Odds & Ends: December 15, 2025

Artist: Gianni Carlin | Album: In nessun luogo | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

In nessun luogo features a mildly-lo-fi sound, but it works well. Flute is always prominent, providing some great, breathy contrast to the fat and rubbery bass that underpins much of the music. The songwriting is overall solid, though the 21-minute album opener is a bit unfocused at moments. There are some surprisingly catchy passages mixed in, and with the occasional dash of jazz and blues, it makes for a well-balanced record.

Score: 73/100

Band: Hesse Kassel | Album: La Brea | Genre: Post-rock | Bandcamp

The debut record from this Chilean ensemble features intricately structured epics that unfold slowly. Delicate moments contrast heavier passages. Post-punk and art rock influences abound, and there is also clearly a deep debt to Windmill scene bands like black midi and Squid. While I overall like this record, it does have one glaring flaw, and that it is way too damn long. 78 minutes across eight songs leaves a lot of fat to trim, even when taking into account the fact that this is a post-rock record. This band is at their best during their heavier moments, like on “A. Latur”.

Score: 75/100

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Odds & Ends: December 8, 2025

Band: creamcheese | Album: schallplatte | Genre: Psychedelic rock, Post-rock | Bandcamp

The new record from this one-man instrumental act draws quite heavily from Pink Floyd. Drifting rhythms and wavering guitars float about, occasionally interrupted by sharper tones. Acoustic guitar is deployed for the occasional bit of earthiness, balancing out this record’s more astral moments. “Maha Nakhom” sees creamcheese dabble in some semi-electronic Ozric Tentacles worship, for a nice change of pace. And though overlong, the closing “3L3K7R0K4CK3” is a charmingly diverse cut.

Score: 74/100

Band: Flowʍolꓞ | Album: Téboly | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Flowwolf is a Hungarian band that blends psychedelic textures with progressive song structures for a very satisfying EP on Téboly. The instrumental tones are great, and there are smart contrasts between rich textures and grittier passages. The vocal performances are strong and melodic, and I also really enjoy the dashes of alternative rock that crop up here and there.

Score: 81/100

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Odds & Ends: December 1, 2025

Band: Agabas | Album: Hard Anger | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp

The title of Agabas’s latest record is quite fitting. This record is heavy, hard-hitting, and angry as hell. The riffs are punishing, lashing the listener’s ears. There’s a neverending sense of forward momentum, with almost no breathing room. Everything here is maximal, with shouted vocals, pummeling guitars, and squalling saxophone filling up every available inch of auditory space.

Score: 76/100

Band: Ahles | Album: Between Dreams and the Waking World | Genre: Progressive metal | Bandcamp

The debut album (well, sorta; they previously released a record in 2010 under the moniker Born from the Ashes) from this Australian quartet showed a lot of promise. The opening few songs featured a lot of strong melodies, exciting playing, and intelligent structuring. Unfortunately, the second half of the album is quite a bit wobblier, and it’s only hampered by some less-than-amazing lyrics that even I couldn’t zone out. However, they show a lot of ambition and promise, so I’m optimistic they can refine things more on their next release in 2040.

Score: 67/100

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Album Review: Gros Coeur – Vague Scélérate

Band: Gros Coeur | Album: Vague Scélérate | Genre: Krautrock, Progressive rock | Year: 2025

From: Liege, Belgium | Label: Spinda Records

For fans of: King Gizzard, Wand, Mother’s Cake

Bandcamp

Gros Coeur is a band out of Belgium, and Vague Scélérate (Eng.: Rogue Wave) is their sophomore release. Belgium isn’t exactly some hotbed of prog; to my recollection, Neptunian Maximalism is the only Belgian band I’ve featured on here before. And even the other Belgian bands in my library are kind of…marginal. Nessie, Phylter, and Womega are hardly essential acts; and I just don’t like Univers Zero that much.

Vague Scélérate, however, is a great record. It’s rather diverse with a wonderful, distinctive sound.

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Odds & Ends: November 3, 2025

Band: El Castillo de Barbazul | Album: Sobre Finales | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

This Mexican instrumental quartet has a rather fun, loose, and noisy air about them. The music is complex and chaotic, and it’s shot through with influences from some of prog’s odder micro-genres, like zeuhl and the Canterbury sound. Some songs on this album are absolutely longer than they need to be, but the band’s unbridled enthusiasm always shines through.

