Author Archives: alanjones

Album review: RUBY DAWN – Blood On Water

Posted on October 14, 2024 by alanjones

Self-released [Release date 01.11.24] Hailing from Wokingham in the UK, Ruby Dawn are a rather fine progressive/art-rock band consolidating their progressive credentials with this follow-up to 2023’s ‘Beyond Tomorrow’, which, from all accounts, was an excellent debut in itself. Fronted … Continue reading →

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Album review: SYLVAN – Back To Live

Posted on September 8, 2024 by alanjones

Gentle Art Of Music/Soulfood [Release date: 12.07.24] Sylvan, alongside label stable-mates RPWL, have been at the forefront of German progressive rock since the release of their debut album ‘Deliverance’ in 1999 and have raised the bar with every subsequent … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Back To Live, Johnny Beck, Marco Gluhmann, Progressive Rock, review, RPWL, Sylvan | Leave a comment

Album review: MARCO GLÜHMANN – A Fragile Present

Posted on August 28, 2024 by alanjones

Gentle Art Of Music / Soul Food - [Release date: 14.06.24] So, what happens if the two finest progressive rock bands in Germany get together (with a number of special guests) to make a progressive rock album? The answer is … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged A Fragile Present, Billy Sherwood, Kalle Wallner, Marco Gluhmann, Marillion, Progressive Rock, review, RPWL, Steve Rothery, Sylvan, Yes, Yogi Lang | Leave a comment

Album review: LEON ALVARADO – The Changing Tide

Posted on August 14, 2024 by alanjones

Melodic Revolution Records - [Release date: 31.05.24] Leon Alvarado is an American multi-instrumentalist who started his recording career in 2009 with an album called ‘Plays Genesis And Other Stuff’ and has progressed (see what I did there?) to Pink Floyd … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged Brit Floyd, Edoardo Scordo, John Helliwell, Leon Alvarado, Pink Floyd, Progressive Rock, review, Supertramp, The Changing Tide | Leave a comment

Album review: YES – Talk

Posted on June 2, 2024 by alanjones

Spirit Of Unicorn/Cherry Red Records [Release date: 24.05.24] Originally released in 1994 and remastered here for its 30th anniversary, ‘Talk’ is very much the lost album of the Yes canon (not helped by the Victor record company going bust not … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Alan White, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Progressive Rock, review, talk, Tony Kaye, Trevor Rabin, Yes | Leave a comment

Album review: BIG BIG TRAIN – The Likes Of Us

Posted on April 28, 2024 by alanjones

Inside Out [Release Date: 01.03.24] When David Longdon tragically died in an accident at his home in 2021, Big Big Train, one of the finest folk/prog bands this country has produced, were shattered to the core. How could they continue … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Big Big Train, Dave Foster, Greg Spawton, Nick D'Virgillio, Oskar Holldorrf, Progressive Rock, review, Rikard Sjoblom, The Likes Of Us | Leave a comment

Album review: STEVE HACKETT – The Circus And The Nightwhale

Posted on February 26, 2024 by alanjones

Inside Out [Release date: 16.02.24] As a recognition of 50 (ish) years in ‘the biz’, Steve Hackett, erstwhile guitarist of Genesis, has released not only a landmark 30th solo album, but also bookended his solo career by releasing a concept … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Craig Blundell, John Hackett, Jonas Reingold, Nad Sylvan, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Townsend, Roger King, Steve Hackett, The Circus And The Nightwhale | Leave a comment

Album Review: THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – It Leads To This

Posted on February 18, 2024 by alanjones

kScope [Release date: 09.02.24] The Pineapple Thief have been around since 1999 – initially on the periphery of progressive rock with their early albums on the legendary Cyclops label. They were chosen to re-launch the now esteemed kScope label with … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged Bruce Soord, Gavin Harrison, It Leads To This, Porcupine Tree, Progressive Rock, review, Steve Kitch, The Pineapple Thief | Leave a comment

Album Review: THEA GILMORE – Thea Gilmore

Posted on December 2, 2023 by alanjones

Mighty Village Records [Release date: 17.11.23] Twenty one albums into a career that has set the bar so high in the singer/songwriter genre, Thea Gilmore has, at last, had the self-confidence and artistic freedom to release an eponymously titled set … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged folk, review, Singer/Songwriter, Thea Gilmore | Leave a comment

Album/EP Review: HELD BY TREES – Eventide

Posted on October 22, 2023 by alanjones

Sound Canyon Records [Release date: 11.08.23] Following on from Held By Trees’ excellent ‘Solace’ in 2022, the band assembled once more at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios to realise two projects. The first was a sparkling, live re-recording of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged David Joseph, Eventide, Held Bt Trees, Progressive Rock, review, Robbie McIntosh, Talk Talk | Leave a comment

Album review: HELD BY TREES – Solace – Live At Real World Studios

Posted on October 19, 2023 by alanjones

Sound Canyon Records [Release date: 11.0.23] Held By Trees is a collective of outstanding musicians, three of whom had connections to and played with the band Talk Talk. Back in the day, Talk Talk, under the eclectic leadership of the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged David Joseph, Held By Trees, Mark Hollis, Progressive Rock, review, Robbie McIntosh, Solace - Live At Real World Studios, Talk Talk | Leave a comment

Album review: SUBSIGNAL – A Poetry Of Rain

Posted on October 13, 2023 by alanjones

Gentle Art Of Music [Release date: 22.09.23] My fellow GRTR! reviewer Pete Whalley gave a four-star review to Subsignal’s previous album ‘La Muerta’ in 2018 – opining at the time that the band had “waved goodbye” to their metal tendencies … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged A Poetry Of Rain, Progressive Rock, review, RPWL, Subsignal, Yogi Lang | Leave a comment

