Reviews, Pt. 10

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since the middle of April.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

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Knifeworld - Bottled Out of Eden (UK)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

A challenging piece of multilayered writing, Bottled Out of Eden contains all the dynamic intensity and unpredictability that has carved such a unique niche in the progressive rock arena for Knifeworld’s music.

Starchitect - Results (Ukraine)

Results is a rough entry in the nebulous catalogue of modern post-metal.

Monster Killed By Laser - Hunched & Twined (UK)

Hunched & Twined: really cool, superfluous, psychedelic prog presented in four-minute increments or less.

The Rube Goldberg Machine - Fragile Times (UK)

RGM’s work is subtle, nuanced creativity, taking cues from the likes of Steven Wilson while still maintaining a strong individualistic approach to songwriting.

Big Big Train - Folklore (UK)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

Folklore has energy, melody, nuance, and character, and it’s certainly a candidate for best album of 2016.

Jon Anderson & Roine Stolt - The Invention of Knowledge (UK, Sweden)
[PROG Mind / Tollbooth]

The Invention of Knowledge is a mature distillation of its writers’ individual, remarkable craftsmanship.

Reviews, Part 6

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
______________________________________________________

Next on the playlist!

Here are the album reviews I've written since February.  As usual, clicking on the album covers will take you to the band's music where you can listen to and/or download the album in full.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews.

~*~

Hasse Fröberg Musical Companion - HFMC - (Sweden)

Of the three Musical Companion releases to date, HFMC is undoubtedly the most mature as well as the most cohesive, and currently stands as my pick for best album of 2015.

Corvus Stone - Corvus Stone II (Finland)

Corvus Stone II is an eclectic collection of songs from an eclectic combination of musicians, a varying journey through elements of funk, jazz, psychedelic rock, and Canterbury prog.

Big Big Train - Wassail (UK)

Wassail is a solid EP, foreshadowing Big Big Train’s forthcoming material.  This is just another bite-sized portion of the band’s stylistic craft, enough to keep fellow “passengers” whistling for a while longer as we wait for the Train to once again depart the station.

Rocket Scientists - Refuel (USA)

Refuel is a story that is as much autobiographical as it is universal: a tale of journeying, persevering, and wondering just when the time disappeared.  It is rich and ambitious, focused but complex, and another quality release from this trio of dedicated musicians.