Tag: france

Odds & Ends: August 3, 2026

Band: beauty is the end | Album: White Knuckle Dress | Genre: Art rock, Progressive pop | Bandcamp

Ever wonder what Spock’s Beard might sound like if they were a lightly-folky art-pop band? Well, I think beauty is the end is a pretty good approximation of that idea. Their songs are long and complexly-structured, with some flashy and emotive instrumentalism. Tones are mostly bright, but they also ably deploy tense, minor-key moments well. I really enjoy how prominent violin is throughout the record, and melodies are pretty consistently catchy. Certain passages are a bit cheesier than I’d normally go for, but this record is an overall success. The 10-minute “Domesticated” is a definite highlight.

Score: 76/100

Band: Brass Camel | Album: Brass Camel | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Brass Camel’s third album is a peppy, punchy, enthusiastic, and unashamedly retro-sounding record. They lean heavily into classic rock, hard rock, and glam rock tropes and imbue it with Yes-like technical flashiness. They remind me a lot of acts like (early) Kansas or some of Queen’s more ambitious moments. The sound is maximal and bright, and they effortlessly weave catchy pop melodies alongside complex instrumental displays. I wouldn’t call this an essential release, but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s an example of how to do proggy retro-rock well.

Score: 75/100

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Odds & Ends: July 22, 2026

Band: Athak | Album: Primarï | Genre: Zeuhl | Bandcamp

Hong Kong-based one-man zeuhl act Athak is back with their latest release. Primarï sees Athak veer into some new territory. Chinese music plays a prominent role, something I had not heard previously from this act. (Maybe they’ve done it before; I don’t know. Athak is quite prolific, and I haven’t heard everything.) “Iyelō” leans into some Canterbury influences, especially Third-era Soft Machine. Yangqin and erhu lend some very unique textural contrasts throughout the album. This record is inspired by colors, and fittingly, the music here embraces the full spectrum.

Score: 76/100

Band: Chafouin | Album: Chafouin Orchestra | Genre: Krautrock, Modern classical | Bandcamp

Brittany-based experimental math rockers Chafouin are back with a new 26-minute opus. Joining Chafouin on this record is a small orchestra, adding a new layer of depth to their music. The whole ensemble utilizes repetition beautifully, with themes gradually building and slowly morphing. Jagged guitar lines are rounded out with flute, saxophone, and violin, and wordless vocals lend a certain fanciful character. The mood grows noisier and more chaotic as this piece progresses, imbuing it with a sense of constant forward momentum that never feels drawn-out.

Score: 91/100

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Album Review: Le Grand Sbam – Janus

Band: Le Grand Sbam | Album: Janus | Genre: Zeuhl, Avant-prog | Year: 2026

From: Lyon, France | Label: Dur et Doux

For fans of: Magma, PoiL, Frank Zappa

Bandcamp

Le Grand Sbam is a band I’ve been aware of since their founding. I’ve listened to their previous two albums, but neither one really quite clicked with me. I could tell there were a lot of elements I liked. This is a band I should like, but it just didn’t quite coalesce.

I went into Janus, their third full-length release, with my usual hopefulness for a good experience. There have been no major changes to their sound, but something just hit a bit different this time, and I wound up really enjoying it.

This work is apparently an excerpt of a “Chthulu opera”–also titled Janus–written by Antoine Arnera, keyboardist for both this band and PoiL. It flows together as one massive, unified piece, and it shows incredible vision and ambition. This opera–about environmentalism, feminism, and flatulence–is paired with music that is simultaneously serious, complex, and whimsical.

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Odds & Ends: July 6, 2026

Band: Bekor Qilish | Album: Consecrated Abysses of Dread | Genre: Avant-garde metal | Bandcamp

The new album from one-man Italian experimental metal act Bekor Qilish sees a further refinement and evolution in the act’s sound. Black metal is still at the root of what he’s doing here, but there is a lot more at play. Riffs are bizarre and ultra-technical. This constant oscillation can be exciting and lead to some fantastic juxtapositions. At the same time, though, it can also come off as disjointed or unfocused. There is a lot to like on this record, but I think Bekor Qilish’s music works best in the format of a slightly-shorter EP.

Score: 78/100

Band: Different Light | Album: Binary Suns (Part 2 – Alternate Reality) | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Different Light is back with part two of their Binary Suns project, six years after releasing part one. Overall, it’s fine. It’s relatively sunny, piano-heavy prog that’s rooted in the 1990s. There is some good occasional crunch, and the vocal performance is strong. Certain passages are maybe a little cheesy for my taste, and transitions between the sub-sections of the suites can occasionally be a little awkward. But if you like Spock’s Beard and crave more Spock’s Beard-sounding music, this is a pretty decent choice.

Score: 74/100

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Odds & Ends: May 4, 2026

Band: Czyszy | Album: Aftermoon | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

On his latest release, one-man Polish experimental rock act Czyszy (pronounced “chih-shih”) draws heavily from classic ‘70s prog sounds. Yes, ELP, and Camel are all obvious influences, as are more recent emulators of that sound, like Wobbler. The playing is nimble and creative, and the compositions are generally lively. The structures of the songs can feel slightly disjointed at times, and reading about how this record was written and recorded, that makes sense. This work evolved out of plans for a rather short EP. Despite the occasional lack of coherence, this is a fun release with a lot to like.

