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Showing posts with label Kscope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kscope. Show all posts

Friday, September 20, 2019

Klone "Le Grand Voyage"


Country: France
Genre(s): Atmospheric Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Kscope - KSCOPE646/ KSCOPE1038
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: September 20, 2019
Tracklist
1. Yonder [07:32]
2. Breach [03:50]
3. Sealed [04:46]
4. Indelible [04:53]
5. Keystone [04:57]
6. Hidden Passenger [05:21]
7. The Great Oblivion [04:43]
8. Sad and Slow [04:33]
9. Silver Gate [06:14]

Line-up
Yann Ligner : Vocals
Guillaume Bernard : Guitars, atmospherics
Aldrick Guadagnino : Guitars
Jean Etienne Maillard : Bass
Matthieu Metzger : Sample, saxophone, piano, systoles devices
Morgan Berthet (Myrath): Drums

Description/Reviews
 Known for its trademark dark guitar tones and epic brooding soundscapes, Le Grand Voyage is a dynamic and intense album that explores nine unique landscapes, and switches between dark, luminous, heavy and powerful sounds.

The album is inspired by duality: earthly and spiritual journeys, life and death, resilience and relenting, love and animosity – human nature and all its paradoxes. The ethereal atmospheres combine with riffs that recall 2012 album The Dreamer's Hideaway, and creates a natural evolution from 2015's Here Comes the Sun, evident in songs such as Sealed, Silver Gate and Hidden Passenger.
Media/Samples 
Yonder
Hidden Passenger
Progstreaming

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Friday, August 2, 2019

iamthemorning "The Bell"


Country: Russia
Genre(s)Classical, Folk, Progressive Rock
LabelKScope
FormatCD, digital, vinyl
Release date: August 2, 2019
Tracklist
1. Freak Show (7:09)
2. Sleeping Beauty (3:42)
3. Blue Sea (3:08)
4. Black And Blue (3:58)
5. Six Feet (3:56)
6. Ghost Of A Story (3:58)
7. Song Of Psyche (3:20)
8. Lilies (4:28)
9. Salute (7:27)
10. The Bell (5:04)

Total Time 46:10

Line-up
Marjana Semkina – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (3)
Gleb Kolyadin – grand piano, keyboards
    With:
Vlad Avy – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Zoltan Renaldi – bass, double bass (1, 2, 6, 9)
Svetlana Shumkova – drums (1, 5, 9)
Evan Carson – drums, percussion (2, 5, 9)
Andres Izmaylov – harp (1, 6, 9)
Grigory Osipov – marimba (2, 9)
Dmitry Tsepilov – saxophone (1, 2)
Ilya Leontyev – trumpet (9)
Mr Konin - bells, accordeon, clapping

Strings Ensemble:
St.Petersburg Orchestra "1703"

1st Violins:
IIia Dyakov
Ekaterina German
Ekaterina Chernyaeva
Anastasia Litvinova

2nd Violins:
Anita Azhashkouskaya
Dmitry Kolyasnikov
Anna Melnikova
Yulia Kashshapova

Violas:
Nadezhda Savina
Dmitry Gonchar
Semyon Samsonov

Cellos:
Darya Popova
Ilya Izmaylov

Description/Reviews
With its often gentle, thought-provoking songs, The Bell is a fine addition to the Iamthemorning catalogue. Although they occasionally spice-up the songs with a variety of instrumentation, including bass and drums, for me they are at their best with voice, piano and occasional acoustic guitar and strings.
Read the full review by Geoff Feakes at dprp.net

Media/Samples 
Song Of Psyche 
Blue Sea
Bandcamp 
Teaser

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Friday, May 10, 2019

Gong "The Universe Also Collapses"


Country: UK
Genre(s): Psychedelic
LabelKscope
FormatCD, digital, vinyl
Release date: May 10, 2019
Tracklist
1. Forever Reoccurring (20:37)
2. If Never I'm And Ever You (02:27)
3. My Sawtooth Wake (13:14)
4. The Elemental (06:43)


Line-up
Cheb Nettles
Dave Sturt (Jade Warrior)
Fabio Golfetti
Ian East
Kavus Torabi (Cardiacs, Knifeworld)

