14 July 2026: Arabs in Aspic, “Madness and Magic”; Andreas Tilliander, “Lava”. QD51

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                                               Arabs in Aspic. “Madness and Magic”

https://arabs.bandcamp.com/album/madness-and-magic

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by TCat
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

 This is Arabs in Aspic's 6th full length album. "Madness and Magic" is really the perfect name for this album as, when I listen to it, it sounds like an excellent progressive sound (which is the Magic), yet it also sounds almost like it is going to fall apart at any time (the Madness). This combination makes for an intriguing listen, not only on the first listen, but also on subsequent listens. I recognize that saying something sounds like "it is going to fall apart at any time" might seem negative, but in this sense, it gives the music a feeling of unpredictability, which to me, is a great thing. But, along with this, the Magic side of the album is that it sounds authentically progressive, borrowing sounds and shades of classic progressive bands while still sound quite relevant and fresh. It is this mix that keeps me coming back to this excellent and well-constructed album. 

But, unfortunately, there are some issues here, which, from reading the previous reviewer's comments, is an issue that the band has had in the past. This problem stems with the odd lyrics that are sometimes embarrassingly bad. For those listeners that don't put a lot of weight on the lyrics, this might slip by unnoticed, but since lyrics and vocals are quite an important part of the band's music here, it is hard to imagine that the listener would just not notice that. Looking at past ratings for the band's previous albums, each one of them has managed to average at 4 stars. Honestly, this is the first time I have heard this band, though I have heard of them before. The fact that they haven't raised or lowered that score among fellow Archive raters, does concern me a bit, but listening to this album does make me want to explore deeper into their music.

The 6 songs on this album are all "fused" together, each one flowing into the next, almost making this entire endeavor sound like a suite. However, it's obviously not that as each song (except for the two part "Lullaby for Modern Kids") is it's own entity. But through these songs, one things remains constant, excellent composition and well-constructed progressive music, which flows along quite smoothly from drifting, psychedelic passages to melodic sections to heavy and solid riffs. The album definitely has something for everyone, but also seems focused to deliver high-quality music. But it is the instrumental portions of the album that are the best and that stand out the most in the first several listens, and the vocal complexities soon become a more appreciated part of the music as both your ear and mind adjust to the style. 

This is an album that will impress most progressive listeners right at the outset. Of course the track that will garner the most interest from the progressive crowd will be the 16+ minute "Heaven in Your Eye", which again is almost perfect, but seems to end a bit lackluster and abruptly, like the song is ready to move on to another section, but instead just quickly fades out. There are a few minor issues like that that seem to keep this album from reaching a 5 star status, but hopefully that doesn't keep anyone from at least giving this album a try. It's not a masterpiece, but it is still quite enjoyable and worthy of 4 stars.

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

Extremely pleased to say that next in the quiet details series, with an interpretation of immense breadth, is the eminent Swedish producer, Andreas Tilliander, with Lava.

Andreas has been established in the highest echelons of electronica since the late nineties - amassing a vast discography across many leading labels and multiple aliases. Wide-ranging productions under his own name, Morika, TM404, Rechord and many more - on the likes of Kontra Musik, Mille Plateaux, Raster-Noton, Acid Test and his own Repeatle - has proven him time and again to be one of the most important and influential artists of recent years. Essential live performances have served to enforce this legacy.

Lava is Andreas Tilliander at his finest - endlessly experimental and wildly creative expressions, shaped into a sonic excursion of mind-expanding distinction.

As he says, this is “An exploration of southern Sweden - light, memory, and open landscapes.” And we can feel this from the very first second.

Deeply atmospheric from the start, submerged locational recordings intertwine with gradually evolving synths - creating an introduction that lays out the beginning of the path into this beautifully constructed album.

Trademark acidic pulses emerge through the clouds as the music continues on unabated, and from there we’re led by the hand through the emotions Andreas elicits from his surroundings.

His mastery of his machines is total - analogue richness, digital grunge - recordings from many sources manipulated into fascinating collages - all meld into a cohesive whole by the immense creative vision he possesses.

At times vivid and luminescent, and others dark and meditative - always profoundly reflective - this is an album of vast contemplation, perfectly executed by a master of his form.

As Andreas says:

Recorded primarily with samplers, some shitty synthesizers, field recordings from Hässleholm, old VHS tapes, and the quiet electricity of Skåne.

Special thanks to the fields and roads of Vinslöv, Vankiva, and Hässleholm. To the shores of Åhusfältet and the streets that shaped everything. Thank you for the crystal clarity, the glow, the light, and the stillness.

Street Wise. Vinslöv. Vankiva. Hässleholm.

I feel crystal clear.

Huge thanks to Andreas, a stunning addition to the series.

The artwork was made as always influenced by the music and idea behind the album - originating from a photo from Andreas 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.

repeatle.bandcamp.com  

credits

released July 1, 2026

ambientsweden

29 April 2025: Out of Focus "Four Letter Monday Afternoon"; Richard Begin "Déjà vu"

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Out Of Focus biography
This awesome band came from Munich and made three extraordinary albums on the super-collectable Kuckuk label plus another that never got released until recently. Hennes Herring on KB (mainly Hammond organ), Remi Dreschler on guitars, Moran Neumuller on vocals and winds, Klaus Spöri and Stefan Wisheu on drums and bass respectively made an incredibly tight unit although they were prone to a lot of improvisation moments also. Their music is somewhat similar to early British prog but will gradually evolve to a certain jazz-rock while staying very politically and socially conscious (in the typical German style of those years) although the singing does not hold a big place in their music, their third release (a double) being mostly instrumental. They released three albums on the legendary Kuckuk label, the same one that also reissued them in Cd format.

