LAUGHING STOCK – Shelter

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://laughingstock1.bandcamp.com/album/shelter Norwegian prog rockers Laughing Stock have never been anything but adventurous and many of their outputs possess a creative wanderlust that sees them covering quite a bit of musical ground while showcasing an impressive ability to balance what can only be termed intimately introspective with themes that are larger in…

MATTHEW COLLIN -Dream Machines: Electronic Music in Britain from Doctor Who to Acid House

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/dream-machines-electronic-music-in-britain-from-doctor-who-to-acid-house Dream Machines by author Matthew Collin is quite literally a dream come true for anyone interested in the subject of British electronic music – regardless of whether one is merely curious about the phenomenon or harbor much more than just a passing interest in its gloriously labyrinthine history. Exhaustively researched,…

YOBREPUS – A Rhizome Revolution Part 1

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/ Norwegian art rockers Yobrepus have a knack for crafting richly nuanced songs and albums that are both musically and lyrically absorbing, a prime example being their latest LP entitled A Rhizome Revolution Part 1. Weaving traces and elements of prog, alt. rock, psychedelic folk, and brooding electronica together to stunning…

UNCANNY – Shroomsday

RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/uncannysounds/ This is my first encounter with the charming and delightfully wonky progressive metal band from Norway known as Uncanny, and I must say that I find this eclectic and perfectly unpredictable eight-track offering of theirs, which will be out in April, quite beguiling and seductive. While their soundscapes undoubtedly are…

VULTURE INDUSTRIES – 09.03.2024 – BERGEN

VENUE: Det Akademiske KvarterDATE: 09.03.2024 ORGANIZER: Propulsion MusicPHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context.   A concert like no other? You bet! The musically rewarding yet deviant purveyors of dramatic and carnivalesque avantgarde metal (or dark and dynamic…

NICK BANKS – So It Started There: From Punk to Pulp

RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/and-it-started-there-from-punk-to-pulp-published-28-september-2023 The renowned purveyors of quirky pop and art rock known as Pulp surely need no introduction and to many of us, their Different Class LP from 1995 provided a lovely soundtrack to our youth and teenage years. Drummer Nick Banks recently published this warm-hearted, humorous, and engaging autobiography of his…

MESAVERDE – KY

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://mesaverde.bandcamp.com/album/ky The musically shape-shifting Norwegian quartet known as MesaVerde released this adventurous and playful opus of theirs via Apollon Records quite recently, and the result is a remarkable listening experience that weaves prog, indie rock, and strong hints of art rock and psychedelia together to great effect. The thing about KY…

KARL BARTOS – The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond

Omnibus Press, 2022 RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-sound-of-the-machine-published-on-14th-july-2022 Renowned artist Karl Bartos, who is undoubtedly best known for his pioneering work with the German avantgarde outfit Kraftwerk, published this mammoth 634-page autobiography of his a few months ago, and it turned out to be an informative read and a bit of an eye-opener in many…

LAUGHING STOCK – Zero, Acts 3 & 4

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://laughingstock1.bandcamp.com/album/zero-acts-3-4-2 The Norwegian prog rock/art rock outfit Laughing Stock is an interesting one and these skilled musicians have released some deeply atmospheric and intriguing records in the past, so naturally, I was looking forward to this one, which is a continuation of the “Zero, Acts 1 & 2” LP from last…

WESERBERGLAND – Sacrae Symphoniae Nr. 1

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/weserberglandband/ The experimental Norwegian outfit Weserbergland released their third album today (February 11), and as with their previous offerings, this new LP falls somewhere between art rock, avantgarde music, and 70s experimental prog rock, which is to say that this is something different and totally out of the ordinary. Consisting of…