What would you do if you knew the world was ending in five months?
This profound question lies at the heart of Arjen Lucassen's latest creation, Songs No One Will Hear. A sonic trip that follows humanity's final days as a catastrophic asteroid barrel toward Earth, the album blends dark humor, raw emotion, and the chaotic, surreal nature of the end times. Some people panic, some throw parties, others fall apart - but a few find peace amidst the chaos. “It’s tragic, it’s absurd, it’s the soundtrack to the apocalypse.” Songs No One Will Hear is an eclectic masterpiece, drawing from a broad range of styles - rock, prog, pop, electronic, and acoustic - infused with both light-hearted moments and deep, emotional intensity. It explores the full spectrum of human emotion, from intense panic to unexpected serenity, with Arjen’s signature blend of complexity and accessibility…

Till Lindemann's (Rammstein) Zunge 2025 contains all the songs from the original Zunge album released in 2023, plus nine additional bonus tracks.
"Zunge" is presented as a debut album of Till Lindemann from Rammstein, but in fact it's a continuation of the band called Lindemann, which was initially planned as a supergroup of Till and Peter Tägtgren from Hypocrisy and Pain. Tägtgren has left that project, because he recorded the most of material, while was always in the shadow of his bandmate's popularity. Eventually Peter concentrated on own bands and Till recruited less famous performers for his project, led solely now.
The music of the albums with Tägtgren was more of an attempt just to have fun. "Zunge" also has some humor, but still it's more serious and personal for Till Lindemann…

Recorded at Brunel University in November 1978 on the tour to promote the album Hawklords: 25 Years On , the Hawklords show was Dave Brock and Robert Calvert's vision of a mechanised society that perfectly embraced the influence of the musical New Wave to deliver some of the most effective music written during Calvert s tenure with Hawkwind. This new release comprises the band s entire set and is newly mixed from the original 24-track tapes and includes four previously unreleased tracks.

This double disc set features mostly live selections from the early 1970s to the 1980s along with some alternate takes. CD 1 opens with Die Sinfonie, a long track from their eponymous debut album, here you can enjoy a 1973 live version featuring that distinctive Grobschnitt progrock sound: fiery, rock based guitar, the strong, often English vocals, the excellent, very inventive drumwork and the wonderful vintage keyboard sound. The next track is Nickelodeon (in a 1973 rehearsals version, originally on the 2-LP Ballermann from 1974) featuring top notch rock guitar, what a compelling soli! The final composition on CD-1 is the famous epic Solar Music (also from Ballerman) in a 53 minutes version.
CD 2 contains 10 tracks like Ernie's Reise and Rockpommels Land Finale from the known concept album Rockpommel's Land, both from 1981 and we can enjoy a fine blend of acoustic guitar and varied keyboards…

Slim cut this session in May 1968 in Chicago (with Mike Vernon producing) as a member of the Chicago Blues All Stars, an ad hoc touring group that consisted of Willie Dixon, Johnny Shines, Walter Horton, and Clifton James. With all that to recommend it, it's still a pretty workmanlike set - no real sparks of any kind, just competently played blues by five old veterans who could knock this stuff out in their sleep, and probably did.

George Shearing's solo piano CD Favorite Things doesn't hide his early background in the study of classical music, but at times it celebrates it. The only truly arranged piece on the album, "My Favorite Things," incorporates a portion of a Scarlatti sonata, while "Not You Again" hints at Tchaikovsky. "Taking a Chance on Love" was inspired by Brahms' E major Intermezzo, while Artie Shaw's "Moonray" has the character of a Baroque fugue. Many of the other tracks have an impressionistic flavor, especially the dreamy take of Dave Brubeck's "Summer Song" and the haunting treatment of Matt Dennis' "Angel Eyes." The pianist adds a warm, friendly vocal to the finale, "It Amazes Me." George Shearing was clearly enjoying himself during the two days of studio sessions which produced this CD; fans of solo jazz piano are invited to do the same.

Remy returns to these virtual pages with an offering thematically connected to his recent Disconnected, in title at least. The music is similarly influenced by Klaus Schulze, circa 1975-78 and fans of Schulze's recordings of that era are almost sure to enjoy this one. Remy composes very ably in this style, and while the stylistic innovations may be few, he is able to use and twist the style to respond to his personal expressions.

This 3CD-set assembles all of the Fish-era singles released by Marillion, the undisputed leaders of the neo-prog movement. Clearly the stuff of manic collectors' dreams, this will far exceed both the interest and budget of casual listeners; but for those keen to possess a truly special heirloom to commemorate their heroes, this will fit that description quite nicely.

