UNIVERS ZERO – Phosphorescent Dreams (2014) Three Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Despite the strengths of Univers Zero's two previous albums, 2006's Live and 2010's Clivages, bandleader/drummer Daniel Denis decided that some retooling was in order as the 40th anniversary of the group's founding loomed. Asserting that "the old form was stagnant," Denis significantly changed UZ's lineup and opened yet another chapter in the Belgian avant-prog outfit's history book. The result can be heard on the band's 13th album, Phosphorescent Dreams, released by the Japanese Arcangelo label (rather than Cuneiform) in early 2014. The core group is now a streamlined, electrified quintet of Denis, reedman Kurt Budé, bassist Dimitri Evers, and two newcomers, guitarist Nicolas Dechêne and keyboardist Antoine Guenet. Notably, bassoonist/oboist Michel Berckmans has departed. An important historical presence in the group, Berckmans is missed, but his absence has precedent; UZ carried on forcefully without him during the 1980s, shifting the focus from Berckmans' bassoon to Dirk Descheemaeker's clarinet on Crawling Wind (1983), Uzed (1984), and Heatwave (1986), and now Budé's clarinet is elevated in similar fashion on Phosphorescent Dreams. Denis was wise to retain Budé from the Live/Clivages lineups, not only because of Budé's stellar clarinet and sax playing, but also his role as a composer, now nearly equal to the drummer himself (Denis wrote four of the seven tracks here; Budé the remaining three).
Phosphorescent Dreams charts paths both new and familiar. UZ's expected rhythmic drive, recurring themes and variations, tinges of the medieval, and foreboding mood are all present on the Denis-penned opener "Shaking Hats," which could soundtrack the lead-in to a battle -- or a wedding -- on Game of Thrones. However, as the album progresses, ominous and heavy interludes segue into something mysterious and magical rather than nightmarish. There is deep drama in the rumbling bass, guitar sustain, emphatic keys, and low reed vibrations of Denis' "Très Affables" (with Nicolas Denis on drums), but these elements are juxtaposed against ringing guitars and a Guenet solo that truly sparkles (before becoming relatively unhinged). Budé's "Rêve Mécanique" likewise lays the instruments on thick, but call-and-response keyboard motifs with a dreamlike quality over a subtly cruising rhythm strongly suggest the sound of Miriodor, the longstanding Montreal avant-prog band whose layered sounds and innovative voicings invite immersive listening. Like Miriodor guitarist Bernard Falaise, Dechêne's powerful prog-fusion crunch and burn are fully integrated into the band's compositional fabric on a track like Denis' "Les Voleurs d'Ombre" (which also features some truly wild clarinet skronk from Budé), while he harks back to Michel Delory or Roger Trigaux elsewhere. The classicist brass and wind ensemble requiem of Budé's "L'Espoir Perdu" is an elegiac diversion, and the slowly building tension of Denis' "Phosphorescent Dream" recalls Heatwave's "The Funeral Plain"; these concluding tracks find Denis refraining from an immediate entry and then calibrating his percussion as the compositions require. Denis might assert his leadership by significantly reshaping Univers Zero's membership, but musically he remains willing to cede the spotlight in service to the ensemble's evolving vision. Dave Lynch  
Tracklist :
1.    Shaking Hats    9:43
Written-By – Daniel Denis 
2.    Vocation    4:46
    Written-By – Kurt Budé
3.    Très Affables 7:29
Written-By – Daniel Denis 
Drums, Percussion – Nicolas Denis
4.    Rêve Mécanique :30
 Written-By – Kurt Budé
Trombone – Adrien Lambinet
Trumpet – Hughes Tahon
5.    Les Voleurs D’Ombre    9:57
Written-By – Daniel Denis 
6.    L’Espoir Perdu 5:25
 Written-By – Kurt Budé
Trombone – Adrien Lambinet
Trumpet – Hughes Tahon
7.    Phosphorescent Dream 12:43
Written-By – Daniel Denis 
Trumpet – Hughes Tahon
Credits :
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Percussion – Kurt Budé
Drums, Percussion – Daniel Denis
Electric Bass, Fretless Bass – Dimitri Evers
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Nicolas Dechêne
Keyboards – Antoine Guenet 

