The Spacelords: Uranus Omnibus Sanctus

German neo-psychedelic trio The Spacelords offer equal billing to heavy rock influenced instrumentals and meandering sci-fi excursions on their new album Uranus Omnibus Sanctus. The four long form tracks allow them to dig deep, with Marcus Schnitzler's and Ekhar Kazmaier subtle rhythm shifts in order to provide a safety net when Matthias Wettstein lets rip on his guitar, trying to defy gravity and fly off to the great unknown. Didi Holzner guests on the title track, with an old school organ part.

Part Hawkwind and early Porcupine Tree, they have come up with a kind of middle ground that sounds familiar, but with plenty of twists and turns that come close to showing off it's an album for like-minded musicians and progressive rock fans who want to venture into uncharted waters, without losing sight of a safe harbour, never mind the band's love for sounding like they are playing beneath the surface of the sea.

Karlijn Langendijk: tour dates

Dutch classical acoustic guitarist Karlijn Langendijk will be on the road in The Netherlands and Germany. Expect original material and rearranged familiar pop songs. Most shows are part of the MusiSHEans Guitar Tour, with Ali Tod, Valeria Galimova & Judith Beckedorf.

Naïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers: show in Pioneertown, CA

A rare opportunity to catch two rather good guitarists sharing the stage happens on September 1 at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown, CA. Naïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers bring along punk-rock quartet Hot Patooties.

» naimamor.net
» Kid Congo Powers on Wikipedia

HCTF review of Stories (Naïm Amor)

Johnny Marr: It's Time

Johnny Marr has shared It's Time, the third single from his forthcoming new album The Age Of Everything. He urges himself (and the listener) to take a stand. Without that winning is an illusion: "Time is now to claim my victory Me and myself caught in a new world // I seen what I seen and I don't believe // Feel like going it alone so recklessly // I'll ascend on to somewhere // Trying to claim victory"

Hunter Complex: Call of the Wild and Void

On the new album by his electronic ambient project Hunter Complex Dutch musician Lars Meijer combines New Age textures with the melodicism of Vangelis and the subdued production values of bands like Tangerine Dream. Call of the Wild and Void is a very relaxing excursion, with a prominent role for the piano, on top of the soft-spoken electronics.

With the exception of the solo piece Back To The World he invited guest musicians to add adding dabs of colour to his gently undulating sonic tapestries. Among them are Lucy Valentin (guitar), Ruben Braeken (guitar), Kat Epple (flute) and Aquiles Navarro (trumpet), all of them players with a signature tone that never gets in the way of Meijer's vision, but acts an extra layer giving the track a glow that can't come out of keyboard. It is an album that taps listeners gently on the shoulder, inviting them to step into a dream world where beauty and art reign in unison.