We said this last time we went down the rabbit hole (and the time before that), the prog scene was a big part of where Organ started. Down the Marquee with the cutting edge of IQ, the majesty of Pallas, the bite of Twelfth Night and the rest of them back there and while the prog scene is maybe a little too polite and maybe not that progressive these days it is still worth checking out what the now rather insular scene offers occasionally…
Yes I am repeating myself here, I did say all this last time, time and tide and all that and who needs an introduction anyway? We are constantly shouting about the really properly progressive things of course, the things the prog scene and their glossy magazines seem to mostly be oblivious to, the bands on the real progressive cutting edge, bands like Cheer Accident, Yowie or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Extra Life or KayoDot or Slift or anything truly progressively exciting. The brutal prog of those Flying Luttenbackers would probably send your average porcupine bothering big big pineapple tree follower running to those hills, most so called prog bores the hell out of us these days, when it does dare to be properly progressive like Extra Life were over at New River Studios then it is still thrilling…
Yes, there are still some more conventional “prog” things worth your time so yes, let’s go down that rabbit hole we like to go down now and again. Here’s an album or two that have landed here in the last week or so….
Papangu – Celestial – Brazil’s always rather rewarding Papangu have a new album, this of course is very good news, they are one of the best (proper Prog) bands out there at the moment. We’re pleased to report Celestial is more of that very instinctive distinctive thing they do so well. This is sounding especially rewarding on a sunny day like today, this is Papangu weather indeed (although the reality is we are in the middle of this rather alarming climate-change driven heat and over a month since it last rained in this part of London), hey, Papangu sound good whatever the weather or the time of day, this is their much anticipated third studio album, we have been championing them now both here and on the radio for soem time now, they haven’t let us down with this new one that is, in their own words;
“a sprawling, layered concept album divided in ten parts, Celestial, sees the João Pessoa band weaving retcon prog, MPB, black metal, zeuhl, ciranda, and forró into a multicoloured tapestry of superstition, doubt, and self-affirmation that is both earthbound and otherworldly” and well, really not much in terms of black metal but they have kind of pegged what they do rather nicely there. You might like to note that they stridently state that they are “taking a bold stance against the usage of AI tools in art, Papangu rejected all digital shortcuts. Celestial was recorded and mixed to magnetic tape, with no computers whatsoever, and mastered fully analogue at the renowned Emil Berliner Studios…” We like that statement, we like that we can hear the beautifully warm results, the proper heart and soul of it all and we especially like when it comes to the excellent artwork that has been coming along in conjunction with the tracks released ahead of this rather fine album. We rather like Juliana Lapa’s art around here, these pieces really fit in well with the music Papangu delight in making (more about Juliana Lapa’s art in a moment, we have covered her before as well).
And Celestial is a delight, Papangu’s delight always comes over, this is a genuine labour of love, a celebration, they clearly love what they do, their genuine passion always comes over; “Recorded mostly live in the studio over the course of nine days, the band’s second collaboration with Berlin psych producer Richard Behrens (Elder, Kadavar, Earth Tongue) makes heavy use of vintage instruments and legendary recording gear from the 60s and 70s. Aiming at the future while evoking echoes of Lô Borges, Alceu Valença, and Hermeto Pascoal all the way to Blind Guardian, Gentle Giant, and King Crimson, Papangu’s third record makes no compromises and reaffirms the Brazilian band as generational mavericks of experimental rock…”
They say their third record makes no compromises, Papangu have never ever compromised, their joy always flows through their music, it flows both live and in the studio (and they are excellent live if you ever get a chance to see them do grab it), that genuine love of what they do, it really does flow through their full of life cocktail of analogue fusion, flowing 70s flavoured prog rock and that touch zeuhl that weaves through it all so beautifully.
Papangu are that rare thing, a genuinely progressive proper prog band, a band who need to push forward with it all without throwing away what made Prog so good in the first place. There’s some really tasty details, some delicious keyboard lines – there goes another healthy hint of old school Genesis. It is mostly about the way Papangu flow, about their constant momentum, their forward movement as well as their subtle mood changes. The vital thing here is that you do let Celestial flow, that you don’t dismiss it after a couple of minutes, I know that is the way of things these days but do let the album play out, do let them take you on their ride, do hang on and play the whole thing, they do lull you in, you’ll suddenly find your ears demand you pay proper attention, they will pull you in if you let them (you really should let them). Celestial probably is Papangu’s best album so far, yes, it is without doubt their best, it is progress, all their albums are strong though, they really have developed something of their own, they are one of the best prog bands out there right now, they are instantly recognisable, they are alive with musical personality, that vital bit of identity, that genuine passion for what they do… (sw)
Stealing The Fire – Roadmaps and Rituals – Now someone here clearly loves their proggy keyboards, ‘proggy’ mind you, not strictly progressive in the manner of pushing the musical boundaries so much as just a keyboard player enjoying that gloriously proggy thing that makes some of us smile when it is done as well as it is being done here. There’s some excellent prog rock keyboard playing on this new Stealing The Fire album, there’s very music. Now this isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes but hey, what is? If you feel the same way about those early 80s Marillion-like keyboard colours and that whole prog rock scene from back there in the early days of bands like Solstice, Pallas, IQ, Dagaband, Tamarisk and the days of the Wardour Street Marquee being the centre of the world, that and tape trading and handmade fanzines spreading the word and the rest or it then this is one is most certainly for you. The Norwich band have some deliciously full bodied keyboard driven prog rock here that at times comes laced with a folky undercurrent. Well, more than just an undercurrent at times and we do like that Saffron Paffron sings with a touch of a Norfolk accent in her voice. Stealing The Fire are very much an English band, a very English sounding band indeed, a very English folk flavoured prog rock band.
