From one album to the next, Nektar in the 1970s explored a variety of musical directions, while always be recognizably Nektar. The band were difficult to categorize, at various times incorporating elements of Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelia, and Space Rock. Still in the band today are founding members Roye Albrighton on guitar and vocals and Ron Howden on drums. Klaus Henatsch has played keyboards on recent albums and tours. And for the new album – Time Machine – American musician Billy Sherwood plays bass and engineered the album. Sherwood will be familiar to Progheads, having done a stint in Yes and worked with a laundry list of rock history titans.

The album opens with A Better Way, which starts off like some of the heavier moments from A Tab In The Ocean or Remember The Future. But that’s not what this album is about. When the keyboards come in the music has a distinctly Prog Rock flavor, bringing to mind Kansas when the keys are most up front. But when the main song portion and vocals kick in, it’s classic song-oriented Nektar. I’ve always loved Roye Albrighton’s voice, and I’m glad to hear it’s as soulful as ever. At around the 6 minute mark the music calms and we hear a pleasant acoustic guitar led segment that’s got a really nice spacey-jazzy feel, with spoken word by Roye, before launching into a heavy rocking finale.

Tranquility is an accessible Prog infused song with some of the most complex instrumentation on the album. Destiny, Mocking The Moon, and Talk To Me are all nice melodic songs and all have tasty guitar licks, my favorite being the BEAUTY of a solo on Talk To Me. Set Me Free, Amigo goes off in a strange direction, being a Mariachi flavored light rocker. Interesting… not sure what to make of this one.

Among my favorites is If Only I Could, which consists of accessible Prog Rock that shifts gears in interesting ways throughout its 10 minute length. I like the way the lighter sections interweave with the heavier guitar rocking. The whole piece is beautifully composed and arranged, with excellent playing from all. Ditto for the title track, a solid melodic rocker with swoon inducing guitar solos and killer rocking guitar and organ segments. Juggernaut is a Prog-Jazz instrumental with classic 70s Fusion styled keys from Klaus and killer guitar from Roye that’s jazzy at times and reminds me of Steve Hackett at others. Finally, Diamond Eyes has some of the dreamiest, exploratory, though still tightly composed, music of the set.

In summary, Time Machine is very much about the SONG, and includes some of the most overtly Progressive Rock oriented music I’ve heard from Nektar. Great compositions, arrangements and musicianship throughout. I should add that Nektar are still a hot live band. I saw them just last month on their U.S. tour, and crappy sound in the venue notwithstanding, they played great. And, to their credit, despite the tiny crowd, Nektar gave it their all and seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves.

For more information visit the Nektar web site at: http://nektarsmusic.com
Visit the Cleopatra Records web site at: http://www.cleopatrarecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

White Sails are the San Francisco based trio of Leigh Gregory and Finnish brothers Ville and Jaakko Vilpponen. I’ve not heard of them before but the promo sheet says some former bands the members have been in include Mellow Drunk and The Bias. I found their Facebook page and see that Ville was in Dora Flood, whose 2007 We Live Now album was a very nice set of psych songs. I also see that White Sails’ debut album was released in January of this year.

The new White Sails single on FdM consists of 4 songs – two covers and two originals. The covers are… well… Black Sabbath are the god-fathers of Stoner-Metal, right? My introduction to the band back in the day was Master Of Reality, which included Orchid, so I knew from the get-go that the boys were capable of acoustic instrumentals. White Sails take on two subsequent, and far more gentle, Black Sabbath acoustic tunes as their covers for the single. They really make Laguna Sunrise (from Sabbath’s Vol. 4) their own, giving it a trippy Country-Psych atmosphere and groove, and colored by beautiful mind-bending guitar leads. Fluff was on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, and I can easily imagine some fans having considered it precisely that. But the melody is simply enchanting, and on this one White Sails are more faithful to the atmosphere of the original, though I like the fuller instrumentation, including keys, piano and orchestral drumming in the mix, and the music does take on a more full band feel near the end.

The Answer is the first of two White Sails originals. It’s a beautiful acoustic guitar driven instrumental that veers into majestic Prog territory when the keyboards and heavier drumming kick in. Death On A Pale is a similarly acoustic guitar led instrumental, though with a thudding rhythmic pace. These guys really excel at seductive acoustic guitar melodies and deceptively intricate playing.

