PROG PRESENTS… Discovering

ESOTERIC RECORDINGS

Ed’s Letter

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of

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LEPROUS READY THEIR “UNIFYING” NINTH ALBUM

IF IT’S OUT THERE, IT’S IN HERE

MARCOS CURIEL

Inspiring the wider music world…

ALBER JUPITER

Neu!-inspired duo roll out the pedals for their cosmic instrumentals.

OUDEZIEL

Our far-out trip to far-flung prog

TEIGER

Meet the atmospheric London trio who refuse to be pigeonholed.

LAST PLANE OUT

Swedish pop singer and music journalist join forces for a progtastic project.

CANDACRAIG

Former thespians finally find their voice as neo-prog folk duo.

Q & A BILL FISHER

The Church Of The Cosmic Skull frontman discusses thinking like a billionaire, running his own DIY label, and “yacht doom”.

THE PROG INTERVIEW RICHARD THOMPSON

Every month we get inside the mind of one of the biggest names in music. This issue it’s Richard Thompson. Best known for co-founding Fairport Convention in the 60s, the British singer and guitarist has gone on to enjoy a successful solo career with his distinctive brand of progressive folk and was even awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. His latest release, Ship To Shore, finds him seeking inspiration from a diverse array of genres and styles. He looks back over his storied career so far and reveals why he has no interest in sitting on his laurels.

PENDRAGON

A kick up the 90s? Neo-prog torchbearers’ standout album from the genre’s anni horribiles gets a welcome reissue.

Take abow

RIVERSIDE

HUW LLOYD-JONES (ALSO EDEN)

The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon.

IN MEMORY OF MIKE PINDER

As co-founder of The Moody Blues, keyboardist Mike Pinder played a significant role in transforming the group from an R&B/beat combo into a chart-topping symphonic progressive powerhouse. He created music from the heart and used his detailed knowledge of the Mellotron to great effect on some of the Moodies’ best-loved songs. His impact on the world of progressive music will continue to be felt by generations to come.

IN MEMORY OF RICHARD TANDY

Best known as the long-standing keyboardist in Electric Light Orchestra, Richard Tandy’s instrumentation was a key part of the Birmingham band’s sound, including on the Top 10 hit, Mr Blue Sky. Described by drummer Bev Bevan as Jeff Lynne’s “right-hand man”, he played on nearly all their studio albums, and also worked with George Harrison, Tom Petty and The Everly Brothers. He died in May at the age of 76.

Finding Neverland

The early 2000s were a time of change and self-discovery for Marillion. Following the success of their early crowdfunding experiment on Anoraknophobia, they returned to the studio to create an ambitious follow-up that would land them back in the UK Top 10. As Marbles reaches its 20th anniversary, the five-piece recount the falling outs, ‘happy drugs’ and tales of Neverland that led to the modern-day version of the band we know and love.

Talking About Talk – The Forgotten Yes Album

With the long-awaited 30th anniversary reissue now available, Yes’s final album featuring Trevor Rabin and Tony Kaye is well overdue for re-evaluation. This is the story of Talk, the band’s innovative and relatively unsung masterpiece, and the tour that followed its original release in 1994.

Heavy Mellow

Never one to follow trends, Jane Weaver has mixed things up on her dreamy new album, Love In Constant Spectacle. She’s taken a modern approach to the cut-up technique of lyric-writing and even travelled to Rockfield to record with a producer for the very first time. She reflects on the experience, talks touring plans, and explains why simpler can sometimes be better.

Droning On…

On his first Bass Communion album in 12 years, Steven Wilson pushes the boundaries of progressive music with what could only be described as a experimental noise record. The Itself Of Itself finds him taking inspiration from avant-garde composers and experimenting with studio sounds. Prog discovers how tape hiss and Stockhausen led to the creation of one of the artist’s most surprising releases

“There’s a spirit in CHINA that really moved me!”

In 2012, drummer Anthony Vanacore made the life-changing choice to migrate from the US to China. The band he started there, OU, became the first Chinese prog act to sign with a major western label and have just collaborated with Devin Townsend. Vanacore tells Prog about his collective’s boundary-breaking journey so far.

ALight In The Darkness

Self-exiled Russian artist and the voice behind duo Iamthemorning, Marjana Semkina has taken a different approach on her second solo album, Sirin. Her trademark melancholy lyrics are now ignited by anger over the political situation in her birth country, in what the singer-songwriter describes as a “unified art project”. She discusses the hope, heartbreak and personal cheerleading team that made this exciting release possible.

Daze Of Future Passed

When starched-shirt British jazz and classical label Decca decided to ‘get hip’, they started the offshoot Deram and opened the doors to psychedelia and prog rock, launching some of the biggest and best-loved acts in our world – and some minnows that slipped the net. Upcoming anthology Psych! British Prog, Rock, Folk & Blues 1966-73 documents the scene, and David Hitchcock, Pye Hastings, Davy O’List and more cast their minds back to those wonder years.

Dark Delights

Former The Eden House vocalist, Louise Patricia Crane confronts her inner demons on her second solo album. Set against a backdrop of Irish folk and mythology, Netherworld finds the Northern Irish singer-songwriter embarking on a healing journey with a cast that includes Jakko Jakszyk and Ian Anderson. Prog caught up with her to find out more.

Is This The Life We Really Want?

Norway’s Airbag have never shied away from heavy topics, and on their sixth studio album, they tackle themes of division, cancel culture and rewriting history. The Century Of The Self takes their trademark guitar sound and elevates it with bold new sonics and production techniques. Guitarist BjØrn Riis tells Prog about its creation and being part of the Cruise To The Edge “family”

Secrets From The Shadows

Nordic Giants say they’re closing the book on their early work with a new anthology with a difference. Origins takes a deep-dive into the duo’s past with a reworked selection of their singles and EPs that escalates their otherworldly soundscapes to another level. But does this mean the duo are hanging up their masks for good? Absolutely not! In a rare interview, Rôka and Löki share their own origins and reveal their exciting plans for the next chapter