[2006] - Panzerpappa - Koralrevens Klagesang

Norwegian avant-prog in the vein of Samla Mammas Manna and Art Zoyd, although in a less dark, instrumental style that differences them from the classic RIO bands. It still follows some of the ideas from the scene while applying its own personal style, which becomes evident from the very first listen. Good material for those looking for rare, modern gems within the avant-prog scene.




Currently unavailable.

[1986] Shub Niggurath - Les Morts Von Vite (Reissue 1997)

More french avant-prog, and this time is the turn of the legendary Shub Niggurath. Inspired by Magma and Art Zoyd, their occult, haunting vibe typical of the french bands following the contemporary classical approach in progressive rock back then. It's not as energetic as Magma was (with its strong jazz elements), but it's as bombastic and full of the same free improvisation that characterized the bands from the well known Rock In Opposition movement.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Buy it directly from Musea Records here.

[1978] Univers Zéro / Art Zoyd - Live at Theatre du Taur, Toulouse, France

A somewhat rare bootleg of a 1978 show in France, in which Univers Zéro and Art Zoyd shared the stage and even played songs together. This bootleg recording is not complete though (some songs are missing), but what most would look forward to hear (a collaboration between both bands) is present in Complainte.
Aside from that, this bootleg has songs from Univers Zéro's Heresie era, and Art Zoyd's first album played live; it's not the best recording ever since the mic pans from channel to channel and there's a few other flaws, but even then it's worth having, particularly for Univers Zéro's Jack The Ripper, excellent live rendition of one of their most famous songs.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC]


Unavailable for purchase.

[2010][REQUEST] Mop Meuchiine - Mop Meuchiine plays Robert Wyatt

Another Robert Wyatt tribute, and this time is the collective Mop Meuchiine, fronted by the prolific Pascal Maupeu, with an intense collaborative project which ranges from the jazzy feel of early Soft Machine to the intense, improvisational post-rock delivery of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and similar.
Excellent material.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Le Chant Du Monde here.

[1976] Art Zoyd - Symphonie pour le Jour où Brûleront les Cités (2008 Reissue)

One of the few still existing bands that formed part of the legendary Rock In Opposition movement, which also managed to remain somewhat fresh after all these decades. Art Zoyd's debut already shows some of the traits characterizing bands like Magma and Univers Zéro: dark, gospel-like choruses, with a prominent strings section (mostly heard in Univers Zéro) and a strong jazz influence. While it's not as noticeable in this album (their first), it shows some of the dark ambient leaning that will later give them relevance within the french scene.
Comparatively speaking, Univers Zéro and Art Zoyd share plenty of traits, although the former delved more into avant-prog rock than the latter, which focused mostly on electronic arrangements. As with the other members of the Rock In Opposition original lineup, it'd be a sin to overlook.

Download it here: [V0][FLAC Part 1 Part 2] Updated!


Currently unavailable.

[1977] John Greaves, Peter Blegvad, Lisa Herman - Kew. Rhone.

One of the many gems from the Canterbury Scene, Kew Rhone is the resulting work of three important figures from that time, whose combined experience gave birth to an album strongly hinting at Slapp Happy's art pop vibe and what would later become Art Bears, with a remarkable jazz influence typical of the scene. Joyous and mysterious at the same time, the album is plagued with occult references and hidden clues not only in the lyrics but also in the cover, on which several clues are denoted with roman numerals and paired together with some phrases within the songs. Definitely, anyone with at least a mild interest in the 70's british prog scene should check this excellent album.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it from Amazon here.

[2009] Orchestre National de Jazz - Around Robert Wyatt

A very interesting release, which gathers plenty of classic compositions from popular albums in which Robert Wyatt (such an inspiring figure of the canterbury prog scene of the 70's and beyond) contributed and took part of, ranging from his solo albums, the Blegvad/Greaves/Herman collab known as  Kew Rhone, to Matching Mole and many others, reinterpreted by the Orchestre National de Jazz, and even with his own participation in a good part of them. Without losing a bit of their original quality, the songs are embellished with noteworthy contributions, such as Rokia Taoré's soul-influenced vocals, full of warmth and innocence, or Yael Naim's folky vibe, giving it a kind, retro feel to Wyatt's compositions.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Abeille Musique here.

