” the first album (Transatlantic TRA 213) was recorded in 1969 at the Sound Techniques Recording Studios, just off London’s King’s Road, and released in April 1970.  The studio, had been converted from an old dairy, and was just being fitted out with some new gizmo’s called Dolby’s!, when the band arrived. It is famous for the roster of artists recorded there by Joe Boyd: Nick Drake, Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention – the engineer was John Wood,  leave this out but the band got the feeling that their kind of music was not understood. 

  All 5 tracks were done in a handful of takes, virtually live. 

  The music is distinctive; complex and hardly emulated. The band did not want to create catchy tunes that finished off the same way they started – the tracks represented journeys into the mystical and subconscious  places of the mind, with changes of mood, and underpinned by strong and sublime melodies, time sequence changes, stylistic shifts and ruptures of mood following one another: passages move from light folky or jazzy ensembles, to  hard driving guitar and organ rock pumped up by the rhythm section, to slow ethereal dream sequences featuring flute, organ and chanting vocals.   The content of the album can only be described as apocalyptic, but hopeful for a better world.

  Facilis Descensus Averni, is the subject of one of the first music videos made by Jay Myrdal, who accompanied Pete Smith to do a photo shoot for the first album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2-Qti7H42U

  and ‘The eagle chased the dove to its ruin’ contain some especially gloomy lyrics to accompany the affecting? guitar. The instrumental on the album,  Ab Initio Ad Finem is a musical interpretation of an Old Testament style sermon, recounting the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, discovering new love  spoilt by waring global culture leading to nuclear holocaust written by Leary – part of the track was used by Stuart Henry DJ on Radio One, as an introduction to his show.

  Born to be Free is often cited as the best music produced by Marsupilami: with a strong melody, it features  many tempo and mood changes, and in the last vocal section a poem written by Fred when he was 16, invoking feelings provoked by the nuclear arms build up. Track 1, Dorian Deep with its slow build up and thumping rock ending, was always a good warm up at the beginning of a gig.

  ‘The eagle chased the dove to its ruin’ contain some especially gloomy lyrics to accompany the affecting guitar. The instrumental on the album,  Ab Initio Ad Finem is a musical interpretation of an Old Testament style sermon, recounting the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, discovering new love  spoilt by waring global culture leading to nuclear holocaust written by Leary – part of the track was used by Stuart Henry DJ on Radio One, as an introduction to his show.

  Born to be Free is often cited as the best music produced by Marsupilami: with a strong melody, it features  many tempo and mood changes, and in the last vocal section a poem written by Fred when he was 16, invoking feelings provoked by the nuclear arms build up. Track 1, Dorian Deep with its slow build up and thumping rock ending, was always a good warm up at the beginning of a gig.

  

                                               A Life We Once Lived - Brad Rose
   

  Credits:
  

  Music by Brad Rose
  Mastered by Alex at quiet details studios
  Artwork by quiet details in collaboration with Brad Rose
  Design by quiet details
  © quiet details 2025 all rights reserved
  
  Very happy to announce that next in the quiet details series is the wildly creative and prolific multi-disciplinary artist and music writer, Brad Rose.
  
  Responsible for a vast archive of wonderful music projects across numerous aliases, released on his own Jewel Garden and labels such as the outstanding Room40 - his work covers a huge amount of ground and is a world all to itself.
  
  Alongside this, he’s active in the world of visual arts, installation, design, writing - and of course one of his most well-known projects, the incredible long-running platform for experimental music and art, Foxy Digitalis, an essential resource for independent journalism.
  
  A Life We Once Lived is an album of deep meaning and atmospheric beauty - born out of the subconscious making sense of the maze of life, and in the process making something of incredible scope.
  
  This is an album full of emotion - starting out with reflective melodics that bloom into a vast world of competitive bliss, Brad’s highly nuanced musical sensibilities take us on a trip though feelings we can all somehow relate to - his sincerity coming to the fore throughout.
  
  Each track turns a new corner and leads you to a unique place - the highly-refined harmonic structures matched with exquisite textural expansions. This is an artist pouring their heart and soul into their art form with spellbinding effect.
  
  Masterful use of synthesisers and an array of acoustic sound sources serve to create a world of singular and stunning abstraction. 

   

  As Brad says:
  
  There are landscapes we never walk but still carry. Lives that linger just outside memory’s reach, shaping how we move through the world without ever fully revealing themselves.
  
