New Album Roundup - Fall 2024

New Album Roundup - Fall 2024

Before moving on to the best of the year reviews and assessments, here are my favorite albums and picks from the Fall of 2024 (October and November releases). Many more great albums to check out.

Versa - A Voyage A Destination, Part 2

This is the 4th album from this Canadian Prog band led by multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Matthew Dulmage. This follows as a direct continuation of their previous album, A Voyage A Destination (Part 1) from 2022, but I think this album improves upon that quite good album in almost every aspect. It is a mainly instrumental album that features acoustic instrumentation (piano, flute, violin, horns, etc.) in their arrangements. It is filled with beautiful, soothing melodies and harmonies that provide a welcome respite from the harsh, aggressive, violent world around us. Most songs start plainly and simply but build with delicately intricate melodies and harmonies, as well as build throughout the album to reach impressive heights in the later tracks. Vocals are used sparingly, but quite  effectively, and often treated as another instrument in the lush sound profiles, and adds substantially to the whole. Also includes contributions from some notable guest artists, including Ross Jennings (Haken), Sam Vallen (Caligula's Horse), and Michael Trew (Moon Letters). Although some have labelled this as a type of post-rock, I don't hear that at all. It's too melodic and structured for post-rock, more along the lines of New Age, but with a strong prog aesthetic and appeal. Overall, a joy to listen to, and all the tracks merge into a wonderful sonic experience, from the short Prelude to the epic-length Artemis. Best Tracks: Artemis, Destination, Flew the Coop, Breaking and Entering. Rating: 4ó

Oddleaf - Where Ideal and Denial Collide

Impressive debut album from this French progressive rock band featuring a symphonic prog style that mixes elements of classic 70's prog (Camel, Yes, Genesis, Renaissance) with a modern prog aesthetic (Big Big Train, Wobbler). Keyboard-driven songs (from composer-keyboardist Carina Taurer) highlighted with flute (Mathieu Rossi), exquisite lead female vocals from Adeline Gurtner, and nice multi-part harmonies form the core of the band's sound. Equally comfortable and proficient with the vocal and instrumental sections of the tracks (and closing the album with a wonderful 11 minute instrumental), the album soars with great melodies and wonderful instrumental solos and passages. A great new contribution for any fan of Symphonic prog that combines the best from old and new styles to create some all new classics. Best Tracks: Back in Time, Ethereal melodies, Coexistence-Part 1, Life. Rating: 4ó

Kite Parade - Disparity

Kite Parade is the creation of Andy Foster, as he writes and sings the songs, plays virtually all the instruments (guitars, bass, sax, keyboards, etc.), and coordinates all the parts. And he has thrived with his own brand of progressive pop, mixing superb prog elements with accessible pop melodies and classic rock vibes. With this, his 3rd album in 3 year, a concept album dealing with aspects of the disparity of wealth around the world, he has reached new heights, and produced his best album yet (and so far, each album has been better than the last), with dynamic, catchy songs and wonderful technical wizardry throughout. For this album, Andy has added a bass player (Marcin Pallider) and drummer (Jimmy Pallgrosi) to provide a livelier feel, as well as some noteworthy guest vocalists in Christina Booth (Magenta) and Lindsey Ward (Exploring Birdsong). It all works here, as the songs flow together to make a wonderful album. Best Tracks: Broken, Make It Beautiful, This World is Mine, Is There Hope?, Forgotten Youth.  Rating: 4ó

