Hundred-word Reviews for April 2025: Prog

More of my quick takes on music I want you to know about. This time the theme is progressive rock from around the globe.

the ajjancy – …to be arranged
A curious release, this album makes no bones about engaging in copyright violation. It’s a mashup of songs that – by rights – shouldn’t go together. Yes’ “Roundabout” is combined with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Whether that’s a good idea or not is beside the point; it’s done effectively. The musicianship is prog, the style is pop, and the vocals are sweet, with bits of hip hop worked into the mix. The involvement of utility man to the stars Fernando Perdomo should help this release get noticed. Deeply strange, …to be arranged is a stylistic exercise, a “because we can” effort worth hearing.

Mark Wingfield – The Gathering
Even if you yourself weren’t talented, if you made an album with Tony Levin, Gary Husband, Percy Jones and Asaf Sirkis, you’d likely have a winner on your hands. But if you’re Mark Wingfield, the resulting album would be even better than that. Is The Gathering progressive rock, jazz or something else? Ultimately it doesn’t matter; the album’s ten instrumental tracks are expressive and inviting while displaying well-executed musical ambition. Wonderfully majestic and atmospheric, guitarist Winfield’s song-soundscapes are thrilling indeed. Technical mastery wedded to accessible composition equals a strong and consistently engaging album, however one decides to classify it genre-wise.

Quartet Diminshed – Deerand
Tehran, Iran is perhaps not the first place one would look for avant garde progressive music. But thanks to the intrepid work of MoonJune Records’ Leonardo Pavkovic, this group has now released its fourth album. Classically-minded compositions and breathtaking improvisation (and it’s often hard to tell which is happening) characterize the evocative and spellbinding music. The four musicians are joined on Deerand by Markus Reuter and Tony Levin. The four-part title track takes up some 25 minutes, moving through all manner of textures. “Tehran II” is glacial; “Allegro Per Il Ré” is dramatic. Imposing yet accessible, it’s wonderfully expressive music.

Beledo – Flotando con el vacio
From NYC by way of Montevideo, Uruguay comes Beledo, guitarist/violinist and creator of Flotado con el vacio (Floated with the Void). On his ninth studio release, Beledo engages the assistance of Sirkis and Husband (see above) along with a handful of other ace players. Combining South American musical traditions and world music, the album explores a wide variety of textures – serene, expansive, dreamy, knotty and angular, and more – and it somehow all holds together. If one listens passively, the music occasionally takes on a slightly smooth jazz character. Listen more actively and album reveals itself as a model of complexity-meets-accessibility.

Anupam Shobhakar – Liquid Reality
From Bombay (Mumbai) we have Anupam Shobhakar, a guitarist who plays fretted and fretless guitars. His music may remind some listeners of John McLaughlin’s Fourth Dimension, with the odd (to Western ears, at least) vocalizations that figure into some of the tunes. Complicated, knotty melodies will either chase away or fascinate listeners; if you’ve read this far, chances are good that the latter will be the case. If one could imagine a more acoustic-based rethink of Discipline-era King Crimson, that might give a vague, general sense of the sort of music Shobhakar is making. Deeply evocative songcraft characterizes this set.