A recipe for Van Der Graaf Generator's "Pawn Hearts": Prog Review #26
Van Der Graaf Generator's Pawn Hearts is a peculiar dish - at once overly familiar and an acquired taste. Full of familiar and tired prog ingredients thrown together in a stew, Pawn Hearts retains a distinct, if somewhat confused, character.
Bugging Out to The Mars Volta's "Deloused in the Comatorium": Prog Review #25
"Now I'm Lost" keens Marcel Rodríguez-López on the chorus of Inertiatic ESP. I share his sentiment
The Harmonic Tremors of Magma's "Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh": Prog Review #24
There's a musical statement here: a garbled, manic, exuberant statement.
Tangential Musings on Tangerine Dream's "Phaedra": Prog Review #23
My wife says "it sounds like Blade Runner"
A Great Discovery in Rush's "2112": Prog Review #22
Though less impactful upon me than Foxtrot (1972), 2112 (1976) constitutes the prehistory of my love of prog.
Seeing Doubles in Camel's "Mirage": Prog Review #21
If I had discovered Camel in my teens or early 20s, they would probably be one of my favourite bands right now.
King Crimson's "Larks' Tongue in Aspic" is an Acquired Taste: Prog Review #20
The album intrigues me for the same reason I don't love it: with the exception of "Exiles," all the songs promise more than they deliver.
A Friendly Encounter With PFM's "Per Un Amico": Prog Review #19
Per Un Amico has moments that would sound right at home on albums by Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Gentle Giant, and probably a bunch of others. At times, the sounds are even suspiciously similar to specific tunes from those bands.
Getting Comfortable With Frank Zappa's "One Size Fits All": Prog Review #18
Zappa's actual music was a total blank to me, however, and after listening to One Size Fits All, I'd say my nearly baseless assessment of Zappa was 75% correct.
An Exorcism for Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells": Prog Review #17
Many people are perhaps familiar with the opening 4 minutes or so, a section best known as the theme from The Exorcist (1973)
Flailing About With Gentle Giant's "Octopus": Prog Review #16
If you want to justify someone's fear or distaste for the overly complex, intellectual, and alienating qualities of progressive music, look no further than Gentle Giant's Octopus; but if they can get some joy out of it, the battle is forever won.
Stop for King Crimson's "Red": Prog Review #15
The story goes that Kurt Cobain said without Red there would be no Nirvana. But I don’t hold that against this album.
Dancing in Time to Genesis's "Foxtrot": Prog Review #14
I don’t just love Foxtrot; I feel a special attachment to it. And, yet, it is still only my third-favourite Genesis album.
Pink Floyd's "Animals" Tamed: Prog Review #13
In simplicity, Floyd finds their most power and charm.
Dressing for ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery": Prog Review #12
The band’s try-anything approach and rapidly shifting soundscapes can be alienating, making it music you have to work hard to appreciate. Yet forcing myself to listen to this album has been a real treat
Rush’s “Hemispheres” Subdivided: Prog Review #11
Tl;dr: I should be listening to A Farewell to Kings instead.
Savouring Genesis's "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway": Prog Review #9
This album is all about growth, identity, change. It makes sense as a quest narrative, because so many heroes go through these sorts of dilemmas. They are on a set course for life, but something monumental happens, and suddenly they have to question and change, and fight.
No Future in Can’s “Future Days”: Prog Review #8
A link between Progressive music and Video Game Music (VGM) is obvious to those of us who enjoy both genres
"Thick as a Brick" Through Glass: Prog Review #7
But my dread of writing this album review played a small part as well. I listened to Thick as a Brick many times over a period of weeks at the beginning of my hiatus, hoping I would be inspired to find some point of focus. But the meandering, sprawling, impenetrable world of this album offered me little to latch onto because its vastness leaves me lost.