  A Life We Once Lived is an album shaped by those fragments—traces of what was almost real, or perhaps only imagined. It emerged from stillness, from the quiet textures and small details that form when thought slows and sound begins to take its place. Each piece invites a kind of soft attention. There is no resolution here, no fixed meaning. Just motion, breath, and tone, held gently enough to shift and transform.
  
  This is a record of almosts. Almost-places. Almost-memories. Almost-love. A Life We Once Lived gathers what’s left in the gaps: the hush between pulses, the glow that never quite fades. It leads quietly toward something larger, a dream not yet spoken aloud. This is not a story, but a signal from the margins of memory—a drift through internal weather, a gesture toward something still forming.
  
  For now, it offers a space to pause. To listen more closely. To feel what remains when everything else grows quiet.
  
  Huge thanks to Brad - a beautiful addition to the series.
  
  The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Brad 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 six-panel digipack with a separate fine art print too.
  
  The CD also has a special long-form continuous mix of the album, created by the artist and representing the music in its purest form.
  thejewelgarden.bandcamp.com
  bradrose.bandcamp.com  

  credits

  released July 23, 2025 

  Tags

  ambient chill-out downtempo drone electronic field recordings United Kingdom

   

  
  

  

  
  

  Composed and performed by Pete Swinton
  Recorded and mixed at Studio Kaktus, Jawa Barat, Indonesia 2025
  Produced by Pete Swinton 2025
  Photo by Leo Chane on Unsplash
  Copyright 2025 Pete Swinton
  All Rights Reserved Pete Swinton 2025
  
  4-4-2music.com

  credits

  released July 12, 2025

  license

  all rights reserved

  tags

  Tags

  experimental ambient deep listening electronic liminal soundscape Indonesia

01 April 2025: An Evening with Jethro Tull featuring "Aqualung" & "Curious Ruminant"

 

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Aqualung is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Jethro Tull; it was released in March 1971 by Chrysalis Records. Though it is generally regarded as a concept album, featuring a central theme of "the distinction between religion and God", the band said that there was no intention to make a concept album, and that only a few songs have a unifying theme.^[4] Aqualung's success signalled a turning point in the career of the band, which went on to become a major radio and touring act.

Recorded at Island Records' new recording studio in Basing Street, London, it was their first album with keyboardist John Evan as a full-time member, their first with new bassist Jeffrey Hammond, and last album featuring Clive Bunker on drums, who left the band shortly after the release of the album. The album utilises more acoustic material than previous releases; and—inspired by photographs of homeless people on the Thames Embankment taken by singer Ian Anderson's wife Jennie Franks—contains a number of recurring themes, addressing religion along with Anderson's own personal experiences.

Aqualung is Jethro Tull's best-selling album, selling more than seven million units worldwide. It was generally well-received critically and has been included on several music magazine best-of lists. The album spawned two singles, "Hymn 43" and "Locomotive Breath".^[5]

Production

An early version of "My God" was recorded on 11–12 April 1970, followed by "Wond'ring Aloud, Again" on 21 June, both at Morgan Studios.^{[6][failed verification]} After an American tour, bass player Glenn Cornick was fired from the band,^[7] and was replaced with Jeffrey Hammond, an old friend of Ian Anderson.^[8] Aqualung would be Hammond's first album with the band. It would also mark the first time John Evan had recorded a full album with the band, as his only prior involvement was to provide several keyboard parts on the previous 1970 album, Benefit. In December, the album became one of the first to be recorded at Island Records' newly-opened recording studios on Basing Street in London. Led Zeppelin did some recording for Led Zeppelin IV at the same time, though in the smaller of the two studios in the converted chapel.^[9] In an interview on the 25th anniversary edition of the album, Tull's bandleader Ian Anderson said that trying to record in the larger studio was very difficult, because of its "horrible, cold, echoey" feel.^[10] The orchestral segments were arranged by Dee Palmer, who had worked with the band since 1968's This Was, and would later join as a keyboard player. The master reels were assembled at Apple Studios on 2 March 1971. Aqualung would be the last Jethro Tull album to include Clive Bunker as a band member, as he retired shortly after recording to start a family.^[10]

