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Cosmograf’s Middle Period: An Extraordinary Run of Excellent Albums

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Hello Spirit of Cecilia Readers!  I hope you’ve been following us recently.  We’ve been quiet in the reviewing department but we’ve been very active with our Cecilia in Proghalla Progcasts.  Here’s hoping we can get Robin Armstrong to join us soon!  And, writing of Robin Armstrong, here below we review Cosmograf’s mid period, The Man Left in Space (2013), Capacitor (2014), The Unreasonable Silence (2016), and Hay Man Dreams (2017).  Here’s hoping you enjoy the albums as much as we do.

Brad: Tad, as always, it’s wonderful to be reviewing with you, my awesome friend and fellow progling.  It’s been too long since we last reviewed.  “Father, bless me, for I have sinned. . . it’s been too long since my last review.”

I’m so glad we’re reviewing the amazing Robin Armstrong and his rather stunning prog project, Cosmograf, which began around 2009, deep into third-wave prog.  

One thing we can state with certainty about Armstrong–he has an amazing ear, and he’s one of the greatest living audiophiles.  I would put him in the august company of Steven Wilson, Rob Aubrey, and Bruce Soord.  Everything he touches, he adds levels of perfection.  I would guess some of his mixing is tedious work, but he always does the work, regardless.  That level of perfection, of course, is something western civilization has been striving for since Aristotle challenged his son to pursue beauty no matter the cost!  Yet, over the course of history, so few human beings have risen to the challenge.  Armstrong has.

The first album I heard from Armstrong was The Man Left in Space, and, after falling in love with it, I went back and bought his first two albums.  Since then, I’ve been a completist.  At the time of The Man Left in Space, Armstrong was incredibly active on Facebook and social media in general (he’s much, much less active now), and I got to know him through mutual prog interests.  When he put out a call for an American-voice for narration of NASA for the album, I responded within minutes with some recordings and Armstrong immediately accepted them.  That was the first time my voice had ever appeared on an album, and, of course, I was absolutely thrilled.  And, it created a life-long loyal fan.

One of the many things I love about Man Left in Space is its homage–but never sycophantic–to Pink Floyd.  Of course, there are a lot of folks influenced by Pink Floyd, not just Armstrong, but Airbag, Steven Wilson, and Dave Kerzner.  I love them all.  One of the best things about all Pink Floyd-esque bands, they always take their time with their music.  They linger when they need to linger, building emotion and tension.  I attribute this mostly to David Gilmour’s classy and classic guitar playing.

Tad: Brad, it’s great to be in dialogue with you again, and I’m so glad we’re tackling Cosmograf! Like you, The Man Left In Space was my first exposure to Robin Armstrong’s magic, and I was immediately hooked. I love everything about his work: the impeccable production, the memorable melodies, the top-notch instrumental work, and his unassuming vocals. As a matter of fact, I think his vocals are my favorite aspect of his music: kind of everyman in quality, but conveying inner strength, if that makes sense. I even like the care he puts into the artwork for each album. Every album cover is unique, but of the highest quality. 

I was not as familiar with the following albums Capacitor, Unreasonable Silence, and Hay-Man Dreams, but I have really enjoyed immersing myself in them the past couple of weeks. 

Let’s start with The Man Left In Space. It’s a fairly straightforward story of an astronaut who awakens in a space capsule, and he gradually realizes he has no hope of returning home to earth. There are lots of cool spoken word passages with sound effects (including a Birzeresque voice with a Kansas accent!), before a beautiful acoustic guitar begins playing an addictive riff for the second track, “Aspire, Achieve”. I hear the Pink Floyd influence you refer to, while the background vocals and crunching electric guitar that comes crashing in remind me of classic Porcupine Tree. This is a wonderful track that I still think is one of Armstrong’s finest in his long career.

Brad: That Kansas accent!  Seems ubiquitous.  Ha.  Thanks, Tad–my first brush with prog fame.

I love “Aspire, Achieve” as well–such a stunning piece.  And, you’re right, there’s a lot of Porcupine Tree in the music, but not in the vocals.  Armstrong has an excellent voice, and his vocals are all his own.  For me, though, the standout track is “The vacuum that I fly through.”  That track gets me every time.  The guitar work, especially, is so very tasteful, as is the bass.

Tad: Tasteful, indeed, Brad! Ok, as far as Capacitor goes, it seems to be a kind of steampunk tale of a man who has figured out how to transfer his consciousness into inanimate objects? At least, that’s what it seems to be, to me. In the introductory track, “The Spirit Capture”, there is quite a bit of spoken word where someone asks, “What happens to the energy in our bodies when we die?” and there is dialog between people claiming that the energy is what ghosts are. “The weight of a man’s soul is 21 grams!” “Our spirits are captured for all mankind!” Very strange. I was reminded of Christopher Nolan’s movie, The Prestige, about a magician who works with Nikola Tesla to teleport himself. The only catch is that the magician’s original body dies every time. 

Anyway, Capacitor is very satisfying for me, musically speaking. It rocks a little harder than The Man Left In Space, and there is some tongue-in-cheek humor; in “The Reaper’s Song”, there is an announcement on a PA: “Thank you for boarding the Reaper Train’s 8 am service to Oblivion, calling at Greed, Stupidity, and Laziness.” Ha!

By the way, I think “The Reaper’s Song” is a fantastic track – a very good melodic hook in the main riff, and Armstrong’s vocals are excellent. Instrumentally, it builds nicely, until we are presented with a beautiful guitar solo, while there is an oblique reference, vocally and musically, to The Beatles’ “I Am The Walrus”. Very clever! 

