OSR: March 30th, 2016

by Deidre House

osr3-30

You’re Welcome is an impressive debut EP of progressive jazz from Watchdog, a new French duo consisting of keyboard and clarinet.

Joe Santa Maria has given us a diverse and intriguing EP in Echo Deep that morphs back and forth between quirky minimalist jazz and chamber music that trades percussion for strings.

Looping sax overdubs combine to form experimental, minimalist, atmospheric jazz on Johnny Butler‘s Carousel.

The title may no longer be accurate, but Family Junction‘s Never Released Greatest Hits is an interesting and well-executed blend of prog rock and indie rock sensibilities.

Israeli prog/fusion trio … Read more

The Pitts Minnemann Project – The Psychic Planetarium

by Dæv Tremblay

coverpsychicplanetariumThe Pitts Minnemann Project released their first album in 2014 with the technical, fusion progressive metal album 2 L 8 2 B Normal, featuring keyboard virtuoso Jimmy Pitts and drummer madman Marco Minnemann, completed by a long list of musicians amongst whom are found Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, Ray Riendeau, and Jerry Twyford. This album is basically a 52-minute, 27-part song of the best fusion progressive metal out there, and I keep going back to it quite regularly. Two years later, and we’ve got The Psychic Planetarium. Does it raise the bar for the future or does it fail … Read more

OSR: March 25th, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

osr3-25

What’s up, fam?

Valerinne is a post-metal band from Romania, and Monumenta is their third full-length. It’s a pretty good, instrumental take on the genre, with typically lengthy songs in which minor-sounding riffs are developed. A standard post-metal release, but enjoyable nonetheless. The stream is from their last album, An Ocean Held Me, but I’ll talk about Hope for a Mourning, which’ll come out on April 15th.
New Zealand’s prog rock/indie band Mice on Stilts‘s sophomore album is, basically, more of the good stuff that’s on “An Ocean Held Me”. It sounds a bit neo-prog, like Sanguine Hum,… Read more

OSR: March 21st, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

osr3-21

Let’s start this up with Chaoh Reiccuk‘s first full-length album, Nantes. As with their February EP, it’s what could be called MIDI-math fusion jazz. Even though every track is treated with decent VST instruments, there are only so much tweaks made to humanize the sound, so that it sounds robotic, mechanical. But is that a flaw? I say no, it’s a new sound that takes advantage of and doesn’t try to hide the fact that we all make music using computers nowadays. Some kind of robojazz, which I like.
Vampilia releases My Heart Will Go On on… Read more

OSR: March 16th, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

osr3-16

Let’s begin with Usti Waya‘s folk-lined experimental drone album, From Dust, We Rise. It’s a wonderful journey with loads of instruments thrown in – violin, clarinet and banjo to name a few – in order to create an exotic and intense sound. I’m not big into drone music, but this one is very good!

[Click here to stream Vexxes – Common Ground]
Releasing on May 6th, Vexxes‘ new EP, Common Ground, is a punkish alternative post-rock album. It’s a bit of an awkward description, but I bet you can imagine how it sounds by reading it. … Read more