Writing about music is like dancing about architecture
A spell-binding journey through lockdown dreams ***** Image credit Kscope/Richard Barbieri It's a strange coincidence that all four members of the prog rock band Porcupine Tree have brought out solo albums during the past few months of lockdown in the UK; first drummer Gavin Harrison released Chemical Reactions (with Antoine Fafard); in January it was …
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An atmospheric debut from an international progressive rock ensemble **** Once Only by Eternal Return Eternal Return is a new prog rock band made up of five members, based around two duos who have worked together in the past; the Australian bass player Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, O.R.k.) who has often worked with the …
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Here is some electronic music that I wrote under the name Tangerine Trees a few years ago.... Track One... Track Two... Track Three... with thanks to Tangerine Dream for inspiration.
Steven Wilson bites back at the future ***** THE FUTURE BITES™ In the early years Steven Wilson's band, Porcupine Tree, were often compared to Pink Floyd and Steven himself admitted the importance of that musical influence although he later distanced himself from the Floyd, moving towards a more distinctive sound. It is not surprising that …
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***** Gavin Harrison and Antoine Fafard prove that fusing jazz, rock and classical music does work Graphic design by Antoine Fafard In music, the words 'fusion' or 'crossover' used to a warning for any sensible music lover to run for the hills. Very fast. Musical genres such as classical, rock, pop and jazz have worked …
Continue reading "Album review – Chemical Reactions by Gavin Harrison and Antoine Fafard"
***** A deliciously dark Christmas treat Counting the Ghosts by iamthemorning is out on 4 December iamthemorning are a Russian chamber prog duo consisting of Gleb Kolyadin on piano and Marjana Semkina on vocals. According to their Bandcamp web page they specialise in writing songs about 'dead Victorian girls and premature burials'. Their last album …
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The 2007 classic album finally appears on streaming services ***** Lasse Hoile's striking cover image for Fear of a Blank Planet Within Porcupine Tree's canon of ten studio albums, their 2007 album Fear of a Blank Planet has a similar status to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon within the Pink Floyd catalogue, a …
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***** A dangerous journey through a magical forest Recreation is released on 4 September 2020 on the Bedroom Community label Manchester Collective were last heard playing in public on 14 March (see review here) the final date of their Cries and Whispers tour. It may be a little while before we are able to enjoy …
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A melancholy disco masterpiece ***** Love you to bits is the seventh studio album by No-Man the long-running collaboration between Steven Wilson former frontman of Porcupine Tree and now a solo artist, and singer Tim Bowness. The band was formed in the late 1980s and signed to the label that also featured Björk, and for …
Nicky Spence as Manolios with the Chorus of Opera North, The Greek Passion © Tristram Kenton Opera North The Lowry, Salford Saturday 16 November 2019 A visually striking production of a topical drama **** ‘The poor are always with us’. So are refugees, and Martinů’s message in his opera the Greek Passion is both topical and timeless. The …
