Everything Spiritualized

Les Big Byrd, at this point, one probably has to call them veterans on the Swedish psych- and kraut scene, is back with a new album which sees them delving even deeper into the experimental side of themselves. Long, improvisatory excursions and suggestive soundscapes unfold during some of the album's 6 tracks. Although they never lose touch with their melodic sensibility, offering up a look into a more suggestive and psychedelic side to the band.

Wilhelm Kempff (1895–1991), one of the great piano masters, receives an exceptional tribute from the label with which he was most closely associated. This is a beautiful, limited-edition 35-CD box of Kempff’s complete solo repertoire on DG and Decca Classics. It includes the stereo Beethoven sonata cycle, the Schubert sonata cycle, generous anthologies of Bach, Brahms, Liszt, Schubert, and Schumann – plus Chopin and Baroque. There are many rarities, not readily available at present.

It's a two plus hours survey of British indie music in 1992 and as expected, there's a mixed bag of gems, nostalgia, and iffy detritus that hasn't stood the test of time. But with any festival, the ups and downs are part of the experience. You can't expect to like everything, and the fun is in soaking up the atmosphere, discovering new bands, and confirming why your favourite artists are in fact your favourites. That was all true when I first heard this album back in the 90's. As a snapshot of they way things really were in 1992, this album is a priceless artifact that I never get tired of returning to.