There is a sense of contained energy about Luis Ianes and Noel Akchote’s ‘Seuil,’ and listening is at once relaxing and stimulating.

“Jazz-rock” often implies nothing more than clever technique, but Coincidence cross-pollinates with moments of great prog – and that’s even better.

Madlen Keys’ ‘Event Horizon’ is a very modern French progressive (for want of a better term) rock album, infused with pop sensitivities.

Not many knew about Simon Moullier a mere three years ago but with his third outing ‘Isla,’ there’s simply no excuse not to. He’s the vibraphonist you will want to keep on your radar.

American listeners have probably never heard of the Slow Slushy Boys. Here are a couple of examples of why that needs to change.

The direct punk-blues of the French one-man-band Chicken Diamond never gets old, and Diamond’s fifth long player Skeleton Coast is just as fresh and violent as the other four LP’s. That’s right, there are still You May Also Like: Chicken Diamond – The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (2016) DiamondRead More

On the powerful and unrelenting ‘Process and Reality’, Yoshida’s thunderous drums provide the adrenaline as Pinhas and Merzbow supply the clinical soul.

The 4th album by the French rowdy blues one-man-band Chicken Diamond gives us more of the same full-on bite that graced the first three long players, and a little bit more.

With a kindred soul in Nicolas Moreaux as Jeremy Udden’s musical partner, ‘Belleville Project’ is a record made by two people but one, prolific mind.

Experimental French quartet Louis Minus XVI’s ‘Kindergarten’ is easier to like because it’s harder to pin down.