Frost* - Life in the Wires

Frost* returns with this follow-up to their 2021 release Day and Age, a sprawling double concept album (14 tracks, 86 minutes). As masterminded by keyboardist-vocalist Jem Godfrey and ably assisted by John Mitchell (guitars-vocals), Nathan King (bass), and Craig Blundell (drums), Life in the Wires tells an all-new story set in the same imaginary world as Day and Age, following a character through various adventures in an AI-run dystopian world. Musically, this contains many elements from the earlier Frost albums (especially Milliontown) as well as the later ones, in their somewhat edgy progressive pop style. I found this to be somewhat structurally and stylistically reminiscent to some of Neal Morse's concept albums. There are many great and brilliant moments throughout the album, both in the vocals and instrumental sections, and numerous highlights. However, there are also some problems that keep this from being a completely satisfying and consistently entertaining experience. The length of the album is an issue, as there is a sameness to several songs, and the album doesn't flow well, with many abrupt transitions, not only between songs but also within them. The recurring spoken word sections from the DJ character also are intrusive and disrupt the flow and feel of the album, and it just took too long to get to the one of the album highlights, the extended track Life in the Wires part 2. A couple of the songs just don't work or are annoying (Idiot Box). Overall, there are several great songs here, with many highlights, enough to make a great album, but for me at least, there wasn't quite enough to justify the extended length of the album. Best Tracks: Life in the Wires Parts 1 and 2, This House in Winter, The Solid State Orchestra, Moral and Consequence. Rating 3.5ó
 
Rosalie Cunningham - To Shoot Another Day

This is the 3rd solo album from the former leader of UK Prog band Purson, and with this album, composer-multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Rosalie has crafted an endlessly interesting, creative, and entertaining album that is one of the year's best. An uncategorizable mixture of many different styles, with a pop sensibility at the forefront, but so many intriguing twists and turns not only between songs but within them as well. With a sound that combines 60's psychedelia with elements of rock, jazz, blues, nostalgia, and eclectic pop, there are delights to be found in every song. Rosalie's vocal style is somewhat of a fluid mixture of Chrissie Hynde, Kate Bush, and Michelle Shocked resulting in a unique sound, and her compositions and arrangements are always interesting and surprising. From the James Bondian aspects of the title track, various occurrences of Beatles-like melodies, quirky vocal theatrics, eclectic bits of old-timey nostalgia, to unlikely combinations of styles within songs, it all works, providing musical oddities that still manage to be accessible and catchy fun. Great sound and production, and also great musicianship throughout. Best Tracks: Heavy Pencil, In the Shade of the Shadows, To Shoot Another Day, It's Good to be Damned, Denim Eyes, The Smut Peddler. Rating: 4.5ó

Ben Folds - Sleigher

A surprisingly quick return from Ben Folds, and with a Christmas-themed album no less (just a year after What Matters Most, following an 8-year gap from his previous album). Although ostensibly a Christmas album, not surprisingly, it is not exactly traditional, as it features an eclectic mix of mostly original songs (7 of 10 songs are original), and as Ben describes it, the album examines the passage of time through the lens of Christmas, reflecting on memory, loss, and longing as it explores the variety of ways the yuletide season marks the chapters of our lives. Thus, this is more a Ben Folds album that happens to be set at Christmas, rather than a Christmas album. But Ben does deliver some great songs, and a couple that could become Christmas classics. Ben's originals span a variety of styles, both humorous and heartfelt (and include 2 piano instrumentals), but always engaging and enjoyable. Ben's songwriting has developed to include more classical stylings while still retaining abundant pop appeal. Even among the 3 covers that are included, only one is what would be called a traditional classic (The Christmas song), with the other 2 being relatively obscure novelty songs from the 50s and 60s. Best Tracks: Sleepwalking Through Christmas, Christmas Time Rhyme, We Could Have This, Me and Maurice, Waiting For Snow. Rating: 4ó

Beardfish - Songs For Beating Hearts

This celebrated but previously disbanded Swedish prog band from the 2000's has now returned for their 1st album since 2015 (when keyboardist Rikard Sjoblom left to join Big Big Train), and with their original lineup back intact. And they return with a stellar new album that returns to some of their classic prog roots and adds in some more folky influences and a comfortable 70's feel. The centerpiece of the album is the extended 5-part Out in the Open (20 min), which goes through various changes and moods, delivering some emotional and heartfelt sections. My favorite song is the more acoustic and folky In the Autumn, with its rich melodic flow. Torrential Downpour is another highlight, featuring the most heavy and dramatic mood and vocals. For me, the ambitious title track, Beating Hearts is less successful, although the string quartet sound and arrangement is wonderful, the song is burdened with an unappealing melody. These plus the evocative Ecotone sequences all add up to a quite wonderful album overall,  and the very welcome return of Beardfish. Best Tracks: In the Autumn, Out in the Open Parts 1-5, Torrential Downpour, Ecotone - Norrsken 1982. Rating: 4ó

