Band: Jordsjø & Breidablik | Album: Kontraster | Genre: Progressive rock, Progressive folk, Krautrock | Bandcamp
Norwegian bands Jordsjø and Breidablik team up on this album to each deliver one epic apiece, fittingly titled “Kontraster” (“Contrasts”). Jordsjø’s composition is some of their best music in a long time, featuring a thrilling mix of classic prog that filters the influences of Genesis and King Crimson through their Norse folk-tinged lens. This work is balanced against many pretty acoustic moments that feel like they’re rooted in scenic fjords, but still with a foot in the modern prog-rock movement. Breidablik’s offering is much more electronic. Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, and other early prog-electronic acts are their obvious inspiration. Hints of their homeland still peek through, though. Airy flutes and twinkling guitars shine against the backing of looping synths.
Score: 91/100
Band: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Album: Phantom Island | Genre: Progressive pop | Bandcamp
King Gizzard’s latest album is a bit borderline for this site, but I enjoyed it overall. On this release, the band has incorporated a full orchestra into their music, and it’s a successful experiment. The lush soundscapes complement and elevate the band’s smart, Southern-inflected art rock, and it pushes the album from “fine” to “pretty good.” Their previous record didn’t really resonate with me; this is in a similar vein, but the freshness of all the strings and winds helps the band better realize their ideas.
Score: 78/100
Band: Krêmbrûlêê | Album: Ignite | Genre: Experimental pop | Bandcamp
The debut record from Krêmbrûlêê features a dizzying array of genres that somehow meld smoothly into something comprehensible. The main backbone of this EP is new wave and ‘80-flavored synthpop, but it also features dashes of extreme metal, krautrock, and some of the harsher veins of electronica. The nine songs on this release zip by at a breakneck pace, and despite this release’s incredible diversity, everything feels coherent.
Score: 86/100
Band: Sons of Ra | Album: Standard Deviation | Genre: Jazz-fusion, Progressive rock | Bandcamp
Standard Deviation sees this Chicagoan trio tread a lot of ground. The root sound is jazz-fusion with a healthy dose of classic prog. But the band also throws in elements of math rock, metal, and avant-garde music to keep things varied. The individual songs are all well-constructed and exciting, though the album as a whole does run a hair long.
Score: 74/100
Band: Sudden Voices | Album: Scruples | Genre: Jazz-fusion, Krautrock | Bandcamp
Sudden Voice’s latest album is a fairly mellow affair. Jazz is the band’s obvious grounding, with piano, bass, and wind instruments providing warm textures. Touches of Middle Eastern and Indian music rear their heads on occasion. Minimalism is a clear intention, as well, with stripped-back arrangements and looping patterns. This all weaves in nicely to form some very krautrock-y rhythms.
Score: 81/100
Band: Urtidsdjur | Album: Fågelsånger | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Bandcamp
This Swedish band plays a xeric variety of lightly-krautrock-y psychedelia. They draw from many other desert-influenced psych and stoner acts to evoke images of wide-open vistas. At the same time, they also weave in many folk touches from their (far from arid) homeland. The result is a fun and groovy record. There are a lot of smart and surprising passages, and there are also plenty of points where the band just locks in on a solid idea and jams for a while.
Score: 78/100
The Elite Extremophile 