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Odds & Ends: July 7, 2025

Band: Mesmerians | Album: Somni eònic | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

The latest EP from this Catalan quartet blends hard-hitting heavy psych with complex song structures and exciting playing. The four songs here range from crushing, Elder-influenced stormers to lighter pieces that draw equally from acts of the late ‘60s and the relatively sunny prog of the early ‘90s. It’s a diverse release with a lot of strong songwriting.

Score: 82/100

Band: Murrayglossus | Album: Vigor | Genre: Post-metal | Bandcamp

Murrayglossus’s second release is a doomy-yet-warm collection of instrumental compositions. Guitar lines are expansive and unpredictable, and the band is successful at infusing the usual vocabulary of post-metal with a bit more vigor. Influences from stoner metal, krautrock, and even a bit of jazz help to keep this release varied and interesting.

Score: 78/100

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Site News: Introducing the Post Archive!

Over the last year or so, I’ve received a handful of emails asking why my site doesn’t have a search function. The short answer is that WordPress wants more money for it than I’d like to spend.

As a workaround, I’ve compiled links for every review I’ve written for this site into a new Page: the Post Archive! It’s got all my reviews in chronological order, newest to oldest.

I’ve got it organized by post type, album and artist, and genres covered in a given post. I may not have a proper search bar, but now you can go there and Ctrl+F for whichever artist or genre or post type you like.

Odds & Ends: December 9, 2024

Band: Celeste | Album: Echi di un Futuro Passato | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Celeste is an Italian band that put out one album in 1976, disbanded, and then reunited in the late 2010s. Despite hailing from Italy, their style of prog has never felt particularly Italian. The music here (and throughout their discography) is light, breezy, and laid-back. Jazz flourishes are ample, and I really like the keyboard tones. This is a nice, relaxing bit of music to have on in the background, but it doesn’t really have enough to grab onto for active listening. 

Score: 64/100

Band: Five the Hierophant | Album: Apeiron | Genre: Post-metal, Progressive metal | Bandcamp

Instrumental post-metal band Five the Hierophant blends biting, buzzy saxophone with sludgy guitars and plodding rhythms. In many ways, this band reminds me of a metallic, instrumental version of Van der Graaf Generator. They draw heavily from dark, jazz-influenced classic prog, like King Crimson and the aforementioned VdGG. Little bits of Middle Eastern music crop up on “Moon Over Ziggurat”, and the two-part “Tower of Silence” features unsettling drone and electronic elements. Though the songs are long, their length feels appropriate. The music is clearly carefully constructed, and no notes are wasted.

Score: 85/100

Continue reading “Odds & Ends: December 9, 2024” →

Check out my friends’ music: Savsatt

Band: Savsatt | Album: Savsatt | Genre: Black metal | Year: 2024

From: Seattle, USA | Label: Independent

Bandcamp

As a rule, I don’t review friends’ music, but I’m not above promoting it! I’ve got a couple buddies in Savsatt, and they put out their debut album a few weeks ago. If you’re into atmospheric(-ish) instrumental black metal, check ’em out and maybe buy their record.

Survey: The topic for my 2025 Deep Dive

It’s never too early to get planning! Last year, I posted a poll soliciting reader input for the next Deep Dive, and I liked that. I’m repeating it this year, with a slight tweak. Last year, you could only vote for one artist. This year, you can vote for as many as like. This poll is, ultimately, non-binding, but I will seriously consider the results before choosing an act.

I’ve embedded it below, but in case WordPress gets all funky on me, you can view the poll here, too.

If there’s a band/artist you’d like me to cover you don’t see here, add them to the poll! A few notes about whom I’m willing to consider.

  • ELP probably has the smallest discography I’m okay covering, and they put out 10 studio albums (including Emerson, Lake & Powell). I may make considerations for other bands, but don’t expect me to cover Änglagård’s three-album repertoire.
  • I’d strongly prefer the band to either be defunct (or at least no longer recording) or putting out music infrequently. I regret covering Steven Wilson while he’s still fairly prolific. I don’t like going back and updating that Deep Dive with every new album.
  • I have already covered the following artists: Yes, Jethro Tull, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, Rush, Pink Floyd, Magma, Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson.

And that’s it! I don’t know when I’ll make my decision. As long as this poll is still pinned to the top of the site, I’m still considering votes!

For redundancy, here’s the poll, in case the embedding doesn’t work!

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Survey: The next Deep Dive entry

I’m finishing up this year’s Deep Dive, and it should be up in the next 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, I’d love to hear if there’s an especially strong desire among my readers for whom I’ll cover next. The acts I’ve already covered are Yes, Jethro Tull, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, Rush, Pink Floyd, and Magma. This upcoming Deep Dive will be about Van der Graaf Generator.

You can find the poll here, since polls are not included in the tier of WordPress I subscribe to.

If you are going to suggest your own option, a band needs to have a fairly substantial discography for me to consider them for a Deep Dive. ELP put out 9 studio records, and that’s really about the smallest discography I’ll consider.

End-of-Year Scheduling Note

Hello everyone! 2021 is rapidly drawing to a close, and with that, I’m diligently working on my year-end best-of lists. I’ll be posting two more full length reviews this month. In December, I will only be posting Odds & Ends in an effort to address as many albums as possible before I post my best-of lists. I currently have three posts scheduled for December (I will be on vacation one Monday), but a fourth may sneak in if I’m prolific enough.

I’ll be posting my best-of lists (Top EPs and Top Albums) in early-to-mid January. The music in these lists will only cover the span of January-to-November 2021, so as to not screw over strong albums released in December. Going forward, my annual best-ofs will cover December of the preceding year through November of the current year.

End-of-Year Scheduling Note

It’s a Monday, but I don’t have a review for you. I was absolutely slammed at work last week, but I should have a bit more breathing room now.

Considering how close we are to the end of the year, and considering how many records there are I haven’t reviewed but would love to touch on, I will be increasing the frequency of Odds & Ends posts between now and mid-December. I’m not sure how many I’ll wind up posting, but I’d expect at least 4 between now and the end of the year, as opposed to the expected two.

I’ll also be taking off the weeks of Dec. 21 and 28, to allow myself adequate time to finish my year-end best-of lists and to allow Kelci and Dan adequate time to proofread them. Those can be expected in early-to-mid January.