On with the year, and well, same as last year, who needs a damn editorial let alone a new one? Who needs what? No time for editorials, let the actual music do the actual walking and the actual talking. Exact same thing as last time once again, another five (or so) slices of music that have passed our way recently, five slices of music cherry picked for your delight and however you like to slice it and of course it was the price of peaches and…
Five? There’s something rather compelling about five. Cross-pollination? Five more? Is there another way? A better way? A cure for pulling flying swordfish out of the clouds? Is there a rhyme? Is there a reason? Was there ever a reason? What do reasons make? Five more? Cake oil? Snake oil? Bake the oil, everything must go somewhere and no, we never do and the proof of the pudding is in that proof reading. When we started this thing, oh never mind, it doesn’t matter why we started this damn thing, we never should have done and like we asked last time, does anyone bother reading the editorial? Does anyone ever actually look down the rabbit hole or is it all just method acting? We do really try to listen to everything that comes in, we are very (very) very very picky about what we actually post on these fractured pages or about what gets played on the radio or indeed what we hang in a gallery.
Cut to the chase, never mind the editorial, skip this bit, there’s music further down the page, five or so pieces of music that have come our way in the last few days and what’s Wordsworth? Just the basic facts and links and those sounds (and visuals), that’s surely all you need from us on these Five pages we reguarly post?
Here we go, five more slices of music that have recently come our way, the second five of a new year, this time we start somewhere in Japan…
1: Green Milk From The Planet Orange are over here any moment now, here being the UK and today being today. Well actually today in January 15th and their European tour starts today in Berlin, the UK dates look like this, although those not in England might not see it as UK dates, here they are: 11 Feb Norwich – The Hoolloway, 12 Feb Bristol – The Croft, 13 Feb London – Signature Brew Haggerston. We have mentioned those dates from the log standing Japanese three piece
Calling themselves “a progressive rock band”, although these Plague of Lighthouse Keepers loving ears might question that as we Squonk around out musical box, “Green Milk From The Planet Orange ultimately get to the essence of the 70’s progressive rock” so says this press release that ain’t quite telling tales from any topographic ocean we know; “Pushing both mind and body to the extreme. Synonymously to how the band describe their touring experience. This time around, Tokyo-based band not only celebrates a significant milestone in their career. But also, something deep and personal – a decade playing with Damo, their current bass-player. “We will pierce through the frozen continent with our uniquely cathartic progressive rock.” – explains Dead K, the guitarist and founder of the band. Additionally, Damo adds: “I’m very happy to be touring Europe on the 10th anniversary of my joining the band and the 25th anniversary of its formation. We want to give a great performance for everyone who always welcomes us so passionately! Also, look forward to our new merch!”. They do like to use the P word don’t they.
“Formed by Dead K. in 2001, Green Milk From The Planet Orange became one of the biggest Japanese prog-rock acts over the last two decades. Excited about the upcoming tour, A, the drummer of the band says: “Every time we tour, it’s thanks to the people who come to see us all over Europe, everyone involved, and so many others who support us. This time as well, we’ll turn our gratitude into sound and bring it to you!” While the current tour isn’t the first one for the band it would be one of the biggest covering 27 cities and 11 countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and the UK” (well England in truth, and a small part of it, but the press release insists on telling us they’re in the UK, when I was growing up in Wales it bugged me like hell whe nso called UK tours never got beyond England).
“Expect a soul-stirring performance woven from both new and old songs created over their 25-year journey.” – says Dead K. “Alongside revisiting familiar venues, we will explore many new places, sharing with audiences an ultimate live experience that pushes mind and body to the limit.”
