Chicago Prog Ensemble Sonus Umbra Release New Album “A Sky Full of Ghosts”

Sonus Umbra came to life in 1991, formed by a group of physics and math students in Mexico City who drew from their shared love for all things dark, hard rocking and melodic. 30 years later, now based in Chicago and including some of the most accomplished veteran musicians of the Chicago rock music scene, the band continues casting shadows made of sound.

Sonus Umbra has played many progressive rock festivals in North America, including RoSfest, ProgDay, FestivAlterNativo, Progtoberfest and Terra Incognita, toured Mexico and Canada with Discipline, and shared stages along the way with the likes of Spock’s Beard, PFM, Stick Men, Haken, Thank You Scientist, Necromonkey, Deus Ex Machina, Tiles and Glass Hammer.

The band’s new studio album “A Sky Full of Ghosts” concludes the journey that began with “Beyond the Panopticon” and closes a chapter in the band’s own journey. The new album is a milestone of elaborate and ferocious progressive rock, and yet it is also their most melodic material to date.

Part 1 (“Beyond the Panopticon”) tells a story about the misconceived identity of a nameless protagonist who reminisces about lost love and near misses with death until he suddenly discovers that all of these memories are false. As he awakens to the reality around him, he realizes things are not as they seem, and that he is being watched...

Part 2 (“A Sky Full of Ghosts”) starts with the protagonist at war with his identity and environment. He learns that he is on board a vessel, deep in space and very far from home. The date is unknown. His mission is to assist the AI that runs the vessel and keeps him healthy and alive as they search for an exoplanet suitable for human habitation. In his broken mind, he personifies the AI that watches over him as a supernatural adversary: the Lorelei, with a bewitching song that will eventually lure him to his death.

Ultimately, the protagonist realizes that the Lorelei was always his ally, and the Earth of his memories is long gone, its flora and fauna decimated and no longer able to sustain life, destroyed by humanity’s hubris and senseless greed. As denial gives way to acceptance, the album is a plea for reason to prevail: it is suicidal and insane to wage war against your ship, which is the only thing keeping you alive in space. This is true whether the ship is an artificial vessel or the planet we call home.

We are all in this together, and we all are the same in the dark.

Sonus Umbra:

Roey Ben-Yoseph: Lead Vocals
Rich Poston: Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Steve Royce: Flute, Keyboards
David Keller: Cello, Orchestral Percussion
Tim McCaskey: Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Andy Tillotson: Drums, Keyboards, Guitars, Sound Design
Luis Nasser: Bass, Keyboards, Sound Design

You can order the eight-panel digipak compact disc directly from the band and stream the songs at gotsonus.bandcamp.com.

The album is also available at select distributors or directly at shadowsmadeofsound.com/store.

For more information:
shadowsmadeofsound.com
facebook.com/sonusumbra
twitter.com/sonusumbra

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Writings By Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist Bill Rieflin in “Within Without” Now Available

New Annual Publication “Within Without” Shares Intimate Writings From Bill Rieflin - Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist With Bands Such As R.E.M, King Crimson, and Ministry

This landmark issue of an independent annual print publication series that shares intimate perspectives into the hearts and minds of creatives unfolds over 90 pages of Bill Rieflin's personal correspondence with the editor, Iona Singleton, as he shares his intimate thoughts during the last four years of his life, from 2016 until his passing on the 24th March 2020. His letters are beautiful, sarcastic, and disturbing. He imbues the mundane with the whimsical, searching for a deeper meaning amid his own illness and the death of his wife, Francesca.  

“I think sharing is a natural aspect of human experience. Sharing who we are is an expression of love.” - Bill Rieflin

Rieflin’s writings are accompanied by images from an array of leading photographers and graphic artists. Each of them expresses their unique creative perspective on the theme ‘a space for change’ as a starting point for the distinct narratives that unfold throughout.

photo by Tony Levin

To purchase: https://www.withinwithout.co.uk/shop/p/within-without-volume-i

For more information: www.withinwithout.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Prog rock genius Simon Collins releases captivating album 'Becoming Human'

No stranger to the music industry, Simon Collins has spent his entire life in and around music. Returning with quite the masterpiece, 'Becoming Human' is a sensational album fuelled with prog rock, futuristic electronic pop and experimental fragrances. As the son of music legend Phil Collins, it's safe to say that music is in Simon's DNA. Armed with 12 tracks straight from a place of personal transformation, 'Becoming Human' comes in a time of need for the globe. With elements of relatability and individuality within the release, the album explores lyrical themes of personal loss, addictive and our place in the world. Lead by spine-tingling title track 'Becoming Human' - the track describes a journey of independence and discovering what it truly means to be human. 

