Review – John Holden – Proximity & Chance – by John Wenlock-Smith

‘Proximity & Light’ is John Holden’s fifth album in six years, it all started with ‘Capture Light’ in 2018 which was followed by ‘Rise and Fall’ in 2020, ‘Circles in Time’ in 2021 and ‘Kintsugi’ in 2022, all of which contained some remarkable and diverse music from John and his chosen cast of colleagues. Well, this album is slightly different in that the circle of assistants John has used this time is a lot smaller, with the missing parts being mainly provided by John himself. I have to say, I think it works very well indeed, especially with the amazing cast of vocalists, Peter Jones, Shaun Holton (Southern Empire) and the evergreen Sally Minnear.

Another difference this time around is that John has used a virtual studio system, Slate VSX, which allows you to recreate the sounds of top end studios without either the cost or the hassle. I must admit that it sounds very good to these ears.

The album begins with the powerful and intriguing tale of 13, which was a club that, over its time, included notable bastions of American society, including five US Presidents. The purpose of the club was to debunk superstitions surrounding the number ’13’ being unlucky. This is an excellent opening song with a lot happening in its confines. John is in good form here, playing some great guitar fills and riffs, he even provides a fine first solo, leaving room for a brief appearance from Dave Brons, who adds some joyful guitar runs to close the track out. The Man Who Would be King introduces Shaun Holton on vocals, his vocal style is very different to Peter Jones (who sang on the previous track) and here it works very well. The song is based on Rudyard Kipling’s book ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ and is, in part, about colonial misunderstandings. It is also about how we, the British, used to behave towards the local population, not always in a good way either, as you can well imagine!

A Sense of Place is an instrumental that features John Hackett on flute and Vikram Shankar on piano. It is a beautiful and delicate track inspired by visits to Veddw in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh borders and is a very charming piece of music. It leads into my favourite track of the album, Burnt Cork and Limelight, which tells the gruesome tale of Richard Arthur Prince and William Terriss, a noted victorian actor who meets his death at the hands of an unhinged understudy, Prince, who felt he was being unfairly held back by Terriss and so stabs Terriss in the back outside the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1897. Prince is arrested and sent to Broadmoor Psychiatric hospital where he performs, literally, to a captive audience of fellow inmates. This track has an emotionally charged vocal from Peter Jones and great piano melodies from Vikram Shankar. It is a sad tale told exceptionally well and I really enjoyed it.

Agents concerns itself with the exploits of foreign powers acting within our borders, in this case the events in Salisbury when Russian provocateurs attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal, a defected Russian military officer and his Daughter Yulia. They were poisoned with a nerve agent, novichok, and this act of aggression came to be seen as the boldness of the Russian state to impose its will indiscriminately, as we see in the war against Ukraine that continues to this day. This is a well written and expertly performed track with guest guitarist Luke Machin sprinkling his magic over this track liberally. In addition, Peter Jones plays great organ and sax solo on this song. Fin is a rather sad and mournful recounting of a love that failed to reach it potential with our heroin reaching the realisation that it is over whist being left alone in Paris. A very emotionally laden track which gives great scope for Sally Minnear’s expressive and honest vocal.

Proximity is a very well orchestrated instrumental which combines melodies from some of the other tracks to create an interesting new piece that talks about how life came to Earth rather than to, say, Mars. Again, John has done his research for this track and it really shows with a strident, confident delivery and some interesting ideas. The final track of this fine album is the superb Chance (Under One Sun), which explores the issue of chance in our own family trees and how this evolves and makes us who we each are and how random it all is, making us look to the skies and wonder, what if? This is a well written and delivered track, it’s mostly positive but encourages you to think about your past and why it is in a world of proximity and chance such as ours. I must say one thing that really stands out on this album are the incredible orchestrations that John has used so very carefully and intelligently in order to craft music of real depth beauty and warmth. From the sympathetic horn parts in Fini, the sinister tones in Agents, all the way to the theatrical nuances that abound in Burnt Cork and Limelight, they all sound really great. Obviously John has put much effort in doing so for our benefit and to deliver such a gloriously strong sounding album

For me, this is John’s strongest release yet and one can only wonder what this unheralded creative force will bring us next. For now, though, this will suffice in the interim but we should certainly applaud the efforts here on a release that will definitely will be high on many end of year listings, including mine! ‘Proximity & Chance’ is utterly brilliant and very highly recommend indeed.

