Welcome to the first regularly updated CD review section I've done in ages, outside of the Scottish and selected English (& Australian) independent music scenes.
This section, however, is devoted to bands who are signed to labels, and outside of the Scottish music scene.
Basically, the thinking behind this bit, although inevitably it's my own humble opinion, is that if someone's produced a CD that is so stonkingly good in its field that no fan of that style of music should be able to live without it, then it's reviewed here - all styles, all artists - all thing considered - but only the best included. Now, read on......

NEIL ARDLEY – Harmony Of The Spheres CD
It's kinda weird that we've got to a position with music in 2009 where seventies jazz-rock sounds more “dated” than sixties pop, an indication as to where the attitudes lie, in that the song is more important than the instrumental, virtuosity of playing and technical ability, counting for very little in today's modern musical climate. Thus, this album from a guy who's technically more of an avant-garde/classical fusion composer and player, is decidedly “of its time”, yet the weird part is it's so refreshing to hear. With a lightness of melodic touch and the tensile strength of the rhythm department, the players, chief of which are the late John Martyn on electric guitar, and an impressive array of seventies jazz-rockers that included Nucleus' Ian Carr, Turning Point's Pepi Lemer, Paraphenalia's Barbara Thompson and others, proceed to turn in an undeniably languid group performance that provides what is essentially a jazz-rock instrumental album with an accessibility and enjoyment factor that is surprisingly high. From the real fusion of funk, jazz and synths-driven melodic heights on a track such as “Leap In The Dark”, arguably the finest track on the CD, through the darker tones of “Glittering Circles” where twittering synths, deep bass and space textures, slowly mutate into resonant twangy electric bass, chunky drums, spacious synths and soaring, searing electric guitar, all enriched with that melodic drive and emotion of playing which turns each track into something that you can not only get your teeth into but which isn't proving overly filling either. A meal that you can indeed, shake hands with in the dark. Throughout the album, it's the synths, keys and bass that really take centre stage with constancy, the drums providing obvious foundations, while the assortment of guitars, flutes, sax, occasional wordless vocals and brass, all provide the icing on the cake and at no time does any lead idea overstay its welcome or even appear to outdo anything else. It's very much a travelogue of late seventies fusion that, while not possessing the sheer emotional adrenaline of a Brand X, blasts the indulgences of many a jazz-rock band of the time, into gloriously commercial sounding pieces.