Released on Frontiers Records, the release is for fans of Genesis, Juno Reactor, Steven Wilson and Peter Gabriel. It's the perfect release to stick on repeat, close your eyes and be transported to, what feels like, another galaxy. A refreshing release that still feels slightly nostalgic and paying ode to classic prog rock bands such as Genesis, 'Becoming Human' is authentic and comments on both's Simon's personal journey and Mankind as a whole.

Track list

1. Into The Fray
2. Becoming Human
3. The Universe Inside Of Me
4. Man Made Man
5. This Is The Time
6. Thoughts Become Matter
7. I Will Be Waiting
8. No Love
9. Living In Silence
10. 40 Years
11. So Real
12. Dead Ends

You can find Simon Collins at the following;

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simoncollinspage 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simoncollinsmusic/
Website: http://www.frontiers.it/album/5621
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GXoTDCcMmarUIZtrdrTa9
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksb-mWH082M

STRAWBS Release New Studio Album “Settlement”

Released February 26, 2021

Esoteric Antenna is delighted to announce the release of the new studio album by the legendary band STRAWBS. “Settlement” is the latest album recorded by STRAWBS, more than 50 years on from the band’s first major label release. The album comes at a time of political and social upheaval, which the lyrics and melodies of the songs reflect. Undeterred by the fact that ‘business as usual’ was not possible because of the global COVID-19 pandemic – working remote from one another, from their own home studios – “Settlement” is a remarkable achievement.

David Cousins, leader of STRAWBS says: “‘Settlement’ is something extraordinary. I can’t think of another band who can go from metal grunge to the lilt of an Irish ghost story – or from a song in 6/8 time to singing in 4/4 over a 5/4 backbeat – in half an hour. The lyrics reflect the times we have been living through and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved.”

“Settlement” is produced by Blue Weaver who played with STRAWBS and Bee Gees in their 1970s heydays. The recording was coordinated from Blue’s studio in Germany, where he now lives. STRAWBS are David Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, Tony Fernandez and Dave Bainbridge. Special guests on the album are John Ford, another former member of STRAWBS, who lives in New York, Cathryn Craig, with her lovely voice and unmistakable Southern lilt, who lives in Northern Ireland, and bass player Schalk Joubert, with whom David Cousins performed in South Africa at the beginning of the year. The album will be available both on CD and 180 gram vinyl formats.

“There comes a time when every Settlement is due!”

Track Listing:

1. SETTLEMENT
2. STRANGE TIMES
3. JUDGEMENT DAY
4. EACH MANNER OF MAN
5. THE VISIT
6. FLYING FREE
7. QUICKSILVER DAYS
8. WE ARE EVERYONE
9. CHORALE
10. CHAMPION JACK
11. BETTER DAYS (LIFE IS NOT A GAME)
12. LIBERTY

To pre-order:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-cd-edition/
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-180g-vinyl-lp/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Crossover Prog Review: Lunatic Soul-Through Shaded Woods (Deluxe Edition)

Release Date: November 13 2020

Label: Kscope

Website

Lunatic Soul was founded in 2008 in Warsaw, Poland, and to date, has released 7 studio albums, from the debut, Lunatic Soul in 2008 up to the album under review here, Through Shaded Woods earlier this year. Lunatic Soul is the creative vehicle for Marius Duda, the vocalist, and bassist for the Polish band, Riverside.

Through Shaded Woods is available as a single CD, a 2CD deluxe edition, as well as in vinyl and digital versions. The review is based on the deluxe version of the release.

Through Shaded Woods (Deluxe Edition) has 8 tracks and a total running time of just over 72 minutes (72:27) with the final track, “Transition II,” the longest at 27:45 minutes and the penultimate track, “Hylophobia” the shortest at just over 3 minutes (3:20).

Although being aware of both Riverside and Lunatic Soul and having featured tracks from Riverside on my radio show, I had never managed to “get into” Lunatic Soul releases, and I approached the review of Through Shaded Woods with no real expectations.

Regular readers of my reviews will be aware that I put a great deal of value on the opening track of releases, and am always looking for a hook, an amazing riff, basically something that “grabs your ears and shouts, Listen.”. Enter track 1 of this album, “Navvie” (4:03) and we find exactly what I am looking for. Obviously, folk-based and immersed in the more Nordic/Scandinavian folk arena, "Navvie” has a repetitive riff that becomes almost shamanic and in just over 4 minutes has succeeded in drawing the listener into a stunning mesmeric aural landscape.