I also like the next song, “The Drover”, a lot. Nice, gentle, acoustic guitar and piano intro, while Armstrong sings,

In a road close to me
The sight of the drover
An old man with a pipe
Looking over your shoulder
Swinging from a tree
Wonder what made him do it?

Wow! That was quite jarring when I first heard those lyrics! The beautiful melody makes me love this song, despite its very dark subject matter. In fact, it seems to me that death permeates all of the songs on this album. I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, but there is a very foreboding atmosphere throughout the entire album. “White Car” begins with a woman conducting a seance. The final track, “The Ghost Gets Made” is definitely spooky as well. Come to think of it, I’m listening to this album a few days before Hallowe’en, and it’s a very appropriate soundtrack for this time of year!

Brad: Tad, such great thoughts. Thank you. I will admit, Capacitor is my favorite album from Cosmograf.  From the opening moment to the conclusion, I find the album just riveting.  Truly, Armstrong at his best and most creative.  I love the subject matter, I love the lyrics, I love the flow of the album–in terms of instruments, I’m especially taken with the bass.  But, the keyboards are just outstanding–they remind me of later Traffic.  The flow, especially, is strong, as Armstrong moves so readily and easily between soft and hard passages, between lingering and intense.  It’s really a perfect prog album.  It reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd, a bit of Steven Wilson, and, though not cheesy, a bit of Alan Parsons.

You’ll laugh at me for this–but the album also reminds me of one of my favorite video games, Bioshock Infinite.  For what it’s worth, I’m not really a video game guy.  As I’ve gotten older, the first-person camera makes my stomach turn and I get motion sickness pretty easily.  Too bad–as there are days I’d love to just come home from work and blow some stuff up!  Ha.  Such a guy thing.  Anyway, Capacitor reminds me very much of Bioshock Infinite.

That said, Tad, I also really love The Hay-Man Dreams.  If Capacitor is his retro science-fiction story, The Hay-Man Dreams is his Bradbury-esque folk tale.  What are your thoughts?

Tad: Okay, Brad, here is where I owe you a huge “Thank you”: I think The Hay-Man Dreams is Armstrong’s finest work, and I wouldn’t have heard it if not for your recommendation. From start to finish, there isn’t a misplaced note. Every musical moment is perfect, from the appropriately pastoral melodies and instrumentation to the elegant lyrics. Now, as far as the lyrics go, I’m not too sure what the concept underlying them is, but it seems that a man identifies with a scarecrow he sees in a field. He is alone and unable to feel, so he considers himself a “hay-man”. At least, that’s the impression I get.

Also, there’s a sense of unease and menace throughout:

The walkers tread the corn
They’re damaging the harvest
The gun has killed the fawn
There’s trouble in the forest

As I listen to The Hay-Man Dreams, I am reminded of one of my favorite television series: Midsomer Murders. Every episode is set in an idyllic English village where the most bizarre crimes occur. The Hay-Man Dreams would make a fitting soundtrack to it!

The third track, “The Motorway” is the best song in Cosmograf’s entire catalog, in my opinion. The acoustic guitar opening is simply delightful, and Armstrong’s vocals are full of yearning as he sings, “I want to feel a human touch/I want it really very much.” As the song progresses, it gets heavier and rocks harder. This song is a “Stairway to Heaven” for the 2010s!

Other highlights include the Beatlesque “Melancholy Death of a Gamekeeper” and the epic closing track, “Hay-Man”. Both are such stately and beautiful songs that I never tire of listening to. The former has some terrific guitar solos, and the latter features wonderful vocals by Rachel Hawnt. It also has this little spoken word interlude that I think is fantastic:

All winter through I bow my head
Beneath the driving rain
The north wind powders me with snow
And blows me black again
At midnight ‘neath a maze of stars
I flame with glittering rime
And stand above the stubble
Stiff as mail at morning-prime
But when that child called spring
And all his host of children come
Scattering their buds and dew upon
These acres of my home…

I did a little research, and they are from Walter de la Mare’s poem, The Scarecrow. How cool is that!

I can’t say enough good things about The Hay-Man Dreams – it’s an extraordinary album. Now I am very interested in your take on it. Ray Bradbury?

Brad: Well, when I hear The Hay-Man Dreams, I think of October and harvest, and I think of Ray Bradbury’s The October Country.  There’s a kind of folk horror–even in its praise of country life–in and on the album.  Or, at least, that’s what I hear.  A kind of Scarecrow (think Batman’s Scarecrow) or something out of the X-Files.  Whether it’s meant to or not, it sort of anticipates Steven Wilson’s latest, Requiem for a Village, at least in tone.

Have you had a chance to listen to The Unreasonable Silence?  Again, there’s that really creepy element to it–a kind of folk horror is the best way I can put it–in the same way that Capacitor and Hay-Man are creepy.

In each of these albums, Armstrong proves not only brilliant in composition but brilliant as an audiophile.  Again, when it comes to production, I would happily place him up there with Soord, Aubrey, and Wilson.

The Unreasonable Silence also combines the mystery and lingering of The Man Left Out in Space with the unrelenting drive of Capacitor.  I love it.

Really is there any aspect of Cosmograf in this middle period that isn’t just perfect?

Tad: Totally agree, Brad. I have listened to The Unreasonable Silence, and while I think it is very good, it doesn’t measure up to the other three, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because I find the subject matter disturbing: a man cuts himself off from his girlfriend, his job, everything, because he has had an encounter with aliens. At least, that’s what I think the album is about. With Cosmograf, nothing is clearcut.