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
The Elemental

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Friday, February 22, 2019

O.R.k. "Ramagehead"


Country: UK/Italy
Genre(s)Progressive Rock
LabelKscope - KSCOPE637/KSCOPE1033
FormatCD, digital, vinyl
Release date: February 22, 2019
Tracklist
1. Kneel To Nothing (4:38)
2. Signals Erased (4:29)
3. Beyond Sight (4:48)
4. Black Blooms (4:11)
5. Time Corroded (4:30)
6. Down The Road (4:40)
7. Some Other Rainbow Part 1 (1:33)
8. Strangled Words (4:13)
9. Some Other Rainbow Part 2 (5:34)

Total Time 38:36

Line-up
Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari aka Lef - vocals
Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) - bass
Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) - drums
Carmelo Pipitone - guitars
   With
Serj Tankian (System Of A Down) - vocals (4)

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Trailer
Kneel To Nothing
Black Blooms

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Friday, January 18, 2019

Ed Wynne "Shimmer into Nature"


Country: UK
Genre(s): Instrumental Space Rock
Label: Kscope - KSCOPE627/ KSCOPE1004
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: January 18, 2019
Tracklist
1. Glass Staircase (8:02)
2. Travel Dust (8:32)
3. Oddplonk (8:06)
4. Shim (7:49)
5. Wherble (10:21)

Total Time 42:50

Line-up
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles, Nodens Ictus) - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Drum Programming, Synths, Bass & Acoustic Fretless Bass 
Tom Brooks - Bubbles
Paul Hankin & Neil Longhurst - Percussion
Natan Mantis - Blip Flippery
Silas Neptune - Nature Sounds

Media/Samples 
Trailer
Shim  

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Friday, August 31, 2018

The Pineapple Thief "Dissolution"


Country: UK
Genre(s)Progressive Rock
LabelKscope
Format: CD, vinyl, digital, Blu-Ray
Release date: August 31, 2018
Tracklist
1. Not Naming Any Names (2:05)
2. Try As I Might (4:26)
3. Threatening War (6:37)
4. Uncovering Your Tracks (4:29)
5. All That You've Got (3:27)
6. Far Below (4:36)
7. Pillar of Salt (1:25)
8. White Mist (11:05)
9. Shed a Light (5:20)

Total Time 43:30

Line-up
Bruce Soord
Jon Sykes
Steve Kitch
Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) - drums
   With
David Torn - guitar (8)

Media/Samples 
Far Below
Try As I Might

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Friday, May 25, 2018

Lunatic Soul "Under the Fragmented Sky"


Country: Poland
Genre(s): Atmospheric Progressive Rock, Electronica
LabelKscope (KSCOPE612/987), Mystic Production
FormatCD, digital, vinyl
Release date: May 25, 2018
Tracklist
1. He av en (4:05)
2. Trials (5:44)
3. Sorrow (1:30)
4. Under The Fragmented Sky (5:03)
5. Shadows (4:31)
6. Rinsing The Night (3:56)
7. The Art Of Repairing (7:54)
8. Untamed (3:24)

Total Time 36:07

Line-up
Mariusz Duda (Riverside) - vocals, instruments
  With
Wawrzyniec Dramowicz - drums (8)

Description/Reviews
Under The Fragmented Sky is Duda's sixth studio album as Lunatic Soul and follows the acclaimed Fractured (both were recorded at the same time whilst Mariusz was facing tragic events in his personal life).
Under the Fragmented Sky rebuilds Lunatic Soul as we know it, with dark and haunting atmospheres coming to the forefront. 
Media/Samples 
Teaser
Untamed

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Friday, May 18, 2018

Gazpacho "Soyuz"


Country: Norway
Genre(s)Art Rock, Progressive Rock
LabelKscope
FormatCD, vinyl, digital
Release date: May 18, 2018
Tracklist
1. Soyuz One (6:22)
2. Hypomania (3:44)
3. Exit Suite (3:40)
4. Emperor Bespoke (7:49)
5. Sky Burial (4:24)
6. Fleeting Things (4:24)
7. Soyuz Out (13:26)
8. Rappaccini (4:08) - not on vinyl

