The Light of Ancient Mistakes (Hats off Gentlemen It's Adequate, 2023)

Sure, Hats off Gentlemen It's Adequate is a rather long name for a band, but I think they're worth our memory effort. Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland's brain child is an eclectic and intriguing musical creature, like this title song taken from their 2023 album will show to the few that never listened to HOGIA's music. Galloway, Gatland and their guest musicians provide a varied prog rock with a strong electronic taste, well balanced between the classic era masters and the contemporary trends. 

Galloway himself created this AI assisted evocative image.

This track - like many other ones in the band's catalogue - pays its tribute to beloved science fiction books (in this case, Ian M. Banks's Look to Windward novel) and also - musically - to space rock and to the atmospheric side of Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree. That said, this London based musicians have their own signature sound, sharp and arcane. Yes, it is adeguate and pretty more than so.

Hear My Voice Tonight (Seven Steps to The Green Door, 2019)

Seven Steps to The Green Door are an interesting band from Germany active since 2006 and producing an innovative musical mix ranging from neo-prog to hard rock and from melodic ballads to intricate long tracks. This song comes from their 2019 album titled "The ? Lie", a concept work dealing with religious fanaticism and its tragic outcomes. "Hear My Voice Tonight" is a ten minutes track with strong melodic roots and including unpredictable, strategically placed mood changes. 

There's more to this concept: "The ? Book" (2011) and "The ? Truth" (2024)

Jazzy passages, dreamy landscapes, intense progressions grace this track and made it a treat for the prog ears. I especially like the wind instruments that enrich this track providing a warm and rippled finale. The instrumental skills of the band members and their guest musicians are the final touch to this beautiful piece of music.