I have experienced albums that I did not like at first but slowly and surely liked throughout time. Vulnicura by Bjork, Cop by Swans, Drastic Measures by Kansas, and the list goes on. However, up until now I have never experienced an album that I did not like at first but soon started to hate with each passing listen, that is until I heard of Fabulous Muscles by Xiu Xiu.

I have heard of Xiu Xiu before, in fact my first album I listened to from them was 2017’s FORGET, though I don't ... read more

While it is not all that uncommon to see a trilogy of conceptual albums to be made in prog rock, it is quite uncommon for all three of those albums to be downright masterpieces in my eyes. However, it is not the first time Motorpsycho has crafted a bunch of amazing albums in a row before.

The Tower is the start of the band’s Gullvåg trilogy, which is aptly named after Norwegian artist Håkon Gullvåg, who created the album covers for this trilogy. Right off the bat, the ... read more

1982 was quite the year for some very stellar 80s hits. The Cure released their very immaculate gothic rock score of Pornography, Kate Bush went to a more experimental edge with The Dreaming, Iron Maiden released their mighty Number Of The Beast, and Michael Jackson would release Thriller, which as we all know came to be the biggest selling record in human history. It also gave us Nothing To Fear by Oingo Boingo! That is definitely an achievement worth seeing.

Oingo Boingo’s sophomore ... read more

When people talk about George Harrison’s solo records, most people would talk about his works from All Things Must Pass through Brainwashed. Rarely do I see any mentions of Wonderwall Music (which is practically his debut record) and Electronic Sound. After intriguingly listening to Wonderwall Music, and the album again earlier today for good measure, it doesn’t quite surprise me.

Wonderwall Music was created to be the OST of a 60s movie known as Wonderwall, directed by Joe Massot. ... read more

Wardruna in Norwegian means ‘the guardian of secrets’ or ‘she who whispers’. A name worthy of this folk band that truly pays homage to its Scandinavian culture.

This is the second release from this band, and the second part in the group’s Runaljod trilogy. The band cements themselves with dark and Nordic folk music that contains quite epically inclined rhythms and tribulations that feels like a war music ensemble.

What I think really works for the band in their ... read more

In 2016, Motorpsycho was approached by playwright Carl Frode to help create music for his contemporary play known as Begynnelser. With every release under Motorpsycho’s belt they will try something completely new, and for this soundtrack the band would go more ambient and classical to invoke a mysterious mood, right for this darker play.

This is not a long album, consisting of 13 songs, each around a minute through 4 minutes worth of music, sometimes going to 6 and 7 minutes worth, but ... read more

I find the story of Klaatu and 3:47 EST to be an interesting indulgence. I feel like more people know of the story of this band more than the actual band’s music. For those who may not know, a reviewer by the name of Steve Smith picked this album up and wished to review it, but noticed similar, almost scarily alike elements with this album’s music and late era Beatles music, comparing it to Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour. Thus, rumors spread like crazy, and so raised this ... read more

I intended to review this album on its 40th anniversary, March 14th, however I was sick and thus didn’t quite have the energy to review it, but better late than never right?

Unlike most, I think the 80s weren’t all too bad on prog. I mean, King Crimson reunited with a cool new yet still proggy sound, Kate Bush released a plethora of great prog pop albums, Rush was still going mighty strong, and avant-prog bands like Cardiacs and Univers Zero got quite popular in the threshold. It ... read more

I feel like it is high time to have a newer Motorpsycho sound, one that kept up with their psych prog flows whilst also doing something different. As a result from a commissioned concert at Teknsik Museum, the music that was performed offered the band a lead way into new possibilities for their sound. As a result, going through producer changes, and going through several influences of Mike Oldfield, Mogwai, and even the odd Grateful Dead and Porcupine Tree, Here Be Monsters was born, and so my ... read more

Out of all the releases Marillion had made over their 40+ years of music, I am quite surprised that This Strange Engine is so underrated and ill-appreciated within the sheer volume the band has crafted, especially in their current H-era. I want to hopefully get more people to see how good this album really is. I cannot say it is a perfect album the band has made, but I think the hate it gets is undeserving.