One theme all four of these albums have in common is alienation: the man left in space is literally cut off from humanity, the steampunk inventor in Capacitor attempts to transfer his soul into a tree, the guy in The Unreasonable Silence disengages from all human contact due to a traumatic experience, and in Hay-Man a farmer, gamekeeper, motorway driver (are they all the same person?) identifies himself with an unfeeling scarecrow. I hope Robin Armstrong has at least one healthy relationship with someone in real life!

Again, Brad, thanks for suggesting we discuss this tetrad of albums; they are an amazing run for Cosmograf, and I am so glad we took a deep dive into them!

 

 

 

Music

Kevin Keller’s Altus: An Instant Meditative Classic

Readers of this site know how much I love and appreciate the music of American composer Kevin Keller. He is equally comfortable working in several genres, whether it’s deep ambient, chilly techno, sacred choral music, minimalism, or classical chamber music. Over a long career and many albums, he has produced a wide variety of songs, and I can safely say that he has never disappointed me. His melodies are some of the most beautiful and engaging ever composed, and his production standards are never less than outstanding. Simply put, Kevin Keller is a musical treasure, and we should be thankful he is such a productive one.

His latest offering is coming out October 30, and it is called Altus. It is all instrumental, and, as is often the case with Keller, it features a seamless mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. I am a subscriber to his VIP program, so I was able to download and get an advance listen to the tracks.

My overall impression of the album – and I believe it should be listened to as a whole, in one sitting – is of a meditative journey. It begins with the calm and relatively ambient “Mirror of Change”, which slowly metamorphoses over its seven minutes into a gently beating tune with hints of a choir.

The second track, “The Messenger”, is energetic and bouncy. Its ringing and joyous instrumentation brings to my mind the Christmas season, with all of its anticipation and excitement. Next up is my favorite song, “The Sacred Chord”. Some gorgeous acoustic piano plays the theme while tasteful synth washes create a sense of suspension – time and space no longer have meaning while I lose myself in all of this heavenly sound! If Satie was able to collaborate with Brian Eno, they might come up with what Keller has put together here.

By the time we reach “Illumination”, we are well into our journey. This is deep space music that is welcoming and comforting. The bass notes are mixed prominently as a languid melody unfolds. “The Quickening Air” brings us back to earth with a delightful and lively melody on acoustic piano. There is a gently insistent sequencer laying down the pulse, while the piano and what sounds like a hammered dulcimer(?) engage in a spirited duet.

We return to a more contemplative atmosphere with “Reflections Below”, as a simple motif is stated and gradually developed by both piano and synthesizer. “The Gatekeeper” continues the contemplative mood with deep bass notes adding a feeling of solemnity.

“Constellations of Silence” begins with a pipe organ playing a beautiful Bach-like melody. Keller’s production creates an atmosphere of peaceful, hushed stillness for the entire track. Then the opening notes of “The Motion of All Things” begin, and it is like slowly waking up from a restful and healing sleep. This track immediately felt like I was seeing a sunrise slowly unfold before me.

The album closes with the majestic title track, “Altus”. Featuring piano, synths, and subdued choral washes, the listener is completely refreshed and ready to face the world.

Altus  is a 51-minute journey into inner space that is extremely rewarding. I don’t know if Keller is religious, but I find his music has much spirituality in it. There is a respect for stillness, contemplation, and sheer beauty that is undeniable in all of his work.

You can pre-order Altus  here. I strongly recommend you check it out, if you appreciate serious 21st century instrumental music. With Altus, Keller has produced a masterpiece that encourages the listener to slow down and contemplate what is good, true, and beautiful. That definitely runs counter to our current culture, but I am grateful we have artists like Kevin Keller who aren’t afraid to promote those values.

 

Music, Republic of Letters

In Jazz: When Titans Return

Not one, but two jazz albums that feature the return of long-absent titans have become instant favorites of mine in the past month. So never mind waiting until my usual end-of-year article; I had to share the news now! Listening links are embedded after each review; if you’re interested, purchase links are included in the artist/title listings.

Branford Marsalis Quartet and Dianne Reeves, Dedicated to You: Marsalis and his fellow masters team up with preeminent vocalist Reeves (on her first recording in 12 years), joining John Coltrane’s centenary celebration by reworking his 1963 duet album with Johnny Hartmann. Just listen to the playful opening track “Autumn Serenade”, the enticing “You Are Too Beautiful”, the stark, rhapsodic take on Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life” – each tune showcases winning chops and character from Reeves, Marsalis, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Reyes and drummer Justin Faulkner, all in service to gorgeously written songs and guided by a sublime sense of swing. There isn’t a duff take here: with her superb tone and keen interpretive skills, Reeves conjures up one quiet storm after another. And when Branford and his brotherhood go it alone on selections from Coltrane’s Ballads album and his broader catalog, listening hard to each other, the results are equally rambunctious and tender. It’s all warm, rich, glorious, never slavishly imitating Trane, but thoroughly in touch with his unprecedented technical depth and profound musical imagination. I’m glad I already grabbed tickets for this deft collaboration’s Grand Rapids concert next spring before it sold out!

Pete Roth Trio, Group Chat: the legendary Bill Bruford (who made his bones in multiple incarnations of Yes and King Crimson, then circled back to his first musical love in his bands Bruford and Earthworks) has returned to jazz drumming after an extended academic sabbatical, manning the engine room for this new trio on their debut CD/DVD set. German/British guitarist Pete Roth fronts a team of equals, with veteran bassist Mike Pratt completing the lineup as recorded live. Opener “Full Circle” sets the tone — a sophisticated, driving mix of jazz and rock that fizzes, fuses, bops and glides, as all three players swap musical roles at will. Then the Brubeckian blues “Part of the Charm” shows off devastatingly tight interplay; Roth shines in the spotlight and Bruford gently nudges his comrades onward with a restrained solo of savory, simmering invention. Along with more gnarly yet nice originals, a funky version of Gershwin’s “Summertime” and an invitingly abstract “Improvisation on the Largo from Dvorak’s Symphony #9” lay out the group’s range and ambition, stretching toward and often rivaling the vibe of classic trios led by Bill Evans, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett. With about two-thirds of the album also duplicated on the bonus DVD, this album is unmissable for Bruford fans, and a fresh blast of unmistakable, enthralling cool in its own right.

