Now UK 05 November 2018

Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense. The revelations about the group's roots on This Was – which was recorded during the summer of 1968 – can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams.

Ministry of sound you used to be great at making compilation albums but now it’s the same tracks on every 90s album!

Formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2006, VOLA explore a mix of 70's style progressive rock, electronica, industrial and metal, topped off with clear, beautiful vocal lines. After recording early demos, they self-released two EPs, ‘Homesick Machinery’ (2008) with an early line up of Asger Mygind (vocals/guitar), Niels Dreijer (guitar/backing vocals) Martin Werner (keys), Jeppe Bloch (bass) and Niklas Scherfig (drums) and then went through some changes for 2011's ‘Monsters’ which saw Bloch and Sherfig replaced by Nicolai Mogensen (bass) and Felix Ewert (drums).

Following the success of their 2015 album Astronautilus, jazz-rock mavericks Get The Blessing return with their spellbinding new Album ‘Bristopia’. Blending their mutant jazz sensibilities with spacey electronics and post rock atmospheres, ‘Bristopia’ ventures into new, unexplored territories. From the jagged, interweaving brass patterns of opening track ‘If It Can It Will’, through the brooding atmosphere of ‘Bristopia’ and absorbing, haunting melodies of ‘Not With Standing’, the Bristolian quintet channel subterranean depths and soar from dizzying heights, leading the listener through a complex labyrinth of tangled melodies and sliding soundscapes of dark, immersive production.

Sarah Watts, Laurence Perkins, Sian Edwards - The Princess & The Bear (2018) {Hyperion CDA68263}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 310 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 177 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 72 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2018 Hyperion Records | CDA68263
Classical / Chamber Music / Concerto

This is not an indispensable issue, but one which is continually interesting and will give much pleasure. Both Perkins and Watts are technically assured, but, more importantly, characterful players. The title comes from the inspiration for Strauss’s Duet-Concertino, from 1947, a piece which deserves to be much more frequently played. Though Strauss left no descriptive synopsis, its origin was in Beauty and the Beast. If we know that, the clarinet and bassoon are clearly the two characters, against the background of strings and harp.