Von Hertzen Brothers - In Murmuration

For this 9th album from the 3 Von Hertzen siblings from Finland, and following their great previous album, Red Alert in the Blue Forest (2022), the boys have taken a much different approach, unleashing a full-on hard rock album, with much less of a prog emphasis and fewer folk influences. Which, for me, is a bit disappointing, and leads to a less impressive album than their previous one, as those more folky and proggy aspects were what I loved most. Nonetheless, there are some great tracks here, and they still have a great sound and style, just a more hard-rocking and classic rock direction on this album. And they certainly unleash the power and high-energy bangers throughout this dynamic rock album, yet they still retain their great melodic sensibilities and harmony vocals. Several high-quality, high-powered rockers here, but I still prefer the more subtle and evocative side of the band, such as in the closing track, Wait For Me. Overall, a fun rockin' album, with catchy songs and great musicianship. Best Tracks: Wait For Me, Tightrope Walker, Ascension Day, Beneath the Silver Stars. Rating: 3.5ó

Neal Morse and The Resonance - No Hill for a Climber

Celebrated progger elite Neal Morse is back once again, and with a totally new band this time. With the recent uncertain status of Neal's other band-related projects, Transatlantic and the Neal Morse Band (due to Mike Portnoy leaving to re-join Dream Theater), the ever-active Neal found some new mates to hang with, a group of local musicians Neil started jammng with that became this new project. And this new blood has revitalized Neil's music to some degree, as he delivers his best album since the last Neal Morse Band outing, Innocence and Danger (2021). Constructed with opening and closing mammoth-length epic tracks with shorter songs in-between, Neal has once again  concocted an engaging, satisfying album of world-class prog. And this new band is more than just back-up for Neil, as they make great contributions with stellar playing, soloing, and additional new elements. Sure, it still sounds quite a bit like several other Neal Morse projects, but there are some new wrinkles here, and when the music is this good throughout, it's hard to complain that it should somehow be different. It all pretty much works here, with great songs, jamming, and emotional heft throughout. One minor complaint is that neither one of the epic tracks fully justify their extended lengths (at 21 and 29 min., respectively), they contain many wonderful and brilliant moments, but also have some lackluster or less appealing sections that could have been cut or reduced. Overall though, a wonderful album that presents a new band and indicates some possible new directions for Neil. Best Tracks: Ever Interceding, Thief, No Hill for a Climber, All the Rage. Rating: 4ó

Joe Deninzon and Stratospheerius - Imposter!

Violinist Joe Deninzon (current member of Kansas) shows his versatility with his own band here, singing lead vocals and playing a variety of string instruments (violin, viola, cello, guitar, bass), and backed by a stellar band, including keyboard plyer Bill Hubauer (NMB, We Came From Space) and drummer Jason Gianni (NMB). Here, Joe and the band serve up great symphonic prog with a classic rock spirit and vibe. Not surprisingly, some of the songs have a definite classic Kansas sound and feel, whereas other songs go in some different directions. But it's not all Joe and his strings, as the whole band really shines, especially Bill Hubauer's keyboards and Michaelangelo Quirinale's scorching guitars. Definitely a hard-rocking edge and spirit throughout, but plenty of great melodies and vocals as well. Guest artists include Randy McStine, Michael Sadler, Rachel Flowers, and others to further enhance the experience. Delivers great rockin' prog with a Kansas edge.  Best Tracks: Imposter!, Chasing the Dragon, Voodoo Vortex parts I & II, Frame By Frame. Rating: 4ó
     