BLOW UP HOLLYWOD – Blow Up Hollywood CD
The cover is fold-out, in black and white, forbidding and foreboding yet strangely hypnotic, tells you nothing except the very basis of what you need to know yet invites you in to a world of mystery.
The same could be said of the album's musical contents!
It opens with disembodied voices as a gorgeous synthesizer/keyboard fog rolls in from the ocean in riples of shimmering beauty, to roll away again almost as swiftly. Immediately, the sound of a mournful cello is heard as an acoustic guitar strums quietly alongside. Then in comes the singer – a voice full of yearning emotion that's somehow full of satisfaction at the same time as it's inviting you to share his feelings and observations. It's a voice that's emotionally charged and yet warm, comforting and fragile as it is strong. A waft of keys and synths heralds the arrival of slowly flowing rhythm section, keys and guitars as the song strengthens its hold, tightens its grip yet becomes a thing of uplifting, mesmersing charm, gradually flowing into the hook-as-chorus, at which point you are completely taken over by everything this world has to offer on a song that's simply spellbinding, beyond ballad, above mere feelings, and instead a supreme majesty of drama, delicate intensity and hypnotic bliss. The song is called “It's Not Me” and already it's the third track on the album, but it is the point at which you fall deeply in love with the album and the thinking, arranging, playing and singing behind it. From there on in, you plunge with eager tranquility and taut emotion into a sea of songs where the greatest of feelings is provided by the sparest of playing, band-driven all the same, as they make every note count, every slice of haunting intensity from the sinewy violin/cello, through the throb of drums and distant deep bass, to the more melodic counterpoints of keyboards and occasional guitar, the instrumental passages speaking as many volumes as the songs, “Descend” leading the way into the darkness yet eerily towards the star in the horizon. “Heaven Or Hell” agains flows tenderly into existence as the warm, strong, gorgeously emotive vocal sings a song that simply can't fail to make it straight to your heart as the multi-tracked verses with deep textural backing give an added dimension to the song, the spirit so deep, the eyes so wide, the longing ever greater, on a song that is truly spellbinding as cello, acoustic guitar and deep rivers of texture make the hook achingly mesmerising and the song the sort of experience you want to have, time after time. “Beyond the Stars” opens with cascading, deliberate piano chords, deep synth bass rumble and cosmic wind as the piece lifts off in a fogbank of distant train-like electro-percussive bliss, the piano climbing above in slowly unfolding steps of splendour as the piece gathers pace and intensity to become this wondrous slice of shoegazing beauty almost like a cosmic instrumental stripped-down decelerated version of essential early Bruce Hornsby, and just awesome. “Sweetest Moment” opens with sampled preaching voice, heartbeat percussive throb, deep piano/synth chords and an almost early seventies Pink Floyd feel, before the vocal emerges with another song that's immediately got you caught in its spell as the composition echoes a male answer to emotive Tori Amos, truly spellbinding yet again, so different from anything else around, but so much finer at the same time, a song, yet again, so perfect in the context of the album and gradually rising to a peak that surveys its kingdom and finds strength, peace and purpose, once again, intense but in a wholly hypnotic manner. This segues into a huge swathe of synthesized orchestral sounding cosmic gorgeousness as the reprise of the earlier “It's Not Me” is heard in all its uplifting charm and emotive wonderment. Over a final quintet of songs and instrumental amazement, the album continues without once losing what makes it so enthralling, so hypnotic, so full of feeling and so much the sort of album you know you are going to play and play and never once tire of its undoubted charms. Possibly the most underestimated genius debut album of the last 10 years.

BLOW UP HOLLYWOD – Fake CD
Two years later, to 2004, and things have changed – for the better. The songs and playing are every bit what made them so special on the debut album, but the fragility of exploration and yearning is now replaced by this driving, dramatic sense of purpose as the songs, the singing and, above all, the playing, come crashing into the electric heavens, as, right from the start, a parallel universe Pink Floyd is heard in all its glory, the sound of electric guitar leads, textures and breaks over slowly flowing rhythm section and melodic keys, is completed by the even stronger and no less emotive lead vocal that delivers the song in all its glory, the song is “Born”, the playing incredible and the effect utterly breathtaking as this majestic epic of an opener catches you in its spotlights and keeps you there for the duration. You'd buy the album for this track alone!! The even better part, however, is that it's all just as hot as this. The weeping cellos are still present, but even these possess a greater strength, a greater depth of emotion than before, as it immediately segues its orchestral splendour into the strains of acoustic guitar, distant synths, deep bass and lilting melody that back the quietly emotive vocal of the title track as the drums come in and provide the backbone of the piece. Then, as the electric guitars break waves, the vocal lifts off and the song veers between sky and earth with incredibly ease and stunning effect, a song that is as hypnotic as it is dramatic as it is romantic, slowly building into this huge sounding epic that's truly a sight to behold and admire. A short instrumental excursion that is the calming qualities of “Just Before Dawn” leads us into the uplifting song that is “nde” with shimmering guitars, haunting rhythms and textural keys before another Floyd-like break opens the song out into dramatic prog-rock realms as the vocals strengthen, intensify and stride out, eventually dropping back to the peace of whirlpools of shimmering electric guitars, cosmic electronics, shuffling drums and yearning vocal, all arranged to perfection and a joy to hear, an experience to be had as long, loud and as often as possible. “Darkness Falls” is an instrumental interlude that features more of that emotive, warm sounding cello with distant cosmic electronics far far away, creating a mood that's endearing yet eerie at the same time, but above all, truly blissful that dies away slowly to herald the arrival of “Oceans”, a warm-sounding ballad that's not only one of the finest tracks on the album, but one of the finest songs written in the last ten years. So emotive, so full of feeling, so passionate, it is sung with yearning intensity and imploring meaning, with a stirring, slowly rising undercurrent and playing that's got that total seal of parallel universe Pink Floyd stamped right across it as this slide electric guitar break is heard in all its glory above the strong and gathering density of the rhythm section, the whole thing rising up to a crescendo before diving back down to deliver the gorgeousness of the song's final moments in the quiet calm of how it began. “Rise” is an altogether stronger slice of instrumental orchestral sounding river of dreams, full of synths and strings, spotlighted with melodic keys and rippling currents, as short as it is sweet, and drawing the listener into “White Walls”, starting with swirling clouds of electronics and echoed pulses, as the vocal emerges, softer this time, almost lazily intoned, but gradually conveying the emotive charm as the band strengthen, drums begin the drive, cellos and guitars provide the depth, texture and more strength as the vocal is almost submerged but then it does away to give the song its own breathing space as the emotionally charged calm of the vocal carries it all the way through to the end, diving between the loud and the lilting with dextrous ease. “Being There” is the sound of hope, the sound of loss and the sound of longing, all in one cello-led sea of wondrous emotion, an instrumental composition of spellbinding beauty. Finally, we hit “dmk”, as the album ends on an instrumental mix of eerie, calm, spacey, other-worldly charms with electronic textures, haunting shimmering melodic emotion and a sense of adventure, telling you that there's so much more to the universe, and yet giving you just a glimpse of its spellbinding glories, as an almost early Klaus Schulze-like piece brings the album to a calming close. Overall, this is even more essential than the first album, not a wasted second on the whole thing, played and sung and arranged to perfection and one of the most fantastic albums you'll hear - anywhere!!