After their third album, OOF suffered their first major line-up change with keyboardist Hennes Herring leaving the band to join SAHARA (another excellent group that will release two very solid albums), and he was replaced by yet another guitarist Wolfgang Gohringer (that made double guitar and double horn attack), but if it affected the group's sound a bit, it was nothing drastic either. A fourth (excellent) album was recorded in the spring of 74, but for some reasons it was never released - until Ultima Thule/Cosmic Egg would in 99. Sadly these events lead towards a slow decline of the group who would gradually slow down activities, recording just one more single and playing their last concerts in 78.

The musicians went their way, but in the mid-80's, three of them met and participated to Kontrast and recorded one of the best Krautrock album of that decade, according to the experts. This album and its intended suite just got a second life by getting a reissue, again on the Cosmic Egg label. Among the other posthumous releases is the left-overs from FLMA albums (Rat Roads) and a Live in Palerme 72, both excellent records appearing on the great Garden Of Delight Label.

Let me quote D-E Asbjornssen in Cosmic Dreams At Play and use his final comment about OOF: "what an awesome band they were" and I fully adhere to that opinion.


: : : Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM : : :



Highly recommended by Dag-Erik Asbjornsen in his great book Cosmic Dreams At Play, and by myself to every progheads infatuated with the early 70's way of making music. Simply awesome!

Four Letter Monday Afternoon Review by BrufordFreak
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

The peak of achievement from this uber-talented band from München, Bundesrepublik Deutschland: a 94-minute of finely polished music. Just remember that there was at least another 94 minutes of excess music from these recording sessions that was left on the cutting room floor or studio shelves gathering dust until someone saw fit to dust them off and publish them on two albums, released in 1999 and 2002, respectively.

LP 1 (46:07): 1. "L.S.B." (17:37) very much like some evolved Big Band jazz--taking Don Ellis a bit further in terms of incorporating elements of avant/free jazz and electronics, but also quite a bit more reigned in in terms of the use of odd time signatures. Still, the song is quite entertaining for its multiple sax-connected multiple motifs covering a range of styles and tempos. There are a lot of elements of blues-rock at the core of a lot of this music (one can still hear the band that did Wake Up! just two years before). I really like the KINGSTON WALL-like vocal motif in the last third of the song. (31.75/35)

2. "When I'm Sleeping" (4:04) sounds like THE ROLLING STONES if they tried covering PETER HAMMILL song as well as a smooth Motown tune for the chorus and instrumental section. Hennse Hering's old-time saloon-like piano play in the background is a delight, as is Stephen Wishen's bass JAMES JAMERSON-like play and the sax work. I don't know why, but the recording of the drums is rather poor. This may be my favorite vocal performance from Moran. (9/10)

3. "Tsajama" (9:23) a great guitar and flute intro leads into an awesome motif with heavy organ and low bass notes weighing things down beneath the flute, guitars, and smoothly-drawn lines coming from the full horn section. Awesome in a Brian Auger/Eumir Deodato kind of way. Remigius Drechsler leads the way with his searing guitar play in the second and third minutes before Hennse's Hammond and the orgasmically-smooth horn section join in to double and back him. Such a great groove! In the second half of the sixth minute the horns, Hammond, and guitars back off and Moran enters in a singing capacity, using Japanese as his language. Interesting. Then he runs off into some poorly-synched scatting in the seventh minute before returning to leading the smoother, multi-channel melody in Japanese in the eighth. But then the band ramps up the pace and breadth of sound dynamics with a return of the horn section, inspiring Moran to gallop off with some more interesting horse-like vocalese scatting(?). (19/20)

4. "Black Cards" (9:38) a gentle weave of organ and electric guitar arpeggi opens this before flute, hand drums, and a second guitar join in. At the one-minute mark the bass jumps on board, ushering the band into a full blues-rock sound palette over which Moran turns back to his Mick Jagger voice for another vocal performance that reminds me of Mick singing his Slow Horses theme song. A return to the opening theme at the end of the third minute allows for a kind of 30-second reset from which they emerge with a VAN MORRISON "Moondance"-like motif over which Hennse solos on his Wurlitzer-sounding organ. This is a great, extended instrumental section with some gorgeous and dynamic flute soloing throughout. At the end we return to the blues swing theme for Moran to finish things off with his Moves Like Jagger. (18/20)

5. "Where Have You Been" (5:35) a gorgeous folk-rock song with one of Moran's most moving and melodic vocal performances. Powerful. Incredible flute solo in the "C" part: heart-wrenching. I know that Moran (and maybe his bandmates) had a very strong moral compass. We are so blessed to have the legacy of their passion and courage. (9.5/10)

Disc One earns itself a five star rating.

