Complex

National Health – National Health

National Health was a continuation of Canterbury supergroup Hatfield & the North, bringing over essentially everyone from that project, except Hatfield’s bassist Richard Sinclair (Caravan), including Pip Pyle (Gong), Dave Stewart (Egg), Amanda Parsons, and Phil Miller (Matching Mole). Unsurprisingly, the LP is packed with warm, playful virtuosity. Overdriven bass takes the helm for most of the themes, locked in with propulsive grooves and shifting time signatures of Pyle’s drums. The space fills out quite colorfully with harmonious waves of electric piano, woodwinds and Moog synthesizer. When things need to be taken up a notch, Miller comes in with some triumphantly energizing guitar solos. What really makes this album special though are Amanda Parson’s vocals, which work both as a wordless instrument within the polyphonic arrangements, and as a unifying, lyrical force during the album’s most epic moments.

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Hannah Frances – Keeper of the Shepherd

While the progressive songwriter’s music retains a rootsy essence of folk and Americana, with passionate multi-tracked vocals and thorny knots of electric and acoustic guitars, the’ polyphonic chamber arrangements and shifting time signatures often push things further into prog territory, without ever losing their rustic warmth. The resulting songs are transcendent, haunting and earthy, rising triumphantly from the remaining layers of volcanic ash after a fiery existential catharsis.

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Elucid – Revelator

Style: Hip-Hop (Abstract, East Coast, Experimental), Illbient, influenced by Post-Punk, Noise Rock, Industrial

Vibes: Cryptic, Visceral, Menacing, Surreal, Philosophical, Brooding, Gritty, Raw, Futuristic, Haunting, Cerebral, Introspective, Rebellious, Dystopian, Eerie, Conscious, Abstract, Dark

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Sumac – The Healer

Style: Free Sludge, Post-Metal, Avant-Garde Metal, Noise Rock

Vibe: Cathartic, Visceral, Poetic, Luminous. Knotty, Triumphant, Angular, Patient, Complex, Epic, Primal, Abstract, Powerful, Amorphous, Apocalyptic, Exploratory, Intense, Psychedelic, Raw

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FYEAR

Style: Liberation Music, Industrial Jazz, Slam Poetry, Avant-Prog

Vibe: Dystopian, Rebellious, Anxious, Communal, Poetic, Bleak, Apocalyptic, Determined, Powerful, Conscious, Dark, Industrial, Intense, Winter, Climactic

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Led Zeppelin

Style: Hard Rock (Blues & Folk-Influenced)

Vibes: Confident, Rebellious, Passionate, Energetic, Hedonistic, Bombastic, Raw, Complex, Psychedelic, Summer

Musical Qualities: Riffs, Groovy, Melodic, Dynamic, Bluesy, Heavy

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Autechre – Confield

Style: IDM, Glitch, Experimental Electronic, Generative

Vibes: Metallic, Wet, Mechanical, Cold, Woozy, Disorienting, Surreal, Abstract, Spectral, Complex, Futuristic, Hypnotic, Mysterious, Suspenseful, Monochromatic, Detached

Musical Qualities: Polyrhythmic, Glitchy, Digital, Percussive, Dissonant, Dense, Instrumental

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Alan Silva and the Celestrial Communication Orchestra – Seasons

Lineup: Alan Silva, Roscoe Mitchell, Robin Kenyatta, Don Moye, Steve Lacy, Jerome Cooper, Dave Burrell, Bernard Vitet, Alan Shorter, Joseph Jarman, Ronnie Beer, Michel Portal, Dieter Gewissler, Jouk Minor, Kent Carter, Irene Aebi, Oliver Johnson, Joachim Kuhn

Style: Cosmic Big-Band, Creative Music, Free Jazz

Vibes: Apocalyptic, Cosmic, Cathartic, Communal, Intense, Ritualistic, Entropic, Meditative, Spiritual, Mysterious, Energetic

Musical Qualities: Conducted Improvisation, Dense, Acoustic, Instrumental, Atonal, Orchestral, Active Listening, Complex, Noisy, Heavy, Progressive