The single will be available mid-August, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases sell out QUICK!

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Stay are a pop-psych band from Barcelona, Spain who I was first introduced to last year through their album, The Fourth Dimension (CLICK HERE to read review). Their new FdM single consists of four songs, one original and three covers.

Mersey Dream is the original and is a funk rocking psych song with a potent chunky funky rhythm section, killer old time organ, and wah’d rhythm guitar and leads that are both liquid and acidic. This sucker could easily have been some lost track from the 60s. I’d never heard of The Fairytale, but apparently they were a UK band who only released a couple singles in the late 60s. Too bad they didn’t do more because a listen on YouTube reveals a real gem. Stay take their song Guess I Was Dreaming and amp it up with potent drumming, organ, and killer stinging and tripped out rocking guitar leads. Stay are close to the spirit of the original with The Beatles’ If I Needed Someone, though they quicken the pace a bit. Great instrumentation and production on this one, with all manner of efx’d psych guitars, keys and powerful drumming. Marmalade is another band I was previously unfamiliar with. They were a Scottish band that existed in the 60s, apparently in couple different formations before becoming Marmalade. I checked out their song I See The Rain on YouTube and it’s a catchy tune with high pitched vocals and some interesting contrasting edgy guitar. Stay make it a heavier rocker, striking a fine balance between retro 60s and a more modern feel. If you like well crafted Pop-Psych check these guys out. They’ve got four full albums to date.

The single will be available mid-August, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases sell out QUICK!

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Fuchsia were a British Progressive Folk-Psych band who released one self-titled album in 1971. Guitarist and vocalist Tony Durant now lives in Australia and earlier this year released From Psychedelia to a Distant Place under the name Fuchsia II (see fuchsiamusic.com). Me And My Kites are a Swedish band named after a song from the debut Fuchsia album who contacted Durant through his web site and sent him some of their music, resulting in Durant collaborating with the band.

The Band is a Me And My Kites cover of a song that had been slated for the never-released second Fuchsia album, with vocals contributed by Durant. The song is upbeat with a catchy melody, and I like how it transitions between mood and rhythmic pace. And I love the acoustic guitar led yet psychedelically orchestrated feel of the music. Isis’ Adventure is an extended version of a song from Me And My Kites debut album, released earlier this year. It’s got an upbeat feel similar to The Band, having a distinctly 60s pop feel. Except for some vocalizations, the first half of the song is an instrumental with a free-wheeling carefree groove. Then mid-section it transitions to a lysergic dream-like experimental, and ever-changing segment that carries it to conclusion. Very cool.

The single will be available mid-August, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases sell out QUICK!

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Dutch psych maestro Jack Ellister is back with another 7″ on Fruits de Mer Records. Last year he released an outstanding single on FdM – his self-penned The Man With The Biochopper, with its killer blend of 60s sound and spaced out vibe, backed with a cool cover of The Rolling Stones’ Citadel (CLICK HERE to read review).

On this new single we’ve got a nifty trio of covers. Jack takes on The Beatles’ Within You, Without You, retaining the Eastern flavor of the original but rocks it up and plays it at a steady march-like pace. This is a totally trippy psyched out affair, and I really like the sitar-jam finale, with crowd and chant samples, followed by a brief tripped out “reprise”. Next, Jack covers Mark Fry’s Song For Wild, from the 1972 Dreaming For Alice album. Jack is true to the lulling Folk-Psych vibe of the original, but adds a keyboard to accompany the lead acoustic guitar melody, and I like the periodic percussion fills that add an edgily threatening feel. Finally, and this is my favorite, Jack takes Pink Floyd’s Flaming and makes it a heavier, craftily effects-laden psychedelic rocker.

Besides his solo singles I’ve heard Jack’s Yordan Orchestra and MYTRON projects and have been impressed with all. The promo sheet says his first solo album is completed and just needs a label to release it. I’m crossing my fingers.

The single will be available mid-August, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases sell out QUICK!

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Crystal Jacqueline is a British musician and vocalist who has fronted such bands as Burning Ice, Hot Spice, Daylights Burning, and is singer-keyboardist in The Honey Pots. According to her Facebook page, Crystal Jacqueline has completed her first album – Sun Dance (though I’m not sure if it’s been released yet). On her first FdM single she takes on a varied trio of covers.