LP 2 (48:09): 6. "A Huchen 55" (9:19) opens with mutliple flutes winding and wending their way through a rondo weave for two minutes before giving way to a faded in psychedelic blues-rock jam (that was already in progress). Hammond organ takes the first solo over the bass, drums, and guitar support. At the three-minute mark, a panoply of horns join in, each playing their own melody line but securing their comraderie through mutually-respective pauses and breaks. The music coming from the rhythm section beneath kind of hits a "I'm a Man" pulse-and-let-off pattern as the horns continue their fascinating and almost humorous interplay. In the seventh minute, electric guitar and Hammond start to inject their own flourishes and melodic ideas. By the eighth minute the horn players are starting to tire--and eventually peter out for a full minute or more while the Hammond and sassy electric guitar share a quirky little conversation of quips and epithets. At the end of the ninth minute, then, the bluesy jazz music is fadeout (the same way it came in) replaced by the flute weave that opened the song. (18/20)

7. "Huchen 55, B" (14:32) opening with the flute weave from the previous song bleeding over, a new already-in- progress R&B jam is faded in. The James Jamerson-like bass play that drives the music is once again emitting waves of groovy Motown sound, but this soon fades out to be replaced by Moran's solo flute play. He sounds so much as if he's trying to imitate the breathy play of maestro Jean-Pierre Rampal. Jazz guitars, trumpet, Hammond, each take their turn joining in beneath Moran's increasingly-avat garde flute stylings. In the seventh minute trumpeter Jimmy Polivka tries usurping the lead from Moran, but it is not that easy: Moran is riding along on pure inspiration. So Jimmy gives up. Hennse and Remigius each take their own turns, trying to nudge Moran out, but Herr Hering only seems to get stronger--until the 9:00 mark: then he gives way, sits back and lets the music unfold without him. The band seem to rise to the occasion with a JEFFERSON AIRPLANE-like creativity: slowly, carefully, deliberately. Hennse's excited Hammond is kept at bay via repressed volume, which allows the horns to have their time. In the twelfth minute Remigius steps to the fore and lays out one awesome blues-rock solo. The band is really into the jam here: fully entrained with everyone clicking--expelling their full creative juices. Awesome! Despite its looseness and lack of plan or developmental structure, this song plays out with some infectious power. Moran's multi-flute weave is once again used to bridge this song with the next one. (27/30)

8. "Huchen 55, C" (24:18) What a jam! Wild and crazy: from Moran's lyrics and vocal performance (sounding like a reckless/uninhibited Mick Jagger channeling PETER HAMMILL through DAMO SUZUKI) to the reckless abandon with which everyone blasts and grooves out their passion. I mean, it feels as if everyone, all at once, is given the total green light to play whatever they feel inspired to play. This makes for some very creative and memorable solos--especially from the horn players (the multitude of saxes are of special note), percussionist, and Hennse's Hammond organ. Definitely Krautrock. Definitely hypnotic in a "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys"-kind of way--a sound that would also seem to indicate the use of mind altering substances. The song's final three minutes are particularly entertaining for the frenetic yet-respectful free-for-all that gradually peters out, making way for yet another reprise of Moran's multi-flute weave. (45.5/50)

Disc Two earns itself a 4.5/5 star rating.

Total Time: 94:16

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of wonderfully-creative First Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion. One can definitely trace the influences and inspirations for each song on several levels but in the end the boys have achieved a mastery of their instruments and goals, enabling them to merge admirably their Krautrock influences with the Blues-Rock and Jazz- Rock Fusion trends they've been hearing. As with every other reviewer I've read, it's too bad this band didn't stay together.

With regards to the controversy of whether or not this album (or band) deserves to belong to the Jazz-Rock Fusion sub-genre, I will only say that over the course of the band's three album evolution it has definitely flowed toward Jazz-Rock (though it has also picked up a strong Krautrock foundation as well). This is 1972! Jazz-Rock Fusion was still in it's childhood! The dominant styles and sounds were still as-yet undecided. Herbie Hancock and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin were still evolving! Rapidly! Many bands like Out Of Focus were offering up a wide range of their own personal interpretations--which is one of the most exciting and refreshing aspects of J-R F's "First Wave." 

 

Déjà vu is a fleeting yet profound sensation, a moment when time seems to fold in on itself, between past and present. It is a phenomenon of memory—both elusive and deeply personal—where recognition and strangeness coexist. Few artistic mediums can evoke this liminal state as powerfully as ambient music, where repetition, decay, and texture shape sonic landscapes that mirror the ghostly presence of the past within the present.
Canadian composer Richard Bégin has been steadily building a reputation in the realm of ambient music for his explorations of memory, crafting soundscapes that feel like echoes from a distant past, lost yet eerily familiar. His latest work, centered on the concept of déjà vu, follows in the tradition of artists like Boards of Canada, Fennesz, Philip Jeck, and William Basinski—musicians who have sculpted time-worn textures, fragile loops, and sonic artifacts to capture the essence of recollection and its inevitable dissolution.
Like Basinski’s Disintegration Loops, which document the slow decay of recorded memory, or Jeck’s ghostly turntable manipulations that awaken forgotten voices from the grooves of old records, Bégin’s music invites listeners into an auditory space where time is fluid. Fennesz’s digital deconstructions and Boards of Canada’s nostalgia-tinted melodies find an echo in Bégin’s work, which similarly embraces imperfection, layering textures that drift between clarity and erosion keeping the listener between the comfort of recognition and the disquieting realization that the past is always just out of reach. 

credits

released April 16, 2025
Our thanks to Raffaele Pezzella for providing FreeForm Radio with a copy of this release.
REVIEWS

Avant Music News

avantmusicnews.com/2025/04/20/amn-reviews-richard-begin-deja-vu-2025-reverse-alignment


Music by Richard Bégin
Published by Reverse Alignment.
Mastering by Raffaele Pezzella
Cat. Num. RA69.
© 2025. All rights reserved.

license

all rights reserved

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ambient dark ambient drone ambient electronic music field recordings industrial Sweden

 

22 October 2024: Ragnarok; Cousin Silas and Jonathan Ewald (litmus0001)

 

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Ragnarök is a Swedish prog-rock band, founded in Kalmar in 1972, by Peter Bryngelsson, Henrik Strindberg and Staffan Strindberg. Their first album was released 1976 by Silence Records. 