— Rick Krueger

Music, Republic of Letters

Steven Wilson, “Requiem for a Village”

Narration by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Royal Shakespeare Company, etc.):

Swirl in a lark’s eye
Sparks alive are swooping slow
The Village is a tear in a quail-packed quilt
Fluffed and flattened farm gardens
Diced by dark-hedged crosswords
Hardened in the moon’s stare
Standing stone, laying stone
Sleep like the people
Who have calcified in the shade of the steeple
Market Day and a creaking dray
Wheel through the sky
Deliver the yawning sun from the bed of the dale
Splash awake their pale plate-faces
The Village is alive

More at https://requiemforavillage.com/, which includes the following listing:

6th November 2026 · village square

Autumn Festival

Gather in the square for refreshments, candlelight vigil, singing, and the ingathering!

— Rick Krueger

Music

Glass Hammer’s Black Light: A Groovy Prog Treat

Tad: Hello Brad! It’s been awhile since we’ve had the time to collaborate. We’re both educators, and summer is supposed to be a time to catch our breath, but it wasn’t for either of us this year, was it? Anyway, there’s a very good reason for us to get together, and that’s the announcement from Glass Hammer that they are releasing a new album! You and I both love this band, which is pretty much founder Steve Babb’s project now. We’ve been avid fans for many years, and they have never made a dud of an album in my opinion, even though they have recorded in an amazingly wide variety of styles. But that’s what I like about them: they aren’t afraid to try new things, and they never get stuck in a musical rut.

Their new album is Black Light, and I’ve listened to it four times back to back now. Musically and lyrically, it’s another big change from Rogue, Arise, and the Skallagrim Trilogy. My first impression is how lively and playful these songs sound. What do you think, my friend?

Brad: Hello, Tad.  Man, I’ve missed you, and I’ve missed our dialogues.  Admittedly, the summer got in the way–a daughter’s wedding, some writing, a vacation, a number of talks. . . but, still!  I missed you.  Glad to be connecting again, as always, my great friend.

Yes, I’m totally with you.  I’ve listened to Black Light twice now, and I’m very much in love with it.  Babb has always been a brilliant bassist, lyricist, poet, novelist, and song writer (there are no limits to the guy’s creativity and drive), but, with this album, he’s become something much greater than all of these things: he’s become a composer.  Truly, the composition of this album is just staggering.  The flow is immaculate, the intensity is everything a prog fan would want, and yet, somewhat like Frost*There is a bit of witty whimsy here, too.

Tad: Brad, I think your comparison to Frost* is quite apt; these guys sound like they’re having fun, and the concept itself is even a tongue-in-cheek wink at some of progressive rock’s pretentiousness: a young rock musician in 1979 sees an intriguing black light poster in his band’s rehearsal space, and suddenly he’s inside the poster! In this trippy, dayglo world, he meets up with characters from throughout the career of Glass Hammer, which makes for a delightful experience for us longtime GH fans. I read through the liner notes, and they are hilarious! For example: Part 1. Concept-Album Excess – It Begins (In which I find myself stuck in a psychedelic dreamworld, a fluorescent paradise. For reasons unexplained, I begin singing, and stuff happens!)

I think my favorite track is the second one, Lost Horizons, which is a twelve-minute minisuite containing several beautiful passages. I think the three vocalists, Christopher Galen, Trevor Laake, and Olivia Tharpe, are all outstanding throughout. 

There’s a definite ‘70s vibe to the melodies and instrumentation, and there are quite a few sections where the band just jams. If I had to describe it, it’s as if Jethro Tull, Boston, and Kansas all got together and created a hybrid band. Every song has a delicious hook, especially on Return to The Shadowlands, which is a funky Celtic rocker, if that makes sense. Ferran Ligero’s guitar work is outstanding here.

Also in his notes, Steve Babb tells of his recent surgery to remove a (thankfully) benign brain tumor. I think that experience must have liberated him in many ways. He’s even said that he believes the surgery has altered the way he approaches composing now. All I can say is how much fun and enjoyable this album is, and how thankful I am that Babb is creating such great art. Speaking of which, I am a sucker for good bass (Chris Squire was my favorite member of Yes), and Babb really cuts loose on the closing track, Kaleidoscope Skies. 

Brad: Tad, thanks so much for this.  An excellent synopsis.  As you and I have said many, many times–so many times it should be an iron rule of prog–a band is only as good as its bassist.  And, man, is Babb a brilliant bassist.  I love his bass lines.  So thrilling and so captivating.

Tad, if you don’t mind, I have to recount my history with the band.  I was at a conference many, many years ago now, and one of my favorite colleagues in the history field, Amy Sturgis, knew how into music and especially prog I was.  She mentioned knowing two guys from Tennessee in the prog band, Glass Hammer, who had just released an album called LEX REX.  I had never heard of them or the album, but, of course, true to form, I immediately bought LEX REX, and I fell instantly in love with it.  I couldn’t believe the mixing of music with the profundity of the lyrics.  And, they weren’t afraid to be counter-cultural, especially in their embrace of tradition and Christianity.  But, it was an intelligent and artful Christianity, not an over the top in your face evangelicalistic propaganda which I find so deeply troubling.  If we really love Christ, our music doesn’t need to be about Christ, but we very much need to use the gifts Christ has given us in the music.  Glass Hammer did exactly this.

