Flying October 2019

Limited 12 CD + NTSC/Region 0 DVD box. Curated by Steve Hillage and released with the full involvement of original members, legendary psychedelic surrealists Gong are the subject of a box set with the release of Love From Planet Gong: The Virgin Years 1973-75. Released to coincide with Gong's 50th Anniversary, the set covers the band's classic years in a stunning package that includes: their seminal first four Virgin studio albums plus bonus tracks; previously unreleased, multi-tracked full gigs, the complete John Peel Sessions from 1973 and 1974; previously unreleased quad Pye and Westlake mixes of You re-formatted to 5.1 surround-sound, and artwork including rare and previously unseen work by the late Daevid Allen…

You can’t miss Ghalia. She’s the natural-born rock star with the leather jacket and wicked grin, leaning from her album sleeve to offer you a hit on her hip flask. But the real Southern blend ain’t in the bottle, it’s on the songs. Following the New Orleans flavours of her 2017 breakthrough, Let The Demons Out, this year sees the acclaimed Brussels-born singer-songwriter dive deeper into the American South, recording in the hill country of Mississippi, where she shared her songs with a cast of esteemed local musicians and caught the flying sparks. This is Mississippi Blend: an album as fiery and throat-burning as Delta moonshine.

Carla dal Forno announces her second full-length album, ​Look Up Sharp​, on her own Kallista Records. The London-based artist enters a new era in her peerless output pushing her dub-damaged DIY dispatches to the limits of flawless dream-pop. In a transformative move towards crystal clear vocals and sharpened production, Look Up Sharp is an evolutionary leap from the thick fog and pastoral stillness of her Blackest Ever Black missives, You Know What It’s Like (2016) and The Garden EP (2017).

Heavy metal and the holiday season might not seem like the most obvious pairing. But there’s nothing wrong with loving both, as Rob Halford is here to prove. The legendary Judas Priest frontman and solo artist loves Christmas more than you could know. And for his second Christmas-themed album—coming a decade after his first, Winter Songs—he’s given traditional carols a metal makeover, alongside four new original songs. Chances are you already know the centuries-old melodies of “Joy to the World,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” But you’ve never heard them quite like this, all speedy, chunky riffs and wild guitar solos. Still, it’s feel-good, sweetly melodic, and (mostly) family-friendly, especially during gentler moments such as the organ-driven “The First Noel” and the epic original closing hymn “Protected by the Light.” Written and recorded by a group that includes Halford’s brother and sister, Nigel and Sue, his nephew Alex (whose father is Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill), and guitarists Robert Jones and Jon Blakey, it’s truly a festive family affair.

In chemistry, when certain galvanizing elements come together, they become quite explosive. In music, when certain galvanizing artists come together, they become Flying Colors. In fact, whenever the five gentlemen who encompass Flying Colors - guitarist Steve Morse, drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist/vocalist Neal Morse, bassist Dave LaRue, and powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Casey McPherson are able to conjoin their collective talents, the result is a sweet sonic bouillabaisse that reflects where their inherent mastery of melody intersects with top-shelf progressive musicianship. Flying Colors soar to even loftier heights with Third Degree, their third studio album in a decade that's set for release on October 4, 2019 via Music Theories Recordings.