Other Noteworthy Entries

Dawes - Oh Brother!
Apparently now down to a duo, the Goldsmith brothers deliver a solid, enjoyable album filled with clever songwriting. But overall, it all sounds a bit too familiar and doesn't quite live up to their past successes. 3ó
The Coward Brothers - The Coward Brothers
Elvis Costello re-teams up with T-Bone Burnett to play The Coward Brothers and create this sort of 'greatest hits' album for this imaginary pseudo-legendary roots music duo through the years (There's also an Audible radio play that tells their made-up story). An interesting and intriguing project, 20 short songs of various styles, producing some gems, but also many throw-away ditties.  3ó
Weather Systems - Ocean Without a Shore
Somewhat of a reincarnation of Anathema (and taking their name from one of their best albums), Daniels Cavanagh and Cardosa have re-formed in their spirit, providing orchestral rock, electronica, atmospheric prog elements, and vocal harmonies. Good, well-crafted but not extrordinary.  3ó

Isbjorg - Falter, Endure

Danish Neo-Pog band deliver keyboard-driven catchy, melodic progressive pop. 3.5ó

Samurai of Prog - The Time Machine
Another quite tasty album of symphonic prog from this prolific morphing multi-national prog collective, featuring many guest stars. 3.5ó
The Mommyheads - One-eyed Band
Fun, quirky power pop from this veteran indie pop band. 3ó
The Smile - Cut-Outs
Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood's 3rd outing as the Smile improves upon the previous offerings. Some pretty good stuff, but still not great. 3ó

 

Some Late Additions

Circuline - C.O.R.E.

Great mix of styles from sweet pop melodies to darker heavier aspects and instrumental flourishes throughout from this U.S. Prog band. Both male and female vocalists provide a rich tapestry. 4 ó  

Jupiter Fungus - Garden Electric

Greek band that features mostly instrumental classic 70's-style prog rock with abundant flute and extended jamming. 3.5 ó  

The Winstons - Third

Singer-songwriter-inspired progressive pop with Beatlesque style and quirky arrangements.  3.5ó

WIZRD - Elements

Mostly instumental prog mixing classic and modern elements. 3ó

Metal Fatigue - No thanks, Just not for me

Opeth - Last Will and Testament
Mur - Mur 

BB’s Rating scale:

1ó – Terrible, torturous to have to listen to

1.5ó - Poor, not worth your time

2 ó – Fair, maybe a couple half-way decent songs, but sub-par overall

2.5ó – Average, OK, meh, not bad but not that good either

3ó – Good, solid album, several good songs, but not spectacular. Certainly worthy, but may not be something you come back to very often

3.5ó – Very good album. Some stellar tracks, very enjoyable overall

4ó – Great album, filled with great songs, one that you will want to come back to over and over again

4.5ó – Excellent album, beyond great, superb in every way, just short of a masterpiece 

5ó – A Masterpiece, among the greatest albums of its type, and has stood the test of time

 

Yes, it's been a pretty great year for new music overall. What did you think? OK, that's it for now. I am trying to put together another Christmas collection and hopefully that will be ready to upload soon. After that I will present my overall ranked favorites for the entire year in the year-end wrap-up. Until then, happy listening!

 

New Album Reviews - Spring 2023

New Album Reviews - Spring 2023

We're already almost halfway through the year, and there have been numerous notable new music releases. Here are some of the albums I have been listening to from this Spring (March-June), with some brief capsule reviews. 

Nickel Creek - Celebrants.  