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Yes – Relayer

Style: Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog

Vibes: Triumphant, Epic, Uplifting, Fantasy, Bombastic, Complex, War, Spiritual, Ethereal

Musical Qualities: Virtuosic, Suite, Uncommon Time Signatures, Dense, Lush, Progressive

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Ilhan Mimaroglu – Sing Me a Song of Songmy

Style: Avant-Garde Classical, Electro-Acoustic, Tape Music, Creative Music, Third Stream

Vibes: Ominous, Sombre, Anxious, Cinematic, Dystopian, Surreal, Poetic, Chaotic, Cold, Complex, Eclectic, Exploratory

Themes: Political, Colonialism, War, Death, Liberation, History

Musical Qualities: Orchestral, Collage, Polyphonic, Dynamic, Spoken Word, Dense, Progressive, Sampling, Choral, Improvisation

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Autechre – Exai

Style: Glitch, IDM, Experimental Electronic

Moods: Futuristic, Mechanical, Cold, Urban, Hypnotic, Surreal, Anxious, Dystopian, Mysterious, Cinematic, Suspenseful

Musical Qualities: Digital, Generative Software, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Glitchy, Repetitive, Dense, Complex, Sampling

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Andrew Hill – Point of Departure

featuring Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Richard Davis, Kenny Dorham

Style: Avante-Garde Jazz, Post-Bop

Vibes: acoustic, Knotty, Searching, Complex, Woozy, Serpentine, Exploratory, Elegant improvisation, innovative, knotty, nocturnal, passionate, playful, polyphonic, progressive, reflective, rhythmic, thematic, woozy,

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Acoustic, Thematic Improvisation, Progressive

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Osamu Kitajima – Osamu

Style: Fusion, Neoclassical New Age, Jazz-Rock, Progressive Rock, Mystical Folk

Vibes: Ethereal, Groovy, Exploratory, Dreamy, Cosmic, Meditative, Playful, Psychedelic, Smooth, Soothing, Spiritual

Instrumentation: Koto, Biwa, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Shakuhachi, Nohkan, Strings, Rhodes, Organ, Clavinet, Synthesizers, Chamberlin, Drums, Electric & Acoustic Bass

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Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden

Style: Free Jazz, Creative Music, Liberation Music, Jazz Poetry, Spiritual Jazz

Vibe: Passionate, Rootsy, Poetic, Storytelling, Rebellious, Compassionate, Intertwined, Haunting, Spiritual, Driving, Communal, Triumphant, Sad, Powerful

Themes: Ancestry, History, Feminism, Trauma, Memory, Black Liberation, Identity, Death

Musical Qualities: Suite, Thematic, Graphic Score, Improvisation, Spoken Word, Complex, Group Vocals

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Art Bears – Winter Songs

Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Dagmar Krause

Style: Rock in Opposition, Avant-Prog, Tape Music, Chamber Rock

Vibes: Dystopian, Sombre, Winter, Ominous, Anxious, Cold, Disturbing, Knotty, Suspenseful, Theatric, Eccentric

Musical Qualities: Dissonant, Complex, Uncommon Time Signatures, Extended Technique, Loops, Technical, Progressive, Studio-as-an-Instrument

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Tim Berne – 7X

featuring Alex Cline, Nels Cline, Vinny Golia, Roberto Miranda, & John Rapson

Style: Post-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz

Vibe: Busy, Urban, Knotty, Energetic, Driving, Bombastic, Complex, Powerful

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Collective Improvisation, Dynamic, Shredding, Technical, Thematic, Rhythmic

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Jimmy Lyons – Other Afternoons

Jimmy Lyons – Alto Saxophone; Lester Bowie – Trumpet; Alan Silva – Upright Bass; Andrew Cyrille – Drums
Style: Free-Bop, Avant-Garde Jazz

Vibe: Warm, Spontaneous, Sunny, Driving, Playful, Intertwined, Autumnal, Passionate, Energetic, Kinetic, Responsive, Exploratory

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Swing, Polyphonic, Acoustic, Technical

