TEE "The Earth Explorer"

TEE is a five piece flute front progressive rock band from Tokyo, Japan. Their so-called 'European' sound is unique considering their far-east origin. The imaginative tunes with complex ensembles and rhythms will definitely catch the attention of prog lovers all over the world. Their sound will remind you bands like Camel, King Crimson, Asia Minor or even Frank Zappa on some parts. The band was formed in 2004 when... more

Shawn PHILLIPS

At the kick off of his 2010 tour Shawn Phillips sat with us at a 24 hour diner in Davenport, IA to grant us a very special interview. At his insistence, it would be very informal. One should not expect otherwise from this splendid human being.

The hours prior to this meeting over midnight breakfast were now a recent memory, but...more

You may not know his name but you have definitely heard his music more than once or twice in your life. Maybe on HBO, or on MTV, or on VH1, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel. Doesn't ring the bell? How about American Idol Rewind, or Dr. 90210? We had interviewed Kevin Bartlett a couple of years ago when his second solo album GLOW IN THE DARK was released. Bartlett has been quiet since that time but but he has been secretly brewing new projects. A few months ago he had put a new song...more

Peter Hammill, founding member of Van Der Graaf Generator, released his 28th solo album " nearly 3 months ago. He recently got back home from a short tour covering North America, Canada and Italy. In the 70's when bands like...more

FRIGHT PIG Barque At The Lune *** REVERSAL OF GRAVITY Scuba Gear ***

MICHAEL BASSETT / SOFT VERGES (2008)

It's been a while since I came across a record (yes I said record, not that I am old and I may be, but it is really a record) with such musical quality and poetic lyrics. Michael Bassett's most recent work "Soft Verges" was released by Eschatone Records a couple of months ago (August 2008). Although this is not a prog album, it is definitely above and beyond the "media" standards and deserves attention. Michael is an American singer/song-writer who resides in UK. This album was released on both LP format (limited edition with all copies autographed by him) and digitally (MP3 and lossless/FLAC).

6 of the songs were recorded in Chicago, IL (Steve Albini's Electrical Audio to be more precise). The unique thing about these acoustic recordings was that they were done all at once, in the same day... and analogue just like in the old days (no multi-tracking). The sound quality is amazing. As you hear Michael sing and play his guitar you almost feel like he is in the same room with you, playing and singing for you and you can almost hear a pin drop. You often hear of vinyl pressings having that "warm" feeling, Bassett's performance is just that - warm - and it makes perfect sense it would be released on vinyl. These 6 songs are "Barely Breathing", "She Hope You Under", "Amy's Song", "All Too Seriously", "Drift", and "Melancholy and Bright Blue". What is very impressive about his music is that the melody, the lyrics and the rhythm are perfectly intertwined. Like in "Barely Breathing" for example, you will find yourself counting along with him 1-2-3-4 1-2-3 and nearly going out of breathe. Bassett has amazing control over his voice as he gently floats between the high and low notes, it is seamless. This almost made me think of early acoustic Shawn Phillips stuff technically speaking. "All Too Seriously" will surprise you if you like "intertextuality" in music.

The rest of the album was digitally recorded in England. Things get a little bit more complex after this step because Michael took these 4 songs ("Exchange (eye for an eye)", "Ten Days", "Hastings to London", "Nine Point Eight Metres per Second Squared") and went to Woodstcok, NY to Kevin Bartlett's Aural Gratification studio where the digital mixes were completed. The next thing was to transfer the digital files into tapes. This was done in Brooklyn, NY by engineer Pete DeBoer in Excello Studios. When the transfer was complete Pete spliced two reels together and took them to Los Angeles to be mastered by Kevin Grey. All of these 4 songs are equally fascinating as the acoustic stuff. "Exchange" both lyrically and composition wise is the best track of "Soft Verges" in my opinion. The sound goes up and down like waves, the backward and whispery vocal effects create an extra dimension which makes the song all the more intense. Brilliant indeed! On "Nine Point Eight Metres per Second Squared" (and notice how he spells metre, he is accustomed to living in England you can tell), Michael Bassett has an amazing electric guitar sound that will give you chills. Think about sparks coming out of power lines, if you have witnessed it you will know what I mean.

This record is truely a labor of love and work of art with powerful lyrics, thoughtful compositions, very emotional and moving vocals. Releasing it on LP format is a bold but wise decision as it offers the true music lover something special to keep for many many years. It has a 60's and 70's folk, rock and jazz feel to it yet it is absolutely ageless. You can find more info about it on Michael's myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/michaelbassett or you can visit the record label's website at http://www.eschatone.com/michaelbassett to purchase it.

HANDE BURDG