 

Ragnarök biography
Formed in Kalmar, Sweden in 1972 - Recording hiatus from 1992 to 2007 - Reformed in 2003

These Swedes managed four albums on Silence Record and some more (not listed here) in the early 90's. They are a typical example of atmospheric and melancholic prog like only Sweden can produce them. Their first album is a real classic known as a minor classic among progheads and they will participate to another group (KUNG TUNG - much harder) before doing their second album where those influences from that group will leave a mark. It is reputed to be as good as their debut. The later albums listed here remain of a good standard. Among the non-listed albums is "Well"(91) and is rather new age and sometimes industrial - not much to do with the earlier works.

: : : Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM : : :

NOTE: Not to be confused with the New Zealand symphonic prog group from those very same years (also HERE on PA) or the Heavy Metal unit from the 80-90's.  

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

RAGNORÖK has been one of Sweden's longest running progressive acts engaging in both progressive rock and progressive folk since its formation in Kalmar in 1972. Founded by Peter Bryngelsson (guitar, bass, vocals), Henrik Strindberg (guitar, flute) and Staffan Strindberg (bass), throughout the band's existence it has seen more than 25 members come and go. Despite this long existence the band has only released a total of six studio albums which all began with this 1976 self-titled debut. While mostly active during the 70s and 80s, the band took a hiatus and then reformed in 2002 but has only released one album "Path" since.

While RAGNORÖK would take a turn towards progressive jazz rock on its sophomore album "Fjärilar i magen," on this eponymous debut the band delivers a lush pastoral form of progressive folk that belies the band name that refers to the great event in Norse mythology that includes a great battle. On the contrary, RAGNORÖK's first album is one of the most mellow and dreamy styles of prog you could possibly experience with slow moving guitar and flute, piano arpeggios and a controlled drum and bass section. Hints of the jazz direction are dropped in some of the percussion moves but otherwise this sounds more like a mix of Bo Hanssen and Camel without any true points where the band rocks out.

A veritable mix of folk, classical guitar, semi-jazzy interludes and the pastoral aspects of prog ranging from Genesis to Anthony Phillips (sans vocals). The music also includes some interesting Swedish folk flavors including a bit of that famous circus music feel on the short "Fjottot" but mostly this is an acoustic guitar, piano and flute dominated album that takes you into prog placidity. While mellow prog such as this can often fall into tedium, RAGNORÖK keeps the album interesting by crafting an excellent instrumental interplay that keeps you in the zone. Too often folky albums will unnecessarily attempt to rock out at inappropriate moments and while that can be effective if done well, often it falls flat. In this case the band simply stays on mellow mode for the entire ride which makes it a beautifully compelling listen. Of course this would all amount to nought if not for the beautiful melodies crafted.

Another strength is the use of varying styles of folk music with even Celtic folk sounds being implemented on "Stiltje-uppbrott." Personally i find these low key prog albums hit or miss but occasionally a band nails it perfectly. This is something like Sweden's equivalent to Italy's Celeste who also went against the grain and delivered a rock-free slice of piano-based mellowness. To my ears this sounds like the prog equivalent of cool jazz and if Miles Davis was Swedish and took on the world of prog folk then perhaps this is the kind of album he would've produced. Any way you slice it, RAGNORÖK's debut is a one of those pleasant surprises that works because of its high quality and consistency throughout its run. The mix of instrumentation is family unique and the album doesn't sound like much else. A nice late to the game addition to the world of prog folk in 1976. 

 

Thanks to Litmus for his contribution.

litmus0001.bandcamp.com

 

This is the second Cousin Silas/litmus0001 collaboration to be featured on FreeForm Radio 

credits

released October 4, 2024

Thanks to Thomas Mathie for the cover design 

 

ambient electronic experimental guitar sound alchemy soundscapes United Kingdom

 

11 June 2024: It's A Beautiful Day; Invisible Opera Company of Tibet (Brazil); Psyche

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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

Line-up / Musicians

- Fabio Golfetti / guitar, vocals, mixing
- Gabriel Costa / bass
- Fred Barley / drums, vocals

With:
- Fernando Alge / guitar (2)

Releases information Artwork: Invisivel

CD Voiceprint ‎- VPB125CD (2010, Brazil) 

 

 

In the ethereal journey woven through the five mesmerizing tracks of Psyche, Rick Hopkinson masterfully intertwines ambient music with a myriad of elements, including subtle minimalism and evocative field recordings. Each composition serves as a sonic exploration of the psyche itself, delving into the depths of consciousness and emotion.