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Steve Tibbetts – Yr

Style: Progressive Folk, Jazz Fusion, ECM Jazz

Vibes: Mystical, Pastoral, Ethereal, Ancient, Pagan, Earthy, Exploratory, Smooth, Spiritual

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Atmospheric, Complex, Instrumental, Uncommon Time Signatures, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Progressive, Shred, Technical

Instrumentation: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Congas, Drums, Kalimba, Synthesizer, Tabla, Electric Bass, Bongos

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Joanna Newsom – Divers

“But stand brave, life-liver, bleeding out your days in the river of time.
Stand brave: time moves both ways, in the nullifying, defeating, negating, repeating joy of life.
The moment of your greatest joy sustains: not axe nor hammer, tumor, tremor, can take it away, and it remains.
And it pains me to say, I was wrong. Love is not a symptom of time. Time is just a symptom of love”

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Henry Cow – Unrest

On their second LP, Henry Cow weaves together elements of eerie chamber music, free improvisation, and deconstructed prog to create something that seems like the missing link between the Canterbury jazz-rock of Soft Machine and Gong and the dissonant avant-rock of This Heat.

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Billy Hart – Enchance

featuring Buster Williams, Dewey Redman, Dave Holland, Oliver Lake, Eddie Henderson, Don Pullen & Thabo Michael Carvin

Style: Jazz-Fission, Spiritual Jazz, Post-Bop

Moods: Exploratory, Forest, Spiritual, Nocturnal, Triumphant, Communal, Energetic, Free, Knotty, Intertwined, Mysterious, Spontaneous

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Collective Improvisation, Ostinato, Acoustic, Complex, Dense, Progressive, Technical

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Heart of the Ghost – Live at Rhizome

Jarrett Gilgore (alto saxophone); Luke Stewart (upright bass); Ian McColm (drums)
with Dave Ballou (trumpet)

Style: Free Jazz

Moods: Adventurous, Earthy, Driving, Exploratory, Free, Energetic, Abstract, Colorful, Communal, Complex, Determined

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Ostinato, Polyrhythmic, Dense, Acoustic, Uncommon Time Signatures, Instrumental, Dynamic, Live Recording

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Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile

Style: Jazz (Spiritual, Avant-Garde, Folk), Modern Creative, Spirituals

Moods: Spiritual, Storytelling, Passionate, Reflective, Intertwined, Rootsy, Warm, Uplifting, Poetic, Communal

Musical Qualities: Suite, Progressive, Acoustic, Collage, Complex, Dense, Conducted Improvisation, Thematic,

Instrumentation: Alto Saxophone, Group Vocals, Wordspeak, Operatic Vocals, Piano, Trumpet, Upright Bass, Drums

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Julia Holter – Loud City Song

Styles: Art Pop, Progressive Songwriter, Ambient Pop, Chamber-Jazz (Influenced)

Moods: Nocturnal, Surreal, Elegant, Ethereal, Observational, Flowing, Alienation, Cryptic, Disaffected, Lonely, Longing, Melancholy, Mysterious, Poetic, Romantic, Winter

Musical Qualities: Lush, Orchestral, Progressive, Vocal Harmonies, Lyrical, Dynamic, Complex, Studio-as-an-Instrument

Instrumentation: Keyboards, Piano, Upright Bass, Violin, Cello, Drums, Saxophone, Trombone, Percussion, Group Vocals

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Oceansize – Frames

Style: Progressive Rock, Shoegaze-Influenced

Moods: Passionate, Epic, Melancholy, Cryptic, Sentimental, Moody, Longing, Cathartic, Dark, Triumphant, Monolithic

Musical Qualities: Complex, Progressive, Melodic, Uncommon Time Signatures, Polished, Atmospheric, Dynamic, Dense

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Cecil Taylor – Indent

Style: Free Improvisation, Free Jazz

Moods: Passionate, Kinetic, Complex, Ecstatic, Dramatic, Energetic, Angular, Exploratory, Meditative, Focused

Musical Qualities: Solo Improvisation, Dense, Acoustic, Progressive, Dynamic, Percussive, Atonal, Active Listening, Instrumental, Technical, Rhythmic, Live

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Horace Tapscott with the Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – Live at I.U.C.C.