Nickel Creek is an American contemporary bluegrass trio consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin, vocals), and siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle, vocals) and Sean Watkins (guitar, vocals), formed in 1989 in Southern California. They are known for their blending of traditional bluegrass with more modern aspects of indie and folk rock. They released a couple albums in the 90's, but really started to attract attention and acclaim after working with Alison Krauss, who produced their breakthrough self-titled album in 2000 and the follow-up, This Side in 2002. This was the period that I was familiar with for the band. They released a couple more albums over the next several years (that I have not heard), but had not released any new music since 2014, until this new album, Celebrants. And I have to say that it is just FANTASTIC! I love the more progressive approach they took and the more complex song structures and edgier arrangements, as well as the jazzy influences. The album has a cohesiveness to it and some thematic elements running through it, such as the strategic use of dissonance in some songs and arrangements. They have shown in the past that they can do sweet and catchy pop bluegrass, but this goes well beyond that, into some more interesting territory. Yet, there is still enough of the traditional bluegrass spirit and style that it is remains familiar, just goes in some different directions. A full album with 18 relatively short songs and just under an hour length, an hour of of wonderful music. Its' hard to pick out the highlights because every song is so good. Certainly one of the best albums of the year so far, and one that should appeal to music lovers well beyond the traditional bluegrass and folk audience. Best Tracks: Holding Pattern, Where the Long Line Leads, Stone's Throw, To the Airport, Failure isn't Forever, Strangers. Weak tracks: none. Rating: 4.5ó

Exploring Birdsong - Dancing on the Face of Danger -EP (2023), as well as The Thing with Feathers -EP (2019).

Exploring Birdsong is an exciting, relatively new progressive rock trio out of Liverpool, UK, consisting of Lynsey Ward (vocals, piano), Johnny Knight (bass, synths), and Matt Henrison (drums), that features a soaring keyboard-driven prog style with great female vocals and bold, dynamic songs, and featuring a unique blend of classic and modern Prog with jazz and pop touches. So far, they have only released 2 EPs, their first in 2019, The Thing with Feathers, and just released earlier this year, Dancing in the Face of Danger. Both are excellent. The first EP features more piano and is a bit more acoustic, with strong jazz influences but set in a Neo-Prog soundscape, whereas the new EP features more synths and a slicker production style, but both deliver great songs and dynamic prog arrangements with intricate keyboard lines, driving rhythms, and odd time signatures. They have aspects that are somewhat like a mixture of Magenta, Renaissance, Big Big Train, and Porcupine Tree, with some Chuck Leavell and Dave Brubeck and even maybe some Fleetwood Mac thrown in. Each EP has 5 main songs (about 25 min. total), with great riffs and rhythms, and an aggressive approach, yet still always quite melodic and engaging. I actually prefer the earlier EP a bit more, with its more dynamic piano-centric sound, but both EPs are great. Although they do not yet have a full album release, these 2 EPs go together very well to make a nice full-length album. Highly recommended to check out (Their music is available through Bandcamp). Best Tracks: (From Feathers) the River, The Sinking Question, The Baptism, (From Dancing) The Way Down, Bear The Weight, Ever The Optimist. Rating: 4.5ó

Jethro Tull - RokFlute

OK, so this is the second album from Jethro Tull within the last 15 months, when it had been nearly 20 since their previous album before The Zealot Gene (2022). Overall, this new one is a fair bit better than Zealot Gene, with great flute work and some really nice instrumental sections. But I think it still falls into a similar category, in that it is a good album, but not great. It is fine, and quite pleasant to listen to, but not much more than that. Many quite nice melodies and arrangements, but never quite takes off. Reportedly, this album was originally intended to be an all instrumental album, featuring the flute, but then Ian became fascinated with Norse mythology and wanted to incorporate that into his songs, which resulted in some new songs and vocals added to previously existing ones. However, the vocals are the weakest part of the album, and I think at least some of the songs should have been kept as instrumentals, particularly Cornucopia and Gaurdian's Watch, as the vocal sections are not really needed and actually detract from the inherent beauty of the songs. And although the backing tracks and arrangements are better here than the last album, I still don't hear a real band, it still seems like another Ian Anderson solo album (which is fine, but it's not fully Tull). Another oddity here is that Anderson's wonderful acoustic guitar work is completely missing from this album, nowhere to be found. Not sure if this is one I will come back to very often, but it is an enjoyable listen and worth checking out. However, it is quite telling that although this album only came out a couple months ago, it already seems to be virtually forgotten, which doesen't bode well for it achieving classic status. Best Tracks: Wolf Unchained, The Perfect One, The Trickster (And the Mistletoe), The Navigators, Cornucopia. Rating: 3ó.  