Despite his visibility and star power, Robert Plant thrives in collaboration. The singer's post-Led Zeppelin career has been marked with a range of eclectic pairings and project bands emphasizing his myriad creative interests. Band of Joy (which actually pre-dates Zeppelin) and his partnership with singer/fiddler Alison Krauss are probably the best known of his solo-era endeavors, a list which also includes the Honeydrippers, the Priory of Brion, and the Sensational Space Shifters. Plant's newest band, Saving Grace, might be his most casual and cooperative yet. After meeting banjoist Matt Worley at his local pub, the two put together a crew of regional folk musicians including singer/accordionist Suzi Dian; Suzi's husband, drummer Oli Jefferson; guitarist Tony Kelsey; and cellist Barney Morse-Brown. Billed as Robert Plant with Suzi Dian, Saving Grace is less of a solo record than it is the sound of a new collective learning its strengths…

Like Nico, Astrud Gilberto's everywoman voiced has always had a polarizing effect on critics and fans alike. While her take on bossa nova is less than reverent and decidedly lightweight, the warmth and approachability she brings to each performance is stunning. Verve's lovingly compiled - and blissfully affordable - Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour is as solid a collection of her heady mixture of samba, jazz and pop as you're likely to find. Twenty songs, including the classic "Girl From Ipanema," wash in like waves from the warmest of oceans, carrying with them the soft, reverb-drenched soundtrack to summer. If the tropical heat of "Berimbau," the lazy and lonely pulse of Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes" and the upbeat swing of "Wish Me a Rainbow" don't instantly take the drudgery of your day away, then consider yourself hopelessly bitter.

Forged in the fires of French-Spanish heritage, Impureza has spent two decades pioneering Hispanic Metal - a fierce fusion of extreme metal and the passionate rhythms of flamenco. Wielding their Iberian identity like a blade, they have conquered stages worldwide, leaving an indestructible mark on the international metal scene. With ‘Alcázares’, Impureza plunges into the heart of medieval Spain, resurrecting the legends of the Reconquista with unrelenting ferocity. From the war cries of “Bajo las Tizonas de Toledo” to the spectral doom of “El Ejército de los Fallecidos de Alarcos”, this album is a relentless expedition through history, mysticism, and blood-soaked battles. The scorching fusion of flamenco guitars, orchestral grandeur, and brutal death metal reaches its peak here, crafted with masterful precision by Sébastien Camhi and Jacob Hansen.

During the 70's, Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes recorded a string of stunning and successful albums, gathering a few plaudits and yearly awards from specialized press, played throughout Europe and even in Latin America and Northern Africa and are now seen as an iconic group of the hippy 70's in France. Their music is rather experimental and hard to define and involves folk, progressive and improvisation. Their use of seldom-seen percuphone and cosmophone (both alpine instruments), their lengthy Poème Non-Epique pieces, Ribeiro's anarchist avant-garde and ecologist lyrics and doomed atmosphere (there is some VdGG feel in their music) made this group a very distinct and very original group that has their own sound. In a similar vocal style to Brigitte Fontaine, Catherine Ribeiro's low voice tone may also evoke Nico at times and is theatrical and declamatory.

Despite its promising arc in the early '90s, the term "acid jazz" became a pejorative all too quickly. By the mid '90s, in order to stake claim to ears, minds and asses, deejays and producers were fleeing for the (then) perceived higher ground of the nascent drum & bass and jungle scenes, genres which themselves had woefully short lifespans. Into this mad dash entered United Future Organization's stunning self titled debut, like a groovy Robert De Niro airlifting himself IN to Saigon just as everyone else was leaving. And the results are remarkable from beginning to end, save perhaps for a palpable drop in energy in the album's last few tracks. But it is rare for any group to string together six consecutive tracks of such high quality and diverse sound to begin any record in their catalogue, let alone their official debut.

The jazz violin of French-American Antoine Silverman creates a more lyrical approach to swing, teaming with guitarist Andy Reiss for a sound wonderfully reminiscent of the great Stephan Grappelli. The quartet nudges the nuances on a dozen evergreens, the best of which is an inventive rendition of "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise." Also top-level are their readings of "How High the Moon," "Autumn Leaves" and "Angel Eyes." Great listening.

Despite the departure of organist Matthew Fisher, Procol Harum survived, and this album is ample proof. Fisher was one of the prime architects of the Harum sound, and his work on such classics as "Shine on Brightly" and, of course, "Whiter Shade of Pale" underline that. Procol continued as a four-piece, and it was indeed a good thing that they decided not to replace Fisher. The sound of the band on this album is a bit sparser, but definitely not without dimension and dynamics. "Simple Sister," one of the finest Gary Brooker/Keith Reid compositions, is truly glorious, with Robin Trower's frightening lead guitar work juxtaposed nicely against a wonderful string arrangement. Several other tracks are first rate, including "Power Failure" and "Playmate of the Mouth." Along with Little Feat, Procol Harum was a great survivor among rock bands that lost a key member. The proof is in these grooves.