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Avant-Garde Big Band

Moods: Triumphant, Communal, Spiritual, Uplifting, Epic, Warm

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Progressive, Uncommon Time Signatures, Live, Dense, Acoustic, Complex, Rhythmic, Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Orchestral

Instrumentation: Piano, Horns, Drums, Percussion, Upright Bass, Drums, Woodwinds, Cello

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The Soft Machine

Style: Canterbury Scene, Psych Pop, Progressive Pop, Jazz-Influenced

Moods: Surreal, Whimsical, Dadaist, Playful, Joyful, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Suite, Catchy, Complex, Uncommon Time Signatures, Loose

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Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh – Overloaded Ark

Style: Progressive Folk, Acid Folk, Psychedelic Chamber Music

Moods: Mysterious, Exploratory, Medieval, Mystical, Ancient, Brooding, Forest, Haunting, Serpentine, Ritualistic, Cinematic

Musical Qualities: Complex, Dense, Acoustic, Progressive, Percussive, Noisy, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Cello, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Organ, Sho, Banjo, Renaissance Harp, Rauschpfeife, Crumhorn, Cornamuse, Hurdy Gurdy, Electronics, Darbuka, Riq, Frame Drum, Percussion, Recorder, Piano, Vocal Harmonies

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Eberhard Weber – Yellow Fields

Style: ECM Jazz, Atmospheric Jazz Fusion

Vibe: Ethereal, Adventurous, Autumnal, Pastoral, Misty, Impressionistic, Complex, Intricate

Musical Qualities: Thematic Improvisation, Reverbed Production, Chorus FX, Melodic, Uncommon Time Signatures

Instrumentation: Upright Bass (w/ heavy chorus), Soprano Saxophone, Keyboards, Drums

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Don Cherry – Where is Brooklyn

Personnel:
Don Cherry – Cornet, Pharaoh Sanders – Tenor Sax, Piccolo; Henry Grimes – Upright Bass; Ed Blackwell – Drums

Style: Free Jazz

Moods: Driving, Energetic, Urban, Communal, Passionate, Playful, Chaotic

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Improvisation, Complex, Acoustic, Rhythmic, Dissonant, Extended Technique

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Dewey Redman – Coincide

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz

Moods: Ecstatic, Intense, Energetic, Kinetic, Passionate, Mysterious, Triumphant, Chaotic, Spiritual

Musical Qualities: Dynamic, Dissonant, Complex, Acoustic, Collective Improvisation, Instrumental

Personnel:

Dewey Redman – Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Zither; Sirone – Upright Bass; Eddie Moore – Drums, Tympani, Idiophone (Bowed & Struck); Leroy Jenkins – Violin; Ted Daniel – Trumpet

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Jack Rose – Raag Manifestos

Style: Free Folk, Appalachian Raga, Piedmont Blues

Feelings: Searching, Tangled, Spiritual, Sombre, Intense, Thorny, Introspective, Cathartic, Meditative, Nature, Ominous, Mysterious, Focused, Complex, Hallucinogenic, Forest, Epic, Visceral, Jagged

Musical Qualities: Raga, Acoustic, Polyphonic, Modal, Droney, Technical, Dissonance

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Horse Lords – Comradely Objects

Style: Experimental Rock, Totalism, Math Rock

Influences: Tishoumaren, Krautrock, Free Jazz

Moods: Triumphant, De-Hypnotizing, Propulsive, Knotty, Angular, Kinetic, Energetic, Dancey, Embodied, Tangled, Communist, Chaotic

Musical Qualities: Polyrhythmic, Complex, Dense, Just Intonation, Instrumental, Uncommon Time Signatures, Microtonal, Dissonant, Polyphonic, Technical, Repetitive, Drones

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John Abercrombie – Timeless

Personnel: John Abercrombie – Electric & Acoustic Guitars; Jack DeJohnette – Drums; Jan Hammer – Organ, Synthesizer, Piano

