Both C.P.E. Bach and Franz Benda were composers who enjoyed the favour of the court of Frederick the Great and who developed a highly individual and lasting style of music in the monarch's service. Though ‘Old Fritz’ demanded works in the pleasing galant style for his almost daily music sessions from his court musicians, Franz Benda succeeded in humouring the king without stooping to compromise quality. His three concertos for flute seem to have been tailor-made for Frederick II; in the galant style, yet full of sensitivity and profound emotion.

This recording of Monteverdi's retelling of the Orpheus legend may not be as fine overall as John Eliot Gardiner's, but it has much to recommend it. Nigel Rogers was the first great modern Monteverdi tenor: he made this record after his prime, but his virtuoso passage-work and stylish ornaments should be required listening for every student of the role. The cast, chorus, and orchestra give solid, if occasionally reserved, performances (though Guillemette Laurens is a shrill Messenger). The best singing of the entire record is (perhaps unfortunately) at the beginning: Emma Kirkby's sweet voice, imaginative embellishment, and eloquent delivery as Music result in absolutely the best rendition of the Prologue on record.

By 1648, Heinrich Schuetz was both a survivor and a relic of his own past glory. The 63-year-old devout Lutheran had survived the religious slaughter of the Thirty Years War, which had killed more than half of the musicians of his German world. Surely the most influential composer of German history, he had also outlasted his own impact on the next generation of German composers, patrons, and audiences, who unjustly regarded his music as outdated. Who knows how he felt about his growing isolation, but it's interesting that he chose to compose one of his grandest and greatest accomplishments - the Geistliche Chormusik 1648, op. 11 - in the antiquated contrapuntal style of Renaissance vocal polyphony, the prima prattica, rather than the operatic Italianate seconda prattica he himself had introduced to German music.

The aptly titled and much-sampled Feels So Good represents the creative apex of Grover Washington, Jr.'s sublime electric funk sound. Its shimmering, soulful grooves refute the argument that smooth jazz is little more than mere ambience, combining expert playing and intricate songwriting to create music that is both compelling and comforting. Arranger Bob James is in top form here, creating the spacious, rich milieus that are his trademark, but regardless of the name above the title, bassist Louis Johnson is the real star of the show. His supple rhythms percolate like coffee, adding oomph to the bottom of highlights "Hydra" and "Knucklehead" while Washington's cream-and-sugar soprano sax solos soar over the top.

Amorphis at this point were embracing their roots in melodic death and progressive metal, still hanging on the folk metal influence they had on the last few albums from Eclipse to Skyforger. Clearly, the band still decides to mix up their style here and there, but stay true to the desired result. Putting out classic after classic, the band had already covered multiple stories featured in the Kalevala with the help of Pekka Kainulainen's writing by now. And they had repeatedly done this to great success, fleshing out so many different styles of music masterfully.
Amorphis as a whole is very consistent at providing wonderful albums that all give a fresh new story or impression, and thus old and new fans can all find something interesting to evaluate about them.

We have just discovered a new shining star in the bright Progressive rock universe, a comet named Philippe Luttun, whose forthoming arrival should make a deep impact ! This amazing French multi-instrumentalist offers today a cinematic concept-album inspired by Chernobyl's nuclear disaster that happened April 26th 1986, from its causes to its most terrific consequences. This is not for all audiences! Published in the year 2014 on the Musea Parallèle label, "The Taste Of Wormwood - Voices From Chernobyl" displays eight grandiose tracks, entirely performed by Philippe Luttun, only helped by a female singer here and there. One could be reminded of Pink Floyd, Clearlight, Porcupine Tree, Liquid Tension Experiment or Pulsar, these influences being perfectly assimilated and remixed, often completed by slavic (the action takes place in the U.S.S.R.) or electro touches…

Crypthios debuts on Cryo Chamber with the album Vestigium. This layered and intricate album of soothing and textural movements depict a post apocalyptic world that is peacefully lonely but with brooding undertones.
You must have hit your head pretty hard while escaping New City, the last remaining city of man. You hardly remember the journey on the raft that carried you across the raging sea to the shores of the graylands. Massive structures of bronze and stone swept the barren landscape. Some serving as tunnels entrances leading into underground halls, where archaic machines were still whirring and beeping in the massive network. The deep sub level labyrinth stretched endlessly, bird like creatures cried in the distance…