Musical style

The songs on the album encompass a variety of musical genres, with elements of folk, blues, psychedelia, and hard rock.^[11] The "riff-heavy" nature of tracks such as "Locomotive Breath", "Hymn 43" and "Wind Up" is regarded as a factor in the band's increased success after the release of the album, with Jethro Tull becoming "a major arena act" and a "fixture on FM radio" according to AllMusic.^[12][13] In a stylistic departure from Jethro Tull's earlier albums, many of Aqualung's songs are acoustic. "Cheap Day Return", "Wond'ring Aloud" and "Slipstream" are short, completely acoustic "bridges", and "Mother Goose" is also mostly acoustic. Anderson claims his main inspirations for writing the album were Roy Harper and Bert Jansch.^[10]

Themes

Aqualung has generally been regarded as a concept album with a central theme of "the distinction between religion and God".^[4] The album's "dour musings on faith and religion" have marked it as "one of the most cerebral albums ever to reach millions of rock listeners".^[12] Academic discussions of the nature of concept albums have frequently listed Aqualung amongst their number.^[14][15][16]

The initial idea for the album was sparked by some photographs that Anderson's wife Jennie took of homeless people on the Thames Embankment. The appearance of one man in particular caught the interest of the couple, who together wrote the title song "Aqualung".^[17] The first side of the LP, titled Aqualung, contains several character sketches, including the character of the title track, and the schoolgirl prostitute Cross-Eyed Mary, as well as two autobiographical tracks, including "Cheap Day Return", written by Anderson after a visit to his critically ill father.^[18]

The second side, titled My God, contains three tracks—"My God", "Hymn 43" and "Wind-Up"—that address religion in an introspective, and sometimes irreverent, manner. However, despite the names given to the album's two sides and their related subject matter, Anderson has consistently maintained that Aqualung is not a "concept album". A 2005 interview included on Aqualung Live gives Anderson's thoughts on the matter:^[19]

I always said at the time that this is not a concept album; this is just an album of varied songs of varied instrumentation and intensity in which three or four are the kind of keynote pieces for the album but it doesn't make it a concept album. In my mind when it came to writing the next album, Thick as a Brick, was done very much in the sense of: 'Whuh, if they thought Aqualung was a concept album, Oh! Okay, we'll show you a concept album.' And it was done as a kind of spoof, a send-up, of the concept album genre. ... But Aqualung itself, in my mind was never a concept album. Just a bunch of songs.

Drummer Clive Bunker believes that the record's perception as a concept album is a case of "Chinese whispers", explaining "you play the record to a couple of Americans, tell them that there's a lyrical theme loosely linking a few songs, and then notice the figure of the Aqualung character on the cover, and suddenly the word is out that Jethro Tull have done a concept album".^[10]

The thematic elements Jethro Tull explored on the album—those of the effects of urbanisation on nature, and of the effects of social constructs such as religion on society—would be developed further on most of the band's subsequent releases.^[20] Ian Anderson's frustration over the album's labelling as a concept album directly led to the creation of Thick as a Brick (1972), intended to be a deliberately "over the top" concept album in response.^[21]

40th anniversary adapted edition: Remixed and mastered by Steven Wilson (2016)

The 2016 edition was remastered by Steven Wilson of his 2011 remixed material as he did not like Peter Mew's mastering.

CD 1: Steven Wilson remaster and stereo remix of the album

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Aqualung"	6:38
2.	"Cross-Eyed Mary"	4:11
3.	"Cheap Day Return"	1:23
4.	"Mother Goose"	3:53
5.	"Wond'ring Aloud"	1:56
6.	"Up to Me"	3:17
7.	"My God"	7:13
8.	"Hymn 43"	3:19
9.	"Slipstream"	1:13
10.	"Locomotive Breath"	4:42
11.	"Wind-Up"

Review of the new Jethro Tull studio record – ‘Curious Ruminant’

by Geoff Bailie

Like many prog bands who formed in the late 1960s, Jethro Tull’s early years involved a new album release every single year. That pace slowed in the 1980s, and with J-Tull Dot Come in 1999, the band (name) went to hiatus. Ian Anderson however kept making music, and this brought us Thick As A Brick II and Homo Erraticus, both excellent albums which it’s hard not to think of as Tull albums, such is the imprint of Anderson’s DNA.

The continuation of that trajectory has been what is now three Jethro Tull albums in quick succession from January 2022’s The Zealot Gene, April 2023’s RokFlote and now in March 2025, Curious Ruminant – that’s a pace of output that even few younger peers are able to match… and reminiscent of a 1970s release schedule.