COLOSSEUM — Daughter of Time (1970-2005) RM | Arcàngelo Art-Rock Series | Unofficial Release, Mini LP | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

A concept album loosely based on man's fascination and allure for war throughout the ages, Daughter of Time contains all the elements required to create a pure progressive rock album. Joining David Greenslade and Chris Farlowe is Louis Cennamo from Renaissance, who plucks away at the bass guitar with a heavy hand. A multitude of instruments combine to create a brilliant melange of music on every one of the eight songs. Vibrant spurts of trombone, trumpet, and flute are driven to the height of each song, which gives way to some implements of jazz fusion. Rich organ and vibraphone can be heard in behind "Three Score and Ten, Amen" and "Take Me Back to Doomsday" adding to the melancholy theme. Countering this are beautiful string arrangements made up of violin, viola, and cello used effectively to conjure up mood, and doing an excellent job. Even a flügelhorn is blared from time to time on top of the accentuated drums. A spoken word passage from Dick Heckstall-Smith creates an eerie aura, as his voice echoes on about the coming of the apocalypse. Colosseum's music works extremely well in that it builds suspense and reels the listener into the songs. As far as the lyrics go, they're stark and foreboding and have a medieval taste to them, coinciding with the music perfectly. Each song, all around six minutes in length, should have been longer to let the instruments play out with their illustriousness. Except for the fact that it is a short album, Daughter of Time is a sturdy example of progressive rock. Mike DeGagne
Tracklist :
1.    Three Score And Ten, Amen 5:38
Written-By – Clempson, Greenslade, Hiseman
2.    Time Lament 6:13
Written-By – Greenslade, Hiseman
3.    Take Me Back To Doomsday 4:26
Written-By – Clempson, Greenslade, Hiseman
4.    The Daughter Of Time 3:33
Written-By – Dennen, Greenslade, Heckstall-Smith
5.    Theme For An Imaginary Western 4:07
Written-By – Bruce, Brown
6.    Bring Out Your Dead 4:20
Written-By – Clempson, Greenslade
7.    Downhill And Shadows 6:13
Written-By – Clempson, Hiseman, Reeves
8.    The Time Machine (Live) 8:11
Written-By – Hiseman
Credits :
Jon Hiseman - Drums
Dave "Clem" Clempson - Guitars, Vocals
Dave Greenslade - Organ, Keyboards, vibraphone
Mark Clarke - Bass, vocals
Chris Farlowe - Vocals
Dick Heckstall-Smith - Saxophones
Barbara Thompson - Flute , Saxophones
Louis Cennamo - Bass

ATOLL — Musiciens - Magiciens (1974) RM | Two Version | WV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

French progressive rock group Atoll fashioned their music around Yes' and Genesis' repertoire, employing lush tapestries of classically oriented string work to light melodies and intricate song structures. 1974's Musiciens-Magiciens is among the band's strongest releases, laying out breezy, energetic passages that use a moderate amount of keyboards and strong dosages of guitar to create busy semi-suites that hold together quite well. All the vocals are in French, but the instruments are what truly steal the show, especially in the 11-plus minutes of "Le Baladin du Temps," a concept piece which is broken up into three separate parts. The final track, entitled "Je Suis D'ailleurs," has the band creating some rather spirited musical drifts and variations through the use of animated rhythms and resilient textures, much like Ange does, another French progressive band. While Atoll's composition rarely strayed throughout their short lifespan, Musiciens-Magiciens remains one their best albums, mainly because the group was just starting out and their music and images sound fresh and inventive. The release of Musiciens-Magiciens that appears on Musea contains four live bonus tracks, with two of them repeats of the album's original cuts. Purists should be aware that the recording of the live tracks is very poor and of the lowest quality, but the original seven cuts sound quite good. Mike DeGagne
Tracklist : 
1. L'Hymne Medieval    3:13
2. Le Baladin Du Temps    (11:08)
2a L'arpège Philosophal     
2b L'incube    
2c L'arpège Philosophal    
3. Musiciens-Magiciens    3:43
4. Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal    5:28
5. Le Secret Du Mage    2:56
6. Le Berger    3:48
7. Je Suis D'Ailleurs    7:58
– BONUS TRACKS –
8. Au-Dela Des Ecrans De Cristal (Live, Bonus track)
9. Fille De Neige (Live, Bonus track)
10. Je Fais Un Reve (Live, Bonus track)
11. Musiciens-Magiciens (Live, Bonus track)
Credits :
André Balzer - Lead Vocals, Drums
Chris Béya - Guitar
Michel Taillet - Keyboards, Drums
Jean-Luc Thillot - Bass
Alain Gozzo - Drums
+
- Lisa Deluxe, Stella Vander - backing vocals