Score: 75/100

Band: Gondhawa | Album: Täkomā | Genre: Heavy psych | Bandcamp

This French trio plays high energy, muscular psychedelia heavily suffused with “oriental” (their phrasing) scales and melodies. Just how far east “oriental” encompasses varies from song to song. Some tracks draw influence from Central and South Asia, while others take cues from Anatolia and the broader Middle East, and yet others head (south-)west of France to draw sounds from the Sahel and Maghreb. This transcontinental musical sampler platter may not have a ton of geographic consistency to it, but Gondhawa’s musical pillaging results in something pretty fun. They demonstrate a good ear for catchy melodies and infectious rhythms, as well as a knack for powerful and engaging jams.

Score: 76/100

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Odd & Ends: March 2, 2026

Band: Hällas | Album: Panorama | Genre: Progressive rock, Hard rock | Bandcamp

I saw this record getting a lot of hype online, and I can’t say that I get it. On a structural level, at least, the opening epic is well-built, and the occasional fun twist does occur. But my biggest issue with this release is the sound palette. This sounds like schlock-rock acts from the ‘70s and ‘80s tried their hand at prog. The vocalist reminds me of Dave Cousins of Strawbs, which is different, at least. But I don’t particularly like Journey or Foreigner or Styx, and these guys are clearly drawing a lot of influence for that particular vein of cheesy arena rock. Everything is overblown and uses trite, tired musical tropes. That results in an exhausting listen. Oddly, the four shorter songs on this album feel much more tedious and drawn-out than the 21-minute opener.

Score: 62/100

Band: JUZZ | Album: JUZZ (II) | Genre: Progressive rock, Jazz-fusion | Bandcamp

Juzz, a jazzy instrumental six-piece from Galicia, has put out their sophomore album. It’s similar in tone and style to their debut, if perhaps a bit more rock-oriented. Moods morph fluidly across this album’s runtime, ranging from hard-rocking numbers to Tangerine Dream-inspired space-synth passages. These songs also show greater focus than their debut, so I am happy to see that evolution in their writing style.

Score: 80/100

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Lesser-Known Gen: Eskaton – 4 Visions

Band: Eskaton | Album: 4 Visions | Genre: Zeuhl | Year: 1981

From: Paris, France | Label: Eurock

For fans of: Magma

Listen

Zeuhl has always been a weird, insular pico-genre. Browsing through RateYourMusic’s timeline of all releases tagged as zeuhl, the first one that was unambiguously unassociated with Magma was not until 1976, six years after Magma’s debut. (And the first non-French release wasn’t until 1991!)

I mentioned Eskaton last week in the Firyuza/Gunesh column, so that inspired me to highlight them for their own piece! Eskaton was one of the first zeuhl bands to arise without any direct connections to Magma. Their music was largely in the same vein, though, if more synth-heavy. I really like their music a lot, and their sophomore release, 4 Visions, is probably my favorite of theirs.

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Best of 2025: Cool Songs

Welcome to the first installment of The Elite Extremophile’s Best of 2025! Today, I’m starting off with Cool Songs. Tomorrow will feature the Top EPs, and the Top Albums will follow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Before we get to it, let me give my usual Best-Of disclaimers. This is a one-man operation, in regard to writing the reviews. (My proofreaders Kelci and Dan are very helpful.) I’m sure there was plenty of great music I just simply missed. I’ve also got my own personal biases against certain styles and trends.

As a reminder, this list covers what I call the “music year” 2025, which covers December 2024 through November 2025.

This segment is meant to show off great tracks that do not appear on my other year-end lists. If a release makes my best EPs or best albums list, it is disqualified from appearing in this particular segment.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

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Odds & Ends: December 22, 2025

Band: Humming Whale | Album: Chasing Rabbits | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp

The debut album from this Finnish quartet is a highly melodic brand of proggy alt-metal. The riffs are powerful, and the vocals are strong. The band demonstrates a strong ear for catchy melodies. There are a few moments in the second half of the album I’m not nuts about; the overly-pop-infused “Ocular” and the butt-rock influenced “Rover” are the main culprits. Overall, though, this is an enjoyable record. The musicianship is top-notch without being needlessly flashy, and there are plenty of great structural twists.

Score: 74/100

Band: Khan | Album: That Fair and Warlike Form/Return to Dust | Genre: Heavy psych, Post-metal | Bandcamp

The latest release from Khan, an Australian trio, consists of just two massive tracks. The first is the overall heavier of the two, providing a cavalcade of evolving musical themes that weave prog rock, psychedelia, alternative metal, and post-metal. “Return to Dust” features more contrasts with quieter, cleaner passages. Both epics hold together very well and have lots of small things that reveal themselves on subsequent listens.

Score: 78/100

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