Album review: DESOLATION SOUND – Salish Rock

Posted on July 15, 2023 by alanjones

Robo Jack Records - [Release date: 28.07.2022] What’s in a name? For all fans of doom metal it’s time to look elsewhere as Desolation Sound are not the Lords of Valhalla that the name suggests. In fact, anything but – … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged Desolation Sound, review, Salish Rock | Leave a comment

Album review: SOUTHERN EMPIRE – Another World

Posted on July 5, 2023 by alanjones

Giant Electric Pea - [Release date: 04.09.23] Southern Empire was formed in 2014 following the break-up of Australian progressive rock pioneers Unitopia, and have carried the torch for Southern hemisphere prog since. Signed to IQ’s Giant Electric Pea label, the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Another World, Progressive Rock, review, Sean Timms, Southern Empire, Unitopia | Leave a comment

Album review: RPWL – Crime Scene

Posted on March 10, 2023 by alanjones

Gentle Art Of Music [Release date: 17.03.23] It is now more than twenty years since RPWL’s debut album ‘God Has Failed’ was released to an unknowing world – to a muted response. But, muted response or not, it laid down … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Crime Scene, Kalle Wallner, Progressive/Art Rock, review, RPWL, Yogi Lang | Leave a comment

Album review: KATATONIA – Sky Void Of Stars

Posted on February 3, 2023 by alanjones

Napalm Records [Release date: 20.01.23] Ever since Swedish behemoths Katatonia de-coupled themselves from the doom-metal train to oblivion with the ‘Night Is The New Day’ album way back in 2009, they have been the flag-bearers of a genre best described … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Anders Nystrom, Jonas Renkse, Katatonia, progressive metal, review, Sky Void Of Stars | Leave a comment

Album review: TOM ADAMSON BAND – Old View Of The New World

Posted on January 25, 2023 by alanjones

Blue Build Records - [Release date: 20.12.22] Tom Adamson is a Scottish-born multi-instrumentalist who has played alongside and supported a diverse number of top-line acts including Sister Sledge, Supergrass, Toploader, Johnny Dankworth & Cleo Laine and er, John Barrowman. This … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged blues, folk, Old View Of A New World, review, rock, Tom Adamson Band | Leave a comment

Album review: RAIN – Radio Silence

Posted on January 14, 2023 by alanjones

Giant Electric Pea [Release date: 27.01.23] Another release on the Giant Electric Pea label – they’re getting quite prolific… For those not in the know, GEP is the label founded by IQ stalwarts Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Andy Edwards, Frost*, IQ, John Jowitt, Progressive Rock, Radio Silence, Rain, review | Leave a comment

Album Review: RETURNED TO THE EARTH – Fall Of The Watcher

Posted on January 8, 2023 by alanjones

Giant Electric Pea [Release date: 27.01.23] Written and recorded through lockdown between 2019 and 2021, ‘Fall Of The Watcher’ is Returned To The Earth’s fourth foray into the studio. Originally released in 2022 on BandCamp, Giant Electric Pea, the exemplary … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Fall Of The Watcher, IQ, Martin Orford, Mike Holmes, Progressive Rock, Returned To The Earth, review | Leave a comment

Album review: ROCKING HORSE MUSIC CLUB – Circus Of Wire Dolls

Posted on September 27, 2022 by alanjones

Plane Groovy Records [Release date: 16.09.22] Third trip into the studio for American “progressive” rock band Rocking Horse Music Club following their EP ‘Everywhere Is Home’ from 2018 and their tribute to Genesis fretmeister Anthony Phillips ‘Which Way The Wind … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Circus Of Wire Dolls, David Cross, John Hackett, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Townsend, Rocking Horse Music Club, Tim Bowness | Leave a comment

Album review: DIM GRAY – Firmament

Posted on August 12, 2022 by alanjones

English Electric Recordings [Release date: 02.09.22] In a world going to Hell in a hand-cart, we all need a quiet place where we can escape for a while, chill out and contemplate the infinite – some may choose the floatation … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Dim Gray, Firmament, Progressive Rock, review | Leave a comment

Album review: LIFESIGNS – Altitude

Posted on January 5, 2022 by alanjones

Lifesigns Music [Release date: 08.03.21] There are certain bands aren’t there that make you wonder “why aren’t this band massive?” and Lifesigns undoubtedly fall into this category. Essentially the band of keyboard wizard John Young, whose eclectic career has included … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Altitude, Dave Bainbridge, Iona, John Young, Lifesigns, Progressive Rock, review, Steeleye Span | Leave a comment

Album Review: AFTERLIGHT (Thea Gilmore) – Afterlight

Posted on November 30, 2021 by alanjones

Mighty Village Records - [Release date: 01.10.21] What’s a woman to do when the life that you’ve led for over twenty years reveals itself over time to be a stifling, coercive relationship that’s dominated your life and musical career? The … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged acoustic, Afterlight, album, review, singer, songwriter, Thea Gilmore | Leave a comment

Album review: SYLVAN – One To Zero

Posted on October 20, 2021 by alanjones

Gentle Art Of Music [Release date: 28.05.21] Sylvan are one of Europe’s finest progressive rock bands whose stock has been rising for some time, but particularly since they signed up to the Gentle Art Of Music label run by fellow … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Kalle Walter, One To Zero, Progressive Rock, review, RPWL, Sylvan, Yogi Lang | Leave a comment

Album review: KARMAMOI – Room 101

Posted on October 6, 2021 by alanjones

Self-released – [Release date: 28.05.21] There are times, aren’t there, when you think artists try just that little bit too hard to express feelings of emotion, be it good or bad (Bono is a cause-célèbre here) resulting in … Continue reading →