Track 6, "The Fountain" (6:04), starts with a simple acoustic guitar, then Marius’s clear vocals take the track on and a piano appears in the background before moving to center stage. This is a beautiful, melodic track that flows along, carrying the listener along with it. As the song progresses there is the addition of some amazingly symphonic orchestration. Around the 4:40 minute point, there is a change to leave the piano theme to carry the track to its finale. This is another superb track from a stunning album.

The final track, “Transitions II” (27:45) is a real epic in terms of length and is a simply wonderful working and reworking of riffs and themes, reminiscent of Mike Oldfield. The original “Transitions” appears on Lunatic Soul II and initially, the opening of "Transitions II" harks back to this 2010 release. The additional instrumentation starts to suggest a change of direction and indeed, around the 4-minute mark, the “fuzzy” guitar starts the track moving into the realms of the aforementioned Mike Oldfield. For several minutes this style is maintained before moving into the sphere of New Age music, carrying the listener along with a minimalist soundscape style. The music is melodic, gentle, and intensely relaxing, before another change in style and direction nudging the 18-minute point when the piano takes on more responsibility and the other instrumentation washes in and out again, continuing the painting of an aural soundscape of gentleness, but different to that which had gone before. The track almost stops around the 21-minute mark and a very different picture comes into focus. The breathy vocals, or to be more correct, vocalizations, from Marius, float over an acoustic guitar theme and there is again a return to the folk area prevalent in “Navvie." This carries on until around 24:30 minutes when an ethereal choral section seems to appear, with an acoustic guitar theme in the background before the final section which harks back in time to a Gregorian chant before slowly fading away.

Through Shaded Woods is a superb release and well worth checking out. As I suggested early in this review, despite being aware of Lunatic Soul, I was not “into” the solo work of Marius. This album has changed my mind and I will now be revisiting the previous releases with more interest. Through Shaded Woods demands a place in many peoples’ CD collections, so grab a listen and see what you think

Jim “The Ancient One “ Lawson Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
January 22, 2021
 

Tracks:

1. Navvie (4:03)
2. The Passage (8:57)
3. Through Shaded Woods (5:51)
4 Oblivion (5:03)
5 Summoning Dance (9:52)
6. The Fountain (6:04)
7. Vyraj (5:32)
8. Hylophobia (3:20)
9. Transition II (27:45)
 

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Leading Figures Of Modern Electronic & Veteran Artists Rediscover & Revitalize The Music Of British Visionary ROBERT CALVERT!

Los Angeles, CA - Robert Calvert was one of the most charismatic and cutting-edge visionaries to emerge out of London's psych rock scene of the '60s & '70s, first as the frontman for the behemoth that is Hawkwind and later as a solo artist whose avant garde albums made him a highly influential art rock raconteur. And although mainstream recognition alluded Calvert during his career, a diverse and distinguished collection of nextgen artists along with several notable veterans are attempting to change that with a new remix project, called The Last Starfighter. The project features vintage Calvert tracks taken from both his solo albums as well as raw, unfinished demos, completely revamped by the likes of indie noise icons Xiu Xiu, chillwave group Small Black, post-punkers Soft Kill plus darkwave duos Xeno & Oaklander and Sixth June as well as veterans A Flock Of Seagulls and The Damned's Rat Scabies!

Xiu Xiu leader, Jamie Stewart, whose remix of “Marathon Man” is now available as a standalone single, shares this story about discovering Calvert’s music, “Around 2010 our tour manager, a continual fountain of musical exposure, introduced me to kosmische musik. Somehow I had gone my entire life before never having come across this world. During this tutelage, he professed one of his heroes, who is now also one of mine, to be Robert Calvert. We have listened to his forays into the beyond while driving across Europe in a van for years now. It was an incredible honor to be able to explore and touch one of his many masterpieces so thoroughly. I hope it was shown the love it deserves.”

The Last Starfighter will be available on both CD and gorgeous silver or purple vinyl in a gatefold jacket starting February 19 courtesy of Cleopatra Records!

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_xiu_xiu_marathon_man

Pre-order the album: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_the_last_starfighter

Track List:

CD

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
6. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
7. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
8. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
9. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
10. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)
11. Work Song (The KVB Remix)
12. Ned Ludd (Die Krupps Remix)
13. Over The Moon (Xiu Xiu Remix)
14. Working Down A Diamond Mine (Crying Vessel Remix)
15. All Machines Are Quiet (Andre Obin Remix)
16. Ambitious (Nite Remix)
17. Teen Ballad Of Deano (Inhalt Remix)
18. Telekinesis (S Y Z Y G Y X Remix)
19. Flight 105 (European Ghost Remix)

VINYL

SIDE A

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)

SIDE B

1. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
2. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
3. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
4. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
5. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
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Richard Barbieri (Japan, Rain Tree Crow, Porcupine Tree) Returns With His New Album 'Under A Spell'

Released on Kscope on 26th February

(photo credit – Carl Glover)

The man whose illustrious career began in the late 70s with synth-pop visionaries Japan and more recently as a member of influential art-rock band Porcupine Tree follows up 2017's Planets + Persona with new album Under A Spell.  