As I had done with my hero worship of Greg Spawton, I decided to take a chance and email Steve Babb to strike up a friendship.  Amazingly enough, he reciprocated.  When chance had it that I was to lecture in Tennessee, Steve and I met for dinner–the first time we had met in person.  I liked him instantly, and I think he felt the same.  Even though I’m a historian and he’s a musician, there was a definite kinship right away.  I thank God for that meeting and his friendship.

Being totally and unabashedly OCD, I immediately ordered all of Glass Hammer’s back catalogue, including a live concert DVD–which made me love the band even more–after I first heard LEX REX.  And, on one of those DVDs, Steve’s amazing and beautiful wife, Julie, showed up.  I was blown away by how extremely cool and normal Steve and his family were.

Admittedly, it doesn’t hurt that Steve and I view much of the world in exactly the same way–which, of course, make me love his music all the more.  Plus, the guy is an entrepreneur, a dad, a husband, a poet, and a novelist.  Is there anything he can’t do?

All of this leads me to Black Light.  As I mentioned previously, there’s something immensely special about Black Light.  This is not just another prog release, but a prog moment.  The album is equally parts intense, whimsical, creative, and brilliant.  Steve is so clearly having the time of his life.  As you mentioned, Tad, he’s just come out of major brain surgery.  You’d never know it except to say that Steve is so very, very happy to be alive.  It comes through in every note of Black Light.

Tad: Brad, I love hearing the back stories of how you first encounter different groups. I got into Glass Hammer because of your recommendation. Perilous was the first CD of theirs I bought. I then picked up Cor Cordium, and I assumed Jon Davison was their consistent vocalist. As I acquired more and more of their albums, I soon realized that Glass Hammer is more of a collective, organized around Steve Babb and Fred Schendel – a lot like Steely Dan was centered on Donald Fagan and Walter Becker. 

Anyway, I think we both enthusiastically give Black Light our “thumbs up”. It is one of Babb’s best efforts, and I am really excited to see the direction he is taking his music.

You can order Black Light directly from their store at https://glasshammer.com/. Support independent music and buy physical media!

Music, Republic of Letters

Tedeschi Trucks Band & Alabama Shakes in Concert: Dreaming of Future Soul

The Tedeschi Trucks Band with Alabama Shakes, Acrisure Amphitheater, Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 25, 2026.

Taking our places on the lawn of our city’s new outdoor concert shed, my wife and I were hyped up by the crowd that had gathered. Used to a maximum capacity of 2,000 at Grand Rapids’ other outdoor venue, it was pretty exhilarating to see at least twice as many folks gathered on the grass around us – and even more than that in the covered seats up front! About 10,000 folks, both locals and fans who’d obviously made a pilgrimage from elsewhere, all in place for an evening of rootsy music.

I wasn’t sure what openers Alabama Shakes had in store; neither of their albums had impressed me, and they’ve only been back together for a couple of years following a lengthly hiatus, touring in anticipation of their comeback album I Must Be Dreaming. What we got, though, was a generous helping of langorous psychedelic soul that easily exceeded my expectations.

Looking and sounding for all the world like Sister Rosetta Tharpe returned, Brittany Howard commanded the stage from the start, her gospel-soaked vocals a thing of wonder, her stinging rhythm and searing licks on a foam-green Gibson SG going straight to the gut. Long-time bandmates Heath Fogg on guitar and Zac Cockrell on bass hail from the “less is more” school of down-home Southern music; set off by laid-back stage drummer Noah Bond (playing so far behind the beat he seemed to be in a different time zone), even with double keyboards and a backing vocal trio there was plenty of space for Howard to strut her stuff. And while Alabama Shakes’ songs can sound undercomposed and overfussed-with on record, they clicked live; focusing on their more experimental second album Sound and Color, the band mixed in enough new material (and the upbeat hits from their shorter, snappier debut Boys and Girls) to keep the audience spellbound and wanting more. Ultimately they stretched out for more than an hour, bringing a well-deserved co-headline set to a savory, simmering boil by the end.

Then, as the sun went down and the air took on a chill, the Tedeschi Trucks Band brought some welcome fire, complete with an encouragement on the video screens to stand up and dance! Susan Tedeschi’s gorgeous, gritty singing (with great vocal interjections from keys man Gabe Dixon) and Derek Trucks’ imaginative, heartfelt slide work set the pace across the up-tempo Motown jump of “Playing with My Emotions”, the straightforward drive of “Made Up Mind” and the Quiet Storm R&B of “I Got You” (from fabulous new album Future Soul) and “Midnight in Harlem”, as Tyler Greenwell and Isaac Eady laid down a flowing, bubbling bed of double drum work.

But it was on their thrillingly eclectic selection of covers that the 12-piece ensemble showed themselves a true band of equals. Tedeschi bragged and purred with both voice and guitar on Muddy Waters’ “Got My Mojo Working”; second vocalist Mike Mattison worried and wailed through Chuck Willis’ “I Feel So Bad”; after Trucks had brought Eric Clapton’s “Keep On Growing” down to a hush, trombonist Elizabeth Lea brought it all the way back up! Vocalist Mark Rivers, trumpeter Emmanuel Echern and sax man Kebbi Williams had their moments to shine too.

And the high point was yet to come: first TTB combined with Alabama Shakes’ backing singers for Sly Stone’s “You Can Make It If You Try”; then Brittany Howard tore it up duetting with Tedeschi on Stone’s transcendent “Everyday People”. That got the entire crowd on their feet, staying up as the band played right through to the city curfew, taking the set out with The Allman Brothers’ chugging “Stand Back”, original “I Want More” and a furious coda of Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice.”