As one ventures into the sonic landscape crafted by Hopkinson, they are enveloped by layers of sound that seem to echo the complexities of the human mind. The gentle ebb and flow of synthesizers evoke a sense of introspection, while carefully integrated field recordings transport the listener to distant realms of imagination.

Hopkinson's keen attention to detail extends beyond the music itself. Through his Sanctuary project and his insightful YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@rickhopkinson), he invites listeners into his creative "sanctuary", offering glimpses into his meticulous process of music production. Here he unveils the inner workings of his sonic explorations, sharing his passion for synthesis and the art of crafting immersive ambient soundscapes.

credits

Our thanks to Raffaele Pezzella for providing us with a copy of this release.

released May 16, 2024

REVIEWS

Luminous Dash
Psyche is a much more challenging album than most of the dark ambient and related ones that we are bombarded with almost every week.
luminousdash.be/reviews/sanctuary-psyche-reverse-alignment

Ver Sacrum
www.versacrum.com/vs/2024/05/sanctuary-psyche.html

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2024/05/19/amn-reviews-sanctuary-psyche-2024-reverse-alignment/

This Is Darkness
The latest album from Sanctuary is this wonderfully dark and foreboding album of dark ambient / experimental electronica – in which the boundaries of the genre are blown away, resulting in an album that takes things to the next level. Multi-layered, and featuring incredible synth work, eerie drones, and spine chilling field recordings, this is an album that offers something different in each and every listen. This is an album for losing yourself in, as you lie back in a darkened room, and immerse yourself in the unfolding soundscapes. Stunning.

Published by Reverse Alignment.
Mastering by Raffaele Pezzella (a.k.a. Sonologyst).
© 2024. All rights reserved.

Tags ambient dark ambient drone ambient electronic music field recordings industrial Sweden

 

 

12 March 2024: Steve Hackett; Dave Bessell; Richard Begin

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We urge you to support the musicians you hear on FreeForm Radio.

 

Review of the Steve Hackett Album ‘The Circus and the Nightwhale’

By Nick Tate

Midway through Steve Hackett’s dazzling new album, “The Circus and the Nightwhale,” the legendary ex-Genesis guitarist delivers a three-part musical suite that perfectly demonstrates that, at 74, he is still at the top of his game, challenging himself and his fans by breaking new ground.

The trilogy opens with, “Found and Lost,” a spare classical-guitar piece that evolves into a cabaret-style jazz ballad about fleeting first love. The track would have fit nicely on any 1950s-era Blue Note standards album, replete with muffled trumpet strains and a smoldering vocal from Hackett that would give Mel “The Velvet Fog” Torme a run for his money. This shotgun marriage of nylon-string guitar and smoky film noir ambience leads directly to a shimmering 12-string/piano-driven piece, “Enter the Ring,” overlaid with lush vocal harmonies that call to mind the Genesis classic, “Entangled” (co-written by Hackett and Tony Banks in the mid-1970s). From here, the track builds in intensity to become a prog-rock workout, featuring shifting time signatures and dirty hummed-through flute lines that echo Ian Anderson. And if that isn’t sufficiently wide ranging, this rocky break gives way to a lysergic mashup of quirky circus themes and Brahmsian orchestral-rock that sets up the heaviest tune on the album, “Get Me Out,” helmed by Hackett’s scorching sustain-on-steroids electric fretwork.

The result is an astonishing tour-de-force that takes your breath away. What is most remarkable, however, is not just how well Hackett merges these disparate genres, but the way each piece leads seamlessly to the next, without sounding forced or contrived.
This quality of Hackett’s music — the musical derring-do and ease with which he stitches together contrasting musical styles — is what sets him apart. It’s also what makes his new album as strong as anything Hackett has produced over the past 55 years, inside and outside of his former main musical squeeze, Genesis.

Lyrically, “The Circus and the Nightwhale” is a rite-of-passage concept album built around the surrealistic adventures of a young character named Travla (get it?) that Hackett acknowledges is semi-autobiographical. On the surface, the premise might sound familiar; the record comes 50 years after the release of the mother of all prog-rock concept albums, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,” the 1974 Genesis double album that many fans consider the band’s finest studio effort (with Hackett launching a “Genesis Revisited” tour later this year that will feature highlights from the landmark record, as well as selections from his solo career).

But musically, the 13 tracks on the “The Circus and the Nightwhale” are more eclectic than anything Hackett and his Genesis mates ever produced back in the day. The album combines quiet ballads, acoustic etudes, jazz fusion, blues, high-energy prog, symphonic and theatrical rock, and even world-beat music in a mix that is cinematic in sweep and scope (exemplifying what Hackett calls “films for the ear”).

The album, which arrives nearly more than two years after Hackett’s last release, “Surrender of Silence,” features what has become his main touring band: Roger King (keyboards, programming and orchestral arrangements), Rob Townsend (sax), Jonas Reingold (bass), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Craig Blundell (drums), Amanda Lehmann on vocals and John Hackett (Steve’s brother) on flute. A few guesting musicians also lend a hand (or two): Nick D’Virgilio and Hugo Degenhardt on drums, engineer Benedict Fenner on keyboards and Malik Mansurov on Middle Eastern tar, a long-necked sitar-like lute native to the Middle East. But the engine that drives this train, as ever, is Hackett, whose compositional vision is matched by his stellar work on electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and lead vocals.

