I reviewed a Blacklight Braille CD a few issues ago, and since then, they've released not one, not two, but five new CD albums! Talk about prolific! Songs For The Longhaired Suns is an album of unconventional music that could be described as a cross between folk, new age, blues, rock n' roll and experimental music. As well as instruments that you may expect (eg guitar, keyboards), this 16-piece band (well, they are a 16-piece on Songs..., though the line-up varies between 15 and 21 on these five albums) also use instruments such as djembe, buffalo rattle, washboard, temple blocks, metal trays, rainstick, wood tongue drum, saw, electronic insects ... and so the list goes on.

Avallon Tower has instruments such as wooden flute, vibraphone, Chinese bell tree, darrabuka, bowed gong, wind chimes, ship's bell, metal lantern, disc gong, glass bottle and coiled spring. The music on this album often has a dark and mystical feel, and is largely experimental, rather than the more song-structured tracks found on Songs For The Longhaired Suns. A few tracks are sung, but the backing music tends to be eerie experimental soundscapes. Other tracks are instrumental, and others have spoken word lyrics set to music. The lyrics are heavily influenced by Arthurian legends.

Into The World Of The Gods starts off with an entirely percussion-based track, and a few of the tracks emphasise the more experimental/new age/spoken word elements as seen on the previous two albums, though this album has an overall emphasis on melodic rock with a folky touch. This isn't just a guitar-based album though, the band still find time for their worldy/unconventional instruments. My favourite songs on here are the almost eleven minute track Persephone Of Short Vine, which is kind of folk-blues-rock with violin; and Song Of The White Cockrose, which is pleasantly strange experimental music with almost operatic vocals.

Carbonek tends to vary between experimental, folk and rock, or a cross between the three. Sometimes there's a medieval feel, either in the music or the lyrics. Overall, this is strange, eerie, dark music, but it has nothing in common with goth.

Latest album Black Moon Selection sees a return to the more song-structured music as heard on Into The World Of The Gods, some tracks also appearing on that album. There's a general emphasis on folk-tinged and bluesy rock, though there is the usual diversity here in tracks such as The Dark Champion (a poem set to a mystical sounding experimental rock backing); Wilderness Of Flowers (an instrumental with quite a prog rock-ish feel); and Song Of Few Words (a chiming instrumental with a dark atmosphere).

All of these albums are available from Vetco Records, 5825 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45216, USA.

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