Odds & Ends: December 25, 2023

Band: Frankie and the Witch Fingers | Album: Data Doom | Genre: Progressive rock, Krautrock | Bandcamp

Frankie and the Witch Fingers remind me a lot of Osees. The music is fierce, energetic, and shot-through with punk influences. But the riffs are usually weird and angular, with uncommon meters. Despite a lot of the overt, aggressive tendencies of this band, the music remains relatively accessible. There are plenty of melodic hooks and catchy riffs and themes. “Syster System” is one hell of an earworm, and “Doom Boom” has a groovy, King Gizzard-esque feel to it.

Score: 80/100

Band: Gong | Album: Unending Ascending | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Once you get outside the very big names of progressive rock (Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, etc), Gong is one of the better-known second-echelon prog acts. I’m honestly not that familiar with their output beyond their Pot Head Pixie trilogy of the early 1970s. Looking over their Wikipedia article however, they have been incredibly prolific, with numerous projects labeled “So-and-so’s Gong” also being considered part of their oeuvre. Maybe I’ll eventually do a Gong Deep Dive, but seeing all the various Gong-adjacent projects makes that a daunting prospect. I’ve also discussed Yes being a ship of Theseus, but they ain’t got nothin’ on Gong. There’s a whole damn Wikipedia article on the topic. Just look at this graphic!

Moving onto the music of Unending Ascending, it’s pretty decent. It’s psychedelic in feel, with a lot of space rock elements. The playing and compositions are complex and thoughtful. There are some weaker moments, like the sleepy and overlong “Ship of Ishtar”, but most of the record manages to be engaging and entertaining. Despite none of the current members of Gong having been in the band prior to 2007, they do a great job of maintaining the spirit of the classic Gong sound.

Score: 77/100

Band: Harpo Jarvi | Album: Bangus EP | Genre: Progressive rock, Downtempo | Bandcamp

This new EP from Harpo Jarvi consists of two songs, each of which draw heavily from downtempo, trip-hop, and (to a lesser extent) vaporwave. This pair of cuts moves along slowly, but they don’t drag their feet. It’s laid-back, calm, and confident. There’s no aimless meandering here. If you’re looking for something nice and relaxing to chill out to that will also hold up under closer listening, Bangus is a pretty solid choice.

Score: 75/100

Band: Jordsjø | Album: Salighet | Genre: Progressive rock, Progressive folk | Bandcamp

Jordsjø is back for another album of proggy, folk-flavored music. This release is a step up over 2021’s Pastoralia, which I found to be unfocused and at times muddled. Salighet is an effective distillation of Nordic folk flavors filtered through the lens of progressive rock. The atmosphere is often murky and mysterious, evoking forest scenes. The musical themes here flow well and play off one another, rather than simply being slapped together, as can sometimes happen.

Score: 82/100

Artist: John Lönnmyr | Album: Aftonland | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Swedish multi-instrumentalist John Lönnmyr’s second full-length release is a throwback to the keyboard-forward prog acts of the ‘70s, like Greenslade and Atomic Rooster (if they had been an instrumental act). The keyboard tones themselves often sound more modern than that, but the underlying DNA is similar. The various synth, organ, and Mellotron tones work together quite well, and the individual cuts are all well-structured.

Score: 74/100

Band: Suns of the Tundra | Album: The Only Equation | Genre: Progressive metal, Alternative metal | Bandcamp

Suns of the Tundra plays a groovy, melodic variety of progressive metal that draws heavily from late ‘90s/early ‘00s alternative metal. The individual tracks have a nice variation in tempo and pacing, and the vocals are distinctive and strong. The 15-minute “Reach for the Inbetween” suite is an especially good distillation of the group’s strengths.

Score: 78/100