The album opens with the propulsive “People of The Smoke,” a sweeping cinematic mini epic that conjures up the post-war London of Hackett’s childhood. Vintage 1950s-era radio station cut-ins, a baby’s cries, a woman’s voice (asking: “Are you sitting comfortably?”) and the sounds of a steam-train engine gaining speed introduce the listener to the musical journey that follows. Hackett’s vocals here and elsewhere are strong and more confident than ever. While more limited in range than, say, Sylvan’s (who can go from a velvety baritone to sky-scaping falsetto in a flash), Hackett’s vocal style is theatrical, affecting and well-suited to the music and narrative throughout the album.

Next up is “These Passing Clouds,” a rocky 90-second instrumental propelled by Hackett’s emotive electric guitar lines. It sets up “Taking You Down,” a darkly sardonic story-song about an unscrupulous childhood friend that showcases a haunting vocal from Sylvan and a wild wailing sax solo from Townsend.

The three-song triptych — “Found and Lost/Enter the Ring/Get Me Out” — follows, before we’re treated to the most Genesis-like track on the album, “Ghost Moon and Living Love,” a lovely ballad featuring a celestial-choir intro delivered by Amanda Lehman. The opening melody, which Hackett says came to him in a fever dream, is a heavenly mini-oratorio that would fit neatly alongside Handel’s “Messiah.” It’s a heady introduction the mid-tempo rocker to come.

It’s followed by “Circo Inferno,” a fiery prog-metal rocker that opens with a frenzied melody from Mansurov plucked on Middle Eastern tar that builds steadily into a wild wall of sound that blows in like a musical scirocco. Two brief but intense instrumentals are next — “Breakout,” carried along by a relentlessly propulsive drum line from — and “All at Sea,” featuring a Hackett solo guitar line that approximates whale calls.

These short interludes set up another three-song cycle that closes out the album. The first in the series, “Into the Nightwhale,” explores the challenges of confronting personal demons and the transformational power of love. The song, which is the proggiest on the album, builds to a noisy climax that ultimately gives way to a lush Yes-like ambient-nature soundscape that echoes the opening strains of “Close to the Edge,” as Hackett intones: “Visions of love beyond word…I’ll be there when the darkness surrounds you.”

It’s followed by “Wherever You Are,” an unabashedly romantic love song that ranks among Hackett’s finest works. But it also features lyrics that read like a declaration of musical purpose for the legendary guitarist: “What are we living for, why do we strive? Can a song travel to the ends of the Earth?” Finally, Hackett ends the album with the gorgeous “White Dove,” another solo classical guitar piece that plays like a musical sequel to his Bach-like etude, “Horizons,” from the 1972 Genesis classic “Foxtrot.”

In interviews, Hackett has made no secret of the autobiographical nature of album — his 30th as a solo artist and easily one of his top five (in this writer’s opinion). Consequently, it seems only fitting to give him the final word here:
“I love this album. It says the things I’ve been wanting to say for a very long time,” he says, adding: “It’s a lovely journey that starts dirty, scratchy and smoky and becomes heavenly and divine. How can you resist it?”

Recorded between Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” tours in 2022 and 2023 at Siren studio in the U.K. – with guest parts coming in from Sweden, Austria, the U.S., Azerbaijan and Denmark — the new album is available in several different formats. Among them: A limited-edition CD/Blu-ray media book (including 5.1 surround sound and 24-bit high resolution stereo mixes), standard CD jewel case, gatefold 180g vinyl LP and as digital album.

Released on February 16th 2024, via InsideOut Music.

1. People of the Smoke (4:51)
2. These Passing Clouds (1:34)
3. Taking You Down (4:17)
4. Found and Lost (1:50)
5. Enter the Ring (3:52)
6. Get Me Out (4:15)
7. Ghost Moon and Living Love (6:43)
8. Circo Inferno (2:30)
9. Breakout (1:37)
10. All at Sea (1:46)
11. Into the Nightwhale (4:06)
12. Wherever You Are (4:18)
13. White Dove (3:13)

Total Time 44:52

Line-up / Musicians
– Steve Hackett / electric and acoustic guitars, 12-string, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass, vocals

Roger King / keyboards, programming, orchestral arrangements
Rob Townsend / saxophone
Jonas Reingold / bass
Nad Sylvan (Agents of Mercy, Unifaun) / vocals
Amanda Lehmann / vocals
Benedict Fenner / keyboards
John Hackett / flute
Malik Mansurov / tar
Craig Blundell / drums
Hugo Degenhardt / drums
Nick D’Virgilio / drums

genesis nad sylvan prog rock seconds out steve hackett

 

Dave Bessell - "Chromatic Lightning Cage" (DiN84)

 

This new release from synthesist Dave Bessell sees him completing a quartet of albums loosely based on the Greek philosophy of the Four Elements, namely Fire, Water, Earth and Air. There’s certainly no doubting that “Chromatic Lightning Cage” with its vivid cover is referencing Fire but this personal odyssey started with the concept of Water on his inaugural solo album, “Analogue” released in 2010. This was followed by “Black Horses Of The Sun” (DiN47) - Air, and “Reality Engine” (DiN62) - Earth.

