The Tangent – Songs from the Hard Shoulder (2022)
This is the latest album from this UK based progressive rock band and is one of the best in their catalgoue. As usual, we are…
Opinion
I thought it might be fun to place all my music, book and tech type reviews under one banner. Hence OPINION. Use the main menu to find specific sections you might be interested in.
Pure Reason Revolution – Above Cirrus (2022)
First album in a couple of years from this most interesting of bands. Always had a soft spot for them since hearing the Bright Ambassadors…
Scheming Streaming
I keep getting asked why I don’t subscribe to Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music etc. The answer is simple . . . . . I’d rather…
James LaBrie – Beautiful Shade of Grey (2022)
This is the 4th solo album from the current Dream Theater vocalist and, I must say, by far his best. I was not too keen…
Porcupine Tree – Closure-Continuation (2022)
As everyone must know by now, this is the first PT album in years. To say it was long awaited would be an understatement. Anyway,…
Reading Time
This week, I have been reading A NEW DAY YESTERDAY: UK PROGRESSIVE ROCK & THE 1970s. It had been on my reading list for a…
Remastering Process
Now that I have finished remastering another album, I thought it might be fun to share a few things that go into the process. As…
Kindle Oasis Review
I am a voracious reader: mostly tech magazines, biographies, sci-fi and some philosophy. I tend to do most of my reading on my mobile phone…
How I Remaster the Ancient Relics!
As several of you have expressed an interest in the remastering process, I thought it would be cool to share with you how I went…
The Progressive Underground, Vol 2
The Progressive Underground Volume 2 is out now and continues author Kevin Rowland’s deep delve into this marvellous genre. This volume covers demo and album…
Neewer Studio Monitor Isolation Pads for 8 inch Monitors
I’ve been recording music for many years and I have never invested in any isolation pads for my monitor speakers. The main reason being that…
How Music Got Free: What happens when an entire generation commits the same crime?
This book is all about how the mp3 file format for compressed audio took over the world, eventually leading to music becoming, effectively, free. On…
The Progressive Underground, Vol 1
The Progressive Underground Volume 1 is a new series of books starring the progressive music scene as seen through the eyes, ears and pen of…
Belly Dancer: a Lost Classic
Many years ago, more than I care to remember, I heard a song on the radio called Belly Dancer. I loved it straight away and…
Public Service Broadcasting – The War Room (2012)
I saw this band in concert on the BBC a few weeks ago and I was severely impressed. They were a trio playing various guitars,…
Spock’s Beard – Live At Sea (2014)
Here we are with yet another entry in the Beard’s live album discography. This differs from the others as it was recorded on a boat(!):…
The Wrong Object – After the Exhibition (2013)
Belgian band The Wrong Object have released a new album entitled After the Exhibition. It is very much cast in the mould of Soft Machine…
Syd Arthur – Moving World EP (2012)
Just discovered this band and picked up the EP at Bandcamp (where else?!). There are four tracks and you could describe it as Psychedelic/Canterbury inspired…
Big Big Train: Make Some Noise EP (2013)
Big Big Train have re-released their previous two albums English Electric Part One and English Electric Part Part Two (both unmitigated works of genius) as one…
Blood Ceremony: the Eldritch Dark (2013)
This is the Canadian band’s third album and, I think, their best. Fusing seventies hard rock with some progressive flourishes – like a mixture of…