(((O))) Category: Reviews

Black Oak Arkansas – When Electricity Came to Arkansas, Vol. 1 (1971-1973)

Their fusion of country grit, blues swagger, proto‑metal energy, and theatrical bravado helped shape the future of American rock. Revisiting these albums isn’t nostalgia; it’s rediscovery.

Kevin Ayers – Where Do The Stars End: The Recordings 1974-1980

This box set doesn’t just preserve that story; it lets you live inside it.

Sly & The Family Drone – With Love

There’s a wide open space for them to discover, but you know they’ll approach it with love.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats – Shapes of Midnight

Shapes of Midnight is one of their boldest and most adventurous releases, showing just how far this band can push its sound without backing down.

Elephant Stone – Asha

It is an excellent take on psych pop that deserves more attention.

Atomic Rooster – Friday the 13th: BBC Sessions 1970-1981

Across seven studio albums released between 1970 and 1983, it becomes clear just how far ahead of their time they were, even as they frequently remained under the radar.

Russian Circles – Nine

Nine is another quality addition to the Russian Circles collection of sublime music.

Jordsjø – Pestkrønikene

Pestkrønikene is a beautiful, strange, and sometimes ferocious journey through folk mysticism, psychedelic textures, and 1970s-inspired progressive rock.

Fen – Elemental Part One: Mourning Earth

It may not be an immediate album, and repeated listens will certainly bear fruit to where Fen are coming from, but when it hits, it really does feel like the only music that matters.

Lonely Robot – An Ending

An Ending is more than simply an outstanding progressive rock album, it is a deeply moving farewell to one of the genre’s most compelling concept stories.

Bellbird – The Call

This is an energetic, powerful, and exploratory album that refuses to play it safe.

Bajune Tobeta – Anechoic

It is all brief and to the point here, leaving the listener to simply ask for more, or even better, repeated listening, which will constantly reveal more.

Louse – Buyer’s Remorse

A cheap ‘n’ nasty bottle of bad vibes to pair perfectly with your growing misanthropy and dwindling supply of hope.

Tokyo Blade – Hoist the Colours High

This captures everything that made the NWOBHM movement so exciting, towering twin-guitar harmonies, memorable hooks, thunderous rhythms, and enough fist-pumping energy to shake the walls.

Robyn Hitchcock – The Confuser

This is an album to savour and sing along to, with its many memorable lyrics and melodies. It ranks as one of Robyn’s best, and he has the vim and vigour of a much younger soul. Bravo!

Xentrix – Allied With The Enemy

In what’s already been a great year for thrash, Xentrix have now offered another great addition and it really does seem like the genre is having a bit of a renaissance.

Tim Morse – The Fourth Crossing

From the listener’s perspective, it’s an immersive and rewarding journey through cosmic landscapes, retro-futuristic imagination, and symphonic grandeur.

The Anchoress – As We Once Were

As We Once Were is not just another chapter in The Anchoress’ story. It is a statement of where Catherine Davies has been, who she has become, and where she intends to go next.

Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery – The Roaring Waves

The Roaring Waves is more than just a fantastic record. It captures the many moods and atmospheres of the sea while offering the adventure of a lifetime through the musical vision of Steve Hackett and Steve Rothery.

Cluster – Zuckerzeit (Reissue)

The key here is that the music of Cluster has that timeless quality, making it indiscernible whether it was recorded in 1974 or yesterday.

Oh Hiroshima – And The Dead Tree Gives No Shelter

It stands as one of the band’s most immersive and accomplished works to date, further cementing their place among the most compelling voices in modern post-rock.

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