Bessell has also released two collaborations with Parallel Worlds on the DiN imprint as well as being part of the synth supergroup Node. It is interesting that whilst the Berlin School inspired sequencer riffs of the latter dominate the soundstage Bessell largely eschews this approach on his own albums. Rather on this and his other DiN solo releases he explores interesting harmonic progressions with a series of interlocking delicate arpeggios. This is most evident on the opening track “After Hours” as well as the beautiful closing piece “Elegy”. Elsewhere Bessell blurs the line between guitar and synth using his stringed instruments as controllers for his modular systems. His music has always had an element of the soundtrack to it and this is certainly highlighted in the track “Ariel” which has a mystical, unearthly quality to its soundscapes. Bessell has noted that the ghosts of Amon Tobin and Nils Frahm wander through this album at times which is certainly an intriguing thought.

Always one to push the boundaries Bessell has included a QR code in the Bandcamp download version of the album that opens up an augmented reality vista from the cover image. Lovers of Electronica, Downtempo, Ambient and Soundtracks will find much to admire in “Chromatic Lightning Cage” and this new album once again showcases the unique talent of this highly individual musician. 

credits

Our thanks to Ian Boddy for providing us with a copy of this release.

releases March 15, 2024

All tracks composed and played by Dave Bessell.

Augmented Reality layer for the CD cover image created by Tanya Krzywinska.

Mastered by Colin Bennun at Stooodio Mastering.
oood.net/mastering

Instrumentation:
Minimoog
Macbeth M5n
Vermona Perfourmer
Alesis Andromeda
Moog Sub 37
Osmose
Various Eurorack
Korg Monologue & Volca Bass
Behringer TR9 & Boss DR55 drum machines

Guitars:
Gibson Les Paul
B and G Little Sister
Aum guitar
Laney and Fender amps plus various pedals
Jam Origin midi guitar 2, pitch to midi conversion

Hardware FX by Eventide, Roland, Lexicon & Strymon

license

all rights reserved

tags

Tags

ambient em electronic electronic music electronica experimental downtempo modular synth node Sunderland

 

"Lavrador" is a Portuguese term signifying peasant, plowman, or cultivator. Additionally, it is the name of the explorer João Fernandes Lavrador, associated with Labrador, a continental region in eastern Canada. Despite having a population of fewer than 30,000 inhabitants over an expansive area of nearly 300,000 square kilometers, this polar and subarctic expanse in the North Atlantic captivates with its dreamlike landscapes, vastness, tranquility, and solitude. Inspired by this immense terrain and the lives of the solitary peasants and isolated communities within it, each track on this album seeks to convey the essence of an ecology simultaneously fragile, merciless, and sublime. The title track incorporates samples from Kathryn O'Hara's radio documentary for CBC, titled "The Land God Gave to Cain, A Documentary Journey Down the Coast of Labrador" (1983).
The album Lavrador aims to evoke a broader sense of being lost — lost in one's own home, in solitude, amidst work and isolation. It acknowledges that every region on the planet has its own Lavrador, a place of profound personal significance and introspection.

credits

Our thanks to Raffaele Pezzella for providing us with a copy of this release.

released January 18, 2024

REVIEWS


This is Darkness:
New from the ever awesome Reverse Alignment label is Lavrador by Richard Bégin – an album inspired by the polar and subarctic expanse of Labrador, a continental region in eastern Canada. Each track on this remarkable album “seeks to convey the essence of an ecology simultaneously fragile, merciless, and sublime” – combining drones, synths, and field recordings to create deep and textured music that is quite simply breath-taking. This is is one of those albums that is stunning from start to finish. Very highly recommended for those who like a sense of solitude and introspection in their music. Magnificent!

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2024/02/10/amn-reviews-richard-begin-lavrador-2024-reverse-alignment/

Luminous Dash
luminousdash.be/reviews/richard-begin-lavrador-reverse-alignment


Born in Quebec city, Richard Bégin is a professor of media and film studies at the University of Montreal and a researcher-creator in art and sound design. “Phase 5” is the result of his research on disaster as a medium of perception. Working as much from electronic instruments, analog sound devices and field recordings, he arranges and combines sounds in such a way as to generate affects related to memory, loss and fragmentation. Inspired by both hauntology, the post-apocalyptic imagination, noise, Frank Zappa and the smell of wet wood, his work is the sound accompaniment of Paul Valery's phrase: " the future is not what it used to be".


Published by Reverse Alignment.
Mastering by Raffaele Pezzella (a.k.a. Sonologyst).
© 2024. All rights reserved.

license

all rights reserved

tags

Tags

ambient dark ambient drone ambient electronic music field recordings industrial Sweden

 

 

29 August 2023: England - "Garden Shed"; Aeons - "Into Eternity's Embrace"

BANDCAMP FRIDAY IS THIS FRIDAY, SEPT 1!

