Six Finger Satellite Slave Traitor

It took a few years for the members of Collage, Poland's neo-progressive rock bandwagon, to pick themselves up after the group's breakup in the mid-'90s. A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset can be considered as the group's rightful heir. Written almost completely by drummer Wojtek Szadkowski (who used to be Collage's main songwriter), the album is performed by a cast of ex-Collage musicians (some of them appearing as guests). Lead singer Robert Amirian plays the soft card, aiming for the dreamy seduction of Pendragon instead of the lung-heavy theatrics of Fish. It serves the songs right, as they tend to be on the unassertive side of things.

"Into the night" is the final part of a trilogy by Poland's own Satellite, the previous parts being "A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset" (2003, the band's first album) and "Evening Games" (2005). Originally intended as a solo project by Collage's Wojtek Szadkowski, the band have rapidly evolved into one of the finest protagonists of neo-prog currently recording. Jarek Michalski takes over on bass, but the line up is otherwise unchanged. Jarek's bass playing is notable throughout the album, adding an underlying depth to the sound. The music here will appeal not just to those who enjoy the melodic power of bands such as Arena and Porcupine Tree, but also to those who favour the classic prog bands such as Yes and Pink Floyd.

Gottfried Finger was a Moravian composer and virtuoso viol player. Born in Olomouc, in the modern-day Czech Republic, and arriving in England in 1685, Finger worked for the court of James II before becoming a freelance composer. Hazel Brooks has spent a great deal of time researching the music for this recording, all of which may be found in the British Library manuscript Add. 31466, the single biggest source of violin sonatas by Finger. She writes: 'Finger's sonatas contain a quirky mix of styles. Bohemian features from his homeland, simpler Corellian traits, and the occasional nod to the English Purcellian school are fitted together like crazy paving.