If you only knew The Troggs for Wild Thing, then Cousin Jane would came as a surprise, being a gently whispering and lightly orchestrated polar opposite from their best known hit. Crystal Jacqueline hews closely to the spirit of the original but stretches out a bit musically. It’s orchestrated but less on the gentle side than the Troggs. I like the dark piano lead and surreal synth melody, and Jacqueline’s voice is perfectly suited to anything with a 60s flavor. Crystal Jacqueline next take the whimsical Prog-Psych of Second Hand’s 1968 song A Fairy Tale and gives it an edgier opening guitar segment, a much more psyched out solo later in the song, and makes it all happen at a faster and more energetic pace. My favorite of the three is Jacqueline’s take on The Rolling Stones’ Play With Fire, which in her hands is both hauntingly dreamy and intense. I love the combination of bubbly psych guitar leads, acoustic guitar, piano and spacey symphonic keys. Nice stuff. I’m intrigued and will be on the lookout for her full length album.

The single will be available mid-August, and as usual this is vinyl ONLY, no CDs or downloads. If interested you better hurry because Fruits de Mer releases sell out QUICK!

For more information visit the Fruits de Mer Records web site at: http://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Computerchemist is headed up by Dave Pearson, an English musician residing in Hungary. This time last month I reviewed the 2-part new Computerchemist album, Signatures I & II, which included Budapest based drummer Zsolt Galántai. I mention that because despite the different band name, Audio Cologne Project is in some ways a follow up to the Space meets Prog of Signatures, albeit in a different direction (CLICK HERE to read the Signatures review).

Audio Cologne Project is the trio of Dave Pearson of Computerchemist on bass, keyboards and sequencers, German musician Uwe Cremer of Level Pi on guitars and keyboards, and Hungarian drummer Zsolt Galantai. Cremer has released three albums that I’m aware of as Level Pi, the first having the distinction of being one of the few new artists to be released by the Garden of Delights label. Pearson and Cremer made contact online in 2007 and collaborated remotely, and after meeting in person in 2009 decided to work together on a project that strayed from the EM and Berlin school albums that both had been known for, toward a Rock/Krautrock context, without completely abandoning their Berlin school influences.

2911 consists of 6 instrumental tracks, some taking plenty of time to stretch out and explore. The nearly 19 minute Chemist’s Bike comes roaring out of the starting gate as a hard and heavy 70s styled riff rocker, with chunky guitar chords and Hammond styled organ. But this is just a brief intro as the sequenced keyboards soon join in, along with symphonic keys and spaced out winding and weaving guitar licks. And from there it transitions to a distinctly Pink Floyd-ian jam, then returns to the opening rocking theme, before settling into a Space-Prog excursion with classic old time keyboard sounds. Crazy Bongos kicks off with a bit of a motorik groove, and the piano melody reminds me of a Neu! song that I can’t quite put my finger on. The music is propelled by rockin’ drumming, and I like the combination of piano and spacey pinging efx’d guitar licks.

At nearly 20 minutes, Spieluhr is another lengthy stretch out track. It opens with a children’s music box lullaby. Piano and a haunting spacey Mellotron-like melody soon take over, as steady understated drumming builds tension, leading up to an explosion in which the trio launch into a power rocking jam that blends symphonic Prog, cosmic keys, and trippy psychedelic guitar. Around the halfway mark the music transitions, getting into territory that’s both Tangerine Dreamy and symphonic, and things quickly get hot ‘n heavy and Space-Prog rocking again, and I love the ripping guitar solo backed by all manner of cosmic keys and stormy drumming.

Grobmotorik is a fiery guitar driven heavy rocker, though later the keys edge their way in and we get some tasty Dub-infused bass. The 17+ minute Mind The Gap lays down a cool space-jazzy groove, with monster rocking guitar solos that sting like a wasp. Parts sound like a Dave Gilmour-Rick Wright duo. The music later shifts into dreamy mode, winding things down with a peaceful Pink Floyd inspired vibe, though the sequenced keys add a twist. Finally, the short Akustisch-1 wraps up the set, sounding like a Mariachi band supported by electro grooves, sequenced keys, psychedelic guitar and freaky effects.

