Louder AAA
Welcome to Prog's brand new Tracks Of The Week! This week we've got seven new and diverse slices of progressively inclined music for you to enjoy.
Big congratulations to Bristol art rock quartet Sans Froid, whose Pros And Constants won out last week, after a good to and fro battle with prog duo Candacraig, and with Leeds alt.proggers Koyo Bloom in third place.
The premise is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it? The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it's a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post.
Couldn't be easier, could it? We'll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we'll update you with this week's winner and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you're a band and you want to be featured in Prog's Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
VOYAGE 35 - EVEN LESS
Porcupine Tree offshoot Voyage 35, former bassist Colin Edwin and live guitarist John Wesley, joined by Edwin's O.R.k. colleague, keyboard player Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, better known as 'Lef', and drummer Alessandro Vagnoni, will take their live show of earlier P-Tree material, the band tend not to play these days, around Europe and the UK in September. The band have given us a teaser already with their take on The Nostalgia Factory, originally featured on the band's 1992 debut album, On The Sunday Of Life. And now they've tackled Even Less from 1999's Stupid Dream.
“This is no idle thought; this is a chance to re-explore and re-immerse ourselves fully in a set of material that many people have expressed a desire to hear and see live again," says Edwin. "With a view to both honouring and elevating the original spirit, with a fresh new energy, a few new flavours and some serious talent alongside us.”
GENTLE GIANT - WAY OF LIFE
It's not often we have a band of such rich heritage as Gentle Giant in TOTW, but they've just announced a remixed and remastered version of their 1973 album, In A Glass House, which will be released through Madfish Records on July 31. And the band kindly created a brand new video for the jaunty Way Of Life, from that fifth studio album. So here we are...
“When we made In a Glass House, we were pushing ourselves musically and creatively in every direction,” says singer Derek Shulman of the upcoming reissue. “Hearing the recordings again and being able to remix them with today’s technology has revealed details and textures that were always there but never fully heard. We wanted to present In a Glass House the way we always hoped it could sound, clearer, more dynamic, and true to the original vision. The detail in the performances really comes through in this new mix."
MASTODON - YOUR GHOST AGAIN
US prog metallers Mastodon have released their first new music since the departure and subsequent tragic death of guitarist Brent Hinds. Accompanied by a trippy new video, Your Ghost Again serves as a tribute to the band's former member while at the same time introducing new members, Candian prog guitarist Nick Johnstone and keyboardist João Nogueira. It's good to have them back...
“For me, Your Ghost Again is about when you lose somebody that’s close to you that you existed with for most of your life—or your whole life,” drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor says. “It’s those moments when you’re in those familiar places that you’ve always been with that person, and then, after they’re gone, you see them out of the corner of your eye, and it makes you sad because they’re not there. When we were in the studio recording, I kept seeing Brent. I’d see him on my right holding the guitar because that’s where he’d usually be. It’s the same with my mom: I keep seeing her. And you get a little jolt of excitement because you think you’re actually seeing them, but then you remember they’re not here and it takes you down a notch. So, it’s these big relationships for me that became the subject matter of the song. I was just singing about what I was seeing, and I was seeing ghosts.”
LONG EARTH - BREATHLESS
Scottish prog rockers Long Earth have announced that they will release their fourth album, Towards The Sky, through Bareneko on June 27. The band have also shared a video for brand new track, Breathless. It will be the band's first album with vocalist Maaike Siegerist and drummer Kenny McCabe.
"Some of the tracks are inspired by astronomy and space exploration – and they sound like it with Mike's amazing keyboard sounds and Renaldo's atmospheric guitars," says Siegerist. "More metaphorically, the title also refers to us, humans, pushing beyond our limitations."
Keyboardist Mike Baxter adds: "I'm really happy with how it has turned out. In my opinion, this is our best album to date."
PELAGIC UNITED AND FRIENDS - SOON
As Pelagic Records, the German new prog and post-rock label headed by Robin Stapps of The Ocean, gears up for its annual celebration of both the label and the music it revolves around with PelagicFest in August, the label has also put together a special compilation album, The Dungeon Tapes, to celebrate its output.
Opening the compilation is Pelagic United And Friends, a project consisting of members from Spotlights, Rosetta, Failure, Shy Low and Hiroe, who have come together to record a version of My Bloody Valentine’s Soon. " Turning the shoegaze into spaciousness and ethereality into brutal impact, this classic track sees a strikingly direct, darker and emotionally raw interpretation," the label says.
DITCH THE DEMON - ONE KISS
Hastings psych/prog rockers Ditch The Demon have shared their first new music from their upcoming second album, Hail The Fallen, which will be out in September, with a video for One Kiss. The band have been called "East Sussex's answer to Blood Ceremony," by Prog Magazine's Grant Moon, no less, and draw inspiration from bands such as seminal US psych rockers Coven, which is cool woth us!
"This new track leans upon sultry blues while still encapsulating the band’s signature heavy goth/prog sound," the band say. "The video was filmed in the band’s home town of Hastings with help from prog super-fan Mike Burgess."
JOHN BASSETT - ORNAMENTS & FIGURINES
It's been a while since we heard any new music from Arcade Messiah and KingBathmat's John Bassett, but he's back with a new five-track EP, Simon Says, whch is out now, and from which comes Ornaments & Figurines. The new EP is available to stream in full & to buy/download; it is free (pay what you want) - from Bassett's Bandcamp page here: https://johnbassett.bandcamp.com/album/simon-says-ep-24-bit-hd-audio.
"It should appeal to those who enjoyed the progressive long-format songs of KingBathmat and Arcade Messiah," says Bassett.