[1995] Ved Buens Ende - Written In Waters...

Combining the aesthetics and driving force behind the 2nd Wave of Norwegian BM with the innovation and progressive touch of the canterbury scene/rock in opposition of the 70's/80's, Ved Buens Ende singlehandedly inspired countless of progressive metal bands with an experimental edge that came decades earlier, with a style that isn't even overtly technical, but rather full of nuances and expressive methods that became their trademark sound.

One of the most important albums for me, it changed the way I perceived music as a whole, and even until today I consider it unique as it is.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Candlelight Records here.

[2007] Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - In Glorious Times

 In Glorious Times, the latest Sleepytime Gorilla Museum album, represents their most accomplished work to date, while becoming arguably more accessible than they were in Of Natural History. Half of this album is instrumental which is already an important change, but that's only one of the many secrets hidden in this album. There's short spoken word sections in the middle of some of the last songs and shorts outbursts of violence intertwined with rests that might caught a first listener off-guard. Definitely not for the faint, one of the finest examples of modern avant-prog along with bands like Guapo and Cheer-Accident.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from The End Records here.

[2011] Tartar Lamb - Polyimage of Known Exits

Fuck yes, it's finally here! The new Tartar Lamb sounds as good as promised. In this opportunity Daniel Means (alto sax) and David Bodie (drums) from Kayo Dot join the lineup to add up to the musical melting pot, which in result pushes the band's sound forward. Still instrumental, it seems closer to Kayo Dot's quieter parts (from the latest album) than Tartar Lamb's first album, and while the violins are still prominent, there's a huge emphasis in sound experimentation. The long wait certainly paid off.


Fully streamable (plus purchase links) on Tartar Lamb's website here.

[2008] Mothlite - The Flax of Reverie

Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo, Ulver, live member of Sunn O)))) is the frontman of this prog/neofolk project, which borrows a bit from each one of the projects he has been involved with (specially Miasma & The Carousel of Headless Horses) and mixing it with post-rock (with a hint of Talk Talk), giving the music a unique style overlal. O'Sullivan's soft vocals that remind of Toby Driver's give the album an ethereal vibe, constantly layering and reverberating on every song.
So far the only LP (released 3 years ago), which should be followed by Dark Age this year, in which Krystoffer Rygg (Ulver, Æthenor) contributes vocals.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Southern Records here.

[1999] NeBeLNeST - NeBeLNeST

Part of the main lineup of the Rock in Opposition reunion festival back in 2007 (alongside Present and Guapo, most recent representatives of the "movement"), this french band mixes the moog synths and blissed out psychedelic guitars from the 70's (Pink Floyd comes to mind) with the academic avant-prog from Present to create an original blend. For fans of the aforementioned bands, Dün, Astra, and T2.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from Musea Records here.

[1990] Už Jsme Doma - Uprostřed Slov / In The Middle Of Words (2002 Reissue)

Weirdest discovery I've made lately (a bit late, considering their fame), this czech band blends progressive rock with post-punk aesthetics and quirky lyrics in a way that resembles a bit to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum and Magma, just to mention a few easy examples. It's fun as hell to listen to, with a single listen I became obsessed with their style. It shows how a lot of music stays off the radar if one doesn't actively look for it. Give it a listen, it's just great to know how much amazing music comes out of Czech Republic judging by what I've heard.

Download it here: [V0]


Buy it directly from Amazon here.

[1997] Ved Buens Ende - Those Who Caress The Pale

Demo material of what I consider one of the most inspirational bands within metal, and pioneers of what was later known as avantgarde black metal (a blend of avant-prog/rock and black metal aesthetics). This first release, while still displaying some of the features that were later shown in Written in Waters, it also shows a different side of the band, focusing a lot in jazz melodies and avant-prog approach, with hints to Canterbury Scene prog bands like Henry Cow, even. It's also one of the first to feature long silence parts followed by noise, weird sound bits hidden in the tracklist.

