For the last few years, the London based label Bad Elephant Music has been truly flying the flag for independent prog rock acts. They’ve made a name for themselves by releasing and helping to promote albums by The Fierce And The Dead, Sanguine Hum, Fractal Mirror, Jem Godfrey, The Gift and many other underground bands.
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Grab a FREE 33 track sampler from Melted Records
Long before Malibu Lou Mansdorf launched Rum Bar Records, he was involved with Melted Records, a New York label that delivered various power pop and pop punk releases between 1995-2001. The label was home to The Cretins, Darlington, 30 Amp Fuse – a great punk band whose last album was produced by Descendents men Stephen Egerton and Bill Stevenson – an a handful of lesser-known names.
Grab a free download from Beebe Gallini
Beebe Gallini might be a new name for 2020, but a couple of the band members are old faces on the underground rock scene. Both Miss Georgia Peach (vox/rhythm guitar) and Travis Ramin (lead guitar/drums) also make up the core of Minneapolis garage rock band The Short Fuses, but in many ways, this side project – created during the 2020 lockdown – is far more than an extension of their work with that band. In fact, if first impressions are anything to go by, Beebe Gallini are far broader in appeal.
Grab a free album length download from prog legends Twelfth Night
Of the many great bands that formed the 80s prog rock revival, Marillion, IQ and Twelfth Night are arguably the most loved. Twelfth Night might not have had quite the same levels of commercial success as some of their peers, but throughout their career, they were unafraid to progress. From the early years playing huge instrumental jams, through the classic prog sounds of 1982’s ‘Fact & Fiction’ album, to the pop oriented Virgin Records years, their catalogue always brought something of interest.
MENTO BURU – East Bakersfield Christmas EP
Their name might not be familiar, but California’s Mento Buru have shared stages with The Specials, Long Beach Dub All Stars, Desmond Dekker, Fishbone and The Aquabats. They’ve been affiliated with the legendary Moon Ska record label. They’ve worked hard to bring good time ska, reggae and Latin sounds to enthusiastic audiences since the early 90s and, by often sidelining the punkier elements that cut through so many of the third wave acts, as their name suggests, they’ve always sounded so much more authentic than some of their would-be peers.
The band began a hit and miss 2020 by issuing a mini album of archive recordings (‘The Skarage Days Revisited ’92-’96’) which acted as a great collection filler for the fan. In many ways, their second release of the year is of much bigger appeal, even if it has a shorter shelf-life in terms of listening opportunities. As its title suggests ‘East Bakersfield Christmas’ finds Mento Buru bringing the sunny sounds of Kingston to the Californian suburbs, contrasting various winter wonderland scenarios with music that often suggests beaches and warmth.
Although only six tracks in length – five different songs and a bonus Spanish translation – the band’s picks are absolutely classic. Their performances often bring so much life to the very familiar songs, and overall, this EP – although quite far removed from traditional festive fare – is a lot of fun.