Released 29th May, 2024.

Order mp3 from bandcamp here:

Proximity & Chance | John Holden (bandcamp.com)

Order CD direct from John here:

John Holden Music | New Album Coming Soon!

John Wenlock-Smith Interviews John Holden

Ahead of the release of John Holden’s fifth studio album, ‘Proximity & Chance’, John Wenlock-Smith caught up with John to have a chat..

JWS: This album is your fifth, did you ever envisage releasing a fifth album when you released ‘Capture Light’ in 2018? 

JH: I am not sure I ever set a target. I am really guided by producing high quality material. If I did not believe the music was of the standard that I demand of myself then it would not be released. So, there was no guarantee that I could come up with something after the debut. Although ,on reflection, I guess five albums in six years is quite prolific.

JWS: The way you record now has changed a lot over the five albums, why is this? 

JH: On the earlier albums I was still learning so much, especially the technicalities of production. It was quite overwhelming. I was fortunate to have someone like Robin Armstrong to guide me through the first couple. He instilled in me the attention to detail that makes a recording sound professional. Of course, you never stop learning but you do become more confident in the best way to achieve the vision you have for the finished piece. 

The realities of home recording mean you are not in acoustically treated rooms with £10k monitors so for ‘Proximity & Chance’ I changed to using Slate VSX. This system comes with specially designed headphones and software to recreate virtual studio simulations and environments such as high-end studios, headphones and even vehicles. I mixed and mastered everything without conventional monitors and just did some sanity checks at the end. From a production perspective this was really useful and I hope everything sounds pristine to the listener.

JWS: This album sees a definite shift in that you personally perform a lot more rather than having collaborators doing a lot of the soundscapes. Is there a reason for this?

JH: There was no real intention at the outset. It was really dictated by how the music evolved. There are some songs that have fairly complex (for me) orchestral arrangements. That is something I had to do myself as there was no way I was going to hire a sixty-piece orchestra! 


Having always done quite detailed demos that I then sent to others to add or replace elements, this time the initial parts I recorded sounded really good so I just kept them and just added the more technical/ virtuoso parts that were beyond my capability. One on song I had someone replace my guitar parts but it just sounded ‘wrong’ – maybe because I was so used to hearing the original. Of course, the one thing that I will always need is guest vocalists. 

JWS: You have gathered an excellent and exciting list of guests for this album. Who would you like most to work with given the opportunity?

JH: I have been blessed to work with such high-level artists and I always keep my eyes and ears open for potential future collaborators. I think it might be interesting to go a little left field maybe someone like Mariusz Duda (Riverside). So far, all my albums have been solely written by myself. It might be intriguing to try a writing collaboration as well.

JWS: How do you choose the subject matter for your songs? As some of these subjects are rather diverse.

JH: When I start a new project, it is a completely blank canvas, which is always daunting but also exciting as well. I have no preconception of what will end up on the finished album. Inspiration comes from many different places and it’s almost like a diary of my mindset for the year. I will be influenced by documentaries I have watched, books I have read. World events, conversations and emotions from my personal life, it somehow all influences what I write.


I do like to go down internet rabbit holes! A good example of this is the opening song ‘13’.I wanted to write about superstitions, this eventually led me to discovering ‘The Thirteen Club’ which was a gift for a song idea. Sometimes I end up writing something and I can’t even remember what the starting point was!

JWS: Is there any possibility of you ever being able to perform any of your albums live? If so, how soon could we hope for such an experience to happen? 

JH: John I am asked this in every interview with no new take on it! ☹

JWS: You must be proud of the fact that your music is so warmly received by prog fans?

JH: Prog fans are a discerning set of music lovers and not easily impressed. It’s a difficult genre in which to get credit as you are not just being compared to current music, you are also judged against the historical giants of the past. However, IF you manage to create something that is recognised as being worthwhile then you are embraced. I have been very fortunate in that from my debut to now I have had amazing reviews and wonderful comments from fans. 

