British experimental band Szun Waves scours dark sonic corners for melodic human hope on ‘Earth Patterns’ – and that’s a tough thing to do.

The Beths’ ‘Expert in a Dying Field’ pulses with late ’70s new wave clever electric pop, all the way from New Zealand.

Mark Murdock’s ‘Overexposure’ is a departure from the last Cymbolic Encounters LP, which enlisted the talents of John Goodsall and Percy Jones from Brand X.

Blue Largo’s ‘Got to Believe’ is an album of sheer soulful joy, as this tight San Diego ensemble rocks, rolls, rumbles and tumbles through 11 tunes.

Carl Weingarten and Delay Tactics offer more tempered prog that’s still filled, thankfully, with a very earthy groove.

Appealing to lovers of ‘No Smoke Without Fire’-era Wishbone Ash, Snakecharmer produced plenty of twin-guitar ecstasy during their short tenure.

Michael Salvatori’s ‘Waiting For Autumn’ will appeal to lovers of Mike Rutherford’s ‘Smallcreep’s Day’ and the more acoustic music from Anthony Phillips.

A remix reminds us why classic LPs like Pink Floyd’s ‘Animals’ – which burned prog-rock fire in the midst of a punk explosion – still deserve our attention.

‘Masquerading With Dawn’ is definitive proof that a few music aficionados and die-hard Fruupp fans can do something that’s just really cool.

Su Andersson’s ‘Brave’ is an album that follows in the great assertive tradition of progressive folk, meeting the blue-jeaned coffee-house muster of old.