Graham Young, Reflection Nebula, Lac, Bruant Zizi, Krosis, Gura, Ian Ethan Case, A Formal Horse, and Lady Bazaar

by Dæv Tremblay

Graham Young – A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Graham Young’s latest album is a treat for prog fusion lovers. The album takes a lot from the sound of Planet X and the likes, and crafts some mind-bending songs with complex rhythms, modulating harmonies, and a good deal of high level musicianship. Even though this is not unheard of, this attempt is really successful at nourishing that very precise craving, and so I believe it’s worth your time!

Reflection Nebula – Loudcloud

If this were to be a physical release, it would have to be on at … Read more

Théo Ceccaldi’s Freaks – Amanda Dakota

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Théo Ceccaldi is now a renowned jazz violinist, and he is now at the heads of Freaks, an experimental jazz sextet that bridges jazz-rock with avant-garde pop and Rock in Opposition. Indeed, it sometimes sound like a jazz version of French band PoiL, which is a major plus!

What can you expect from their debut, Amanda Dakota? First of all, a lot of odd themes and harmonies are sown all around the album, and the rhythm section tries to clumsily follow in odd times and bizarre subdivisions. This is something that I like a … Read more

P.O.N. – P.O.N. (1995)

by Dæv Tremblay

The Words

P.O.N. was a Japanese jazz fusion band active in the ’90s, and whose only release is this obscure self-titled album. I wanted to talk about it, however, because it is still relevant in today’s world due to its high production value and contemporary sound. P.O.N. features forty-five minutes of blazing saxophone, guitar, and vibraphone on top of a Zappaesque backing band.

How so? Well, if the regular rhythmic modulations — frequently shifting from straight eighths to many different n-tuplets — didn’t tip you off, you might as well be deaf. However, it is, in my opinion, much more … Read more