Yes - Mirror to the Sky

With this, the 23rd studio album from prog legends Yes, and following on the heels of their somewhat underwhelming 2021 album, The Quest (which didn't sound much like Yes at all), there was some cause for concern. However, this album follows more closely to the traditional Yes style and sound, has some great songs, and delivers their best album in many years. Of course, the band composition is quite a bit different from their earlier days, with both Chris Squire and Alan White having passed away, and Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman not a part of the band anymore, leaving guitarist Steve Howe in charge, leading singer Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood (bass), Geoff Downes (keybpards), and Jay Schellen (drums) as the current Yes incarnation. Howe, once again, dominates the album (with his guitar, as well as primary songwriter and producer), but with better results than the previous album. The highlight of the album is the wonderful and beautiful title track, also being the longest song, at nearly 14 minutes, and featuring multiple sections, beautiful melodies, an orchestra, and classic Yes songwriting and performance. There are a couple lesser, more pop-oriented songs, such as the straight-forward pop-rock of Living Out Their Dream and the closing Davison ballad Circles of Time, but the bulk of the album follows in the classic Yes style. There is also a bonus disc containing 3 additional songs that is included with some forms of the album, which also veers more towards a lighter, poppier sound, but is nonetheless pleasant, although perhaps a bit too cutesie. Overall, a fine album, and although still cannot measure up to the greatness of their classic days, is nonetheless their best album in probably 20 year. Best Tracks: Mirror to the Sky, Luminosity, Cut From the Stars. Rating: 3.5ó


Mystery - Redemption.

Mystery is a veteran French-Canadian Progressive rock band, formed by multi-instrumentalist (guitars, keyboards, bass) Michel St-Pere back in 1989, and with a changing backing lineup over the years. Their sound features a melodic symphonic prog approach with liberal doses of 80's AOR (Styx, Asia, Rush, Saga) and 90's Neo-Prog styles mixed in, creating a melodic and accessible type of symphonic prog with slick production, catchy melodies, soaring ballads, and proggy instrumental flourishes. Their first album, Theatre of the Mind, came out in 1996, and this new album, their 8th follows their previously most recent, Lies and Butterflies (2018). The current lineup, which has been steady since 2014 consists of St-Pere, Frances Fournier (bass) Sylvain Moineau (guitar), Jean-Seastian Goyette (drums), Jean Pageau (lead vocals), flute, and Antoine Michaud (keyboards). Now, I have to admit that although this band has been around a long time, and plays in a style that is right up my alley (melodic symphonic prog), I was not familiar with this band before this album. But, after hearing several rave reviews of this new album in Prog circles (Prog Corner, Nathan on Shuffle, Prog Archives, etc.), I just had to check them out. And well, yes, this is a very good, solid album. It has all the things you expect from this style, and musically very well done. It checks all the boxes, as it has majestic anthems and themes, soaring ballads, virtuoso soloing and proggy instrumental intricacies, great vocals and harmonies, and emotional peaks and valleys. However, even with all that, it just didn't fully connect with me. It just wasn't quite compelling and engaging, just not something I can get very excited about, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed with it. For me, overall, it was a bit too much of the same old stuff, and just seemed somewhat generic Neo-Prog, too similar to other stuff I'd heard before. Still enjoyable, but there were no real surprises or 'Oh Wow!' moments. The melodies and themes were fine, but not stellar, and I just didn't feel the excitement or emotion of it, more like just going through the motions of creating a symphonic prog classic, perhaps succeeding, but not quite excelling. They seemed to be playing it safe, not trying anything very new or different, just sticking with what has worked for them before. It seemed to be like throwing in dozens of 80's and 90's AOR and Neo-prog albums and homogenizing them into a new album. After that first listen, I thought maybe I was being too harsh and it will grow on me after repeated listens, so I listened to it a couple more times over the next week, but still felt the same. I will say that the epic closing track, 'Is That How the Story Ends?', is great (showed more variation in sound and style, cool feel), had everything I wanted in an epic (19 min.) song and lifted the rest of the album up quite a bit. If the whole album would have been as good as that closing epic, I would have been very happy with the album. It is quite a long album, coming in at ~75 minutes long, and by the time I got to that epic closing track, I was already a bit worn-out, but that final track was great. Some of the other tracks, particularly the two ballads, Every Note and My Inspiration, just go on a bit too long, and could be cut sown. Overall, for me, I can only rank the album as very good, but still somehow disappointing. Best track: Is That How the Story Ends?. Rating: 3.5ó

