THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - Something Mysterious (4:07)
Album: Amber Galactic (2017)
Label/Distribution: Nuclear Blast/Warner
www.facebook.com/thenightflightorchestraofficial
In the late seventies/early eighties, The Night Flight Orchestra would have filled arenas and stadiums with their songs. Today "Amber Galactic" is a passionate bow to Journey, Foreigner and (as in the case of "Something Mysterious") Survivor. The piano even brings a little Billy Joel into play.
ANATHEMA - Springfield (edit) (4:55)
Album: The Optimist (2017) (Release: 09.06.)
Label/Distribution: Kscope/Edel
www.anathema.ws
A simple piano melody develops layer by layer into a mighty sound wall of distorted guitar, bass, drums and, thoughtfully, vulnerable, Lee Douglas's voice. Melancholic, dramatic, a true ANATHEMA signature song with just a hint of electronic gimmickry.
COLOUR HAZE - Lotus (7:04)
Album: In Her Garden (2017)
Label/Distribution: Elektrohasch/Sonic Rendezvous
www.colourhaze.de
COLOUR HAZE consistently continue on their path, also with "In Her Garden". Not only do they celebrate the Stonerrock with all its stylistic elements, they constantly add new facets and dimensions. Always new guitar sounds, tricky rhythms, sometimes with keyboards, brass or strings in focus.
SIENA ROOT - Outlander (4:43)
Album: A Dream Of Lasting Peace (2017)
Label/Distribution: MIG/Indigo
www.sienaroot.com
The time travel of the Swedes continues with powerful organ chords and a firm voice (sometimes even reminiscent of an early Ian Anderson). Flowery psychedelic colours, but above all cool classic rock crackers. "Outlander" has an extremely large Deep Purple/Uriah Heep organ in it. Not a single song failure. Album of the month!
PETE LYNCH - In Your Head (3:26)
Album: Kill The Monster (2017)
Label/Distribution: Holly Hill Street/Tunecore
www.petelynchmusic.com
Wonderfully harmonious mix of 80's sounds and subtle new art rock influences. Lynch's voice floats majestically above a recurring, shimmering guitar part and gives you goose bumps. The whole album lives from beautiful melodies and the discreet, warm voice of Lynch, wrapped in simple but always fitting songs.
DAMANEK - Long Time Shadow Falls (7:44)
Album: On Track (2017)
Label/Distribution: GEP/Soulfood
www.guymanning.com
Prog veteran Guy Manning and his new band Damanek present wonderfully playful, breathtakingly arranged songs, garnished with thoughtful lyrics. The inspired use of wind instruments (Marek Arnold!) puts the icing on the cake on the jazzy neoprog of a band you have to keep an eye on.
EQUALLY STUPID - Transpiration (4:36)
Album: Escape From The Unhappy Society (2017)
Label/Distribution: Eclipse Music/Galileo MC
www.jazzfinland.fi/band/equally-stupid
Staccato on the baritone guitar, driving drum beat and fluttering saxophone. This is how Equally Stupid thread themselves into their song, which sounds more like New York Underground than like a band with a Finn, an Icelander and a Swiss. Concentrated jazz rock power on traces of Morphine or Naked City.
THE ELECTRIC FAMILY - Lucrecia, My Reflection (8:48)
Album: Terra Circus (2017)
Label/Distributor: Sireena/Broken Silence
www.sireena.de
Dark Wave goes Krautrock. You can't? There you go! On their current album, the first for ten years, the Electric Family transfers the Sisters-Of-Mercy classic from the dark-synthetic eighties back to the herbaceous seventies and from there to the year 2017. And Dr. Avalanche becomes Hanno Janssen at this point.
BASK - Asleep In The Orchard (7:32)
Album: Ramble Beyond (2017)
Label/Distribution: This Charming Man/Cargo
www.basknc.com
"I feel like I'm in the mountains of North Carolina" - the musicians of BASK often hear this compliment. On their second album "Ramble Beyond" there are allusions to nature and fruit in every song. This is also the case in "Asleep In The Orchard", which is located in an orchard.
ELECTRIC MOON - The Loop (8:06)
Album: Stardust Rituals (2017)
Label/Distribution: Sulatron/Broken Silence
www.electricmoon.de
Maybe "Stardust Rituals" is the best album of ELECTRIC MOON so far. In any case it represents a clear further development for the band. The trio cast the jam-like mix of psychedelic and space rock in form and provided it with structure. So great trips between five and 22 minutes length are possible.