“Thematically the new album takes inspiration from the traditions and folklore of the English countryside whilst continuing to address a fascination with the surreal and the artists who travelled and documented the dream geography of the mind” – those lyrics are right there with their hearts, all boldly worn on their sleeves, as are those great big Genesis style keyboard moves that take all the time in the world to get where they need to go. Sometimes Stealing The Fire skip, sometimes they’re off to garden parties or dancing with white bears through the bomb sites – Dancing With The White Bear is a particular highlight as they paint lines of fire on their canvas. it isn’t all about the keyboards, there’s songs here, takes, tunes, personalities and yes, this is an acquired taste, it isn’t for everyone, and yes the Prog scene these days is rather blighted, way too many not so great bands and some awful ideas in terms of the prog media (and a gig promoter or two) in terms of what prog actually is. Now and again though, now and again a delight like this comes along; Roadmaps and Rituals isn’t a perfect album by any means, it is flawed at times, some of it is almost quaint and it certainly is a throwback to those beautiful early 80s days of market square heroes, speaking ceilings and seven stories fitting into eight. Actually Stealing The Fire would have been equally at home back there sharing stages with Tamarisk, Twelfth Night or Marillion or maybe even more comfortable sharing stages with Solstice or Twice Bitten as they would have been at something like a classic Cropredy Festival year with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull. If this album is a throwback then it is a gloriously flawed throwback, an excellent one. Folk rock for 70s Genesis fans who loved the early 80s prog scene. Whatever it is they are doing, the three of them do their thing with such delight. Stealing The Fire aren’t perfect, they might be a little dated but then is some ways that humanity, that warmth, those imperfections alongside their obvious joy, their appreciation of it all, all of that makes this album feel just right. (sw)
Pallas – A Song For Tomorrow (Esoteric Antenna) – We haven’t really seriously covered Pallas since the days of the Wardour Street Marquee, the Scottish band regularly featured on the then very handmade pages of early Organs; interviews, reviews and such. I must admit we lost proper touch with them not long after 1986’s The Wedge (not a reflection of that album, I rather liked it). The albums at the turn of the century, Beat The Drums, The Cross & the Crucible and such. if I remember rightly, were covered in mostly positive terms around here but really if we do feel the need to reach for some Pallas it will be their early moves – the bite of Arrive Alive, the glorious pomp of The Sentinel or that much treasured tape of them live at the Reading Festival that The Friday Rock Show broadcast back there. Pallas were always good at those early 80s Reading Festivals (memory suggests they played more than once, was it really just 1983?), before that it was all about catching them touring and hoping to arrive back in Aberdeen alive, touring with a very raw Marillion (and bickering about who was covering which Genesis song), indeed I was involved in putting them on back in my teenage art student early gig promoting days, I was a fan. I don’t tell you all this to show off or score I-was-there points, I tell it to set things in context. Regular readers will know the high regard we hold that early 80s prog scene in and that Organ, to a large extent, came out of that scene and the Wardour Street version of the Marquee. The later far more polite and watered down/glossed up thing that was Neo-Prog held very little appeal, we mostly really didn’t like that later very un-progressive thing that was (marketed as) Neo-Prog in the late 80s and 90s, that was a million mile away from the scene we knew and loved. Enough with the history, on with the hear and now and this new album that’s just landed here and is due for release in October 2026
The fact that Pallas are still here making albums worth covering in 2026 has to be a positive, let’s dive in, well no, this isn’t a first dive in, we have been listening to this new album for a couple of weeks now, exploring it, going back to it, listen to it if different lights. And whatever the light or the time of day, some of this almost sounds like a more orchestral Take That, those lush musical harmonies, those trumpets sounding, those angels singing and such – hey, come back, that isn’t as much of an insult as it might seem, have you checked out some of those Take That live performances and totally over the top prog stage sets and such (go have a look in your local charity shop, some of those live DVDs are worth the twenty or thirty pence you can pick them up for these days, never forget where you’re coming from). Album opener Reset does sound like a slightly more epic Take That song, something to do with all those harmonies, the tightness, the production values and the way the opening piece develops as it leads us to a touch of almost maximalist pomp menace in the shape of Rage – we’re almost into progressive metal territory by the second track and from then on it is all rather epic.