There’s lots of variety on 2911, and while it’s more heavy rocking, it shares with the Signatures albums (which are still fresh in my mind) an assortment of Space and Progressive Rock influences, with a fresh take on the sounds of yesterday.

For more information and downloads visit the Computerchemist Bandcamp page at: http://computerchemist.bandcamp.com (2911 is listed among the Computerchemist albums)

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Steve Lawson is a UK based improvisational bass player whose music I’ve been acquainted with for many years. In Lawson’s hand, the bass transcends its usual role, instead being a lead instrument, a creator of atmosphere, and a brush that paints sonic landscapes. Steve has released many albums that explore realms along the jazz-ambient axis, both solo and duo collaborations. His latest is a duo set that documents one of 10 live shows that featured Lawson on fretless bass, looping, and processing, and San Francisco based musician Daniel Berkman on Gravikord (electric double harp), Kora, Ukelele, Handsonic, and synths. As is often the case with Lawson, the 10 performances were the only times the musicians played together; no rehearsals or planning. Fingerpainting was recorded in Altadena, California on January 25, 2013, the first of an 8-show January tour.

The set opens with Antidote To Everything, on which Lawson and Berkman go into lusciously cosmic space that incorporates elements of Jazz, Ambient/Soundscape, and even bits of Shoegaze. There are some rockin’ leads that sound great against the flowing and continually evolving ambient waves, bass produced soundscapes and effects, and steady percussive beats. Towards The Sun is 15 minutes of pure space-ambient bliss. I love the flowing soundscapes, looped bass rhythmic patterns, light acoustic and electric stringed leads, and fretless bass leads. There’s a percussive pattern at the beginning that sounds like an arrhythmic heartbeat which was a bit jarring. I had the headphones on and could feel it pulsating in my chest. FingerPainting is an electro-funky groove excursion that combines 70s styled Jazz and Funk, all manner of robotic electronica, and a non-stop parade of fun effects. Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters comes to mind as an underlying influence. After a while we drift into dreamy jazzy ambience, and I hear some spaced out Prog rock styled keyboard and wind instrument sounds, all of which sound great against the contrasting energetic jazz drumming. The Further Adventures Of Mantis And Stick is a beautifully melodic combination of acoustic instrumentation and bass leads, which gets increasingly freaky and efx’d as the piece progresses, and an electro-percussive groove later joins in. The last two tracks – Invocation and Reunion – include a female vocalist named Artemis. Invocation is a lulling and grooving Space-Ambient-Jazz-Prog journey with Artemis accompanying in a quietly soulful vocal style that fits in with these guys very nicely. And Reunion is a cool grooving ambient jazz rocker with Artemis switching gears and singing in an ethnic chant style. Very nice.

I said at the beginning and I’ll repeat that Lawson and Berkman met for no rehearsals or planning prior to this, or any of their performances. And keep in mind that while Berkman is credited with synths, much of this music is created with a variety of processed, looped and manipulated instruments. There’s so much happening, so many layers occurring at once, that it’s a marvel to imagine two guys improvising this live.

Note that Lawson and Berkman’s music is available in multiple formats. FingerPainting comes as a download album, there’s a 2-CD set featuring a “best of” selection from the 10 shows, ALL the music from all 10 shows can be had on a USB stick, plus more options.

For more information, stream FingerPainting, order and download, visit the Steve Lawson web site at: http://music.stevelawson.net

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Recently I reviewed a new spacerock project from UK’s Keith Hill called Oceanfire. Keith also plays in the band Civilian Zen. I can hear how he drew on his Civilian Zen experiences to create the Oceanfire sound, but Civilian Zen is a different beast altogether.