Download it here: [320][V0]


Buy it directly from In and Out Records here.

[1979] Art Bears - Winter Songs

Second Art Bears album, following the stylistic approach started with Hopes and Fears (which contained the written, but unperformed Henry Cow "song-oriented" material). Highly dissonant, reactionary songs, fully exploring the vocal range of Dagmar Krause and the first glances of the avantgarde approach Fred Frith and Chris Cutler were about to fully focus into in the next decades. Not as approachable as The World As It Is Today, but it's definitely a compelling listen for these interested in early avant-prog.

Download it here: [320]

Buy it directly from Recommended Records here.

[2005] Friendly Bears - On Oceans, Light, And Sleep

Free-jazzy, avant-prog band from the United States,which released an album with Infidel?/Castro! a while ago already. Similar to Tartar Lamb (Toby & Mia's (also from Kayo Dot) side project) at their softest moments, it delivers fast-paced, frantic sections on short notice, mixed with female vocals from time to time. So far their only LP, which is a shame considering how good they are. This album was released 5 years after their original forming, so they've mostly been a live band; for instance,  not too long ago they did a show along with Tartar Lamb as a support act.

Downnload it here: [V2][V0]


Buy it directly from Amazon here. Sold out on Pralaya Records.

[2003] Cheer-Accident - Introducing Lemon

Progressive rock (with a touch of RIO) meets math-rock, meets indie rock. Thymme Jones' main band, Cheer-Accident is easily one of the best, most underrated progressive-rock bands of the last decade. This album is their most known release, in which remarkable drumming (without being too showy) and occasional brass instruments add their quota of amazing melodies, paired with mellow, sometimes cheesy lyrics. There's many highlights in this album, for instance Zervas and While. In reality, most of the song bleed into the next one, making it better to listen to it in its entirety to fully appreciate it. All in all this is great music that deserves more attention, very unlike most bands in their genre, considering their humorous approach and emphasis on 'telling' rather than 'showing'. It reminds me of Art Bears a lot, not much in the content though (or even musically), but the spirit behind it.

Download it here: [V0]

Buy it directly from SKiN GRAFT Records here (page 8).

[1974] Henry Cow - Unrest

Essential avant-prog/RIO band and one of my all-time favorites, Henry Cow doesn't need much introduction. Pioneers of the Rock In Opposition movement in which their members thrive to compose quality, complex music outside of the common denominator of the big labels (such as Virgin Records at that time, which brought them a lot of problems that ended up in this detachment) and with a strong leftist/socialist leaning, this album is a blend of jazz with progressive rock put forward in a unique way, almost typical of the Canterbury movement but still detaching a lot from its regular style. Almost completely instrumental, it features some vocals from Leigh and Wyatt (who also collaborated with them during Leg End).

Download it here: [320][V0][FLAC Part 1 Part 2] Updated!

Buy it directly from Recommended Records here.

[1981] Art Bears - The World As It Is Today

An integral part of what became the Henry Cow legacy, Art Bears stands out as one of the most influential, cult-like bands of the rock in opposition/canterbury movement of the late 70's and beginnings of the 80's. The World As It Is Today, their last album, is agressive, dissonant, and full of politics, expressed not only by the acclaimed vocalist Dagmar Krause (in one of her best performances to date), but the complex and (at some points) seemingly random arrangements, which is in fact well structured and rooted in modern classical archetypes and free improvisation. The song Freedom is already considered a classic, in which the rebellious nature of the band (and their stance against corporations and capitalist systems of their time and the present) is fully displayed. Essential listening material.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Recommended Records here.

[2010] Kayo Dot - Stained Glass EP

With a more synth-oriented focus on their usual style, Kayo Dot releases this great EP, Stained Glass, which almost seems like an addendum to the song Abyss Hinge 2: The Shrinking Armature, and in that note, the listener already knows what to expect: slow, chilled out notes with sparse guitar solos and low-key vocals in the subtlest way only this band could achieve. Almost 20min of the finest avant-prog rock brought by Kayo Dot.

Download it here: [320][V0]

Buy it directly from Hydra Head Records here.