ANEKDOTEN — Vemod (1993) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Anekdoten's debut shows them a little rougher, more Gothic in tone, and less tonally subtle than in later years, but compelling nonetheless. From the crashing bass and Mellotron in the opening track "Karelia," it's clear that King Crimson reigns over their work -- not to mention that it features riffs nicked from Crimson's "Easy Money." "Wheel" also has the dissonance and horns of the Lizard album. But they are creating something unique here, as the gentle instrumental "Longing" attests. While Anekdoten hadn't quite reached its potential yet -- "Where Solitude Remains" still shows Liljestrom's vocals to be a little too precise, and not as pleasingly smoky as in "Nucleus" -- this first album shows a band of great promise. Paul Collins
Tracklist :
1 Karelia 7:20
Written-By – Dahlberg, Berg
2 The Old Man & The Sea 7:50
Written-By – Liljeström, Berg
3 Where Solitude Remains 7:20
Written-By – Liljeström, Berg
4 Thoughts In Absence 4:10
Written-By – Berg
5 The Flow 6:58
Written-By – Dahlberg, Liljeström, Berg, Nordin
6 Longing 4:50
Written-By – Dahlberg, Berg
7 Wheel 7:50
Written-By – Dahlberg, Liljeström, Berg, Nordin
– BONUS TRACK –
8.    Sad Rain 10:14
Lyrics By, Music By – Nicklas Berg
Credits :                 
Bass, Vocals – Jan Erik Liljeström
Cello, Mellotron, Vocals – Anna Sofi Dahlberg
Flugelhorn [Flügelhorn], Cornet – Pär Ekström
Guitar, Mellotron – Nicklas Berg
Percussion – Peter Nordin
Piano – Per Wiberg

EMTIDI — Saat (1972-2003) RM | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Saat is a little-known gem and Krautrock classic, an album full of dreamy and beautiful melodies. The Emtidi duo considerably expanded its instrumentation and style, and played a unique mix of folk, art rock, and psychedelic music. Besides acoustic guitar, the sound is mainly dominated by synthesizers, Mellotron, and other keyboard instruments, which are often played in a classical style. Some softly floating organ parts are comparable to early Tangerine Dream. In contrast stands a song like "Love Time Rain," which could be written by the British folk band Pentangle. On most tracks, Dolly Holmes sings lead with her high, transfigured voice. Aside from "Die Reise," a fairy tale story sung by Maik Hirschfeldt, all the songs have English lyrics. The album has a surprisingly full sound for a duo recording, although no drums were used. Most contemporary German bands played with new styles and sounds, but only a few obtained such wonderful music out of their experiments. Klaus Kehrle
Tracklist :
1    Walking In The Park    6:27
 Maik Hirschfeldt
2    Träume    3:15
 Dolly Holmes
3    Touch The Sun    11:42
 Maik Hirschfeldt / Dolly Holmes
4    Love Time Rain    2:43
 Maik Hirschfeldt / Dolly Holmes
5    Saat    4:07
 Maik Hirschfeldt / Dolly Holmes
6    Die Reise    10:04
 Maik Hirschfeldt / Dolly Holmes
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar [12 & 6-string], Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Synthesizer, Guitar [Leslie], Flute [F-alt], Cymbal, Vibraphone, Jew's Harp, Vocals – Maik Hirschfeldt
Mixed By, Percussion, Bass, Mellotron [Mellotron Assistance] – Dieter Dierks
Organ [Electric, Hammond], Electric Piano, Mellotron, Spinet [Electric], Piano, Vocals – Dolly Holmes