*Abigail - Prvni. 2003 private (CD). Related to Hokr and similar. Has that "Czech art rock vibe" that we also hear with the MCH Band and Dunaj. Keeper. Gift from a friend. (Apr)
---collection revisits
French TV - The Violence of Amateurs. 1999 Pretentious Dinosaur (CD). Too much embracing the Avant Prog model trying to appease that crowd. Ruins the flow of a perfectly good progressive rock album something that French TV excels at, and proves that here on occasion. Their highest rated album, but not in my world it isn't. (May)
*Honduras Libregrupo - La Unica Posicion es la Oposicion. 2008 Azione Artigianale (CD). One of those albums that makes me want to stop writing about music, as it's difficult to capture what they're doing. But what they're doing I like. A mix of prog, psych, Krautrock, experimental, and jazz rock. It sounds unpleasant on paper but the album is an enjoyable listen. I need to explore more from these guys. (May)
*MCH Band - Karnevale. 1999 Black Point (CD). There's just something unique about Czech art rock. It's progressive rock, but not in the typical Yes/Genesis way. King Crimson and VDGG seem to be the bellwethers, but even those are distant references. I've gone on about my personal experiences with the MCH Band, so I'm already biased to their greatness. I struggle to define what this sounds like, but I do enjoy it. (May)
MKII - Burning Daylight. 1994 SI (CD). An unusual release from SI, moving away for their standard neo prog template. This is glossy atmospheric instrumental music with bluesy guitar solos. A fine album, though not distinctive enough to keep. (May)
Golem - Orion Awakes. 1996 Psi-Fi (CD). Promise not to go on about what a fake this is. This is one of the more obvious pieces of evidence that it's not from the 70s and features a pastiche of different sounds from different eras. Whatever - blank the backstory out - and you have a decent retro Krautrock album. It's infuriating they didn't tell the truth. The music continues to suffer because of the lie. I went on about it, didn't I? (May)
*Tempano - Atabal Yemal. 1998 Musea (1979) (CD). Excellent symphonic prog from Venezuela, typical of the late 70's European scene, but still not yet rooted in South America. Instrumentation is a bit primitive as to be expected, but the spirit is alive. The CD adds three tracks newly recorded in 1998, but were intended to be on the debut. These naturally sound better (still primarily analog), and the music is well composed. Even a bit of Univers Zero can be heard, the opposite of their sunny disposition. This is one of those albums where you're better off having the CD than the LP. (Feb)
Samla Mammas Manna - Kaka. 1999 Amigo (CD). I bought this when it came out and gave it quite a few listens on my commute to work back then. I had high hopes that it would have aged well for me. But unfortunately it didn't. It's true to their legacy, and mixes progressive rock with carnival like sounds and motifs. I kept a few of the classic 70s/80s Samla/Zamla works, so this one becomes superfluous. (Feb)
The Spacious Mind – Live Volume One: Do Your Thing But Don’t Touch Ours. 2002 Goddamn I'm A Countryman (CD). Amen to that title! Despite the 1999 date of this live recording, only one track ‘Interplanetarian Lovemachine Pt. III’, was culled from that year’s Mind of a Brother. Two songs, ‘Upon Which Areas May the Circles Be Drawn?’ and ‘Euphoria Euphoria’ are from the LP-only Garden of a Well Fed Head, so in effect they make their CD debut here. Also included is ‘The One That Really Won the War’ from Organic Mind Solution album plus a unique piece appropriately titled ‘Jam’. This is a fully improvised album that uses the original tunes above as only a base from which to explore new trippy sounds. They’re also wise in their choice of instrumentation, with plenty of perfectly amplified acid soaked guitar, organ, bass, and extra percussion. These guys have the post 1969 Pink Floyd tripout vibe down to a science. One gets the impression that if they played the same set of tunes the next night, it would all be different (Jan)
Holy River Family Band - Earthquake Country. 2001 Wild Places (CD). Following on from Welcome to the Riverhouse, Holy River Family Band continue on their trek down the songwriting path. On Earthquake Country you will here more of a folk-rock sound with more diversified instrumentation. Much in the same way that The Spacious Mind's Sailing the Seagoat was a musical departure for that band (who share members with the Holy River Family Band). (Jan)
* - Keeping for the collection
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