Sεαl - S/T (1991)

Every decade has them - albums that define an era, sonic checkpoints of evolution between disparate audiences and generations. As far as the 90's go, there are a number of albums that did that for a lot of people: Nirvana's Nevermind, Nas's debut, Wu Tang circa 36 Chambers, Primal Scream's infamous Screamadelica...

..but even with that classic lineup of records, there was this one that sits just a bit higher on the chain in my eyes, underrated despite its massive success in its heyday. One soulful voice from a scarred darksome British fellow coupled with some wicked good production values (courtesy of former Yes-man Trevor Horn) that blew away the power ballads and synth-driven "funk" of a rather artificial era with a deadly, catchy new kind of ambient pop-neo soul. Layered and transcendent, it set the bar so high that nobody could even get their fingers around it. And in 2011, that brilliance still blinds as ageless things do.

You all know 'Kissed From A Rose' from Seal's later years. Now it's time to listen to go back to where he started and let your minds go numb in fascination to a genuine classic.

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Eliαnε Eliαs - Drεαmεr (2004)

Sitting lonesome in your mind's eye of paradise, where the palm trees grow tall in Belize against the beating heart of the sun, a place where the salt drenched winds scurry through you from the distant blue ahead...somewhere in that dream, you might wonder where the hell this has been all your life.

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Шαrrior Soul - Lαst Dεcαdε Dεαd Cεntury (1990)

Fans of Headbanger's Ball and whatnot will get a get a kick out of this! Somewhere between hair metal and the grungier ground of the incoming 90's, this is one hell of a electrically charged debut which deserves a place in each and every one of your respective collections. The fact that its still politically and socially relevant after twenty some years (AKA fuck the government and their bullshit) only adds to the charm.

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Ciяcus - Movin' On (1977)

Another one of those odd yet utterly mesmerizing prog. rock gems that people seemed to have missed out on back in the day, Swiss ensemble Circus come across as a strange ambient divergence point between the bright, spiritual complexity of Yes and the black yet jazzy feel of Van Der Graaf Generator, and Movin' On is the place to be to appreciate this seemingly incongruent distinctiveness.

Oh, and there's not a single keyboard note to be heard at all throughout this fantastic record. Sax, flutes, acoustic guitar, dreamy stabs at ambiance, even vocal harmonies...just no keyboard in an era where almost every band had one. Curious, yet wonderful all the same. Timeless too!

Hop to it you freeloaders!

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Toѕнiki Kαdoмαtѕu- Cityligнts Dαndy (2010)

Assuming language barriers don't prevent you lot from enjoying a tasty groove here and there, Toshiki Kadomatsu is the king of midsummer beach-synth-pop awesomeness over in Japan, hearkening back to the early 80's with a sound reminiscent in places of U.S. Westcoast acts such as Toto and Ambrosia.

And, funnily enough, I consider this his best album...which is quite something considering he's been doing music for thirty-some odd years now. Bon appetit!

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Kεvin Gilbεrt - Tнud (1994)

One of the more interesting short-lived musicians from the 90's, Kevin Gilbert was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer who collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson to Madonna to his then-girlfriend Sheryl Crow. 

His real love, however, lied in creating theatrical yet attractive sounding music that blended his own American pop sensibilities with mid 70's Genesis, a combination of approaches which is rendered perfectly on his 1995 album Thud, a testament that would prove to be the only solo album he would ever do before his death in May of 1996 from autoerotic asphyxia at the age of 29. Sadder still, his body was discovered on the day he was scheduled to have an audition that could have landed him the position of becoming lead vocalist of Genesis, as Phil Collins quit the band earlier that year.

In any case, the music here is ambitious and gleefully (or perhaps eerily) eclectic, shifting from the angular bluesy rock of 'Goodness Gracious' to the dusky jazz of 'Joytown' to the punk-opera-prog. centerpiece 'Shadow Self' without so much as a single snag or note out of place. Wry lyrical content and a unique, distinctive delivery also do Gilbert a lot more credit than he ever got during his life, and its a shame that we'll never know just how far he could have gone. Hell, considering the quality of this one and only bona fide release from the man, I doubt anything was impossible for him. 

R.I.P. maestro. You were one in a goddamn billion.

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Dαvε Stεwαяt & Bαrbαяα Gαskin - Up Fяom Thε Dαяk (1986)

The debut release/compilation of former Canterbury Scene maestro Dave S. and former frontwoman of prog. folk band Spirogyra, Barbara Gaskin. It's a collection of their early-to-mid 80's singles, all of which are rather distinctive and intriguing. Contemplate a more New Wave sounding Cocteau Twins with all the tasty trimmings and you'll have an idea of how this material sounds.