“I’m building a kingdom in my soul/Where the fires first burned let flowers grow” were the first words from Brittany Howard’s mouth Tuesday night. “Hope your future’s got soul in it” is the chorus from that fine new Tedeschi Trucks Band album’s title track. Alabama Shakes and TTB have gone their separate ways for now; but if you want to build that kingdom of future soul inside you, seeing one or both of these bands would be a great way to start.

— Rick Krueger

For Alabama Shakes tour dates, click here.

For Tedeschi Trucks Band tour dates, click here.

Alabama Shakes setlist:

  • Tea Time
  • Guess Who
  • Rise to the Sun
  • Hang Loose
  • Shoegaze
  • I Feel Hope Coming
  • Dunes
  • Future People
  • Hold On
  • This Feeling
  • Joe
  • Sound & Color
  • Gimme All Your Love
  • Don’t Wanna Fight
  • Another Life
  • Always Alright

Tedeschi Trucks Band setlist:

  • Hear My Dear
  • Playing With My Emotions
  • Got My Mo-Jo Working (Muddy Waters cover)
  • I Got You
  • I Feel So Bad (Chuck Willis cover)
  • Keep On Growing (Derek and the Dominos cover)
  • Take Me as I Am
  • You Can Make It If You Try (Sly & the Family Stone cover – with Alabama Shakes back-up singers)
  • Everyday People (Sly & the Family Stone cover – with Brittany Howard)
  • Made Up Mind
  • Midnight in Harlem
  • Stand Back (Allman Brothers Band cover)
  • I Want More /Soul Sacrifice outro (Santana cover)

Music

New Glass Hammer Album Announced

Glass Hammer, the progressive rock vehicle of founder and multi-instrumentalist Steve Babb, announces the release of Black Light for November 6th.
Created in the months after Babb underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, Black Light marks one of the most personal and stylistically distinct entries in Glass Hammer’s long catalog.
Centered around a quirky, surreal story of a young prog-rocker drawn into a 1970s black-light poster, the album explores themes of nostalgia, longing, and the dual worlds of artistic inspiration.
Black Light features an updated lineup and a vibrant, psychedelic sonic palette while remaining rooted in the band’s symphonic progressive style.

The updated lineup includes:

Christopher Galen – Lead & backing vocals
Trevor Laake – Lead & backing vocals
Olivia Tharpe – Lead & backing vocals
Ferran Ligero – Lead & rhythm guitar
Ken Kristiansen – Drums
Oliver Day – Acoustic guitar
Steve Babb – Keyboards, bass, percussion and
backing vocals


The album will be available on CD and digital platforms. Run time is 56 minutes.
Pre-order information and further details will be available at www.glasshammer.com.

Music, Republic of Letters

In Concert: Listening In on Bruce Hornsby

Most artists wouldn’t start their live set with an obscure song from an now-obscure 20-year-old album (arguably a major label’s desperate attempt to justify their investment by breaking said artist back into the mainstream, via celebrity duets with Sting and Eric Clapton). Most artists definitely wouldn’t follow that up with another obscure song from his follow-up collaboration with a generational bluegrass talent.

But then, this is Bruce Hornsby we’re talking about. Seated at the grand piano stage left, facing his Noisemakers – J.T. Thomas on keyboards, Gibb Droll on guitar, J.V. Collier on bass, John Mailander on mandolin and fiddle, and Chad Wright on drums – grouped in a half circle, Hornsby launched into an extended, exploratory take on Halcyon Days’ “Circus on the Moon“, followed by “Gulf of Mexico Fishing Blues” from his duet album with Ricky Skaggs.

While a familiar track from Hornsby’s Top 40 years, “Look Out Any Window“, was up next, only the chords and the lyrics recalled the original recording. Instead of facing the audience, intent on making maximum impact, Hornsby and the Noisemakers seemed to invite us into a space where, though grateful for our company, their focus would be on the music. And the near-capacity crowd went there, leaning in to listen as Hornsby worried at the melody and the band took the tune’s structure new places, scaling heights of delicate interplay and spanning depths of ensemble groove.

The next stretch of songs, from the new album Indigo Park, confirmed that impression; “Ecstatic”, “Memory Palace”, and the title track continually blazed unexpected trails, individual Noisemakers stepping forward and pulling back, Hornsby choreographing with eye contact and hand gestures. And the hits were forthcoming – but only on Hornsby‘s terms. A wildly atonal piano prelude spanning the length and breadth of the keyboard gave away to a decorous, romantic waltz, eventually teasing Hornsby’s breakthrough song “The Way It Is”. At which point he turned to the audience and said, “You want the pretty version or the jammin’ version?“ The whoop of recognition and the crowd’s spontaneous rise to its feet decided the question in favor of a jam; and with Hornsby again scatting around the melody and extending the jazz piano breaks, the result bore only faint resemblance to that long-ago hit single.

By that point, Hornsby was in his comfort zone and ready to take multiple chances. The minor hit “Across the River”, his first recorded collaboration with the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, drew a warm ovation from the crowd. They also ooh’d and ah’d when the band unplugged and came forward, Hornsby picked up a dulcimer, and Wright donned a washboard vest for two more deep tracks, followed by an appealing, muted take on “Mandolin Rain”.

Appropriately, the high point of the night was the climax of the set: “Rainbow’s Cadillac“, jazzed up and stretched out; “The Show Goes On”, where a passionate piano/vocal solo morphed into a full on, full-band power ballad; and a tribute to Hornsby‘s Grand Rapids debut 40 years ago, Bruce strapping on his accordion to rock out the first track from his debut album, “On the Western Skyline “.

