AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

GRANT MOON has a rummage down the back of the Prog sofa for the ones that nearly got away…

Mikey Young is a name on the Aussie post-punk scene, but there was a proggy mind evident on his 2017, cassette-only solo album You Feelin’ Me?. Now issued on CD and vinyl via Castle Face, it’s worth seeking out if you enjoy the cosmic synth melodies of Vangelis or Tangerine Dream and the guitar/bass hypnotics of Stereolab. Young delivers the engrossing retro sonics with both rigour and a punky, DIY verve. Really feelin’ this one. Also under the sway of the Tangs, and Kraftwerk, and Delia Derbyshire, is British synth maestra Alice Hubley. Rechristened Alice Hubble for her debut solo album Polarlichter (Happy Robots), Hubble telescopes the finest analogue synth sounds into eight strong, beautifully produced songs packed with familiar electronic waves and saws of yore. Her vocals are feminine yet direct, and her cool air of indie insouciance can’t conceal the sincerity and love keyed into this delicious debut.

Last mention of krautrock for now, promise: West London’s Ebony Steel Band bring their steel drum skills to Kraftwerk’s finest moments on (geddit?) Pan Machine (Om Swagger). It’s the band’s 50th anniversary this year, and here they bring carnival warmth to the sleek Germanic lines of The Model, Computer Love, Neon Lights and more. It’s proof that, whether performed on a Minimoog or a metal pan, a good song will always out.

And on that subject, ex-XTC men Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers emerged as TC&I in 2017 with their Great Aspirations EP. Naked Flames: Live at Swindon Arts Centre (Burning

Shed) sees them in action last year playing some Moulding-penned bangers. What a joy to hear the likes of Ten Feet, Making Plans For Nigel, Generals And Majors and fine new track Scatter Me dusted off before a lively home audience. Former drummer for Canadian proggers Klaatu, Terry Draper offers a DIY-ish career retrospective In My Garden (TerryTunes), digging up favourites from his solo catalogue and three newly grown tunes. As with Klaatu, Draper wears his popprog influences – from The Beatles to the Moodys – on his sleeve; songs like In The Sun and daft new one Fish beam at you with a gleeful, optimistic smile. The quality may waver but Draper’s unalloyed love for music doesn’t. In his garden the grass is always greenest.

And finally, after their take on the Doctor Who theme, Les Penning And Robert Reed are back with another tasty trifle. The Floral Dance EP (Tigermoth) contains both an instrumental and Viv Stanshallinspired vocal version of that jaunty folk classic. The spirit of Oldfield is strong throughout these along with three other pieces dating back to the Renaissance.