I compose firstly for my own creative need, but the goal is ultimately for that music to touch others.

JWS: You have made some great working relationships with folks like Peter Jones and Sally Minnear how rewarding is that to you personally?

JH: It is always a joy to work with Sally, she is such a lovely person. I have recently seen that she is working with more artists such as Lifesigns and Pendragon, who obviously recognise her amazingly beautiful voice. Hopefully that will also be noticed by the wider prog audience.


As for Peter, well is there a more talented musician out there? I love Pete’s music and over the years we have become good friends and often talk for hours. We can relate to similar situations and provide each other support in our musical endeavours. I hope that our collaborations will continue and possibly get even stronger (no spoilers).

JWS: Your wife Elizabeth is crucial to all of your efforts, how does that work for you both?

JH: Libby is a vital part of what I do. She is always the first person to hear my initial demos and musical sketches. Never holding back, she tells it like it is! If she finds something too long or lacking focus, she will point it out and I will then look at things in a more considered way. During the writing the new album she had a lot of serious health issues but she still helped review and improve the lyrical content. As she says she is my ‘harshest critic but biggest cheerleader’!

JWS: What is next for you? 

JH: I have a few things that are going to keep me active for the rest of the year. I hope to contribute to some ideas other people’s albums. There is a small commission I am working on both musically and visually, which is quite exciting. 

I also want to write some new music for a project that will appear early next year. So, plenty to keep me busy!

John’s new album, ‘Proximity & Chance’, was released on May 29th, 2024.

You can order from bandcamp here:

Proximity & Chance | John Holden (bandcamp.com)

Review – Renaissance – Tuscany – Expanded 3CD Edition – by John Wenlock-Smith

I guess that, like many, I became acquainted with the lush symphonic sound of Renaissance through their wonderful 1978 single Northern Lights and the album ‘A Song For All Seasons’, from which it was taken. Renaissance were a very different sort of group to many others, they seemed to possess some different kind of stature and class and style. They, of course, had quite a history and an extensive back catalogue of music. I remember getting the excellent compilation albums ‘Tales Of 1001 Nights’ Volumes 1 and 2 on import, both expensive but gathering together much of the essential Renaissance canon.

After ‘A Song For All Seasons’ came the somewhat less brilliant ‘Azure d’Or’ in 1979, which effectively finished the group as the coming years were not good for Renaissance. After their contract with WEA ended they signed to Miles Copeland’s IRS label which was a much smaller label and lacked much commercial clout and promotional skills. The band released the very different ‘Camera Camera’ album, as it largely ditched the lush symphonic sound to be replaced by a techno pop style that was largely ill suited to the band and, as such, they lost a lots of fans. This was compounded by the disastrous ‘Time-Line’ album which muddied the water even further with a move towards pop music which, again, did not yield the expected results and, as such, the album bombed significantly with the inevitable departure of Jon Camp.

Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford recruited some US musicians and continued to tour both the USA and Japan, both of which were strong markets for the band. However, in 1987, the group disbanded until, in 1998, Haslam, Dunford, and Terence Sullivan regrouped once again to work on new material that was more in keeping with the heyday in the 1970’s. They were also joined by John Tout on several tracks, with keyboardist Mickey Simmonds further augmenting the band. The resulting album, ‘Tuscany’, marked a return to form. Although its release was delayed until October 2000, the album was well received by fans and marked a strong return to form for Renaissance. In 2001 the band returned to Japan once more where they recorded a show in Tokyo, which later emerged as the live release ‘In The Land Of The Rising Sun’. This is included in this 3CD reissue of ‘Tuscany’ and it sounds very good indeed including, as it does, four songs from the ‘Tuscany’ album alongside familiar Renaissance staples like Carpet Of The Sun, Opening Out, Northern Lights, Mother Russia and Ashes Are Burning.

‘Tuscany’ the album is very much a return to form with excellent performances and strong and satisfying tracks like Lady From Tuscany, Pearls of Wisdom, Dear Landseer and the very epic One Thousand Roses which, again, recaptured much of what those difficult early 1980’s albums had thrown out. This was Renaissance reborn and revitalised, this made everyone happy that, from the ashes of disaster, a stronger, energised and invigorated incarnation had risen like a phoenix.