I think the biggest complaint I have seen within this album is that it is too poppy, or ... read more

I think if there is an artist I can name off the top of my head that is style over substance, I have to pick Phideaux Xavier, or just Phideaux. In Phideaux’s run of albums, I never heard a miss from this man. Not every album is a masterpiece mind you, but Phideaux definitely has a strong knack for creating really great experiences. What I do think are masterpieces is his 5 album run of The Great Leap through Infernal. This amazing string of albums he released showcases all the amazing ... read more

To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Radiohead. I like some of their songs, but overall I am kinda mixed on the whole band. However, recently I have been really enjoying the solo discography of the band’s lead vocalist, Thom Yorke. Therefore, I have decided to review his first solo project of The Eraser.

Unlike Radiohead’s more experimental electronic efforts of stuff like Kid A, Amnesiac, and The King Of Limbs which hold more of the band’s early alt rock ideologies, ... read more

By technicality this is not a full fledged Motorpsycho album, but RYM counts it as one, so I’ll take what I can get.

After the release of Behind The Sun, Motorpsycho decided to hold a promotional event through exclusive pre-orders for a new album, and after 400 pre-orders were made the album would not be able to be pre-ordered again. Afterwards, each week the ones who pre-ordered the album will receive two songs in the form of a single. It took about 4 weeks before anyone could fully get ... read more

If there is one album that has been a big grower for me, it has to be Amputechture by The Mars Volta. I started listening to The Mars Volta in late 2021 when I was making my exploration through progressive rock. Back then, this, and Deloused were my least favorite albums from the band. Deloused because I wasn’t quite prepared for the overdriven storm that album included, and Amputechture because I just really did not like how experimental it is. I have changed since then, and now I see ... read more

I consider prog rock to be a more boundless genre. It can take on many forms, from the very weirdo music of zeuhl, to the more extreme sounds of technical progressive metal. You get quite a bit of everything with this subgenre of music, and it even extends to more pop outputs as well. Some of my favorite groups are in the progressive pop subgenre, such as Kate Bush, Supertramp, The Moody Blues, and ELO, but it seems like a potential new favorite has entered the ring in the form of Crying and ... read more

Another Saturday, another Motorpsycho review, which means a new sound for these Norwegian mad scientists to experiment with. Here with Behind The Sun, the band decides to combine their very psychedelic portfolio with more 70s flavored symphonic prog.

While it isn’t comparable to that of The Death Defying Unicorn, Behind The Sun includes a more symphonic output to their prog rock ventures. I can taste some Yes and early King Crimson influence in these songs through the use of the ... read more

Brian Eno has always been a man to put atmosphere first in all of his works, whether it be his art rock directions with Another Green World and Before And After Science, or his more well known ambient experiments of Music For Airports or Discreet Music. Like most highly innovative electronic musicians, Eno has a key sense of knowing fully well what his music is capable of in terms of space and flow. His subtlety is unwavering in terms of this music, and he manages to create not only some ... read more

While the very prolific hip hop scene was gaining some very big traction over and out in the 80s, the 90s was what really settled the score of making hip hop the modern slugger it is today with acts like Nas, The Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, MF DOOM, Snoop Dogg, and of course, the man I’ll be talking about today, Dr. Dre.

The west coast hip hop scene, to me, wouldn’t be complete without Dr. Dre, and his debut studio album of The Chronic, which showcases what the whole scene can really do ... read more

I believe there is a new found love that I gained for the post punk genre with bands like The Cure, black midi, Oingo Boingo, and Television, all of which showcasing the genre’s more expansive sounds that can be both joyous, and quite sad. It is surprisingly a very versatile genre. With that being said though, I do believe that there are things the genre has that I am not very pleased about, such as the more overly commercial post punk revival of the early 2000s that bands like The ... read more

One year after the band’s massive hit of The Death Defying Unicorn, which showcases the band forming a more avant-prog push in sound and style, the band would do a 180 and go back to their more psychedelic jams within Still Life With Eggplant. However, do not let this discourage you, because in my opinion this is the best Motorpsycho album ever, and one of my favorite albums of all time.

Motorpsycho shouldn’t be underestimated. Even when they make a more “back to ... read more