Total Time 47:57

Line-up
Jan Henrik Ohme - Vocals
Thomas Alexander Andersen - Keyboards
Jon Arne Vilbo - Guitars
Mikael Krømer - Violin and Mandolin
Kristian "Fido" Torp - Bass
Lars Erik Asp - Drums and percussion

Description/Reviews
The themes of Soyuz were born from the idea of how beautiful moments pass and cannot be “saved for later”, so within Soyuz are interconnected tales of people and lives “frozen in time”. Taking inspiration from a multitude of eras and subject matters, including the doomed Russian space capsule Soyuz and its iconic captain Komarov; the Tibetan Buddhist funeral practice in “Sky Burial”; the inclusion of the oldest recording of the human voice from 1860 and the Hans Christian Andersen inspired “Emperor Bespoke”.
Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Soyuz One
Exit Suite

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Friday, April 20, 2018

TesseracT "Sonder"


Country: UK
Genre(s)Progressive Metal
LabelKscope
FormatCD, vinyl, digital
Release date: April 20, 2018 
Tracklist
1. Luminary [03:12]
2. King [06:55]
3. Orbital [02:19]
4. Juno [05:12]
5. Beneath My Skin [05:33]
6. Mirror Image [05:46]
7. Smile [04:47]
8. The Arrow [02:36]

Total Time 36:24

Line-up
Acle Kahney - Guitars
Dan Tompkins - Vocals
Jay Postones - Drums
James Monteith - Guitar
Amos Williams - Bass

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Luminary
King
Smile

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Friday, February 23, 2018

Gleb Kolyadin "Gleb Kolyadin"


Country: Russia
Genre(s): Progressive Rock, Classical
LabelKscope
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release dateFebruary 23, 2018
Tracklist
1. Insight (4:11)
2. Astral Architecture (6:29)
3. White Dawn (2:30)
4. Kaleidoscope (5:50)
5. Eidolon (2:10)
6. Into The Void (1:44)
7. The Room (4:13)
8. Confluence (10:23)
9. Constellation / The Bell (3:16)
10. Echo / Sigh / Strand (2:25)
11. Penrose Stairs (5:01)
12. Storyteller (3:19)
13. The Best Of Days (3:24)

Total Time 54:55

Line-up
Gleb Kolyadin (Iamthemorning) - grand piano, keyboards
  With
Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimon) - drums
Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett, The Mute Gods, Fish On Friday) - bass
Theo Travis (Robert Fripp, Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson) - flute and saxophone
Vlad Avy - guitars
Evan Carson - bodhran and percussion
Mick Moss (Antimatter) - vocals (2)
Steve Hogarth (Marillion) - vocals (8, 13)
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) - additional keyboards (12)
Grigorii Osipov – vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel
Iliia Diakov – violin
Alexander Peresypkin – cello
Grigory Voskoboynik – double bass
Tatiana Dubovaya – vocals
Svetlana Shumkova – hang drum, spoken vocals

Description/Reviews
The overriding feel is one of classically influenced Progressive Rock that may remind you of Keith Emerson’s work. The album features a number of high-profile guests ... With that line-up Gleb has composed thirteen tunes that each take on a different musical approach, some more rock flavoured, some more symphonic, some even a little jazzy but they’re all linked by his piano performance. It’s his instrument of choice and he owns it proudly. The album has a rather soft and subdued feel and yet that kind of disguises the times where the music becomes more dramatic and loud. Prog fans of bands with a strong Classical influence like Trace, New Trolls, After Crying, Emerson, Lake & Palmer or even some of Keith Emerson’s solo material and those who simply love the sound of the piano with find much to appreciate and enjoy on Gleb Kolyadin’s first solo album. 
Read the full review by Jerry Lucky

Also read track-by-track review at theprogspace.com

Media/Samples 
The Best Of Days
Progstreaming
Stream

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Friday, October 13, 2017

Daniel Cavanagh "Monochrome"


