For those who might apply the term conservatively, the notion of “progressive” rock is not only aurally odious, but an inherent contradiction. How can a form of music claim such a forward-thinking moniker while playing rehashed classical music and singing about knights and dragons? I’ll agree that a small portion of what’s termed “progressive” may [...]

Bertrand Burgalat issued his second proper full-length Portrait-Robot, in 2005, and as could be expected, it was full of analog electronics and silky atmospherics that could have provided the music for an extended hallucinatory dance-club scene in Godard’s Alphaville. It was a solid album, but Burgalat’s best known for tweaking the music of others, and [...]

The release of the new Bats album (At the National Grid) on the recently reformed Egg Records is a great opportunity to highlight the short-lived, forgotten Scottish indie label. They released a series of great pop singles during the 80s, and their compilation Egg Records: An Introduction (1989-91) was issued in 2003. The music is [...]

My favorite type of compilation discs are the ones that contain songs I would have no hope of finding, or even knowing the existence of, without its inclusion. I enjoy, every once in a while, listening to music about which I have little to no knowledge, forcing me to “find my feet” while listening to [...]