Throughout the night, Hornsby and his Noisemakers welcomed you into their world – but very much on their terms. If the instrumental jamming went on a bit too long, you could focus on how each person on stage was listening hard, adding their bit or laying out as required. Or you could focus on how Hornsby – whose voice now lacks the power of his youthful salad days, but brings to bear all kinds of canny tricks as he sings – constantly played with the tunes, twisting and turning them, familiar words perceived from fresh melodic angles. And whether any given moment moved toward stasis, languor or excitement, you could tell that, flashing and flickering, Music was there on this serene summer evening, leaning over, taking Hornsby, the Noisemakers, and all of us into its confidence.

— Rick Krueger

  • Circus on the Moon
  • Gulf of Mexico Fishing Blues
  • Look Out Any Window
  • Ecstatic
  • Memory Palace
  • Indigo Park
  • Piano Solo/The Way It Is
  • Across the River
  • M.I.A. in M.I.A.M.I
  • North Dakota Slate Roof
  • Mandolin Rain
  • Rainbow’s Cadillac
  • The Show Goes On
  • On the Western Skyline

Music

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit In Concert: Fateful Attractions

Visibly excited to kick off his latest US tour leg in Grand Rapids (especially after persistent rain dogged his 2025 show in the same location), Jason Isbell laid out his cards right from the downbeat of anthemic rocker “Hope the High Road”:

I heard enough of the white man’s blues
I’ve sang enough about myself
So if you’re looking for some bad news
You can find it somewhere else

Last year was a son of a bitch
For nearly everyone we know
But I ain’t fighting with you down in a ditch
I’ll meet you up here on the road

I know you’re tired
And you ain’t sleeping well
Uninspired
And likely mad as hell
But wherever you are
I hope the high road leads you home again
To a world you want to live in

It’s Isbell’s subject matter in a nutshell: Everyman up against the wall, battling his demons and straining to make contact. Whether caught up in the daily struggle for sobriety (“It Gets Easier”), a generation-spanning family feud (the Drive-By Truckers classic “Decoration Day”), the stifling conformity of big city (“Last of My Kind”) and Southern home town (“Crimson and Clay”), or the hell of war (“Dress Blues”), his protagonists constantly stare down inevitable fate. And typically, fate wins: the singer of “Gravelweed” laments the wounds inflicted on a former partner (though not without a tremulous assertion of his own growth); the folky ballad “Live Oak” shifts imperceptibly from haunting sentiment to quiet, understated horror; the elegy of “Elephant” proves unsparing in both its depiction of cancer and its devastating punchline (“There’s one thing that’s real clear to me/No one dies with dignity/We just try to ignore the elephant somehow.”) In his own voice or inhabiting a character, Isbell knows that, in the end, we all run out of road in this world.

So what hope is there, given Isbell’s grim, wry vision of God as distant at best (“Last of My Kind”), actively uncaring at worst (the exhilarating, chilling rocker “24 Frames”)? His consolations turn out to be the simple, small attractions that move, leverage and sustain connection; familial bonds unpacked in fatherly advice (his Truckers breakthrough song “Outfit”); beauty recalled in the depths of barrenness (“Alabama Pines”); pride taken in meaningless, backbreaking work (“Something More Than Free”); art and music’s power to conjure up space, freedom, little victories (“Ride to Robert’s”). And, evanescent as it can be, a love as strong as death, fiercely yet tenderly rendered in the tough country ballads “Cover Me Up” and “If We Were Vampires”.

In sum, Jason Isbell is one genuinely mighty songwriter. And while he did toss out a semi-serious apology for so many “sad-ass songs”, he knows it and revels in it. Throughout the night, he sang with conviction and gusto, his finely detailed vocals shading the dark corners or lighting up fleeting moments of triumph. And while Isbell’s songs are more than good enough to stand on their own, his 400 Unit puts bone, muscle and skin on the heart and soul at their core; like Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, they serve the music with grit and grace. Isbell considers his guitar playing “a hobby”, but he’s perfectly fine on both rhythm and lead – fluent, stylish, down-home or bluesy as the tune requires. Guitarist Sadler Vaden and keyboardist Derrick DeBorja proved both sympathetic duet partners with Isbell and down-and-dirty ensemble players; bassist Anna Butterss (the heartbeat of jazz guitarist Jeff Parker’s ETA IVTet – talk about versatility!) and drummer Chad Gamble rocked hard and grooved with flair; utility player Will Johnson amped up the power chords, held down the acoustic strumming, or joined Gamble to toughen the backbeat as the songs required.

So as the sun went down, Isbell and the 400s rolled into a pile-driving set close and encore. With Gamble slowing the beat ever so slightly and the now-vivid lighting hitting dramatic heights, “King of Oklahoma”, “Cover Me Up” and “If We Were Vampires” got the crowd on their feet; the Truckers’ melancholy, transcendent ode to The Band “Danko/Manuel” (“Can you hear that singing sounds like gold/Maybe I can only hear it in my head/Fifteen years ago they owned that road/Now it’s rolling over us instead/Richard Manuel is dead”) and fiery getaway rocker “This Ain’t It” (culminating in a Isbell/Vaden duet that reached peak Allman Brothers territory) left them hungry for more.

Jason Isbell is the real thing, one of the leading voices in today’s American music, fearlessly digging deep into the human condition, the pull of fate and the push of attraction. The 400 Unit fit his songs like a glove; as a collective, they make a powerful, compelling noise that straddles rock and country, yielding maximum emotional impact. On record, this music is impressive; live, this band is even more so, well worth hearing and seeing when they head in your direction.

