Charles Tolliver Music Inc. Live At Slugs Vol. 1&2

Oxycanta (2006). A deep floating compilation embodying the works of pioneers in the exploration of a new wave of electro ambient music. Oxycanta is an expression of spatial density with the constant presence of our natural environment at times in its organic recorded form, others transduced into atmospheric textures by advanced technologies. Its title derives from Crataegus Oxyacantha, commonly known as the Hawthorn, a tree whose leaves and berries are legendary for their heart-healing properties. Solar Fields, Aes Dana, Cell, Asura and more…

Violin virtuoso and composer Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was well known to audiences and musicians in the middle of the 19th century. At first he was a slavish follower of Paganini, whom he followed from place to place; often, by listening to the Italian master, he was able to reproduce his new works before they had been published or disseminated. But there is a kind of elegant artistry in some of his music that displays his own personality, and Joseph Joachim, the violinist most closely associated with the Beethoven/Brahms line of musical thinking, called Ernst the greatest violinist he had ever heard.

Once upon a time, Marillion was unmistakably a prog band. But by the dawn of the 21st century, it was becoming increasingly clearer that the group was shedding their early prog direction in favor of melodic pop (akin to Radiohead's more focused and mainstream moments, or even comparable to Coldplay, if Chris Martin and co. were a tad more askew). This is especially evidenced by the first half of their 2008 double album, Happiness Is the Road (issued as two separate releases, "Volume 1: Essence" and "Volume 2: The Hard Shoulder"). By this point, the group's devoted cult following awaits each release with baited breath, and both neither volume should disappoint their post-Fish era fans - especially on the simply soaring title track from Vol. 1…