The stable JT core band members, David Goodier, John O’Hara, and Scott Hammond are joined by new guitarist Jack Clark, with contributions from previous members Andrew Gidding and James Duncan (the boss’s son making an appearance on drums). While the last two albums had specific thematic cores in Biblical references and Norse legends, this one is packed with Anderson’s ruminations on manipulation, contemplation, change, and bereavement, with the clever and thought-provoking lyrical approach that’s unchanged over the decades. Musically the album is similar in tone to the previous two, not overproduced, with lots of space when needed. While the overall tone is quite mellow, there are many “gut punch” moments either in song or in words.

“Puppet and the Puppet Master” kicks the album off with a speedy rock beat, acoustic guitars and the rasp of trademark flute – Anderson’s dexterity with this instrument still superb. We also get some trading off between Jack Clark’s guitar, the flute and a Hammond organ. Dig into the lyrics and I’m hearing a reflection on the role of the stage performer as both a puppet and a puppet master – as a minstrel of many years experience, Anderson will, of course, know all of the techniques to engage his audience.. and yet he’s the one dancing to their tune – perhaps a reflection on the role of a “heritage act” where the audience will demand certain songs and behaviors from the band. If that all sounds heavy, don’t worry – you can easily get lost in the jaunty melody … but there’s also lots there if you want to dig deeper! The piano led “title track” is next – it’s a song that couldn’t be anyone but Tull, so distinctive is its sound. This one is a song about curiosity, and those who think about the big questions in life… but ultimately end up changing their mind on a regular basis or indeed sit on the fence. Neither is criticised and you get the feeling that Anderson is reflecting his own personality in this lyric more than he would when, say, he’s wrapped in a character. Yet another shout for some great guitar work on this one.

In “Dunsinane Hill,” it seems that Anderson’s Scottish roots lead him to “The Scottish Play,” mixing elements of Macbeth with the equally murderous world of politics. More great flute playing on this one and in fact the track could also work well as an instrumental as Anderson’s vocal is part-recitation. The recent trilogy of albums has seen Ian settle into a comfortable vocal style, part spoken, part sung which suits his timbre at this point in life. The roar, sneer and snigger of past Tull tracks wouldn’t necessarily fit what he writes today, and yet with the voice and the flute you’re never in any doubt who you’re listening to!

“The Tipu House” is a folksier track, followed by “Savannah of Paddington Green” which returns to themes of climate change which certainly has been a familiar subject since the days of Stormwatch. “Over Jerusalem” starts with a bouncing Celtic folk theme and has a brilliant instrumental mid-section which overall gives it an epic feel. But when it comes to epics, well the prog fans ears prick up when they see a song that lasts longer than 15 minutes. So “Drink From The Same Well,” arguably the second longest track in the Tull canon if you treat Thick As A Brick as a single track, is one of interest. Some of the musical ideas stem from music created for Hariprasad Chaurasia, exponent of the bansuri, an Indian bamboo flute and appeared as instrumentals that Tull played live 20 years ago. Gathering those ideas together with lyrics themed around unity, it’s a showcase of instrumental styles covering jazz, folk and rock as well as Eastern styles – a real musical journey with superb playing throughout.

The album closes with “Interim Sleep”, a spoken word piece, written about the passing of a loved one. It’s a mellow ending track, which finishes the album by staring into eternity.

There’s no doubt that Ian Anderson’s creative well has not run dry, and his output in this decade alone has been of a very high standard. Curious Ruminant is perhaps the strongest of the three Tull albums released on InsideOutMusic, and it’s exciting to hear an artist who’s still producing music of this quality after so many years. For those who enjoy strong lyrical themes and subjects, there’s lots to dig into… and musically it’s full of great playing and virtuoso flute in particular.

Check out our interview with Ian Anderson here.

Released on March 7th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic

https://jethrotullband.lnk.to/CuriousRuminant-Album

The full tracklisting is as follows:
1. Puppet And The Puppet Master 04:04
2. Curious Ruminant 06:00
3. Dunsinane Hill 04:17
4. The Tipu House 03:31
5. Savannah of Paddington Green 03:13
6. Stygian Hand 04:16
7. Over Jerusalem 05:55
8. Drink From The Same Well 16:42
9. Interim Sleep 02:33

The band consists of:
Ian Anderson – Flutes, vocals, acoustic guitar, tenor guitar, mandolin, odds and sods, bits and bobs
David Goodier – Bass guitar
John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards, accordion
Scott Hammond – Drums
Jack Clark – Electric guitar

The album also features:
James Duncan – Drums, cajón, percussion
Andrew Giddings – Piano, keyboards, accordion