Jason Isbell tours, with and without The 400 Unit, through November 2026; show dates are here. Setlist at Meijer Gardens Amphitheater, July 23, 2026:

  • Hope the High Road
  • It Gets Easier
  • Outfit
  • Traveling Alone
  • Last of My Kind
  • Gravelweed
  • Decoration Day
  • Live Oak
  • Alabama Pines
  • Elephant
  • Crimson and Clay
  • Ride to Robert’s
  • Dress Blues
  • Overseas
  • King of Oklahoma
  • Something More Than Free
  • 24 Frames
  • Cover Me Up
  • If We Were Vampires
  • Danko/Manuel
  • This Ain’t It

Music

The Bardic Depths: Some Things Are Worth Remembering

Some Things Are Worth Remembering  is the fourth album from The Bardic Depths. Dave Bandana once again takes the reins, with lead vocals, bass, keyboards, and overall production, while Gareth Cole returns on acoustic and electric guitar, Tim Gehrt handles drums and percussion, and Peter Jones sings and plays sax and keyboards. The ever-clever and polyhistoric Brad Birzer supplies most of the lyrics, which, as the album’s title suggests, are full of reminiscences, longing, and nostalgia.

I’ve listened to Some Things Are Worth Remembering several times now, and my overall impression of the album is one of mellowness. There is a gentle vibe to most of the songs that wouldn’t be out of place on a early-to-mid-70s rock album. Given that I pretty much came of age in the 70s, I find Some Things Are Worth Remembering a most pleasant and entertaining listening experience.

The opening track, “Islands”, is, according to the notes provided by Mr. Bandana, Brad Birzer’s tribute to the classic Big Big Train song, “The Underfall Yard”. In that track, BBT expressed their admiration for the Victorian engineers who surveyed and constructed the railways that crisscrossed the UK. BBT sang how those engineers “using available light, they could see far”.  Birzer’s lyrics are a worthy tribute to the spirit of “The Underfall Yard”, as he writes, 

The song that longs to linger in our souls

Long after we’ve heard the last notes

A memory so pure so delicate

The song that cries to the skies

The song that hovers over that moment

Away from eternity

The music of “Islands” has a nice jazzy feel, thanks to the excellent saxophone work of Peter Jones. 

Next up is the very melodic “Fallen Leaves”, featuring beautiful wordless vocal harmonies that conjure memories of CSNY and The Beach Boys. 

Things get a little funky on the third track, “Arribabok”. Birzer’s lyrics explore how language is like a living thing, always evolving and mutating. I really like Bandana’s bassline on this song, and Cole’s sinuous electric guitar solo. The arrangement reminds me a bit of classic Peter Gabriel – shades of “Secret World”.

Side One closes with my favorite track, “October Sun”, which is Birzer’s ode to Michigan autumns. Maybe because autumn is my favorite season, this song really speaks to me with its evocation of “greens and reds and yellows and browns”. There is more to the song than mere colors, however:

The veil between this world and the next

Is ever so thin

It’s always twilight here

October holds its breath

In the dusk of it all

And on the verge of death

October sun shines through

I may be reading too much into these lyrics, but they remind me of Ray Bradbury’s memoir of small town America, Dandelion Wine, where natural beauty coexists uneasily with darker undercurrents. The music for “October Sun” is outstanding as well, with the final half consisting of an instrumental workout. Peter Jones’ sax and Gareth Cole’s guitar play a game of tag in the October sun!

Side Two opens with Peter Jones’ composition, “From Empty Trees”. He plays keyboards on this one, and it brings to minds Barleycorn-era Traffic. It’s a very fun track with a lot of drive.

The next song, “A View”, is, according to Bandana,  “about a man in space who awakes after his craft has been attacked and after finding out he is the only one left on board sees the Earth below in a totally different light.” Appropriately enough, the melody captures the longing and homesickness of that astronaut perfectly. 

“Harder to See” is the portrait of a man who is not the most likeable person. Bandana wrote the lyrics on this one, and he describes someone who is trying to find himself:

You make it I’ll break it you bake it I’ll take it

You grow it I’ll blow it you know it I’ll throw it

It’s not easy to please me it’s harder to see me

I like you can’t find me no ties to confine me

I need to get me a plan find out if I really can

I need to see where I am… see where I am as a man

Some Things Are Worth Remembering  closes with “Rewind”, which is Bandana’s recounting of attending a 1975 Genesis concert in London. Once again, there is a sense of longing for something that can never be recaptured.

I wish I could easily rewind my brain

All of the sights and the smells of old London Town

Sit and wait for the lights to die down

Music and drama and spells before our eyes

Stories of strange folk behind a disguise

I was there but I can’t remember now

Cole’s acoustic guitar work is outstanding, cleverly bringing to mind Steve Hackett from A Trick of the Tail-era Genesis. Cole also provides a muscular electric guitar solo that provides an intro to a beautiful vocal interlude. And when you think the song is over, we are given a wonderful pastoral coda that lasts almost five minutes. 

All in all, Some Things Are Worth Remembering is a fine addition to The Bardic Depths’ discography. I especially enjoyed Peter Jones’ saxophone work throughout, and Tim Gehrt’s work on drums and percussion is excellent. As I stated at the beginning of this review, this album is mellow – it’s a genuinely pleasurable listening experience that is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon (in October!). Even though there isn’t an explicit concept – such as the Inklings in their previous album, What We Really Like In Stories – a common thread of nostalgia and longing runs throughout all the songs. 

Finally, I noticed that the back cover has a disclaimer stating that, “No AI was used in the making of this album”. It’s a shame artists have to make that clear, but these are the time we live in. I hope Bandana, Cole, Jones, Gehrt, and Birzer continue to produce authentic music far into the future.

You can preorder Some Things Are Worth Remembering here.