Country: UK
Genre(s): Art Rock
Label: Kscope (KSCOPE281, KSCOPE945)
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: October 13, 2017
Tracklist
1. The Exorcist (6:47)
2. This Music (4:53)
3. Soho (7:42)
4. The Silent Flight Of The Raven Winged Hours (9:13)
5. Dawn (2:47)
6. Oceans Of Time (8:15)
7. Some Dreams Come True (8:37)

Total Time 48:14

Line-up
Daniel Cavanagh (Anathema) - instruments, vocals
   With
Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Devin Townsend, Ayreon, VuuR) - vocals
Anna Phoebe - violin

Description/Reviews
The music is definitely in the vein of Anathema, specifically the “Weather Systems” album.  However, Daniel utilizes folk music, mainly Irish, to add new textures and tones to that elevated and beautiful sound.  There are also more guitar solos, like in older Anathema material, and the music never really reaches a fevered pitch: This album is meant to be a tranquil, emotional journey with lots of ambient moments and picturesque melodies.  So, instead of the huge climaxes of Anathema’s music, Daniel mainly explores the more serene moments in brilliant fashion.  It creates an album that is peaceful, introspective, and full of wonder.
Read the full review by Jason Spencer at theprogmind.com

Also read the review by Jerry Ewing at teamrock.com

Media/Samples 
The Exorcist  
Stream

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Friday, October 6, 2017

Lunatic Soul "Fractured"


Country: Poland
Genre(s): Progressive Rock, Electronica
Label: Kscope (KSCOPE498/964/923)/Mystic Production
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: October 6, 2017
Tracklist
1. Blood On The Tightrope (7:19)
2. Anymore (4:37)
3. Crumbling Teeth And The Owl Eyes (6:42)
4. Red Light Escape (5:43)
5. Fractured (4:36)
6. A Thousand Shards Of Heaven (12:17)
7. Battlefield (9:05)
8. Moving On (5:14)

Total Time 55:33

Line-up
Mariusz Duda (Riverside) - keyboards, bass and acoustic guitars, piccolo bass guitar, percussion, programming, lead and backing vocals
    With
Wawrzyniec Dramowicz - drums
Sinfonietta Consonus Orchestra, conducted by Michał Mierzejewski (3, 6)
Marcin Odyniec - saxophone (4, 6, 8)

Description/Reviews
Mariusz explains further "the main theme of "Fractured" is coming back to life after a personal tragedy. It's inspired by what happened in my life in 2016 and by everything that's happening around us and what's making us turn away from one another and divide into groups, for better and for worse. Musically it's the most original album I have ever made… it will be the most accessible and personal album in the Lunatic Soul discography."

As well as a conceptual development, Duda gained the self-confidence to allow himself greater creative freedom with the new material, experimenting more with electronics and rhythm and inspiration with influences from the likes of Massive Attack and Depeche Mode to Peter Gabriel and David Sylvian.
Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Anymore
Fractured

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Friday, June 9, 2017

Anathema "The Optimist"


Country: UK
Genre(s): Atmospheric Art Rock
Label: Kscope
Format: CD, digital, vinyl, DVD, Blu-Ray
Release date: June 9, 2017
Tracklist
1. 32.63n 117.14w (1:18)
2. Leaving It Behind (4:27)
3. Endless Ways (5:49)
4. The Optimist (5:37)
5. San Francisco (4:59)
6. Springfield (5:49)
7. Ghosts (4:17)
8. Can't Let Go (5:00)
9. Close Your Eyes (3:39)
10. Wildfires (5:40)
11. Back To The Start (11:41)

Total Time 58:16


Line-up
Daniel Cavanagh - guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass
Vincent Cavanagh - vocals, guitars, keyboards, programming, bass
Jamie Cavanagh - bass
John Douglas - drums, keyboards, programming
Lee Douglas - vocals
Daniel Cardoso - drums
   With
Greg Lawson - violin
Alistair Savage - violin
Emily Ward -  violin
Kobus Frick - violin
Liza Webb - violin
Paul Medd - violin
Tom Dunn - viola
Sophie Rathbone -  viola
Robert Anderson - cello
Michael Owers - trombone
Duncan Lyall - double bass
Gregor Reid - SFX editor

