T P A

This is my 7th Nektar review for TPA and 9th overall, if you count my old DPRP reviews. That’s how committed I am to charting the tale of Nektar, in whatever haphazard order the reissues will come. This time around, Esoteric gives the deluxe three-disc treatment to the band’s seventh album, Magic Is a Child, originally recorded and released in 1977 after the band had...

In music culture, nothing beats a generous portion of nostalgia. It enables the listener to indulge in either reminiscing on the past, or in re-invigorating the senses for new music to come. And Pop music artists, in particular, are magpies with veracious appetites, with past influences being an integral part of the development of new sounds. Whether a new music fashion is pr...

The latest album from Martin Springett’s musical project, The Gardening Club, is called The Insubstantial Pageant, takes you on a wonderful, cinematic journey through time and place. Once again, the Toronto-based, ex-pat, musician, illustrator and author has conjured up a conceptual, narrative-driven album full of musical diversity and range, alongside a roster of ta...

Firstly, before I do the review I think I need add a bit of texture to the day and also to demonstrate that I am not afraid to laugh at myself and see the funny side of things. I will begin by regaling you with an explanation of something that happened to me on the way to the concert and effected my behaviour for t...

It would be easy to dismiss the new Yes album, Aurora, out of hand: it’s not Yes without Jon Anderson, it’s little more than a cover band, their time has come and gone. You could dismiss it, but that would be a mistake. The Davison era has had some interesting moments, but nothing sustainable for an entire album. Till now, that is. Aurora finds the ...