Tristame is the musical project of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Rami. The artist has released his debut album titled Unraveling Horizons on his web for free and legal downloading and listening. It is a splendid recording of haunting vocals and cinematic arrangements encompassing folk and rock influences. The artist describes the album as “a journey into the thoughts and emotions of a ‘passive explorer’ one who is carried through his life without ever truly living it, engaged in the world only through his dreams and unfulfilled aspirations”. The lyrics are quite hypnotic especially on the opening “Massive Explorer” and there are some Pink Floyd influences on tracks like “Secretly” and “Inertia”. I also like “Support System”, a more upbeat song on a generally down-tempo effort. This is an impressive first album that will probably get repeated listens on your ipod.

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JT Bruce’s combination of guitars and synthesizers get more complex and wondrous every time I hear it. He is on his third free and legal online album and he still has a heady combination of metal and progressive rock going on. The album is titled Universica and it may be a little more progressive, even a bit of space rock and new age added to the mix. The tracks are all named after stars so you can be forgiven if you think the artist has some other-worldly mystical motive (motif?) in mind. But whatever is in Bruce’s mind, this still remains music that you can immerse yourself in. I find it a cross between Yes’ more improvisatory endeavors and Chick Corea’s Return to Forever days. As with the other two albums which you can find here and here, it is an imaginative musical journey.

The album is available from the artist’s web site in 128kbps MP3.

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Pomeroy is a busy album. There’s always something going on. Changing meters, rapid guitar lines, and jackhammer drums speed by you as you listen to this album by Jardin de la Croix, a Spanish band who describes themselves as progressive rock. I also hear a lot of math rock and alternative influences. In fact, this is one of the first time I have listened to a band and felt the math rock moniker made sense. This is music that is thought out like an equation but it doesn’t subtract from the excitement these musicians can generate. The opening “Polyhedron” shows off their qualities at a super-fast pace but I especially like the slightly slower and, at least at the beginning, quite pretty “Boston Steamer”. This is intelligent rock for those who are tired of the mainstream but still want chords and melodies.

The album is available in 320kbps MP3 from the Mastertoaster net label.

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Japanese Gum is an Italian duo of rock and electronics that really got my head spinning. Their brief EP titled Without You, I’m Napping is just under the 15 minutes duration limit I arbitrarily use for this blog but there are enough musical ideas crowded into these three tracks for a couple of albums. The Japanese Gum sound is a traffic jam of psychedelica, progressive rock, space electronics, and vocals that sounds like The Mary and Jesus Chain in a time warp. “Chlorine Blue” starts pastoral and then builds up to the vocals until it is a throbbing wall of sound. I can not make out the lyrics on “Cannibalism Next Door” but it barely matters as organ and percussion set the stage for what can only be described as an industrial ritual chant. The final track is “Part-Time Assholes” and, despite the weird title, is a memorable post-rock symphonic poem. While this album is too brief to be more than a first course, I have to admit I went away with very satisfied ears.

The album is available as a free download from their web site in 192kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, support the artists by buying their CDs.

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Eating Seats may best be described as a progressive rock band but the genre labeling doesn’t come easily when listening to their free online album Secrets About September. Bits of psychedelica, metal and ambient flows into the the listener’s ears at opportune times. The eight tracks are a bit somber, even pretentious at times, but there is an consistently appealing artistry in these songs. The Pink Floyd influence is fairly undeniable. If you are into progressive rock, you will probably enjoy this album.

Secrets About September is available in 224kbps MP3.

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Six Red Carpets know how to put out a free online album. Nightmares + Lullabies have 45 minutes of well produced rock music somewheres between alternative and progressive rock. Add to that a downloadable 16 page booklet of lyrics and drawings and you have a product most people would pay for. Fortunately for us, the band chose to put this one out for free. The Italian trio sports a indie sound that is slightly centered in the 90s and leans a little toward Smashing Pumpkins. Vocalist Mills has a pleasing nasal quality that has just enough tension to be interesting. Percussionist Leaf and Guitarist / Synth player Majlco fills in the rest admirably in a way that makes it hard to believe this is a trio. Most of the album has a medium hard, up-tempo quality but occasionally a nice dreamy ballad like “Vanilla Scent” will surprise you. This indie group has a good chance to garner a substantial cult following from this intriguing debut effort.

The album is available in 320kbps MP3.

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The progressive / post-rock Loss of a Child has already released three free online albums of their impressive if often over busy performances. The fourth album is Hundred Million Angels and, like the others, is released by the experimental rock netlabel Lost Children. Unlike the other albums, Hundred Million Angels is one 2o minute track It allows the artists to explore and expand their ideas yet provides the needed structure and focus of an extended composition that is missing on the previous efforts. I find it to be their best work to date. If you have not heard this band this is a good place to start. If you have, you will definitely want to download this new work.

The album is available in 256kbps MP3.

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PeerGynt Lobogris may be one of the most prolific artists to place his music on Jamendo. The Spanish guitarist and composer has no less than 25 online albums freely available. I have listened to most of these and found them to be well played examples of rock guitar mixed with imaginative arrangements bordering on progressive rock and new age. The most interesting ones are on the BlueMoon series of six albums and one sampler LP.

