Mike Patton and renowned French composer Jean-Claude Vannier, who is perhaps best known for his work with Serge Gainsbourg, have come together on the 12-song album, Corpse Flower.

Whether you love or hate the genre of music he specializes in, you've got to give the man credit. Even during arguably the all-time low point for "guitar shredders" – the mid- to late '90s – Greg Howe stuck to his guns, issuing album after album of technically astounding guitar rock. And with the genre experiencing a resurgence circa the early 21st century, Howe is still all about showing off his six-string gymnastic ability, as evidenced by his 2008 release, Sound Proof. If you're seeking carefully constructed, melodic songs – move along. But, if you're into all-instrumental prog metal with guitar at the forefront, then Sound Proof should meet your requirements.

From Strasbourg, France, this band declares influences from RIO artists like Art Bears, Zappa and Henry Cow as well as from Canterburians like Hatfield and the North and Soft Machine. The Loomings are: Maria Denami (vocals), Ludmila Schwartzwalder, (vocals, synth), Benoît Rameau (vocals, sax, synth), Louis Haessler (bass), Enrico Pedicone (Drums and Percussion) and Jacopo Costa (Druns and Percussion). Currently they have a bunch of single tracks on Bandcamp and the first full-length album released in 2015 by AltRock Productions. All the band members are classically trained and have previous collaborations and performances in the classical music world. They have taken part to the innovative music festival in Lainate (Milan) in September 2014.

Take equal measures of Gallagher and Kraftwerk, mix in a 15-year supply of blue body paint and shake with a double-shot of modern marketing savvy and you might have something akin to Blue Man Group. This ambitious second album by New York performance artists cum entrepreneurs Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink expands their central artistic contradiction–mainstreaming the alternative–with a propulsive cocktail of rhythm, irony, self-invented instrumentation, and bona fide song structures that feature turns from guest stars Dave Matthews (the music hall dirge "Sing Along") and Tracy Bonham ("Up to the Roof," and with Rob Swift, "Shadows Pt.2"). The conceit is vaguely reminiscent of the Tubes' tongue-in-cheek ode to '80s corporate rock, "The Completion Backwards Principle," right down to being so convincing the irony often melts away. Fans of their live performances will appreciate its wall-to-wall rhythmic thrust and quirky textures, while aficionados and newcomers alike should welcome its surprising, seductive melodies and mature songwriting.

Over the course of its previous four albums, UK punk-jazz outfit WorldService Project carried its keen-edged, window-rattling irreverence across the globe, casting an eviscerating glance inward while spreading its message of chaotic compassion to the scattered remnants of the former British Empire and beyond. With the release of the gleefully anarchic Hiding In Plain Sight, the band’s fifth album and third for RareNoise Records, keyboardist-vocalist Dave Morecroft takes on his native land from an outsider’s perspective for the first time, having decamped for Rome in his own personal Brexit.

This album purports to be an attempt at recursion by the creator of The X-Files, Chris Carter – songs inspired by the show that he hopes will provide further inspiration for the show (just as Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand" did for the "Ascension" episode.) Contributions here include Mark Snow, with the title music, the Foo Fighters with a grand rendition of Gary Numan's "Down in the Park" (Numan's songs would fit this show perfectly), Sheryl Crow, Frank Black, Filter (who abandon their roaring faux-NIN sound for moody acoustic guitars), Meat Puppets, Elvis Costello with Brian Eno and even Screamin' Jay Hawkins. While not perfect, the album makes a nice alternative compilation, one that has that blue-light glow of twisted mystery X-ficianados have come to enjoy.

Extra-Capsular Extraction is a 2 (or 3) song single by Earth, which at this junction consisted of Dylan Carlson and two bassists, Dave Harwell and Joe Preston. Preston was a member of Melvins when this was released in 1991. On vocals in "A Bureaucratic Desire For Revenge Part 2" are Kelly Canary of Dickless and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. This was later released on Southern Lord as part of an album called A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra-Capsular Extraction but this is taken from the CD single on Sub Pop.

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of the new studio album by Hungarian band DJABE, “THE MAGIC STAG”.

