With their 2020 tour plans shot to Dénudé pieces by Covid, Lazuli returned to France where they put together an unexpected stripped down album, Dénudé, that revisited songs from earlier phases of their career. This also became a good way of bedding in new recruit, guitarist Arnaud Beyney. TPA’s Alex Driessen spoke to Lazuli founder/composer/singer [&hellip

French progressive rock outfit Lazuli has very recently released a new, special album entitled Dénudé, meaning ‘stripped’ or ‘naked’, appropriate for these sixteen unplugged versions recorded in 2020, selected from the band’s first eight studio albums. These ‘undressed’ songs, acoustic or otherwise, are more direct, closer to their origins and the sensations felt whilst writing. [&hellip

The dearth of live music over the last year has meant many beloved annual events have not taken place. The last gig I was able to attend before the world went tits up was the magnificent 10 Years of Chaos festival from Chaos Theory, with probably their biggest and best line-up ever. To be honest, [&hellip

Italian producer, composer and guitarist Corrado Rustici may not be a household name but having worked with some of the biggest names in the music business during a near 50-year career, there is no doubting his calibre. A founder member of Naples-based progressive rock group Cervello, recording the Melos album in 1973, Rustici formed fusion [&hellip

Time is a blurry concept to me after months of a covid changed world. I believe we are now in the year 2021, but I continue to find gems from 2020. After immediately becoming enamoured with Deadburger’s La Chiamata from last year (this year), it is now another Italian oddity which has me head over [&hellip

1976 – the Drought Year. I was 15, spending my hard-earned paper round money on some of the many interesting albums released that year. A prime one for me was the Gabriel-free Genesis and A Trick of the Tail, but there were many more. With the beast that was punk looming, this was the year [&hellip

‘Blah, Rhubarb, Blah…’, as Clive Mitten used to say in Fact and Fiction. Some performers endlessly regurgitate their most popular moments, living off past glories and memories, and some artists move on, relentlessly exploring new territory, expressing themselves in different ways. Clive Mitten is definitely the latter with this imaginative and captivating orchestral release, Suite [&hellip

Membership of Jethro Tull has constantly evolved with ever-changing line-ups playing alongside the band’s legendary founder Ian Anderson. The most radical changes came late in 1979 and Ian Anderson saw 1980 as an opportunity for all to look at independent projects and to return to the fold rejuvenated. Things did not go to plan and, [&hellip

It is difficult enough to write lyrics for a song. Sometimes you have to alter a word here or there to fit the music or the mood you are trying to convey. But what if you couldn’t alter the lyrics because they were part of a national heritage? Nad Sylvan has taken up the task of creating songs from the work of Irish poet W.B.Yeats. (With one song, You’ve Got To Find A Way, included as a bonus track, the lyrics are Nad’s own.) The poet’s work that I am familiar with relates to human experience and curiosity. These are great subjects to set to music. Symbolism can be discovered in the lines. There is also a bridge between the human world and the mystical. Song lyrics after all are a style of poetry. The title of Mr. Sylvan’s album, Spiritus Mundi, is also drawn from Yeats, and poet’s concept regarding the collective soul of the universe that contains the memories of all humankind.. Mr. Sylvan is known to many as the voice of Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited project, but Nad has his own solo career, with this release being his sixth. This work contains touches of acoustic, symphonic, folk, prog and spoken word. The sounds of the natural world can be heard at one point. The music is brought forth in a modern way, with hints of past traditions contained within the threads. Nad’s voice, to my ears, has always harkened back to another time, and it fits in wonderfully with the poetry and the music. Fans of folk and prog rock should enjoy Spiritus Mundi. Fans of W.B. Yeats should also give a listen to this album, and make a musical discovery in the process. A daunting task has yielded a wonderful, joyous listening experience. Watch the video for The Hawk, posted here at the end of the review.   Rating: 9/10 Tracklisting: The Second Coming Sailing to Byzantium Cap and Bells The Realists The Stolen Child To An Isle In The Water The Hawk The Witch and The Mermaid The FishermanBonus Tracks You’ve Got To Find A Way (lyrics by Nad) To A Child Dancing In The Wind Available as: Special Edition CD Digipak (with the 2 bonus tracks), 180g Gatefold LP Vinyl Edition (with CD) and as Digital Download Release date April 9, 2021 Artist website: https://www.nadsylvan.com/ Label website: https://www.insideoutmusic.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=850 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nad.sylvan Twitter: https://twitter.com/SylvanOfficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadsylvan/   https://youtu.be/RIaMtZI-Oa8

I very rarely quote from a band’s own description, but in the case of this gc / nc album, Deprecated, I feel it is almost unavoidable. I could direct you to look at the cover art, but it doesn’t explain just how creative the sounds of this release are, made by way of a bicycle. [&hellip