The album begins with the stately and lushly symphonic Lady From Tuscany, which has a graceful and powerful vocal from Annie. The song is very sensual in parts and is an excellent opening song which shows the Renaissance we loved are back in style. Pearls of Wisdom is another glorious track, again, very sensual lyrically and sumptuous musically. This is followed by the wonderful Eva’s Pond with its delicate piano motif and lush orchestral backing and the clear distinct voice of Annie Haslam, who adds a touch of class with her delicate and yet powerful vocals, another beautiful song. Next is the excellent Dear Landseer, which is the story of a painter who’s work is appreciated in royal circles with resulting commissions happening.

In the Sunshine features Annie’s ex partner Roy Wood on bass and keyboards, he also produced the track with Annie and Michael Dunford. Again, this song has a very sensual theme and oozes passions, mostly unfulfilled but hopeful, it is a wonderfully evocative song with excellent performances and strong content. You can capture much of Wood’s multi instrumental brilliance here, this wouldn’t have been out of place in his own earlier works. In My Life is rather more introspective in tone and wistful as the words seem to seek to right previous wrongs and lack of support. it is a very honest track and has lots of warmth and hope in its themes, another well written and delivered piece of music. The Race is another great sounding track with a great bass line from Alex Caird, who plays beautifully on this track, really driving it along with Mickey Simmons’ synths adding gracefully to the lush orchestral sounds. It is a rather up-tempo song for Renaissance but it really does work well for them here, most impressive sounding. Dolphin’s Prayer opens with a sole synthesiser sweep and sound, this shorter track has some exquisite vocals which show the strength of Annie’s voice to great effect.

The penultimate track, Life In Brazil, is rather good too, having a slightly Latin feel to it in parts. It works well enough but I feel that it somehow isn’t bold enough in embracing its Latin roots, it’s good but could have been outstanding. The album closer One Thousand Roses returns us to the sensuality that pervades much of this album, speaking as it does of an unrequited love and unfulfilled passions. There is much aching and longing to this track and it is a strong conclusion to what is a really strong later album from Renaissance. It’s great to have the band back, once again treading a well loved path and having new adventures which continue to this day.

Released 3rd May, 2024.

Order from Cherry Red Records here:

Renaissance: Tuscany, Expanded 3CD Edition (cherryred.co.uk)

TIM BOWNESS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM ‘POWDER DRY’ AND SHARES FIRST SINGLE ‘ROCK HUDSON’ + VIDEO

SET FOR RELEASE ON KSCOPE ON 16TH AUGUST

Tim Bowness has today shared details of his new album Powder Dry. Set for release on 16th August, the album will be Bowness’s first release on the Kscope label. The first single from Powder Dry is the propulsive Rock Hudson, a paranoid ode to online discourse. Produced and performed by Tim Bowness and mixed by his partner in no-man Steven Wilson, the song is accompanied a vibrant abstract video by Matt Vickerstaff, which echoes Carl Glover’s artwork for the album.

Bowness says of the song, ‘Like all of the album Powder Dry, the song resulted from an attempt to capture a fleeting feeling as accurately as I could. This time the mood was dark, and there’s something of the spiky Post-Punk and Electro-Pop music of the early 1980s that captivated me as a teenager in the mix. Joy Division, The Cure, The The etc…’ 

Watch the video for Rock Hudson here:

Featuring 16 pieces over its restless 40-minute duration, Tim Bowness’s eighth studio album Powder Dry represents a new beginning on a new label. 

A collection of acute contrasts, the album is a vibrantly accessible and wildly experimental genre-blurring assault, embracing Industrial Rock, Electro Pop, singer-songwriter directness, haunted carnival soundscapes and more.

Entirely produced, performed and written by Bowness (a first), Powder Dry was mixed (in stereo and Surround Sound) by Bowness’s partner in no-man (and The Album Years podcast), Steven Wilson, who also acted as Bowness’s sounding board during the mixing process. 

