Universe’s lone 1977 LP cloaks Hawkwind-meets-Syd-Barrett psychedelia in Yes-scale grandeur, with dexterous keys, swirling synths and ten-minute epic “Touchdown” propelling an ethereal, subtly spiritual voyage through cosmic Americana.
The result is a heady acidprog reverie, equal parts celestial hymn and spacerock odyssey, that ranks among the great hidden treasures of 70’s U.S. prog. Mixing the sounds of Hawkwind and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, Universe successfully created their own acid rock sound. Formed in the mid ’70s in California by Gary Paul Van and Dennis Lee Askew, Universe released one eponymous album in 1977, and what an album it was.
Touchdown features fine acoustic and electric guitar work. It is the longest song…
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“Some people only exist to prang me the fuck out,” decrees the softened Scouse accent of Unreal’s unreliable narrator Ned Green amidst the hurley-burly of early album highlight ‘Sleepers, Awake’. Amidst the catharsis of its geometric, interlocking guitar rhythms, and bee-in-yer-bonnet brass maelstroms, Green’s spoken-word narrations are cut-glass, surgical observations that glimmer with the same wry wit that scaffolds the best work by Richard Dawson, Neil Blackwell, Chris Morris, etc. He searches for deeper meaning in the commonplace; wants ecstasy in the everyday; and, should his ultimate goal be to be the first rock and roll singer to reference the ‘Shaver Only’ plug socket, he succeeds on all counts.
Last year’s EP gave a beautifully brilliant glimpse into the world of Magic Fig. The Bay Area band boasts a handful of familiar names that have been swirling around the indie pop arena; members of Whitney’s Playland, The Umbrellas, Almond Joy, Healing Potpourri, and Blades of Joy. Such a stacked roster brought with it expectations of breezy strums and pop hooks, but the band slipped free of their indie pop past to embrace prog, Anglican folk, and Canterbury psych instead. On their debut album, 
…Iconoclassic reissued the first two albums by Happy the Man: their 1977 self-titled debut and 1978’s Crafty Hands, originally released on the Arista label. (HTM have become prog’s Taylor Swift of sorts, securing the master rights to these albums themselves to license to the label.) Formed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the group was influenced by European prog groups like Yes, Gentle Giant and Genesis – but created a sound all their own that expanded the constraints of the genre further through the west.
Avant-garde DIY project 
At this point, rock legends Cheap Trick have nothing left to prove. From fan-favorite rockers releasing acclaimed albums at breakneck speed, to becoming an overseas sensation, and landing themselves in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band has achieved something most bands can only hope for. Not only did Cheap Trick emerge from the underground with an undeniable buzz that mainstream rock couldn’t help but take notice of, but the band has never let go of that opportunity to captivate, achieving a longevity that keeps Cheap Trick in the spotlight decade after decade. A band with this much of a legacy comes to a crossroads. After several decades of cultural dominance, Cheap Trick is forced to choose between falling in line with expectations or pushing…
Bergen-based group Kronstad 23 are the latest trailblazers from northern Scandinavia: a creative force exploring the boundaries of musical genres, including but not limited to: psych rock, jazz, post-rock & scandinavian folk music.
The Raspberries blazed briefly but brightly.
Self-described “indie groove” outfit Goose employs a dynamic, genre-blending sound rooted in American traditional rock, jazz, funk, folk, and progressive rock. Drawing inspiration from jam band legends like Phish, Grateful Dead, and Umphrey’s McGee, the band quickly rose through the ranks of the scene, maintaining a prolific live performance schedule and releasing a steady stream of concert albums (2024’s Live at the Greek Theater) and studio efforts (Shenanigans Nite Club (2021), Dripfield (2022), and Chain Yer Dragon (2025).
…Following last year’s set 1976 – chronicling the breakthrough albums Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox – the Irish band release ’74-’75, a deep dive into Nightlife and Fighting. The 7CD box set chronicles the making of those two seminal albums which were the first to feature the “classic” quartet line-up with guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joining frontman/bassist Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey.
The opening track ‘Invisible’ begins with a dramatic 25-second slice of a cappella, as a cavalcade of voices croon ‘hello out there, can you see me… I hope it’s not right, but I feel that I might be turning invisible’. Cheekily, it’s not actually a taster of what’s to come, although 
The 1980s were not a great time for 
‘Aqualung Live’ is a recording of Jethro Tull performing their classic album ‘Aqualung’ in full, originally released in 2005 and now newly remastered.