I have to be honest here, I’ve given you all the context for a reason, I’ve told you I was one of these people punching the air down the front at the Reading Festival or in those hot Marquee pits, truth is I don’t really recognise the band who’ve made this album, I can’t really hear any of the DNA of that glorious band that were Pallas back there – well maybe a touch of it in the slow moving epicness of Dirt, mostly though, I can’t find the essence of a band I once loved, Now that isn’t to say this is a bad album or that we don’t like it, I just don’t associate it with that fine band from back there. These are very different times, we have a whole set of new normals, we are along way from Atlantis and I do like that a new Pallas album has just landed, that they’re still doing it.
“A Song for Tomorrow is the ninth studio album from Pallas, a soundtrack for uncertain times that uses biblical imagery, politics, technology, and conflict as metaphors to explore what lies beneath the headlines: people, their relationships, emotions, and the experiences that shape them…”
What A Song For Tomorrow is is a super slick full-bodied pour-in-everything very modern album, certainly an album full of epic ambition, grandiose intentions, a burning sun to melt away the pain, and well, an album that is probably too slick for these ears. If ever an album needed a bit of dirt under those fingernails, nails that are now way too manicured, this sounds like the product of a modern studio, of an auto-tuned AI world where all the money is spent on rocket ships as we rush headlong into a future without question. The blind leading the blind as it were, as they sing. Not that I’m making any accusations about auto tuning, the use of AI or rocket ships here, although I really don’t like that album cover! – A Song For Tomorrow sounds like the kind of album that would come wrapped in that way-too-slick artwork and quite frankly I’d rather be listing to the prog to be found on the latest Cheer-Accident album or KayoDot or the latest Sleepytime Gorilla Museum moves.
Now and again A Song For Tomorrow does properly hit the spot; there goes a good bit, there goes another, there a lots of good bits, fine details, interplays, The Private Collector stands out – actually no, this isn’t an album that you pick out stand out tracks from, this works as one complete whole (it does have the feel and positive flow of a concept album). No, this isn’t a bad album, it doesn’t sound like the Pallas I knew but it isn’t bad and it does have a properly progressive moment or two. All four of them are sharing lead vocals, I do believe Alan Reed is here as one of the four alongside the layers of the others? Actually the press release isn’t telling us who is in the band these days (and the band’s official website is well out of date, it still talks of 2023’s The Mesanger album as the new one), I do believe guitarist Niall Mathewson, keyboard player Ronnie Brown and bass pedal stomper and bass player Graeme Murray (those bass pedals were always important) are still part of it all, I could be wrong though. Hey look, if you like your slick Neo-Prog or where Porcupine Tree went to, if you like the later moves of Pink Floyd, if you like your production “perfect”, if you like it full bodied and almost maximalist (and discovering the world is round)m if you like your coffee table Prog magazines glossy *and you mostly get annoyed by the things we have to say about so called Prog Rock these days), if you like that album cover artwork, if you like people who steal pineapples and make their getaways on big big trains then you’ll probably love the ambition of this rather big sounding super slick album. I guess it is a powerful thing, a thoughtful and emotionally resonant piece of work in a way that will emotionally resonate with a lot of people. I guess it is good that they are still here and still wanting to push forward as a band, that they are still ambitious, that they are still here. Good luck and godspeed to the good ship Pallas and all who sail with her now, if you like the sort of thing they’re doing in 2026 then they’ve made a damn good album, an album that just isn’t quite our thing. (sw)
There’s nothing on their Bandcamp yet but there is a lot of Pallas back catalogue, rarities, live recordings and more. You can pre-order the new album via Cherry Red. The soon to be updated band website is at www.pallasofficial.com
Previous Pallas coverage on this version of the Organ website
Meanwhile, a Trippy Fawx album….
Trippy Fawx – Falling Up (self Release) – “Hi, I’m Emir, I make music as Trippy Fawx, London based. My debut album Falling Up is out today, 1st August 2026, self-released and pressed on vinyl”. Emit goes on to tell us how his music is “guitar-led progressive rock that builds through several distinct instrumental movements…” and I guess it is in a mellow (sometimes very very mellow) easy on the ear slightly psychedelic laid back Pink Floydish kind of way. And here we are three days after the release date, he doesn’t seem to have that much web presence, even AI can’t find him. You can actually find the album on (bloody) Spotify, no sign of a Bandcamp page, he does have a not very active Instagram page. Nice guitar if you like that sort of thing, kind of sounds a little DIY but that brings a certain charm to it all…
Previously down the rabbit hole….
ORGAN THING: A new IQ album? Do they still have it? IQ’s new album Dominion explored in full…
Oh and before we go, this still sounds so so good…
THE ORGAN 