GHOST CIRCUS – Across The Line CD
The opener illustrates that this band really knows how to arrange a slice of prog. Starting with gentle acoustic guitar it gradually builds into this blaze of epic prog with guitars and synths on fire, before dropping back to acoustic guitars, space synths and rumbling deep bass undercurrents, the perfect instrumental opener. Just as that's subsiding and you're expecting a plaintive voice to emerge, suddenly and surprisingly, the next track, “Pathway”, erupts in a flare of prog-metal with driving guitars, surging rhythms, raw vocals and a grand canyon sized sea of glorious harmony vocals, all performed with strength, depth, passion and feeling as this towering roar of a track lights up your life with unending energy. A mid-section addition of synths comes just at the right time, as the synths and guitars duel and the song continues apace to breathtaking degree, as sound a slice of prog-metal as it gets and just mindblowing. Without a break, this segues right into the swirling, soaring guitars and synths that open “Holding On” as the lead guitar spirals out of sight then back down to earth amid a synth bass undercurrent, as synth choirs enter to provide a gorgeous contrast and then take over the central musical figure completely before a burst of searing guitar heat enters, the rhythm section strides in, organ gives it a seventies sense of prog-rock heaven and the vocal, now less anguished yet just as strong, soars out to equally commanding degree, this time another sea of backing vocals and harmonies providing the extra icing on the cake as the song positively glides along in another blaze of emotional and uplifting rock-prog proportions. A red hot guitar break takes your breath away as it all powers ahead until the track breaks out into a wide open space of Steve Howe-esque guitar melody before gathering strength and returning to its epic prog-rock self, again, another absolute gem of a track. Again, without a break, it segues neatly into “To Be” via rivers of string and space synths, very much like Klaus Schulze on the “Go” project, before the drums and bass lurch forward with intent, the synths swirl to the skies and slowly a lead synth sounding more like a mellotron takes centre stage and the distinct influences of mid-seventies Genesis are heard. But then this is replaced with a Bruce Hornsby-esque piano figure as the band surge ahead at mid-paced splendour and the song is delivered with an even more emotive vocal than before, this time slower and with even more emotion to it, but the piece possessing undoubted cohesion, complexity but, above all, melodic depth and purpose that really makes it stand out as a fine prog-rock ballad of great strength. This segues into “Losing Time”, an initially brooding intro heralding the arrival of a surging electric slide guitar as the band then takes off to the heavens cascading on waves of powerful band-played instrumentation and more restrained band-backed singing, veering between the two with absolute conviction on a song that's once again, hugely emotive and yet still powerful enough to get the adrenaline flowing. To come are the surging prog-metal that is “Through The Darkness” in a hail of blazing guitars, and the album's epic closing track in the form of the 8-part “Through The Light”, as fine a piece of modern epic length prog-rock as they come. In short, one powerful gem of an album for those that like their prog deep, feeling, powerful and impassioned.