‘I’ve had the pleasure to work on most of Tim’s solo albums, and for me this is the best and most creative of them all, partly because this time it’s truly a ‘solo’ album, showcasing not only his unique vocals, but also his distinctive approach to production and performance. It’s totally Tim!’ – Steven Wilson

Chronicling descents into ideological extremism, eco-apocalypse, and the all-too human quest for love in a time of crisis, the album is a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of sound; chasing feelings, searching for meanings and trying to capture the ever-elusive nowness of now.

‘Powder Dry’ tracklist

Rock Hudson

Lost / Not Lost 

When Summer Comes

Idiots At Large

A Stand-Up For The Dying

Old Crawler

Heartbreak Notes

Ghost Of A Kiss

Summer Turned

You Can Always Disappear

Powder Dry

Films Of Our Youth

This Way Now

I Was There

The Film Of Your Youth

Built To Last

Artist picture by Bryan Taylor.

Pre-order Powder Dry here:

Tim Bowness (burningshed.com)

Powder Dry’ will be presented on two beautiful, coloured vinyl LP editions – pink and yellow – alongside a bonus CD edition with 5.1 surround sound DVD included. Standard black vinyl LP and standard CD editions will also be available. Released on 16th August.

UPCOMING SHOWS

MAY 26, 2024

Load Street Studios, 3 Edwin Ave, Kidderminster UK

2 SETS – 2pm + 7pm

Only 25 tickets will be available for each set, so early booking is recommended for what promises to be a unique experience. 

Doors Open – 1.30pm and 6.30pm for 2pm and 7pm performance times.

TICKETS

JUL 27, 2024

EppyFest 11 @ Smokey Joe’s Diner, 16 Bennington St, Cheltenham, GL50 4ED

Cheltenham, UK

TICKETS

DEC 1, 2024

The Fiddler’s Elbow, Camden, London NW5 3HS

Prog The Forest. Tim Bowness and Butterfly Mind will headline this year’s Prog The Forest. 

Review – VYÖNI. -The Tripoint

Music from the silent forests and the stormy seas…

VYÖNI is the studio-based playground for musician, composer and producer Kim-Frode H.Wøhni. Inspired by early 70’s progressive rock, jazz, post-rock, yoik and even more cinematic landscapes, many ingredients are thrown into the mix. All of the instrumental tunes are dynamically evolving around melodic themes and
grooves, both improvised and arranged, to create a truly unique blend!

Likened by renowned Scandinavian musician and producer Jacob Holm-Lupo to “a bit of Landberk or Finnish bands like Malady…”, Norwegian band VYÖNI have hit the sweet spot between classic Nordic prog and a more modern, post-rock influenced vibe. Sometimes dark and with a definite wry sense of humour deep at its core, ‘The Tripoint’ is a more cerebral listen and seriously smooth and intricate at the same time.

Kim-Frode H.Wøhni plays guitar, bass, field recordings, keys and programming: drums, rhodes, mellotron, clavinet, saxophone, vibraphone and strings, he is one mightily talented and impressive musician and this comes across clearly in the quality of the sound and the songwriting. At times it’s not for the faint hearted but those who have a deep love of the classic 70’s prog sound will lap this album up greedily.

‘The Tripoint’ is music for late nights, music to sit back and chill to and music to get deeply engrossed in. A dark, starry night deep in the woods in a cabin warmed and lit only by a log fire, mysterious, cryptic and enigmatic music filling the atmosphere with a mystical vibe which leaves you believing anything is possible. Shaky & Stirred is a perfect mix of classic 70’s guitar and mellotron with a jazz fusion background, title track The Tripoint almost arcane in its delivery, a subtle brass section adding an edgy jazz vibe, these tracks are just two out of nine incredible slices of nostalgia infused with a haughty touch of modernity.

This music would be at home in a smoke filled jazz lounge, a sip of whiskey and a cigar smoked as the erudite soundscape of Tales From The Ferries washes over you, especially the fantastic guitar solo that lights up this already brilliant track. There’s even a touch of 70’s classic rock in Steep Mountainside but whichever of these intense slabs of glorious music you listen to, you are going to be highly impressed by this absorbing, complex and captivating piece of work. ‘The Tripoint’ has catapulted VYÖNI immediately to the forefront of Nordic progressive rock.