Description/Reviews
The Optimist sees the band tweaking the sound found on Distant Satellites while also reaching further back into progressive rock, pulling forth vocal lines, ideas, and themes from their own discography and those of many other great bands. Naturally, Steven Wilson‘s sound almost has to be referenced here; his mark on the band is well known and documented. However, you might be surprised to hear other bands being name dropped, like The Beatles or Yes.
Read the full review by  Eden Kupermintz at heavyblogisheavy.com

Media/Samples 
Close Your Eyes
Springfield
deezer

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Friday, February 10, 2017

Blackfield "V"


Country: Israel/UK
Genre(s): Art Rock
LabelKscope
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 10, 2017
Tracklist
1. A Drop In The Ocean (1:23)
2. Family Man (3:37)
3. How Was Your Ride? (3:58)
4. We’ll Never Be Apart (2:54)
5. Sorrys (2:58)
6. Life Is An Ocean (3:26)
7. Lately (3:24)
8. October (3:31)
9. The Jackal (3:56)
10. Salt Water (2:39)
11. Undercover Heart (4:02)
12. Lonely Soul (3:42)
13. From 44 To 48 (4:31)

Total time 44:01

Line-up
Aviv Geffen - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Steven Wilson - vocals, guitar, keyboards
   With
Tomer Z - drums
Eran Mitelman - keyboards
London Session Orchestra - strings

Description/Review
 After two very disappointing albums from Blackfield (with Aviv Geffen at the helm), Steven Wilson rededicated himself to the project for the duo’s fifth album. The good news? It’s not as bad as the last two albums. The bad news? It’s not as great as the first two albums. The quality of the songs varies a lot throughout the album, with some songs that are quite good and a few that are flat out terrible.
Read the full review by Rob Pociluk at progressivemusicplanet.com

Media/Samples 
Teaser
From 44 to 48

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Friday, September 2, 2016

Nosound "Scintilla"


Country: Italy
Genre(s): Art Rock, Post Progressive
Label: Kscope
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: September 2, 2016
Tracklist
1. Short Story (2:24)
2. Last Lunch (7:00)
3. Little Man (4:38)
4. In Celebration Of Life (5:34)
5. Sogno E Incendio (4:44)
6. Emily (3:19)
7. The Perfect Wife (7:27)
8. Love Is Forever (2:51)
9. Evil Smile (4:33)
10. Scintilla (6:27)

Total time 48:57

Line-up
Giancarlo Erra - vocals, guitars, keyboards
Marco Berni - keyboards, vocals
Alessandro Luci - bass, upright bass, keyboards
Paolo Vigliarolo - acoustic & electric guitars
Giulio Caneponi - drums, percussions, vocals
   With
Vincent Cavanagh Anathema - vocals (4, 7)
Marianne De Chastelaine - cello
Andrea Chimenti - vocals (5)

Description/Reviews
Inspired by personal upheaval and a desire for change, Scintilla is an emotionally complex and musically direct work presenting a stripped-down set of compositions that mark a major departure from Nosound's trademark symphonic lushness and production precision.
Taking in influences from Post Rock, Shoegaze and Alt-Singer-Songwriters, the album imaginatively utilises a mostly organic and acoustic sound palette.
Musically looser and more sonically intimate than the band's previous releases, Scintilla's emphasis is placed firmly on feeling rather than technique.
Shifting from the uncharacteristic sarcasm of Love Is Forever and potent anger of The Perfect Wife to the dreamy sensitivity of Emily and the unusually uplifting Celebration Of Life, Scintilla represents the boldest statement of Nosound's career so far.
A cathartic album of emotional extremes, Scintilla marks the brave beginning of the second phase of Nosound's fascinating career.