K'Mono - Mind out of Mind

Another relatively new band, this Minneapolis-based Progressive rock trio takes their inspiration from the classic 70's prog masters, such as Yes and Pink Floyd, but add a whole lot more into their sound. Featuring elements of space-rock, psychedelia, and funk sprinkled throughout, as well as some more modern touches in addition to their classic prog approach, which gives the band a fresh and lively style and sound. This is their 2nd album, following Return to the 'E' (2021). There is much diversity throughout the album, as they can create something right out of the Yes style songbook, such as Tell Me the Lore, but other tracks take very different approaches. On songs like In the Lost and Found and Answers in the Glass, they start by laying down a funky groove, then build on it and see just where they can take it, and they take them to some amazing places. Good-Looking seems to be their play for a more mainstream pop-oriented single, but still with their own unique spin. Overall, just a unique and wonderful album that is both somewhat familiar but also unlike anything you've heard before. A truly great find and certainly a band to watch going forward. Best Tracks: In The Lost and Found, Tell Me The Lore, Answers in the Glass, Mind Out of Mind. Rating: 4.5ó

Kite Parade - Retro

Kite Parade is also a fairly new progressive pop-rock band (First album, The Way Home was released in 2022), and is primarily the work of multi-instrumentalist Andy Foster, as the music and vocals are basically all done by him, just with some additional guest artists on drums ( notably Big Big Train's Nick D'Virgilio) and some selected instrumental solos. Last year's The Way Home was very well-received, and Andy seems to have gone even bigger and better with this new release. The album kicks off with a couple of slickly produced energetic pop-rock ditties that are good, but go on a bit too long for what they are (6-7 min each), but the album really steps it up with the third track, Wonderful, which is just that, a charming and beautiful ballad that steadily gains momentum to reach a soaring and majestic finish, and that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Wonderful vocals, majestic themes and delightful riffs continue throughout, leading up to the crowning achievement of the album, the closing 14-1/2 minute epic, Merry-Go-Round. Starting off with an atmospheric Pink Floyd-esque instrumental opening leading into the first vocal section and main themes, building into a musical tour-de-force, ultimately culminating in a soaring and satisfying finish that wraps up the album on a high. Overall, a very satisfying album (and succeeds in ways that the Mystery album just does not manage). Best Tracks: Merry-Go-Round, Wonderful, Shadow Falls, Under the Same Sun. Rating: 4ó

BB’s Rating scale:

1ó – Terrible, torturous to have to listen to

1.5ó - Poor, not worth your time

2 ó – Fair, maybe a couple half-way decent songs, but sub-par overall

2.5ó – Average, OK, meh, not bad but not that good either

3ó – Good, solid album, several good songs, but not spectacular. Certainly worthy, but may not be something you come back to very often

3.5ó – Very good album. Some stellar tracks, very enjoyable overall

4ó – Great album, filled with great songs, one that you will want to come back to over and over again

4.5ó – Excellent album, beyond great, superb in every way, just short of a masterpiece 

5ó – A Masterpiece, among the greatest albums of its type, and has stood the test of time

Well, that's it for now. There are a bunch of other new albums released in the last few weeks that I wasn't ready to include here, but will try to get to next month maybe. There also were many other new albums I listened to, but just don't have time to get to or don't have much to say about. perhaps I will try to put some of them into an addendum of quick take reviews or something. Lots of great stuff to listen to. What are some of your favorite albums from this Spring? Let me know in the comments.