Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Now on Newsstands


Amid several projects this summer, including researching and writing a whopping 7,600 word liner note essay for an upcoming vinyl box set, I contributed a couple of pieces to the two most recent editions of Prog magazine.

I reviewed the 11th album by The Pineapple Thief, a British band I've long been a fan of in issue 68 (Jon Anderson cover). Your Wilderness features drummer Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) and is one of the best albums in the band's catalog. Here's a taste of the album courtesy of YouTube: In Exile
No Man's Land

For issue 69, released this past week, I reviewed a concert by YES in Lynn, Massachusetts. I last reviewed a YES show in 2014 during their final show with bassist Chris Squire, who sadly passed away last year. truth, In truth, I wasn't expecting much from the show. Longtime drummer Alan White decided to sit out the tour due to health issues following surgery. Steve Howe is now the only remaining member from the band's classic era. Indeed, YES's lineup nowadays is a bit like the Celtics basketball team after they lost their championship-winning big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. But, like the current Celtics team consisting largely of no-name players, YES can still hold their own on the big court.

July and August Playlist


  • Marillion—F.E.A.R. (2016)
  • Lisa HanniganAt Swim (2016)
  • ShearwaterLodger (2016)
  • Mélanie De BiasioBlackened Cities (2016)
  • Wye OakTween (2016)
  • John WesleyA Way You'll Never Be (2016)
  • The AmazingAmbulance (2016)
  • Burnt BeliefEmergent (2016)
  • Jeff BeckLoud Hailer (2016)
  • The Jelly JamProfit (2016)
  • Sam Beam and Jesca HoopMilky Way (2016)
  • Francis DunneryReturn to the Wild Country (2016)
  • The Pineapple ThiefYour Wilderness (2016)
  • Joy WilliamsVenus acoustic (2016)
  • BjörkVulnicura Live (2016)
  • Floating PointsKuiper; Alaenia (2016, 2015)
  • Steve Jansen and Richard BarbieriStone to Flesh (2015 reissue)
  • The Week that WasThe Week that Was (2008)
  • AmplifierThe Astronaut Dismantles HALEternity, The Octopus, Sunriders (2005-13)
  • The Besnard LakesVolume 1 (2003)
  • Buena Vista Social ClubBuena Vista Social Club (1997)
  • QueenGreatest Hits, Vol. 1 and II (1991)
  • The ClashThe Story of the Clash, Volume 1 (1988)
  • YesTales from Topographic Oceans, Drama, 9012, Big Generator (1973, 1980, 1983, 1987)
  • GenesisDuke (1980) 
  • Joni MitchellMingus (1979)
  • John ColtraneA Love Supreme (1965)