Media/Samples 
Short Story
Sogno E Incendio 

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Friday, August 12, 2016

The Pineapple Thief "Your Wilderness"


Country: UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
LabelKscope
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: August 12, 2016
Tracklist
1. In Exile (5:40)
2. No Man’s Land (4:20)
3. Tear You Up (4:53)
4. That Shore (4:36)
5. Take Your Shot (4:34)
6. Fend For Yourself (3:49)
7. The Final Thing On My Mind (9:52)
8. Where We Stood (3:46)

Total time 41:30

Line-up
Bruce Soord
Jon Sykes
Steve Kitch
   With
Gavin Harrison - drums
John Helliwell (Supertramp) - clarinet
Geoffrey Richardson (Caravan) - strings
Darran Charles (Godsticks) - guitar

Media/Samples 
No Man’s Land

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Friday, April 1, 2016

iamthemorning "Lighthouse"


Country: Russia
Genre(s): Classical, Folk, Ambient, Chamber, Progressive Rock
Label: KScope
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date:April 1, 2016 (World), June 3, 2016 (France)
Tracklist
1. I Came Before The Water (pt. I) (1:41)
2. Too Many Years (5:09)
3. Clear Clearer (4:35)
4. Sleeping Pills (3:43)
5. Libretto Horror (2:13)
6. Lighthouse (feat. Mariusz Duda) (6:13)
7. Harmony (5:18)
8. Matches (4:18)
9. Belighted (3:26)
10. Chalk And Coal (4:56)
11. I Came Before The Water (pt. II) (2:56)
12. Post Scriptum (2:43)

Total time 47:11

Line-up
Gleb Kolyadin : grand piano, keyboards
Marjana Semkina : vocals, backing vocals
    With:
Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) : drums
Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) : bass
Mariusz Duda (Riverside, Lunatic Soul) : additional vocals (6)
Evan Carson - bodhran and percussion
Andres Izmailov - Harp
Tatiana Rezetdinova - flute
Roman Erofeev - clarinet
Sergey Korolkov - trumpet
Oksana Stepanova - bombard
Philipp Saulin - Violin
Mikhail Ignatov - Cello
Strings Ensemble:

Violins:
Anastasia Razumets
Aleksandra Svidunovich
Zhuldyz Bukina
Tatiana Kuvaitseva
Philipp Saulin

Violas:
Aleksander Bogdanovich
Ksenia Ivanova

Cellos:
Mikhail Ignatov
Evgenia Ignatova

Double bass:
Alexander Kuznetcov

"Perezvony" Choir (featured on Sleeping pills):

Stanislava Sorokina, Svetlana Utkina, Yury Volkov, Maria Cherepanova, Elizaveta Levina, Anastasia Andriyanenko, Daria Severinova, Alina Vahrina, Anastasia Kavalerova, Nikol Zgeib, Anna Sokolova, Anastasia Malova, Sofia Liberman, Margarita Raspopova, Martin Sadomirsky, Svetlana Philippova, Serafima Chervotkina
Conductor and art-director: Larisa Yarutskaya

Description/Reviews
Revolving around the stunning voice of Marjana and the mainly classical music oriented wandering piano motifs of Gleb Kolyadin, the heart and soul of their compositions is so breathtaking in it’s simple beauty, and when additional elements are brought into play the end result can be stunning. Sometimes with a relatively simple detail, like the majestic orchestration replacing the piano as the supplemental backing for the vocals, which works great, or when orchestration, delicate violin textures or plucked strings supplement the piano movements to create arrangements one might well describe as classical chamber pop. But also when guest drummer Harrison flavor the proceedings with his elegant, sophisticated yet quirky drum patterns, often in tight interplay with the bass as well as when floating, haunting guitar solo textures are applied the end result tends to be beautiful, even if there are darker undercurrents at hand.
Read the full review by Olav Martin Bjørnsen at houseofprog.com

Media/Samples 
Chalk & Coal
Stream

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Friday, January 22, 2016

Steven Wilson "4 1/2"


Country: UK
Genre(s)Progressive Rock
Label Kscope
FormatCD, vinyl, digital
Release dateJanuary 22, 2016
Tracklist
1. My Book of Regrets (9.23)
2. Year of the Plague (4.15)
3. Happiness 3 (4.31)
4. Sunday Rain Sets In (3.50)
5. Vermillioncore (5.09)
6. Don't Hate Me (9.34)

Total Time 36:42

Line-up
Steven Wilson - vocals, guitars
  With
Guthrie Govan - lead guitar
Nick Beggs - bass, Stick
Marco Minnemann - drums
Adam Holzman - keyboards
Theo Travis - saxophone, flute
Ninet Tayeb - vocals
Craig Blundell - drums
Chad Wackerman - drums
Dave Kilminster - guitar