Style: Jazz Fusion

Vibe: Epic, Triumphant, Spacey, Bombastic, Pastoral (A2, B2, B3), Energetic

Musical Qualities: Shred, Rhythmic, Instrumental, Groovy, Progressive, Technical, Improvisation, Complex, Dynamic

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Širom – Uteko?injeni prestol preprostih (The Liquified Throne of Simplicity)

Style: “Imaginary Folk”, Ritual Folk, Psychedelic Minimalism

Moods: Mysterious, Ritualistic, Earthy, Tribal, Exploratory, Hypnotic, Mystical, Sombre, Surreal

Musical Qualities: Percussive, Microtonal, Polyphonic, Improvisation, Acoustic, Complex, Uncommon Time Signatures, Repetitive, Instrumental

Instrumentation: Guimbri, Banjo, Frame Drum, Viola, Hurdy Gurdy, Tampura, Balafon, Chimes, Lute, Lyre, Ribab, Mizmar

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Björk – Fossora

Styles: Progressive Pop, Post-Industrial Chamber Music, IDM, Gabber, Deconstructed Club

Moods: Earthy, Knotty, Sensual, Futuristic, Surreal, Romantic, Mystical, Passionate, Messy, Hallucinogenic, Intense, Forest, Eccentric, Epic, Tribal

Musical Qualities: Polyphonic, Dense, Dynamic, Complex, Glitchy, Progressive, Uncommon Time Signatures, Electro-Acoustic

Instrumentation: Digital Programming, Woodwinds (Bass Clarinet, Oboe, Clarinet), Strings, Choral Vocals

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Richard Dawson – Ruby Cord

Style: Progressive Songwriter, Prog-Folk, Art Rock

Moods: Sombre, Epic, Lonely, Futuristic, Dystopian, Cryptic, Melancholy, Poetic, Mythic

Themes: Alienation, Apocalypse, Medieval, Science Fiction, Fantasy

Qualities: Progressive Structures, Lush Arrangements, Storytelling, Suite, Conceptual, Complex

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Sun Ra – Nothing Is…

Style: Cosmic Jazz, Free Space Music

Feelings: Exploratory, Cosmic, Forest, Mysterious, Abstract, Intense, Energetic, Spacey, Surreal, Warm

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Polyphonic, Dense, Live Performance, Dissonant, Complex, Dynamic

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Miles Davis – Live in Tokyo 1973

Personnel: Miles Davis – Trumpet, Organ; Pete Cosey – Electric Guitar; Reggie Lucas – Electric Guitar; Al Foster – Drums; Mtume – Percussion, Michael Henderson – Electric Bass; Dave Liebman – Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Flute

Style: Abstract Groove, Psychedelic Jazz Fusion

Vibe: Exploratory, Powerful, Menacing, Mysterious, Serpentine, Complex, Aggressive, Bluesy, Energetic, Groovy, Psychedelic

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The Art Ensemble of Chicago – We Are On the Edge

Style: Modern Creative, Chamber Jazz, Experimental Big Band, Great Black Music, Avant-Garde Classical

Vibe: Communal, Triumphant, Suspenseful, History, Eclectic, Colorful, Intricate, Ritualistic, Patient, Open, Complex, Theatric

Musical Qualities: Poly-Free Improvisation, Dynamic, Collective, Progressive Structures, Technical, Orchestral, Percussive, Reductionism, Suite, Polyphonic

Instrumentation: Trumpets, Upright Bass, Spoken Word, Operatic Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone, Cello, Violin, Viola

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Moor Mother – Circuit City

Style: Future Jazz, Free Jazz Theater, Jazz Poetry

Vibe: cathartic, cerebral, dystopian, energetic, futuristic, bombastic, intense, noisy, passionate, poetic, political, powerful, rebellious, urban, heavy, AfroFuturist

Musical Attributes: Complex, Conceptual, Dense, Dissonant, Spoken Word, Theatric, Progressive, Polyphonic, Improvisation

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