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE:

Richard Barbieri didn’t plan to make an album like Under A Spell, originally intended his fourth solo album to be a direct follow from its predecessor, 2017’s Planets + Persona.

That record, made in different studios across Europe and heavily incorporating live performances from a range of musicians, was adventurous and bold, showcasing Barbieri’s endlessly inventive song writing and mastery of electronic music. The follow-up would pick up where it left off, journeying further into the expansive terrain he mapped out on the previous record. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everything changed. “I wrote and recorded it in my studio at home, with all this strangeness going on outside,” says Barbieri of Under A Spell. “It became something completely different: this weird, self-contained dream-state album.”

On Under A Spell, Barbieri was intent on capturing the atmospheres and moods that his disconnected brain was conjuring rather than slaving over arrangements and melodies. Songs such as ‘Flare’, ‘Serpentine’, ‘Sleep Will Find You’ and its companion piece-of-sorts ‘Darkness Will Find You’ are sharply defined despite their dream-inspired genesis. He points to the evocative opening and closing tracks, ‘Under A Spell’ and ‘Lucid’, as the keys that unlock the album. “Those two tracks have the whole meaning within them,” he says. “The first song, ‘Under A Spell’, is leading you down a path, moving into places where you’re not sure what’s going on. There are whispers in the background, spells being cast in a deserted wood. Then the final track, ‘Lucid’, is the opposite. You’re in this comforting lucid dream, but then you're drifting further away from it, trying to come out of it. There are voices saying: ‘Wake up, wake up, come back alive...’”

Listeners will be able to make out those voices but there are no vocals, these voices, collaborators, include Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth and Swedish singer Lisen Rylander Love (who co-wrote ‘A Star Light’).

The album’s title perfectly encapsulates the haunting, evocative world Barbieri has created. Songs such as the skittering, billowing ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Sketch 6’s dub-inspired soundscape hang suspended in that strange half-world between sleep and waking – a subconscious reflection of the surreal state the planet has found itself in over recent months. “I was having a lot of bizarre, recurring dreams that were hanging around after I woke up,” says Barbieri. “They were based around this woodland pathway, which is really summed up by the album cover – this surreal, deserted, Blair Witch Project type of environment. You’re going through these woods, heading towards this light, almost like you’re leaving life. That’s where the title Under A Spell came from – it was a feeling of not being totally in control. Almost as if your dreams are pointing you in directions that sometimes you can control and sometimes you can’t.”

As ex-founder of Japan, the new-wave pioneers and one of the most ground-breaking bands of their era, Richard Barbieri helped spark the electronic music revolution that followed, his synthesiser sound not only defined the band but influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan and Talk Talk. Following Japan’s split, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson to form the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, that saw him play on nine of the band’s albums, including 1999’s Stupid Dream, 2002’s In Absentia and 2007’s acclaimed Fear Of A Blank Planet. Following PT’s hiatus Barbieri has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that include 2005’s Things Buried, 2008’s Stranger Inside and 2017’s Planets + Persona, as well as his recent EP series, Variant.1-5.

Barbieri's willingness to constantly redefine his own musical boundaries are never more evident than on the brilliant, hypnotic Under A Spell – the latest milestone on this utterly unique journey.

Under A Spell tracklisting
1. Under A Spell [07:19]
2. Clockwork [02:33]
3. Flare 2 [08:51]
4. A Star Light [03:50]
5. Serpentine [06:22]
6. Sleep Will Find You [02:51]
7. Sketch 6 [06:30]
8. Darkness Will Find You [04:58]
9. Lucid [06:14]

Under A Spell will be released on Kscope on 26th February, on CD,  gatefold double black vinyl LP, limited edition gatefold double red vinyl LP (exclusive to the Kscope store) and digitally with pre-orders available HERE https://RichardBarbieri.lnk.to/UnderASpell

For Hi-res images please go to www.kscopemusic.com/media/richardbarbieri

Follow Richard Barbieri:
https://www.facebook.com/RichardBarbieriOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/richardbarbieri_music
http://kscopemusic.com/artists/richard-barbieri

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com