Anyway, we’ve given you the information, thankfully I no longer live on an island stuck on the edge of Wales and am indeed within walking distance of that brewery in Haggerston and they might not be my idea of what Prog Rock is, but hey, they are damn good. Here’s some live footage from last year. And here’s their Facebook and Bandcamp
2: Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske – A first taste of a four track thirty-two minute EP, At Source, due out on German label Light-Years at the end of February. You can find all the information you need via Bandcamp
3: deathcrash – Watch the official video for Somersaults by deathcrash, released via untitled (recs) while we tell you that today, “London-based slowcore quartet deathcrash have announced details of their new album, Somersaults, to be released on February 27th via untitled (recs). The announcement comes ahead of live dates including a New York show next month and UK tour in April…” More via Bandcamp if you want it…
4: Wildernesses and another taste of the band’s forthcoming debut album due out in a couple of months, we’ll say a little more when we hear the full thing, for now here’s what the band have to say about the track – “Maintenance explores the tension between the versions of ourselves we carefully uphold and the freedom that comes from letting them go. The masks depicted in the video represent the habits, anxieties and baggage we maintain to feel okay, while the central character’s uninhibited movement embodies a more instinctive, freer way of being”.
“Formed almost by accident and featuring members of bands such as Late Night Fiction, Earth Moves and We Never Learned To Live, Wildernesses bring together Phillip Morris (vocals, guitar), Ryan Browne (drums), Mark Portnoi (bass) and Sam Howe (guitar), each carrying their own “wilderness” of lived experience, Hull and Humber riverside grit, East London streets, West Sussex roots, woven into a singular sonic and narrative tapestry. At the heart of the band, Morris’s lyrics act as modern folk tales, shaped by his work as a mental health professional, shaped by loss and survival and the understated strength found in ordinary lives.”
Here’s a bit more of the album and here’s their Linktree with the latest live dates and other such things
5: Helicon x Al Lover – Not A Thought is lifted from the new Helicon x Al Lover collab album Arise, released February 13th 2026 on the ever thankful Fuzz Club label. We are just letting the music do the talking today, there are lives to lead after all. Here’s the links, that’s enough of my time me thinks….
5: Charmian Devi – And while those holes in the light hold you down bombarding your cells, don’t suffer the rounds, let it suffice to not worry when testify you say “I’m mystified” the end … Might you say Its a violent dawn and here another piece of the pie that is music and blue skies and Charmian Devi has lived in Canada, and in New York, and recently moved to the UK. We’ll have more information on the debut album Diamond Hour for you in due course I expect….
The debut album from Charmian Devi was recorded in Montreal and Ottawa, Canada, in New York State, and at EastSide Sound, Lower East Side, Manhattan, NYC, it features top musicians including Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan), Dan Hickey (B-52’s, Cyndi Lauper, They Might Be Giants), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Connor Kennedy (Steely Dan), Brian Marsella (John Zorn), and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth). Producers include Charmian Devi herself, Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan) and Marc Urselli (Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, John Zorn). The album is due in late April, the first taste and the rather intriguing video feels like a fine first taste to us…
5: Holy F – have they lost the uck off the end of their name now? Evie is taken from Event Beat, the new album from Holy Fuck, out March 27th. Just throwing them out there today…
5: Flea with Thom Yorke, now that video by nespy5euro looks rather familiar (scroll down the page a little more). Traffic Lights by Flea feat. Thom Yorke is out now on Nonesuch Records, it comes from Flea’s upcoming album Honora (out March 27) not that either party needs our support these days, do rather like both the piece of music and the animation. Did we ever mention the time we toured with that Red Hot lot or for thast matter the time Mr Yorke handed us a demo tape of his then new band Radiohead? The book is on the way
Way way back in the day, this was made by an Organ, read more about it here – An Organ piece in three parts. Part three, ten of the many moments spent working with Cardiacs… We really must reshoot it and get some better copies that the various bootleg versions that have been kindly shared, all the thousands of now 40 year old drawings are still sitting here in the studio….
Previously….
Here, here’s some classic 70s prog, the ultimate piece of rock music….
That Green Milk From The Planet Orange tour in full…
THE ORGAN 