There has always been more to the Johnny Winter story than meets the eye, and if stepping into the role of a whirlwind albino electric blues guitar player from Texas with a brilliant slide style was the very role he was born to fill, he took a while to get there. For starters, he was born in Mississippi, which might explain something, and then grew up in Texas, where he played clarinet before switching over to guitar at the age of 11. Early on he played country before discovering the blues, and realizing there was no money and little future in playing the blues, he turned to studio pop in the early '60s. Times change, though, and by the end of that decade Winter had returned to the blues, where being an amazing electric guitar player with a roaring voice brought him his true calling. That's where this four-disc, 56-track box set picks up the story, the first such set to span the commercial and in-the-public-eye portion of Winter's career, beginning in 1968…

After winning a JUNO in 2016, Anciients were officially anointed as the guiding lights for progressive metal. However, keeping their momentum rocking and rolling proved to be no easy feat. For too long, metalheads feared these mighty Canadians had gone dormant. The road was threatened by many shadowy twists and turns, but after eight years of hermetic silence, Anciients have returned with a new lineup and a new album that now stands as their heaviest, headiest and most heartfelt offering. Fans who’ve waited on bended knee for more fretboard heroics will not be disappointed by Beyond the Reach of the Sun. Lead single “Melt the Crown” fires off not one, not two, but three guitar solos. Each one comes with its own unique flavor, too, spanning from plaintive folk to southern blues and psychedelic prog. Of course, Anciients aren’t afraid to headbang…

This unusual set is powerful but clearly for selected tastes. Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and saxophonist Talib Qadr, who doubles on soprano and alto, are mostly heard singing and chanting during Ibrahim's religious piece "Ishmael," a heartfelt but difficult-to-listen-to tribute to the pianist's Islamic faith. His other originals, which sometimes find Ibrahim playing soprano, are also quite spiritual, featuring a lot of emphasis on the melody statements and pure religious passion from the quartet, which also includes bassist Greg Brown and drummer John Betsch.

German act Argos initially started out as a solo project by multi-instrumentalist and composer Thomas Klarmann, an experienced musician who started out in prog and fusion bands in the 70's.
Later, expanded to a trio, the band released their self-titled debut album in January 2009. The album has been divided into three parts, each highlighting a particular aspect of influences. The first of these, "Nursed by Giants", first and foremost plays out influences from Genesis and Gentle Giant. The following sequence, "Canterbury Souls", pays tribute to the so-called Canterbury tradition in British progressive rock. The final part of this venture is called "From Liverpool to Outer Space", and mainly deals with Beatles-inspired efforts. The band wear their influences firmly on their sleeves, and doesn't try to create something stunningly unique…

Eager to prove their songwriting smarts and knowledge of traditionalist pop on their sophomore work, French band Air pulled back slightly from the milky synth pop of their 1998 debut, Moon Safari. 10,000 Hz Legend is a darker work, just as contemplative and unhurried as its predecessor, but part of a gradual move from drifting, almost pastoral melancholia to a downright post-modern helplessness in league with Radiohead. Air are still tremendously effective producers, and have actually expanded their palate with a surprising array of pop instrumentation (acoustic guitars, flutes, pianos, a harmonica, harps, and many strings) to file alongside the countless trilling synthesizers and machine sequencers. The two lead-off tracks, "Electronic Performers" and "How Does It Make You Feel," are breathtaking productions that exploit the same robot-weariness tendencies that made "Sexy Boy" (from Moon Safari) an alternative hit…