UNIT WAIL - PETROCHEMICALS CORP.

• Unit Wail: Petrochemicals Corp.
      (2026, cd, France, soleil mutant 65)

 After 7 years, French rock band Unit Wail is back with a new album.
"Petrochemical Corp." is a conceptual album with song titles focusing heavily on the ecological, social, and physical impacts of the petroleum industry.

"Petrochemicals Corp." still maintains strong Zeuhl ties, but the band expands their sound into much heavier and darker musical territory. While their early albums were firmly rooted in Magma-inspired Zeuhl and avant-prog, this fifth release heavily incorporates dystopian atmospheres.

Recommended listening !

-- info: Danny Mathys

PILI COÏT ET LES EXOCRINES

For their latest project, Pili Coït uses King Solomon's "Song Of Songs" as an inspiration.
The duo got expanded and the sound got more complex.

Experimental and fascinating.

AYRON

In September 2025, Tilburg, the Netherlands, was transformed into Ayreon City as six spectacular shows took over the 013 venue. All 15,000 tickets were snapped up within minutes, with fans travelling from an astonishing 71 countries to witness the latest Ayreon live experience.

For one unforgettable week, Tilburg lived and breathed Ayreon. On stage, the setlist spanned three decades of Ayreon history—from beloved fan favourites to songs never performed live before —and featured highlights from Arjen Lucassen’s many side projects, woven seamlessly into the experience.

Ayreon’s 30th-anniversary celebration in Tilburg was a unique moment—etched forever into the hearts and minds of those who experienced it live. Now, the wider world will finally have the chance to step into the Ayreon Universe and experience the magic from the comfort of your own home.

The event marked 30 years since the release of Ayreon’s debut album, The Final Experiment (1995). This massive, state-of-the-art production involved over 100 cast and crew members, featuring a one-of-a-kind stage design, stunning visuals, and spectacular special effects that elevated the show beyond a concert into a true theatrical happening.

PANZERBALLETT TOUR 2026

And they'll even play in Belgium !!

JOE LOVANO - PARAMOUNT QUARTET

• Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet
      (2026, cd, --, ecm)

The Joe Lovano Paramount Quartet featured Joe Lovano (sax), Julian Lage (guitar), Asante Santi Debriano (bass) and Will Calhoun (drums).

Released on ECM Records, the album showcases Joe Lovano's warm saxophone melodies with Julian Lage’s crystalline guitar work.
Add Asante Santi Debriano’s bass lines and Will Calhoun’s polyrhythmic fills and you get seven beautiful pieces of music.

Contemporary jazz.

-- info: Danny Mathys

ZAPPA '66 Vol. 1

The latest Frank Zappa album, "Zappa '66 Vol. 1" has also been released in Japan.
Even available in Europe.
And as it happens, so is the recent "Whisky A Go Go" set.

PURBAYAN CHATTERJEE & MARK LETTIERI - FEATHERED CREATURES

• Purbayan Chatterjee & Mark Lettieri: Feathered Creatures
      (2026, download / streaming, --, digital music platforms)

Over the nine expansive tracks on "Feathered Creatures", celebrated sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee and genre-bending jazz guitarist Mark Lettieri chart a path through myriad subgenres of music – IDM’s skittering breakbeat tension, progressive rock’s epic, flowing sweep, and the entrancing lushness of Indian classical music – making for a true sonic journey that’s remarkable in its effortlessness. Chatterjee and Lettieri make boldness sound easy on "Feathered Creatures", and as a result their work sounds like two interlocking pieces of one brilliant puzzle.

The bones of "Feathered Creatures" were already being excavated by Chatterjee, as he’d been hard at work on some of the music featured on the record before meeting Lettieri near the end of 2023. The pair first came in contact as jazz fusion collective Snarky Puppy’s tour schedule rolled through India, which resulted in Chatterjee sitting in for a performance or two. “He played a couple songs with us and I was totally blown away by his skill,” Lettieri recalls. “I’d never really heard sitar played like an electric guitar. I immediately cornered him in the green room and was like, ‘You got to show me how you do that.’”

I've only heard a couple of tracks YouTube, but this sounds excellent.

INTIGE TALUURE - BANANAFISHING

14 paintings, 36" x 36";
Each cut into 9 12" squares;
Which totals to 126 unique album covers.

Here's one of the larger paintings, also depicting 9 album covers :

• Intige Taluure: Bananafishing
      (2026, lp + bonus cd, Belgium, bananafishin’ records 015)

The driving force behind Intige Taluure is two persons: Jean-Marie Mievis and Kim Duchateau.
Their music is unpredictable (to say the least) and "Bananafishing" is no exception.

From ethereal scenes to eclectic pieces, "Bananafishing" presents 5 tracks. The title track has to be played at 45 rmp and takes up the entire side A. The four remaining songs on side B are at 33 rpm

Theatrical. Experimental.
Songs but also spoken word sections.
A variety of guest vocalists.
Diverse instrumentation and an organ / synth sound that makes me think of The Residents.

This is an amazing record.

NEW ALBUM BY STICK MEN

A message from Stick Men

Stick Men Returns: Let's THRAK Again
The 10-year wait is over. Pre-orders begin today.



Today is June 5th, and we are opening pre-orders for the first full-length Stick Men album in ten years: "Let's THRAK Again". But before we talk about the music, we need to celebrate something monumental. Tomorrow, June 6th, is Tony Levin's 80th birthday.

Tony has spent decades anchoring some of the most iconic rhythm sections in music history, but Stick Men is his personal vehicle, his main band, his passion project, and a creative home where he completely shines on the Chapman Stick. There is no better way to honour Tony's incredible legacy and his entry into his eighth decade than by helping this music step completely out of the shadows.

Here is how we can celebrate Tony together:
When tomorrow hits, flood social media with your birthday wishes. Let's make some noise for him! When you post your congratulations, use the hashtag #LetsTHRAKAgain and share the link to our new website, stickmenband.com. Tell the world that Tony is turning 80 and celebrating by dropping a massive, boundary-pushing new record with his own band. Let’s get this trending for him.

The Evolution of the Trio

Now in our 16th year in this formation, the band has grown immensely.
Let's THRAK Again lives deeply within the spiritual world where King Crimson compositions dwell, even pulling in specific motivic elements from the classic THRAK album. We describe it as instrumental chamber music, but the chamber is enormous, loud, dark, and experimental. We purposely designed and arranged these pieces to be performed live as a raw trio, without leaning heavily on electronic safety nets. It is intricate, beautiful, and in your face.

"Repeated listening will be absolutely necessary to fully grasp everything happening beneath the surface."

The Tale of Two Reels

We aren't just releasing one version of this album. We are releasing two entirely distinct experiences mixed by two different Italian masters: Reel One (mixed by Stefano Castagna) and Reel Two (mixed by Fabio Trentini).
These aren't just slightly tweaked audio files. They feature completely different mixes and entirely different track orders. Let each reel wash over you as its own separate journey. The shifting track sequences and sonic architectures allow an entirely different emotional landscape to unfold.

 

THE FURIOUS BONGOS - BROWN MOSES (DEDICATED TO IKE WILLIS)