By playing different songs after several more years of further developing their chemistry, Science Friction’s ‘No Tamales on Wednesday’ qualifies as a welcome official ‘new’ album by this long-defunct Tim Berne group.

Sprung from the prolific mind of Rob Mazurek, the Exploding Star Orchestra started out in 2007 reaching toward towering heights of artistry and attaining them. Most amazingly, they still manage to do that today with ‘Lightning Dreamers.’

Michael Formanek’s composing prowess had set a high standard for this ensemble. Sometimes, though, you just gotta let guys run off the leash. And, as we now know with ‘Other Zones,’ he did.

‘Sensitive’ documents the gig where Tim Berne’s Hardcell unit got started, as well as Berne’s fruitful association with keyboardist Craig Taborn.

There were two discoveries with ‘Science Friction +size’: When a quartet discovered new possibilities with a trumpeter, and when Tim Berne scraped a shiny disc off the floor.

‘Natural Selection’ is an advancement of bold, rock-oriented ideas drummer Dan Weiss first put forward a couple of years ago and justifies his decision to keep going down this path.

Individually and collectively, Tim Berne’s Hardcell trio was amazing and the live souvenir ‘The Cosmos’ confirms that.

‘xFORM’ is one of the snowflakes from a David Torn/Prezens live performance that’s thankfully been captured for posterity and now, available for the public.

Progressive music has moved in the direction suggested long ago by ‘Junk Magic’ but as Craig Taborn revisits these ideas, it’s clear they remain unique in an increasingly crowded field.

Whatever band Michael Formanek, Tim Berne, Craig Taborn or Gerald Cleaver are in is usually a very good one. When they are in the same band, it’s special.