Description/Reviews
Happiness III (I wonder what happened to “I” and “II”?) is a jolly little pop song, no, it really is, and it will have you bouncing about the room like Tigger on speed. It’s up! It’s jolly…well, tune-wise, anyway, as there still remains more than a dash of regret in the lyric. With a catchier title Happiness III would make a great single, assuming they still make things called “singles” these days!
The other rather good song on here is opener My Book Of Regrets, but it does not quite hit the heights of Happiness III, being a tad formulaic in the modern Steven Wilson “prog song” way, with its trademark lyric of urban alienation. It does contain some rather fine guitar work, that can’t be denied, including a short but crafty reprise of the Time Flies Floydian riff. Year Of The Plague and A Sunday Rain Sets In are top-notch, if inessential instrumental interludes, the latter being the best. Filmic in extremis, this tune could be running in the background of an arthouse spy movie. Vermillioncore is a fine five minutes worth of Steven’s best heavy alt-prog, where the band get to stretch out. Naturally the tune builds to a rifftastic crescendo, zipping along like a speeding bullet train. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it ticks all the right boxes, and the fans will love it.
Read the full review by Roger Trenwith at theprogressiveaspect.net

Media/Samples
Bandcamp 

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Friday, October 23, 2015

Gazpacho "Molok"


Country: Norway
Genre(s)Art Rock, Progressive Rock
LabelKscope
FormatCD, vinyl, digital
Release dateOctober 23, 2015
Tracklist
1 - Park Bench
2 - The Master's Voice
3 - Bela Kiss
4 - Know Your Time
5 - Choir of Ancestors
6 - ABC
7 - Algorithm
8 -Alarm
9 - Molok Rising

Line-up
Jan Henrik Ohme - Vocals
Thomas Alexander Andersen - Keyboards
Jon Arne Vilbo - Guitars
Mikael Krømer - Violin and Mandolin
Kristian "Fido" Torp - Bass
Lars Erik Asp - Drums and percussion
   With
Stian Carstensen - Accordion
Gjermund Kolltveit - Stones, moose jaws, flutes, stringed instruments, Skåra stone (9)

Description/Reviews
Across the album there are religious themes going head to head with modern day new science ideas and theories, Gazpacho’s Thomas Andersen states, ‘the album itself is about a man that sometime around 1920 decides that wherever anyone worships a God they always seem to be worshipping stone in some form. Whether it is a grand cathedral, the stone in Mecca or Stonehenge. God seems to have been chased by his worshipers into stone never to return. This harkens back to Norwegian folk myths where if a troll was exposed to sunlight it would turn to stone but it also reflects the way God has been incommunicado for a very long time.’
The band go on to say, ‘In a mechanistic view of the universe all events in the universe are a consequence of a previous event. This means that with enough information you should be able to calculate the past and the future and this is what he does. He names the machine ‘Molok’ after the biblical demon into whose jaws children were sacrificed because his machine crunches numbers. On solstice day he starts the machine and it quickly gains some form of intelligence as it races through history undergoing its own evolution.‘
Throughout ‘Molok’ the band focus on the idea that without God/a god to guide us, humanity is unsure of the meaning of life, that while we attempt to fill the void with other things we’ve still not found the answer and without a master to lean on we are very much alone in this universe.

Media/Samples 
Know Your Time

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Friday, September 18, 2015

TesseracT "Polaris"


Country: UK
Genre(s)Progressive Metal
LabelKscope/eOne Music
FormatCD, vinyl, digital
Release dateSeptember 18, 2015
Tracklist
1. Dystopia [06:51]
2. Hexes [05:18]
3. Survival [04:25]
4. Tourniquet [05:59]
5. Utopia [05:34]
6. Phoenix [03:54]
7. Messenger [03:35]
8. Cages [05:29]
9. Seven Names [05:40]

Line-up
Acle Kahney - Guitars
Dan Tompkins - Vocals
Jay Postones - Drums
James Monteith - Guitar
Amos Williams - Bass

Media/Samples 
Stream

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