Leading off this week, the groundbreaking Blues Summit 100 project celebrates the centennial birthday of B.B. King, honouring his monumental legacy with a one-of-a-kind collaboration album. The album features a wealth of curated covers of B.B. King’s most iconic songs, recorded and tracked by blues-rock icon Joe Bonamassa and his all-star band.
The enigmatic Puscifer return with their stunning new album, Normal Isn’t. The uncompromising rock band fronted by Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) have delivered a record certain to please their dedicated fanbase.
At Home in My Mind is a journey around Ellur’s mind, dipping into different musical genres that have shaped her for the past 24 years, from the ’90s indie rock she grew up with, through the glitch-pop she discovered in her late teens to the alt-folk she cherishes now. Ellur has created a warm abode for her thoughts and experiences as a young woman growing up in Yorkshire’s Calderdale Valley.
British singer-songwriter Sarah Nixey has steadily gained acclaim for her savvy, sophisticated and poised pop. Her luxe, cut-glass voice belies her empathy, where social commentary serves as protest, both explicit and implied. “Sea Fever explores the bittersweet beauty of human life amid a volatile world of changing seasons and brutal elements,” says Nixey. “These are songs of deep sorrow, remembrance, birth and change, set against a backdrop of the sensuous natural world.”
“If only there was a way of getting my hands on 12 CDs, a double LP and a Blu-ray of Yes’s overblown 1973 4-track prog-rock epic,” I hear at least one of you cry. Well, there is now! I do like this album but I have always struggled a bit with side 3 – and now, with multiple versions, I can struggle with it even more! I know many people who adore this album; they aren’t wrong though: ¾ of it is awesome! Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Edition) is the definitive version of Yes’ ambitious sixth album, a record that stands as one of the most sprawling and intricate works of the progressive rock era.
Our release of the week is Woodcut, a landmark release for award-winning progressive rock band Big Big Train in that it marks their first ever full-length conceptual piece. “The story isn’t set in any particular timeframe, but it’s about The Artist, who is struggling with life,” says founding member Gregory Spawton. “He takes a stroll and finds this piece of heartwood and creates something that he considers beautiful and different. Maybe it’s a dream or maybe it’s real life, but he finds himself stepping into this Narnia-style woodcut world.”
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