HAWKWIND – Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music CD
When this first came out in 1976, following the amazing “Warrior On The Edge Of Time”, not only was it signalled as Hawkwind's “return to earth”, it also proved to be a major disappointment to the space-rock fan that I was at the time. Oddly enough, this is the first time I've listened to it since then – and I must say that it's really rather good. Bob Calvert did have an overly dramatic, even forced, vocal style, one that over emphasized parts of words, as though teaching the listener that what he's got to say is VERY IMPORTANT, it's still evident that this was a singer acting out his lyrical imagery as he delivered it, very much the showman, very much the conveyor of observation and yet managing to give everything a sense of dark emotion wrapped in curiously commanding envelope of hypnotic entrancement. Throughout the album's songs – approximately half of the original album, as the rest were instrumentals – he dominates, prowls, snarls, snaps and strides through the lyrics with a passion and feel that veers from scary to providing a wry smile on a mischievous face, seventies science fiction wrapped in Victorian murder melodrama. So, you get the “concept” track that is the theatre of “Steppenwolf” during which you hardly notice what the band's playing, so dominating is Calvert's perofrmance, standing next to the more anthemic commerciality of the sublime “Reefer Madness” which opens the album in fine fashion, and the traditional Hawkwind rocker that is “Kerb Crawler”, a short track which sounds hopelessly dated thanks to that awful female-sung chorus next to Calvert's lead vocal that tries to be a rock singer and a plodder of a band performance, making “Silver Machine” sound like speed metal, with an even shorter version of it also featuring, for some mysterious musical reason, as part of the bonus tracks, just so you can wince at it twice. Elsewhere there are four instrumentals, of which “City Of Lagoons” and “Chronoglide Skyway” are somewhat of a cosmic nature while “The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon” is more funky, delineating the band's move towards a more earthbound stance, the line-up of two drummers and bassist clearly exerting the lion's share of the influence as Turner's sax and the keys mean that Brock's guitar work is largely relegated to backing work. That said, it's got bite, urgency and the funk gets more than ready to roll as the whole thing lurches along in fine fashion. Of the original album, this leaves “Kadu Flyer”, a song that kind of bounces along merrily with oddly addictive, pleasant sounding harmonies, sounding more like across between Quintessence and Stackridge, than Hawkwind, but it's actually a really excellent song delivered by Turner with a curiously hypnotic exotic far-eastern influence in its latter instrumental parts. As three further bonus tracks, you get the instrumental “Honky Dorky”, originally the B-side of “Kerb Crawler”, that's more circular and hypnotic than funky, as synths and rhythm section provide the meat of the track with a repeated vocal refrain engaging or annoying the crap out of the listener, depending on your point of view; this is joined by “Back On The Streets”, recorded towards the latter part of '76 with a slimmed-down line-up and, at long last, Brock's woken up, for this really is a rather fine traditional Hawkwind rocker and arguably the best track on the newly remastered album. As a bonus you get its B-side “The Dream Of Isis” which is a driving mix of swirling synthesized, almost space-rock, together with a wickedly strong electric bass line and a sizzling sea of synth soloing. All in all, it's stod the test of time more than adequately and is now an album I will play more often – except for “Kerb Crawler”, that is!!

Continued...

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