The dreamer's roundabout and his untethered hot-air balloon The time has come, the blogger said, to write of many tunes ...Of songs and gongs and streaming sites. Of roundabouts and moons.And why the sand is shocking pink, and what's beneath those dunes.With apologies to Lewis Carroll Zoungla is a progressive psychedelic rock project led by…Read more Dream Machine
progressive rock
Tangram
8 Tangram sets in pastel colours The crowdfunding project for smalltape's Tangram album has raised over 70% of its target, and there are just three more days left to raise the other 30%. Crotchety Man has already blogged enthusiastically about Philipp Nespital's last album under the smalltape moniker, The Hungry Heart, and made his contribution…Read more Tangram
Refugee
It wasn't hard to find photos to illustrate this week's choice of music. Pictures of refugees are never far from the news bulletins these days. Whether it's Palestinians driven out of their homes by the Israelis, those fleeing the wars in Ukraine and Sudan, or families flooded out of their homes in the Far East,…Read more Refugee
Black Light Syndrome
Sitting in a backwater of my CD collection, there's an album called Situation Dangerous by the 'supergroup', Bozzio Levin Stevens. I don't remember how I acquired it now, but the mental index card has it down as heavy/prog rock, and the attached sticker says, "a very pleasant surprise". Just recently, Cirdecsongs, brought to my attention…Read more Black Light Syndrome
Happy the Man
The four faces of Happy the Man (in 2024) The American prog rock band, Happy the Man, released their self-titled debut album in 1977. It has always been regarded as a particularly fine example of the genre, and it was re-released in 2024 as Starborne. https://open.spotify.com/album/6twLF4q0KEZGdp1CC5iFGA?si=hgkXNkaYSHKGB7fkthoS7w The debut album of Happy the Man. This band…Read more Happy the Man
Deerand
How long can a hot-air balloon stay aloft? Deerand is a Persian term that means 'duration' (of instrument's tones). It is also the title of the latest album from Quartet Diminished. https://open.spotify.com/album/4elRzwcxhHDW5swyjtlrsy?si=HdJ7yhWxTDG0nOqe0EN8pQ Quartet Diminished's latest album, released to Spotify 15th November 2024 According to Spotify, the band was formed in 2013, and it can't have…Read more Deerand
A Sky Full of Ghosts
"A lot of those stars actually died millions of years ago. It's just they're so far away, the light they created before they died hasn't finished reaching us yet ... You're looking at a sky full of ghosts." Amie Kaufman Ghost stars. We see them, but they are not really there. They were there once,…Read more A Sky Full of Ghosts
Tilt
If you are Don Quixote, windmills are monsters, and a good knight is compelled to take a tilt at them. The success of such a campaign is not guaranteed, of course, but if you fail, at least you will go down in history as a valiant loser. In 1974, the Italian band, Arti e Mestieri,…Read more Tilt
Gånglåt i femtakt
"Walking song in five beats" (Google Translate) This track came up in my Release Radar recently, and it pleased the ears. https://open.spotify.com/track/2cAINrpYiy2zEb6g8PP9ep?si=45718c55398d4383 It's from an album called Åtråvärld, released late last year by the Swedish band Å. They are: Joel Öhlund – vocals, guitar/bass guitar Milovan Fredriksson – guitar/bass guitar, backup vocals Erik Wallin –…Read more Gånglåt i femtakt
The Songs & Tales of Airoea
Book I Book II Book III As we watch the opening scenes of 2024 unfold, let's get this continuing tale of good and exceptional music back on the road with some classic progressive rock. The Songs & Tales of Airoea is a triple album by a Norwegian band calling themselves The Chronicles of Father Robin.…Read more The Songs & Tales of Airoea
Crotchety Man 