Score: 76/100

Band: Donella Drive | A;bum: AXON | Genre: Progressive metal, Alternative metal | Bandcamp

The latest release from this San Antonio-based duo skillfully blends alternative metal, post-hardcore, and prog into a punchy and memorable record. The band balances harsh, aggressive tones and relatively straightforward melodic passages. In addition to obvious influences like Tool and The Mars Volta, they include some funkier elements that evoke acts like Rage Against the Machine and Primus. Some individual songs can run a little long, but the overall listening experience is a fun one.

Score: 79/100

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Album Review: Lazersleep – Gravity

Band: Lazersleep | Album: Gravity | Genre: Heavy psych, Space rock | Year: 2025

From: Helsinki, Finland | Label: Independent

For fans of: Elder, Pink Floyd

Bandcamp

Lazersleep is a band that wholeheartedly embraces textures and sonic effects as practically instruments unto themselves. They play a variety of psychedelia awash in phasers, flangers, wahs, and more, all in service of building up powerful atmospheres. The band describes their own music as “a psychedelic delay-bath,” and the lush soundscapes on this record even prompted them to tag this record with the confusing-but-fitting term “heavy nap.” Gravity is their debut record, and it is an impressive first statement.

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Album Review: WEEED’s final three releases

Band: WEEED | Albums: Green Roses Vol. II, Mushroom, WEEED | Genre: Psychedelic rock, Psychedelic folk, Krautrock | Year: 2025

From: Portland, USA | Label: Photon Records

For fans of: King Gizzard, Mondo Drag, Weedpecker

Bandcamp (Green Roses Vol. II) | Bandcamp (Mushroom) | Bandcamp (WEEED)

WEEED, a favorite local band of mine, recently decided to call it quits. I’d featured them on this site at least three times before, with two of those reviews being quite positive. Originally based on Bainbridge Island, I saw them play in and around Seattle a number of times, and they always put on a killer show, blending smart psych rock with improvisational freak-outs. They relocated to Portland a few years ago, and they’d been largely quiet since the pandemic.

In announcing their dissolution, they also announced a farewell show (which I sadly missed, due to a scheduling conflict) and a trio of records they’d been sitting on. I’m going to take this opportunity to cover these three releases as a send-off to this band. This won’t be quite as in-depth as my full-length reviews, but it will cover more than a typical Odds & Ends.

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Album Review: Liquid Pennies – Fore

Band: Liquid Pennies | Album: Fore | Genre: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock | Year: 2025

From: Saint Petersburg, USA | Label: Threat Collection Records

For fans of: Zechs Marquise, WEEED, Osees

Bandcamp

Liquid Pennies is a Floridian psych-rock trio that dabbles in many genres. Their sound incorporates elements of progressive rock, electronica, post-punk, and more. This multifaceted approach lends their records a varied, exciting quality where the listener is never quite certain what’s coming next. Fore, their latest album, sees them expand upon their sound in inventive ways.

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Odds & Ends: August 4, 2025

Band: Alburnus | Album: Alburnus III | Genre: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock | Bandcamp

This Finnish band’s latest album is a groovy, retro-influenced slab of prog and psych. The instrumental passages are peppy, surprisingly catchy, and thoroughly enjoyable. The band shows a knack for melody and hooks, and their playing is flashy without being excessively technical. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s fun.

Score: 72/100

Band: Echolyn | Album: TimeSilentRadio II | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Echolyn put out two albums this March, and this is the stronger of the two. Consisting of just two massive tracks, TSRII sees the band utilize their usual sound in an effective manner. ‘90s prog is not my favorite flavor of the genre, but Echolyn pulls it off pretty well. It’s often sunny and relatively accessible, but the underlying songwriting is complex and intelligent. Some parts can be a bit on the cheesy side for me, but overall, their blend of classic prog, pop-rock, and jazzy flourishes works very well. The 29-minute “Water in Our Hands” is especially memorable.

Score: 80/100

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Album Review: Custard Flux – Enter Xenon

Band: Custard Flux | Album: Enter Xenon | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Year: 2025

From: Detroit, USA | Label: Independent

For fans of: early ‘70s Pink Floyd, Moon Letters, Regal Worm

Bandcamp

Custard Flux is an act I’ve covered a number of times. Begun as an all-acoustic psych-rock act, the band has evolved their sound over the years. Oxygen saw them take a decidedly more progressive turn, and last year’s Einsteinium Delirium had them ditch their all-acoustic gimmick. Enter Xenon, in addition to continuing with their elemental album names, keeps with Einsteinium’s electric sound. The songs are punchy and energetic with a great blend of psychedelic whimsy and forward-thinking grit.

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