The Yellow Moon Band: Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World (4.5/5)

Jonathan's #8 out of 20 Album of 2009



Year: 2009
Label: Static Caravan
Genre: Psychedelic Space Rock
TRT: 52:04

The album has only one song with a vocal part in it...even though it could use more, I really enjoy the feelings I get throughout this album. On the song "Entangled" I get this feeling that I only ever get when listening to "The Notorious Byrd Brothers" by the Byrds.

The musicianship on this recording is similar to the 70's progressive movement, which personally I'm a big fan. The melodies sit well and transition properly...so that at the end of the album you feel as if you had gone on a psychedelic space journey.

01 Polaris
02 Chimney
03 Entangled
04 Maybach
05 Focussed
06 Domini
07 Window
08 Lunadelica

Search Amazon for The Yellow Moon Band

The Future Kings of England: The Viewing Point (5/5)

Jonathan's #4 out of 20 Album of 2009



Year: 2009
Label: Backwater Records
Genre: Progressive Space Rock
TRT: 44:49

This year I really got into 1970's progressive rock so this finding this album made me really happy. It's a little strange though because I wanted to add this to my vinyl collection and it's not available in that format. Either way the material here is definitely up to par with some of the greatest progressive rock minus there aren't any vocals except some areas have distant choir voices just singing notes.

I would definitely classify this as progressive space rock with great guitar solos and awesome organ riffs. The bassist has the task of tying it all together and keeping everything consistent...and his bass lines are just perfect. These guys have a great sound and this recording takes you on a wild ride to anywhere you want and back. It's truly a beautiful experience.

01 Go...
02 Sea Saw
03 The Cold Hard Truth
04 Time Flies Like an Arrow
05 Rain Later, Good
06 The Viewing Point

Search Amazon for The Future Kings of England

Steve Hillage: L (4.5/5)

Year: 1976
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Space Rock
Label: Virgin
TRT: 44:01

With Todd Rundgren manning the board and Utopia along as backup band, ex-Gong member Hillage sets the controls for an electrified hippie-prog land of new age spiritual wonder on "L". Bookended by two appropriate covers in Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and George Harrison's often overlooked Yellow Submarine contribution, "It's All Too Much," the album applies a stoned '67 outlook to a clean and shimmery '76 production job by Rundgren, and while "L" occasionally reaches some intense levels, it's not so overstuffed as to leave one with the ice cream headache often associated with a really tripped out progressive band.

Throughout, Hillage lays down some tasty, fluid guitar work, sorta coming off like a more coherent, focused variation on most of the space-rock formulas....filtered through a heavy dose of Eastern mysticism. This is a great album to sit back and chill to.

01. Hurdy Gurdy Man (Donovan Cover)
02. Hurdy Gurdy Glissando
03. Elecktrick Gypsies
04. Om Nama Shivaya
05. Lunar Musick Suite
06. It's All Too Much (George Harrison Cover)

Search Amazon for Steve Hillage

Nektar: Recycled (5/5)

Year: 1975
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Space Rock
Label: Bacillus
TRT: 36:51

On this album the band chooses their tried and true method of performing a movement of songs into one piece....which for the days of vinyl (dealing with two sides) is an excellent choice. This album continues in the same vein as the few previous releases...except the music has now been formed into a more synth prog. The samples the band uses are very futuristic sounding and even for music created in the 70's; I think it still holds true today. From being an intense Nektar fan I can tell they are really pulling all the positive things from their past albums and combining it together for this release. This is another really solid effort from Nektar and the artwork again is wild and trippy....there are always small little details in the artwork that when you see it from the big picture...blow your mind. Enjoy...

01. Recycle
02. Cybernetic Consumption
03. Recycle Countdown
04. Automation Horrorscope
05. Recycling
06. Flight to Reality
07. Unendless Imaginations
08. Sao Paulo Sunrise
09. Costa Del Sol
10. Marvellous Moses
11. It's All Over

Search Amazon for Nektar

Nektar: Remember the Future (5/5)

Year: 1973
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Space Rock
Label: Bacillus
TRT: 35:39

This is another of those all too rare perfect albums. It all just fits together seamlessly and despite its age, is a rather intoxicating and enjoyable listen. I've owned this on album (LP) for about a year and I can't stop listening to it...it is my favorite Nektar album in their extensive catalog. Nektar may just be the most solid band of the 70's besides the greats (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin & Yes).

If you know anything about Nektar then you know they were all about combining the experience they provide...from their light show which was said to put all other bands to shame....to their always amazing cover art....to their well thought-out/intelligent and ultimately "real" lyrics....they really cover the spectrum that is involved with what music has to offer.

The lyrics on this album have gone beyond just the normal concept that was ever-so-popular in the prog scene at the time; they actually make it a complete conversation between a blind boy & a spiritual bird. I would recommend finding the lyrics to this album and reading them as you listen through the entire album in one sitting. It honestly may change the way you look at life. This is virtually a flawless example of early 70's prog-rock at its finest....as it cleverly avoids all the cliches of the genre. "Classic".

01. Remember the Future: Part I
02. Remember the Future: Part II

Search Amazon for Nektar

Nektar: A Tab in the Ocean (5/5)

Year: 1972
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Space Rock
Label: Bacillus
TRT: 35:50

I've seen pretty mixed reviews on this album but ratings and polls aside, I think this album has something very special about it...especially the B side. Really the most amazing information about this album is that it is their 2nd album of 1972. It's like they went as far out as you can go on hallucinogenics for "Journey to the Centre of the Eye" and as they came down they were able to relate their huge ideas they got from different perspectives into a more arranged and cohesive conversation.

I really think this has the "Obscured by Clouds" & "Dark Side of the Moon" feel and it's got the very professional orchestrated arrangement that a lot of psychedelic rock bands didn't even worry about because they were okay with the chaotic drug-induced arrangements that pushed other boundaries. But there is something really amazing about listening to a very carefully arranged recording and still getting all the psychedelic nuances of a Pink Floyd album. The lightly distorted organ is omnipresent and I love it because organ is one of my favorite instruments to hear done well. The epic 16 minutes "A Tab in the Ocean" is made of aggressive symphonic keyboards and electric guitar full of distortion, near metal sometimes! They can really go anywhere they want in the realm of uncapped infinite sounds and pull down the exact sounds to convey what they are feeling. Nektar is therefore very underrated.

01. A Tab in the Ocean
02. Desolation Valley, Waves
03. Crying in the Dark
04. King Of Twilight

Search Amazon for Nektar

Nektar: Journey to the Centre of the Eye (5/5)

Year: 1972
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Space Rock
Label: Bacillus
TRT: 41:55

First I must say this is one of my absolute all-time favorite bands. Nektar has to also be one of the most underrated bands. This album is full of pounding hammond organ, trippy effects, weaving guitar lines mixing together with other instruments, the majestic mellotron, and of course a larger-than-life concept. These are the common tags one can apply to this release by the nearly unknown British psychedelic/prog-rock band working in Germany.

The songs flow well together, creating a tight conceptual suite with the actual songs never becoming too boring as it brings certain musical themes throughout the whole album. I'm quite certain this band has a sound of their own, but for sure they're certainly more hypnotic and heavy than your average prog-rock band.

01. Prelude
02. Astronauts Nightmare
03. Countenance
04. The Nine Lifeless Daughters of the Sun
05. Warp Oversight
06. The Dream Nebula: Part I
07. The Dream Nebula: Part II
08. It's All in My Mind
09. Burn Out of My Eyes
10. Void of Vision
11. Pupil of the Eye
12. Look Inside Yourself
13. Death of the Mind

Search Amazon for Nektar