Released 24th April, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

The Tripoint | VYÖNI (bandcamp.com)

ARGOVIA EMBARKS ON THE JOURNEY TO BECOME THE FLAGSHIP BAND OF MODERN PROGRESSIVE ROCK IN LATIN AMERICA

Argovia is a rock band from Bogotá, Colombia. It was founded as a project in 2013 by multi-instrumentalist Ani Guillén (Guitars, Drums, Bass, Vocals) and keyboardist and music producer Carlos Arminio.

The project began with the creation of an EP titled “Lost Letters” (2014), which earned them a nomination for EP of the year at the Unión Rock Show awards. In 2017, they produced their debut album “Distant Present” (2017) which was mastered by Toni Lindgren (Fascination Street Studios). “Waves,” the flagship song of this production, received radio play and was well-received by the local audience. “Distant Present” enabled them to tour several cities in Colombia, including Cali and Medellín, and solidify their participation in Prog In Motion 2017, the only local progressive festival. Furthermore, “Distant Present” was reviewed on various specialized music portals and allowed the band to transcend borders in terms of listeners.

At the end of 2022, Ani (Guitar and Vocals) and Carlos (keyboards) began producing their new studio material, citing influences such as Porcupine Tree, Riverside, The Gathering, VOLA, Steven Wilson, and Karnivool. Their challenge is to bring a rock proposal that can resonate with an audience not typically dedicated to progressive music, resulting in a completely renewed production that combines elements of progressive rock and modern metal. With this more mature and powerful sound, ARGOVIA recruits new members and collaborators. Felipe Candia, former drummer of the renowned Chilean progressive rock band Aisles, performed remote drum tracking for all tracks of this new production; Nicolás Paredes (The Vue) later joined the project.

ARGOVIA worked on their new production with Alejandro Londoño (Cultura Tres, Delain, Sepultura) handling the mixing and Steve Kitch, keyboardist of The Pineapple Thief, another flagship band of modern progressive, taking care of the mastering. This collaboration marked a shift from symphonic and digital elements towards a more mature, raw, and rock-oriented sound.

The band released 4 singles: Oceanborn, Who We Are, Crawling Is The Shape of Love, and The Devil You Are, as a prelude to their EP ‘WHO WE ARE,’ released 7th March, 2024.

The EP can be ordered digitally from bandcamp here:

Who We Are | Argovia (bandcamp.com)

The band has been reviewed and recognized by the largest progressive community in Latin America, “Nación Progresiva,” as “one of the great promises of Latin American prog.” The single ‘WHO WE ARE’ was nominated for the best Ibero-American single of 2023 in the Progressive Rock category. It has been featured on playlists selected by specialized curators of the genre such as The Prog Report, Progressive Latin America (curated by Felix Martin), DPRP.net, and Best New Prog Rock 2000-2023 (curated by Presagio Records).

ARGOVIA LIVE IS

Ani Guillén (Vocals, Guitar, Percussion) Carlos Arminio (Keyboards and Synthesizers) Nicolás Paredes (Bass) Mauricio Sanabria (Drums).

SOCIALS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/argoviaband/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Argoviaband
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/argoviaband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/ artist/30eoDK4DOQuTQuzJeaqEJM?si=f9eXTlb6SSqtxCxtWIe8 7Q Bandcamp: https://argovia.bandcamp.com/

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/argovia/1282198060

RETURNED TO THE EARTH announces new album Stalagmite Steeple and single “Dark Morality”

Album available for pre-order now!

UK-based prog band RETURNED TO THE EARTH are pleased to announce the new album Stalagmite Steeple due out on June 14th via Giant Electic Pea.  The follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Fall of the Watcher,’ the new album is another intriguing journey through main man Robin Peachey’s particular take on life.

You can listen to the album’s opening track and first single “Dark Morality” here:

Robin Peachey on the new album:
“The writing for Stalagmite Steeple began in late 2020 during the recording of Fall Of The Watcher, my previous album. It’s been a 2 1/2 year recording process to get the album finished and I have worked again with Paul Johnston as producer/engineer/additional musician. Steve Kitch (The Pineapple Thief) has again mastered the album for me.