The first BlueMoon sets the stage. The tracks seems to alternate between frantic metal and progressive/new age pieces. All the tracks are well orchestrated but it is the guitar solos that really get my attention.

While the first album’s guitar work reminded me a little of Eddie Van Halen, Bluemoons II Dreams has Carlos Santana written all over it. Perhaps the best guitar solo of the series can be found on “Tongues Entwined”. Dreams is more fusion than metal and a bit exotic in feel. With tracks like the Enya-like “Enchanted Forest” and the blues drenched “I Still Have a Sigh”, this is my favorite in the series.

BlueMoon III Mystic Places is for the most part a return to metal. But even here, quieter tracks like ” Poison In Your Lips” and “Athena’s Challenges” throw subtle surprises at you.

BlueMoon IV Dreams Keeper stars out a bit mystical and is more new age than the others. You will still find some great guitar jamming on tunes like “Into the Wormhole”. For a quieter side with some Spanish influences, try “Remembering My Grandfather”.

By now you should have a good idea of what Peergynt can do, so it is probably sufficient to say BlueMoon V Forgotten Spirits and BlueMoon VI Freezone is more of the same. BlueMoon V is fairly upbeat with “The Wild Side” showing a good share of the fireworks. BlueMoon VI is the latest release and it has some nice flamenco styled playing on “The Alchemist” as well as the now usual mix of progressive and metal jams.

The length of these albums are between 21 to 48 minutes long. But if you don’t want to download every album, there is a 69 minute “Best of” compilation called BlueMoon 2007 offering some of the best tracks from Volumes I through V. For those not totally into guitar rock, it might be the best way to go.

All of these albums and much more from PeerGynt Lobogris are available from Jamendo in VBR MP3.

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Peergynt’s BlueMoon
BlueMoon II Dreams
BlueMoon III Mystic Places
BlueMoon IV Dreams Keeper
BlueMoon V Forgotten Spirits
BlueMoon VI Freezone
BlueMoon 2007 (The best of PeerGynt’s BlueMoons)

The French duo Planete Sauvage creates lush and surreal soundscapes that are securely in the realm of new age music. Their two albums are freely available on their web site.

The first album is self-titled and is a 31 minute EP of four tracks. The opening track “Cecilia” starts like a tentative dream and blossoms into a beautiful guitar-based melody. “La Saison des Puies” and “Resonances” have a similar dreamlike quality but with a middle Eastern influence. “Extension 9″ breaks from the pack with a rock tempo but has a lot of interesting twists and turns before the ten minute track concludes.

Planete Savauge II is a full length online album, clocking in at almost 42 minutes. I find it the better album if only because there is more of it. With only one of the seven tracks being under six minutes, Planete Savauge takes their time setting the mood and exploring the possibilities in their well-crafted compositions. The opening track, “Melancholia” is somewhat dark, a femme-fatale of a song. Some of the tracks combine a running dialogue such as on “The Dead Rose’s Monoloque” which I find distracting. But when the song is entirely instrumental, it is easy to get lost in the musical fog. Whether Planete Savauge is new age, ambient, down-tempo, or progressive rock is immaterial. They simply make beautiful music.

Planete Savauge is available in 320kbps MP3 while Planete Savauge II is in VBR MP3 at around 230kbps. You can also download either album in FLAC format.

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Planete Sauvage
Planete Sauvage II

Savium has just released his second album titled Phlegm Not Sentient. Like the first album, it is loosely in the metal, progressive, post-rock genres. There appears to be more experimentation and variety in this outing. I still like the guitar centered rock tracks like “Into The Light From Tyrone Eve” and “Pensive” the best but other songs such as the electro ear candy “Pheromone Queen” and a post-rock “An Offer For Comfort” exhibits other sides of this talented musician. If you like Mogwai and Tortoise you should enjoy Savium.

The album is available as separate tracks or a album zip in 192kbps MP3.

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There is little information about the band Mass of The Sun on their web site. There’s a few photos, a schedule of concerts that are all canceled, and two albums. Fortunately the two albums speak volumes. Mass of The Sun is a progressive rock / metal band with an epic sound; romantic, mysterious, and symphonic.

Their 2007 release, Rymdkupa start with a slow chant that builds into a powerful melody that holds you for twelve minutes. The title track is another long track with a slow but melodic sound and some very nice work between guitar and electric organ. It is my favorite song on the album. Mass of The Sun seems to be best at these extended numbers. Anna-Karin Blomster is the main vocalist and provides a beautiful folkish quality to the music.

The band has an unusual sound that exhibits excellent interaction between all involved. This also works to good affect on their 2006 release Palms and Minds. Again the two best tracks, the title song and “Fable”, are extended works allowing for extensive exploration. On both albums, the tracks tends to be slower to mid tempo with a symphonic sound.. The one exception is a clever little jazz number called “One Foot at a Time”. While I find Rymdkupa more enjoyable, both albums deliver good quality progressive rock in a unique style.

Palms and Minds is available in 192kbps MP3 while Rymdkupa is in 320kbps MP3.

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