Elevation is a spectacularly explosive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized contemporary jazz-fusion studio masterpiece conceived, arranged, and driven by the legendary British six-string electric bass vanguard virtuoso and composer Tony Grey, released in 2013 by Souvik Dutta’s premier independent progressive fusion preservation imprint Abstract Logix. Spanning over 62 minutes of breathtakingly intense, high-energy instrumental interactions across 10 extensive tracks, this high-fidelity restoration serves as an absolute pinnacle monument in early-2010s virtuoso electric bass archaeology. Renowned for his elastic pocket, fluid solo concepts, and high-profile tenures alongside Hiromi and John McLaughlin, Grey utilizes this unique compositional laboratory to execute a fierce, forward-thinking sonic blueprint that bridges blistering guitar heroics with sophisticated world-fusion landscapes and deeply complex rhythmic meters.

Recto Verso is the second studio album by French singer Zaz, released on 10 May 2013 under the label Play On. The album was Zaz's first album in three years, after her eponymous début, released in 2010. It débuted on the French Album Chart at #2 and to date has spawned three singles, "On ira", "Si" and "Gamine". Musically, it is largely in a similar style to Zaz's début album. The title refers to the two sides of Zaz's personality, which she wished to express in the music of the album. Recto Verso went on to spend ten weeks in the top 10 albums and has been certified Double Platinum as of December 2013.

Verses is a spectacularly fierce, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized free improvisation duet masterpiece by two titans of the modern avant-garde—American multi-reed icon Ken Vandermark and Swedish saxophone powerhouse Mats Gustafsson—released in 2013 by the premier independent Chicago archival imprint Corbett vs. Dempsey. Spanning nearly 41 minutes of breathtaking reed dialogue across 6 poetic tracks, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute pinnacle statement in 2010s creative music archaeology. Documenting a profound, long-standing creative brotherhood between the epicenter of the Chicago improvising scene and the European free jazz vanguard, the duo completely bypasses any safety net, choosing instead to execute a fierce sonic blueprint defined by interlocking multiphonics, structural micro-tones, split tones, and stunning dynamic contrasts.

Eric Gales was hailed as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix when he first hit the blues circuit, an anointment that carries with it impossible pressures, and while Gales is a wonderful guitarist (naturally right-handed, he was taught to play the guitar left-handed, an odd thing, but again, Hendrix-like), he isn't Hendrix, nor will he or anyone ever be. Working out of the power trio format, Gales has more than proven he can play on his many albums, but his voice is average at best, and his songs tend toward the generic, often more like vehicles for guitar leads than actual songs that are crying out to be sung. That's why Ghost Notes is so intriguing, because it's Gales' first all-instrumental album, and therefore it bypasses his weaknesses as a performer and plays to his strengths – the man sure can play guitar.

AC XXV - Anniversary Concert is a spectacularly cinematic, historically monumental, and masterfully orchestrated live album documenting the majestic silver-jubilee performance of the legendary Hungarian progressive ensemble After Crying, released in 2013 by the premier regional arts imprint Periferic Records. Spanning over two hours of dense, highly cohesive instrumental and vocal architecture across two extensive compact discs, this high-fidelity document captures a sold-out concert at the prestigious Béla Bartók National Concert Hall within the Palace of Arts in Budapest. Composed entirely of classically trained conservatoire professors, early-music scholars, and symphonic instrumentalists, After Crying stands as a highly compelling international powerhouse that effortlessly bridges the structural depth of European high art with the electric, multi-faceted dynamic energy of classic 1970s British symphonic rock.

Il Volto Verde is a spectacularly cinematic, deeply esoteric, and masterfully structured progressive rock masterpiece by the acclaimed Italian dark-prog outfit Il Segno del Comando, issued in 2013 by the premier dark-tonality preservation label Black Widow Records. Spanning nearly 56 minutes of brooding, theatrical sonic architecture across 12 highly complex tracks, this high-fidelity studio archive serves as a monumental concept album based entirely on Gustav Meyrink's classic 1916 occult novel of the same name ("The Green Face"). Born out of the legendary Genoa dark-sound movement, the band delivers an exceptional masterclass in production design, seamlessly weaving heavy, down-tuned Gothic metal riffs with sweeping Mellotron arrangements, jazz-fusion rhythmic syncopation, and dramatic, operatic vocal deliveries sung entirely in their native Italian.