“‘Dark Morality’ is the opening track of the album Stalagmite Steeple and sets the scene for the album’s themes. “I saw a story about an elderly couple who were separated during the first Covid lockdown and unfortunately the lady passed away from natural causes. I found it incredibly sad that we couldn’t find a way to bring loved ones together in their final moments during this difficult period of our history. It seemed empathy and compassion were lost but the money spent for the privilege of being in the care home facility still rolled in. I didn’t want this event to be marked by just a single song so it formed the backdrop for the whole album.”

Tracklisting:
1. Dark Morality  7:19
2. The Final Time  5:00
3. Stalagmite Steeple  9:58
4. Meaningless To Worth  6:09
5. Die For Me  9:09
6. The Raging Sea  5:36

Pre-order ‘Stalagmite Steeple’ on CD here:
https://gep.co.uk/products/returned-to-the-earth-stalagmite-steeple-pre-ord

All songs written by: Robin Peachey
All music performed by: Robin Peachey & Paul Johnston

Tim Bowness Signs To Kscope

Tim Bowness has signed to London label Kscope (The Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, TesseracT). A prolific singer, songwriter and producer, Bowness is known for his distinctive vocals and expressive style of songwriting and has worked alongside Steven Wilson (releasing seven studio albums with no-man) and, more recently, Nosound’s Giancarlo Erra (last week, Nosound shared their new single ‘Dogs’ featuring Tim Bowness). 

Speaking about the signing and hinting at new music, Bowness said, “With its eclectic roster and open-minded and adventurous approach to music and presentation, Kscope seems like a logical home for what I’ve been coming up with of late. I’m excited to see where it all leads.” 

Expect more news soon…

Review – Refestramus – Intour​í​st – by John Wenlock-Smith

I read about this album before I actually heard it and what I read certainly piqued my interest. The collection of bands I liked were name checked as either an influence on Refestramus’ sound or style so I knew I simply had to hear this album for myself. After a few false attempts, I managed to secure a download of the album from which I am able to write this review, so here we begin the journey into ‘Intour​í​st’.

The band Refestramus came about in May 2020 during covid lockdown sessions when main man and drummer Derek Ferguson assembled a group of like minded musicians to bring to life his ideas for a band. He found many of these through Fiverr.com although he had also been in touch with local Chicago internet radio DJ Ian Beabout who introduced Derek to Colouratura bandmaster Derek Pavlic, vocalist Nathan James, saxophonist Mitch Lawrence and Wisconsin multi- instrumentalist Jerry King. They later added Dave Newhouse, who plays accordion, and who helped Derek guide the debut album to completion.

Now, with all that history out of the way, let’s talk about the band’s second full album ‘Intour​í​st’, which was released earlier this month through MRR (Melodic Revolution Records). The album begins with a very strong track, DMK, which definitely has strong hints of classic pomp rock bands like Starcastle, especially in the synth and bass departments. As such, this blistering opener really makes a great impression on you and, in addition, the guitars are very solid and precise. It’s a very busy track musically with a lot going on throughout. There’s a long lead up to the vocals and Craig Cairns has a good voice, it is a great song with a great chorus to it. Second track Asunci​ó​n relates to the fact that Refestramus are big in Paraguay apparently. Again, this song has a great chugging melody along and a fine viola part, which sounds really good. There’s another fine chorus and the vocals are clear and crisp, this track works very well indeed. The Devil Returns is a longer track that opens with a smoky Hammond organ and saxophone interjections. It all sounds highly impressive and strong with another long intro before the vocals kick in. This is another impressive song which shows the talents the band possess. A strong sax break adds mood to this track, sounding very Styx like in places, a good thing to these ears.

What comes next is the albums showcase and longest track, the three part Intour​í​st Suite, which is a little different and off kilter and has elegant string parts and an almost pizzicato guitar in the opening section overlaid with a viola melody. Part(a) is Nevalyashka which is a Russian toy doll that is weighted so that it doesn’t fall over, Part(b) is Agent M vs The Sex Lizard, which leads onto the very 80’s sounding Part(c), Zombie Love, with its fabulous back beat that really enforces the strength of this excellent track, even if its meaning is a little unclear. Mr Darwin is a comment on human survival and natural selection. This piece has a wild saxophone all over another very busy musical track. I really like it I think it is a great song, as are the vocals from NIDA. Side Hustle evokes Jethro Tull in its style and tone. It is a short but very strong track with Nathan James in fine voice. The Red Apple recalls the Maxim Gorky tale of a Russian Horse thief, it has a great vocal again from NIDA which is suitably ethnic sounding. Again, this is a fairly short but nonetheless strong track. This is followed by the excellent Smiling, which has a great melody and fine vocals from NIDA, who sings with great feeling and emotion making another really excellent track.