No Secrets in the Family were a Swiss avant-prog band active during the late 1980's and early 1990's. They were heavily influenced by many of the RIO-related bands, in particular the more song-orientated groups like Art Bears, Slapp Happy, Etron Fou Leloublan and News From Babel. The result, as fans of these bands might expect, is playful, quirky art rock which balances discordant elements with melodic touches and places an emphasis on theatrical vocals and complex instrumental interplay. Though they never made a big impact at the time and remain obscure today, even by avant-prog standards, No Secrets in the Family should certainly not be overlooked. They are especially recommended for fans of the afore-mentioned artists, as well as avant-rock bands like Debile Menthol, Skeleton Crew and the Residents.

Were I a professor of rock and roll music and one to grade albums, this record would stand as the finest record I've heard in my 50+ years of listening to this stuff. It's not my emotional favorite album (that being The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle) but it's a record I listen to often, still. Each song stands on its merits and the lyrics are just brilliant; Lou was the smartest man who ever played rock and roll. It's not an easy listening album; like most of Lou's records there are some cuts that are painful to listen to, but some of the rock cuts are ear worms, most notably Dirty Boulevard which replaced Sweet Jane as Lou's signature live song. This album is like reading a really good book; the trip is a great one, and when it is done, you'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

This is Thurston Moore’s seventh solo album, and features musicians Deb Googe (My Bloody Valentine) on bass and backing vocals, Jon Leidecker aka ‘Wobbly’ (of Negativland) on electronics, James Sedwards on guitar, and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, as well as Jem Doulton, alternating on drums. Prior to isolation during the Covid pandemic, Thurston worked in recording studios in North London until the third week of March 2020 to complete this album.

2018 five CD clamshell box set by the legendary American band Spirit. Formed in Los Angeles in 1967 from the remnants of The Red Roosters, Spirit was one of the great bands to emerge on the US West Coast in the psychedelic era…

Second chapter of OTEME’s discographic saga, the new CD L'Agguato, L'Abbandono, Il Mutamento moves oblique on the edge between contemporary music and song-writing, art-rock and sound-art, scores written rigorously and free improvising. The work, deeply contaminated by different cultural disciplines and experiences contains a history of nearly 25 years. This is certainly the time spent writing lyrics, composing the music, arranging and recording the pieces. OTEME – Osservatorio delle Terre Emerse (The Observatory of Dry Lands) is a musical project / chamber ensemble whose size and composition change according to the music being executed and the language chosen.

ZOPP is the brainchild of composer and multi-instrumentalist Ryan STEVENSON, with collaborations from Andy TILLISON of prog legends The Tangent and drummer Andrea MONETA (Leviathan). Ryan is an award-winning composer, with credits for the music to many documentary films. In May 2019 he won Best Score in the IMDb industry-recognized American Tracks Music Awards for his work on The Perfect Gangster. ZOPP came to fruition in around 2010, born out of Ryan's excursions into the Canterbury progressive rock scene of the 60s and 70s. As the music developed, ZOPP has absorbed more influences, such as Stravinsky and Steve Reich as well as dabbling into the realm of ambient music. The sound of the debut record is based upon vintage fuzz organ sounds that weave with complex time signature changes, and on catchy melodies with ambient keyboard interludes, to charm and relax the listener with its beguiling fusion.

Joni Mitchell reached her commercial high point with Court and Spark, a remarkably deft fusion of folk, pop, and jazz which stands as her best-selling work to date. While as unified and insightful as Blue, the album – a concept record exploring the roles of honesty and trust in relationships, romantic and otherwise – moves away from confessional songwriting into evocative character studies: the hit "Free Man in Paris," written about David Geffen, is a not-so-subtle dig at the machinations of the music industry, while "Raised on Robbery" offers an acutely funny look at the predatory environment of the singles bar scene. Much of Court and Spark is devoted to wary love songs: both the title cut and "Help Me," the record's most successful single, carefully measure the risks of romance, while "People's Parties" and "The Same Situation" are fraught with worry and self-doubt (standing in direct opposition to the music, which is smart, smooth, and assured from the first note to the last).