I’ve only picked up three 2020 releases so far, and two are download only (no CD available).
1. Echorec - The Island
- I started a thread about this one, but it’s my favorite of these three so far. Debut from a very young UK prog act. Sort of a concept album but not in the musical theater sense. Great drummer, very talented singer/guitarist/key player, the bassist is Ok too. It’s not over the top instrumentally, and it’s only moderately heavy, more of a modern rock act but definitely progressive with melodic solos, great drumming, and some engaging longer tracks.
2. Yaatri - Reach (technically an EP)
- This is a cool modern jazz record that is hard to describe, because it doesn’t sound like what I usually listen to or even what I think of as jazz. It’s definitely not in the rock genre, but it could be considered somewhat progressive I guess. Female vocalist and some great instrumentalists. I saw it mentioned somewhere else and after hearing a couple songs I was hooked.
3. Fernando Perdomo - Out to Sea 3
- I’m mildly disappointed in volume 3 of Perdomo’s Out to Sea series. I loved the first two and just about everything else he’s done. Maybe this idea has run its course though. The Storm is a very cool track though (kind of like an acoustic King Crimson track), and there is some fine guitar work throughout of course. It’s not bad at all, just hasn’t hit me the way the first two did.
I need to check out Eric Johnson’s latest. Looking forward to Nick D’Virgilio. Not sure there’s anything else in particular I’m really looking forward to. It’s possible Big Big Train get their next album together by the end of the year I guess since they aren’t touring (and the Summer’s Lease compilation might get released in the fall outside of Japan).