IZZ - Don't Panic (2019)

Don't panic, IZZ is back! Four years after their superb album 'Everlasting Instant' the New York based band IZZ have returned with another great release. The music is symphonic prog with male and female voices and strongly Yes influenced melodic textures. When the album progresses more and more crimsonesque harmonics chime in, as well as keyboards that could be from Emerson or Wakeman. The titles seem to be loosely based on 'The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams.

Starport Omega : Saturday 18:00 PST (Sunday 03:00 CEST, 01:00 GMT)
Floating Islands : Sunday 15:00 PST (Monday 00:00 CEST, Sunday 22:00 GMT)
My streaming URL

Big Big Train - Grand Tour (2019)

This weekend I am playing the new album of the UK-based band Big Big Train. In continuation of the albums English Electric, Folklore and Grimspound, this album is again a nice work of symphonic prog with a nod towards 70's Genesis without sounding derivative, with excellent compositions, the typical melodic vocals, as well as lush strings and brass arrangements. This time Big Big Train takes us to a historical grand tour to continental Europe from ancient Rome to space travel. I especially enjoyed the three nearly 15-minute epics on this recording. This might be probably their best studio album so far, and is for me also a candidate for best album of the year!

Starport Omega : Saturday 18:00 PST (Sunday 03:00 CEST, 01:00 GMT)
Floating Islands : Sunday 15:00 PST (Monday 00:00 CEST, Sunday 22:00 GMT)
My streaming URL

The Samurai Of Prog - Toki No Kaze (Winds of Time) (2019)

The Samurai Of Prog is a Finland-based multinational band consisting of the core trio Marco Bernard (bass), Steve Unruh (violin, flute, guitars, vocals) and Kimmo Pörsti (drums), who are always supported by a huge amount of additional guest musicians.

Their seventh studio album Toki no Kaze, which means Winds of Time in Japanese, is inspired by Japanese anime film maker Hayao Miyazaki. I don't know this film maker nor his films. The only thing I can say is that this album is again a masterpiece of symphonic prog, with its playful compositions, pastoral sounds and lush orchestration of keyboards, guitars, drums, violins, flute and wind instruments. One song is sung by Japanese singer and keyboardist Yuko Tomiyama, two other songs by Elisa Montaldo, who is known for her work with 'Il Tempio delle Clessidre'.
Nearly all their previous albums were among my yearly top 10, and I think this album will be no exception. It's again a candidate for best album of the year!

Starport Omega : Saturday 18:00 PST (Sunday 03:00 CEST, 01:00 GMT)
Floating Islands : Sunday 15:00 PST (Monday 00:00 CEST, Sunday 22:00 GMT)
My streaming URL