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England were a progressive rock group active in the late 1970s, and briefly reformed in 2006. The band is notable for their album Garden Shed released on Arista Records, and for keyboardist Robert Webb playing a Mellotron sawn in half.^[1]

Studio Album, released in 1977

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Midnight Madness (6:58)
2. All Alone (Introducing) (1:53)
3. Three Piece Suite (12:58)
4. Paraffinalea (4:12)
5. Yellow (5:24)
6. Poisoned Youth (16:17)

Total Time 47:42

Line-up / Musicians

- Frank Holland / guitars, vocals, Mellotron & Leslie guitar (5)
- Robert Webb / Minimoog, Hammond, harpsichord, Mellotron, Fender Rhodes, piano, Hohner clavinet, 12-string guitar (5), vocals
- Martin Henderson / bass, acoustic guitar (5), vocals
- Jode Leigh / drums, vibes, percussion, bass (5), vocals

Releases information Artwork: Mike Cosford 

Review by Proghead
PROG REVIEWER

ENGLAND came a little late in the UK prog scene, coming at a bad time as punk rock was on the rise. Their one and only album, "Garden Shed" (well, at least until the 1990s with "The Last of the Jubblies" which contained leftover material) was released in 1977 on Arista Records. Despite the major label it was released on (yes, the same label that gave us the dreaded BARRY MANILOW, AIR SUPPLY and BAY CITY ROLLERS, at least the label did us a favor by having the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, CARAVAN, and HAPPY THE MAN on their roster), the original LP is hard to find. For those who don't live in the UK (me included): the cover to "Garden Shed" is a spoof of a label to a jar of Robertson's Golden Shred Marmalade! Robertson's products are apparently not available outside of the UK (I certainly never seen any Golden Shred, Silver Shred, or any other Robertson's products sold at any supermarket in my neck of the woods), so I would never have realized the Golden Shred parody to "Garden Shed" had I not found out online. The band consisted of bassist Martin Henderson, guitarist Franc Holland, keyboardist Robert Webb, and drummer Jode Leigh. Vocal duties handled by all.

This was the last recording to feature the Mark II Mellotron (this was 1977, after all, and the Mellotron most used was the small 400 model, which was introduced in 1970, but didn't get used extensively until about or after 1972). Their keyboardist Robert Webb was said to sawed his Mark II in half to make it more portable (other keyboards he used included Hammond organ, Hohner clavinet, piano, electric piano, and Minimoog).

Musically, their influences can be rather obvious: YES, GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT, SUPERTRAMP, FRUUPP, perhaps even a little QUEEN. Like on "Midnight Madness" you hear plenty of GENESIS-like passages, with Yes-like vocal harmonies. "All Alone" is a short piano-oriented ballad that often gets compared to QUEEN, but to me reminds me of a Rick Davies-penned SUPERTRAMP ballad sung by Roger HODGSON. "Three Piece Suite" (get it?) is, as you expect, a three movement suite. The first part most resembling YES, but there are some passages with high-pitched vocals that don't seem to fit in too well. "Paraffinalea" is one of the more light-hearted numbers with more of that YES and GENTLE GIANT influences. "Yellow" is an acoustic ballad dominated by Mellotron. Here the influences seem to be not so obvious. The album then ends with "Poisoned Youth", at 16 minutes. Had this album been released a few years earlier, or punk didn't take over, this would have gotten more attention. Still, a great album.

My rating: 4 1/2 stars

 

                                                                Aeons - Into Eternity's Embrace

Centuries from now, humanity's destiny lies rapt in technological dominion. The age-old dreams of the spirit, long extinguished in material nothingness, arise anew from the forges of science in strange, cold shapes, seeking the freedom of infinitesimal new dimensions and the dim webs of distant stars. As our empire decays, new spiritual orders pursue a final exodus from the flesh, fleeing in self-exile, far into the black gulfs of night, craving transfiguration and an irrevocable fusion with the One: the radiant universe of the pure.
Julien Demoulin and IA join forces to present a deep-space journey of vast drone ambient and cosmic synth, opening widescreen planes of sound that sing of both transcendence and nullification.

The premise of the album—a monastic order on the cusp of transcending human existence—resonates well with the austere yet calming tone of the drone compositions. "Into Eternity's Embrace" has a remarkable capacity for escorting listeners into the vastness of the galactic emptiness, which is meant to serve as a transcendental experience. A sensation of weightlessness and detachment from worldly worries is evoked by the painstakingly created audio layers, which are rich in ethereal tones and continuous background voices. The music is meaningful and cathartic to listen to because of its capacity to be both calming and reflective. It encourages a deeper connection with the expanse of existence and the limitless potential of the human soul by inviting listeners to explore their own spiritual yearnings. "Into Eternity's Embrace" is a sonic masterpiece that resonates with the austere beauty of the monastic journey, offering solace, enlightenment, and a transcendental escape into the boundless realm of pure light. 

credits

released August 10, 2023
FreeForm Radio thanks Raffaele Pezzella for providing us with a copy of this release.
REVIEWS

Avant Music News
avantmusicnews.com/2023/08/12/amn-reviews-aeons-into-eternitys-embrace-2023-reverse-alignment

Luminous Dash
luminousdash.be/reviews/album-reviews/aeons-into-eternitys-embrace-reverse-alignment/

Ver Sacrum
www.versacrum.com/vs/2023/08/aeons-into-eternitys-embrace.html




IA: iadrone.bandcamp.com
julien demoulin: juliendemoulin.bandcamp.com

Published by Reverse Alignment
All music by Alex Copeland aka IA (vocals) and Julien Demoulin (electronics), 2021-2022.
Album concept by Alex Copeland.
Produced and mixed by Julien Demoulin.
Mastering by Raffaele Pezzella (a.k.a. Sonologyst).
© 2023. All rights reserved.

license

all rights reserved

tags

Tags

ambient dark dark ambient drone ambient industrial post-industrial Sweden