Next we have a trio of bonus tracks, the first being a cover of Spirit’s Mr Skin, which is apparently a favourite of Derek Ferguson. The song was written by Jay Ferguson in the early days of Spirit and made a big impression on Derek in his youth. This version gives guitarist Derek Pavlic room to shine as he plays over the ending of the track. An acoustic version of The Red Apple works very well, showing the song’s inner beauty and strength. It is a really excellent version with more than a hint of Russia and France in equal parts. The final track is a Spanish version of Asunci​ó​n which, while adding very little to the original, is most likely aimed at Paraguayan radio where it gets frequent plays.

So there you have ‘Intour​í​st‘, an album of many delights, great songs and excellent music. Refestramus have delivered an an album that is a pleasure to listen to and one I have no reservations in recommending!

Released May 3rd, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

Intouríst | Refestramus (bandcamp.com)

Review – Nordic Giants – Origins

Nordic Giants, the enigmatic musical duo known for their captivating soundscapes and immersive live performances have solidified their place in the alternative music scene through a rich history of sonic innovation and visual storytelling. A cornerstone of Nordic Giants identity is their mesmerising live performances, which over the last decade have earned them a devoted global following. Combining live instrumentation, visuals and theatrical elements, their shows are akin to a religious experience, transporting audiences to otherworldly realms.

‘Origins’ invites audiences to embark on a voyage of discovery, delving deeper into Nordic Giants past. This brand new release will combine three of the very first Nordic recordings – A Tree As Old As Me (E.P), Speed the Crows Nest (Single), Shine (Single), plus a bonus track, onto one compilation album. However this compilation offers the listener a new experience, with many of the original recording sessions being revisited and many of the main instruments re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered, giving the songs a whole new lease of life. A re-birth and celebration into the Origins of Nordic Giants.

I have been a fan of Nordic Giants since they released ‘Amplify Human Vibration’ in 2017. Their multi-layered, complex and cinematic music really resonates with me so I happily pre-ordered the vinyl before I even heard the promo and I haven’t been let down by this enigmatic duo.

The eight tracks are powerful and outspoken and come from the very heart and soul of Rôka and Löki and deliver a truly immersive musical experience from beginning to end. Their trademark stentorian voice overs are present, especially so on the powerful opening track Together and the thunderous rendition of Dark Clouds Mean War that closes out this release.

Up to date recordings of tracks, including a truly hypnotic and mesmerising version of Through A Lens Darkly (accompanied by live montage video of combining over 25 different Nordic Giants performances ranging from 2010 all the way through to Damnation Festival in 2023) and a vibrant and riveting take on The Seed (the latter featuring a heartfelt and truly personal vocal performance from Jake Reid), feature newly recorded live strings, drums, piano, synths and guitars to give a much better feel of the duo’s live experience.

The duo deliver refined and laid back beauty on Glass Skinned Girl, a haunting piece of music enhanced by a wistful, ethereal vocal from Freyja and an impish, eclectic left field atmosphere with Shine, where Cate Ferris channels her inner Icelandic vibe, sounding not unlike an early Björk. The vivid vitality at the heart of the band is shown to perfection on the addictive splendour of Speed The Crows Nest, a majestic reworking of the classic track and the uplifting, unhurried grace of B.O.A.T.S that benefits from the gorgeous vocals of Amdine.

‘Origins’ is a wondrous journey through all that is great about Nordic Giants. A collection of songs that have been fine tuned from the original to deliver an almost spiritual and addictive listening experience and one that will not just appeal to long term fans of this utterly compelling band but also to those lucky enough to be discovering them for the very first time.

Released 7th June, 2024.

Order from the band’s website here:

Origins Pre Order | Nordic Giants