Consisting of Mark Andrew Broster on bass, vocal chants and FX; Ralph Wordenweber on drums, midi drums, and percussion and Keith Hill on guitars, vocals, programming, FX, 303, midi guitars, synths, and samples, Civilian Zen’s Otherworlds EP is a collection of songs that were recorded in and around the recording sessions for New Worlds, their 2012 full-length release. Civilian Zen’s spacerock approach draws heavily on electronic dance music styles as the backbone of its sound, but on Otherworlds, although a couple of the songs head in this direction, the band takes some time to chill, most notably on the 10-minute epic Possessed With the Pleasures of Chance. The largely frantic pace of New Worlds is replaced here with a more eclectic aesthetic. While songs like Havok and the title track do utilize those rapid, pulsing rhythms of electronica, the rest of the EP takes some different turns. Introdrone, is kind of self-explanatory, but it is by no means a quiet drone, more like the drone of industrial machinery. On the Hour is a dreamy pop piece with a light rhythm and drifting guitar textures. And the aforementioned Possessed With the Pleasures of Chance is a spacious ambient exploration that nonetheless bristles with energy, as if its placid surface is about to boil over with murky sound effects like explosions and airplanes. Weird, distorted chants even give it a bit of spiritual feel. This last track, especially, is a world away from the music on New Worlds. But I guess that’s why the EP is called Otherworlds!

In short, if you like edgy, experimental pop with many different textures, you’ll enjoy this EP from Civilian Zen.

For more info, visit: http://civilianzen-music.bandcamp.com/album/otherworlds-ep-2013

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald

On the surface, Boise, Idaho’s Pravda would appear to be just another neo prog/prog metal band. But dig just a little past the surface and there is far more to be revealed. The Clarity of Chaos is the band’s 4th album to date, and is a concept album (naturally) about our mortality and our short time here on Earth. Formed in the early 2000’s by veteran musicians, the band has had several line-up changes since then, with the current line-up consisting of Dave Thomas on drums, percussion and vocals; John Redfield on guitars, bass and vocals and KC Thomsen on synths, piano, Hammond organ and vocals. Tom Savanoe also joins them on bass when the band plays live.

What differentiates Pravda from many of their peers is their penchant for combining both new and older styles of prog rock into their sound. At one moment they can be sounding like Dream Theater or Spock’s Beard, the next like Yes or Pink Floyd. The 14-minute opening track, Second Hand, is an excellent example. Careening rapidly between weird spaced out sections, dexterous vocal and instrumental workouts, strumming acoustic guitars and gorgeous vocal melodies, it all surrounds a dreamy, melodic ‘song within the song’, a soft core with a crunchy shell. Some rousing fretwork from Redfield propels the song in its later half towards its conclusion (but not without a few more surprises before it’s over!). The 9-minute Colors of the Moon is perhaps my favourite track on the album. With Middle Eastern percussion and melodies, mysterious undercurrents, pulsing electronics, a gorgeous, soaring chorus and a lovely piano coda, it combines progressive rock with a heady dose of psychedelia. Fall Across the Sky seems, as it starts, to be a more straight-forward prog metal piece, but a couple of minutes in suddenly breaks out into a weird (in a good way) Pink Floyd pastiche, combining styles from both Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, before slipping into some melodic piano balladry, before returning to its prog metal roots (effectively two songs within a song!). The 12 1/2-minute Clarity & Chaos, has some of the most intense playing on the album, but like the other tracks, also has its passages of tuneful mellowness and strange atmospherics (including a spooky spoken word part in the middle). Things do unfortunately get a little tired as the album winds towards its conclusion (the first 4 tracks would have made two great sides of a vinyl release!). The final two songs, A Hint of Grey and A Brief Awakening don’t really bring anything new to the table. And then there’s the bizarre ‘hidden’ track, a seemingly truncated (on both ends!) version of Colors of the Moon that comes some 7-minutes after the last song ends and has a bit poorer sound quality than the earlier version. I’m not sure what this is. An alternate take? An error in the pressing? A joke? Who knows? If it was intentional, it’s completely unnecessary.

Despite a few minor missteps towards the end, the majority of The Clarity of Chaos is some very strong, inventive and highly listenable progressive rock, with so many influences, it’s fun just to listen to see how many you can pick out. It’s extremely well played from all corners, with some truly exhilarating passages where the musicians push their abilities on their respective instruments to the extreme, without ever getting show-offy. If you’ve grown somewhat tired of a lot of the samey sounding neo prog and prog metal bands out there, give this one a listen. You might be surprised.

For more info, visit: http://www.sonuswestrecords.com
Visit Pravda on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pravda-the-band/109110939154005

Reviewed by Jeff Fitzgerald