Those who manage to sink their teeth into these fantastic songs should also check out their future studio albums proper as a duo - 1990's The Big Idea and 1991's Spin.

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Dαryl Hαll - Sαcrεd Songs (1980)

What happens when one of the top rising pop stars of the late 70's decides to make a record with a certain famous King Crimson guitarist? On top of that, what if the result was so crazy in places that RCA, their record label, decided to shelve it for all eternity (or at-least until 1980 xD)?

Buckle your fuckin' seatbelts kids.

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Mαgmα - Attαнк (1978)

Behind this ugly and oppressive looking cover lies some of the most compulsively listenable WTF material ever committed to record...and that's saying quite a bit, considering this is Magma we're talking about.

A French avant-garde jazz rock outfit founded in the late 60's by drummer extraordinaire Christian Vander, this ensemble spawned from its combination of operatic spieling and free jazz flexibility a genre known as "Zeuhl", or in layman's terms, celestial jazz opera punk where people are singing in an alien language.

Hence, the music inside here is nearly impossible to describe without severe generalizing, as it pushes envelopes even by this band's usual standards (AKA, lots of crazy energy, dissonance and odd rhythms in constant battle, choral vocal chanting, etc. etc.). However, a severe funk influence has permeated the usual diagnosis of cosmic insanity these guys get associated with. Therefore, from one point of view, its possibly the most accessible thing Vander has had the fortune to be involved with....and possibly all of you (once you get it yourselves) as well.

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Tнε Tαngεnt - Tнε Musiс Thαt Diεd Alonε (2003)

Although very much a love letter to all those prog. bands from the 70's who got shafted by the mainstream media throughout that decade, The Tangent's debut is also extremely sharp taken on it's own musical merits. Clocking at a nicely digestible 48 minutes through four compositions (which I've painstakingly pieced together through Audacity and other programs for the convenience of you all), The Music That Died Alone does something distinct and interesting with each song to give the listener a taste of different prog. flavors of the era it laments. Opening suite 'In Darkest Dreams' is good stomper: the keyboards are very ELP, but the sax and vocals give a certain smokiness to the proceedings reminiscent of Van Der Graaf Generator in places. 'The Canterbury Sequence', on the other hand, rife with flute and drum tinkering, is whimsical a'la Caravan and early Camel, providing a nice contrast to the opener.

The title track is the real cream of this crop though, aching nostalgia and all. Harmonious and downtempo, it's the final nail in the coffin of why this album clicks: it's beautiful, but not sickeningly so. Furthermore, the songs are memorable, yet not irritating in their smugness. An honest record by people who miss a certain time in music so badly that they'd probably kill to bring it back....and, for one glorious hour at least, manage to recreate it here.

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Tipogяαphicα - Thε Mαn Шho Doεs Not Nod (1995)

Killer live record from a beloved experimental Japanese jazz outfit that helped ease me into the chaotic other side of that state of being known as music. Blithering in its serenity (if that makes any damn sense), you are subjected to batshit spaceiness in time signatures that shouldn't even be real (the keyboard driven title cut), the lovechild of Miles Davis and The Rolling Stones copulated in a bath of acid ('Tipographica's Worst Date') and, near the end of the record, stark & perfect beauty - a sort of yearning from the calls of a single saxophone into the distance of a mysterious night time city ('A Smell Of Gunpowder, And A Flavor Of She'), and thus the journey ends...only to begin again at your beck and call.

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Tαиgεяiиε Dяεαm - Uиdεrwαtεr Suиlight (1986)

Probably my favorite latter period record from this classic electronic outfit: the keyboard-laden sound of it amidst a seemingly infinite plethora of keys and synth texturing is comparable to being suspended in the oceanic depths alluded to in the title of the record and songs, yet the guitar work of Edgar Froese on pieces such as 'Song Of The Whale (Pt. I)' is in and of itself a wonder to hear too.

As far as ambient-oriented New Age goes, this record holds more edge than most, so enjoy thoroughly!

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Nεш Editioи - Hεαяτ Brεαk (1988)

Wait, a GOOD Boy Band album? With major New Jack Swing vibes? IMPOSSIBLE!

Yessir, this is some prime ribbage from R&B's chunkier plastic pile of the late 80's. Sure the cheese meter is going into overdrive on multiple instances and everyone looks like a reject from someone's ghetto rendition of Kraftwerk, but when style and substance come together this well in this particular niche, the results are fantastic. Killer harmonies, sick beats, and some very solid songwriting all packaged together under the premise of outright commercialism -- who woulda' thunk it?

Listen Here - "N.E. Heartbreak"


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