Short Tracks: ‘Clouds 2’ by Fernando Perdomo (2026)
Multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo never stays in one place for too long. The talented guitarist, producer, and songwriter has continued his year-long Clouds series while slightly altering his flight plan, with Clouds 2 having 13 progressive rock tracks instead of the usual 10. That does not mean there is filler, however. Track #11, “Thunder” is as […]
Short Tracks: Parlor Greens – Emeralds (2026)
Parlor Greens don’t so much return as they roll back in, wheels sparking, engine humming, with Emeralds—a sophomore set that sharpens the trio’s greasy soul-jazz instincts into something heavier, deeper, and more lived-in. Where In Green We Dream announced their arrival, Emeralds confirms their purpose. The opener and lead single “Eat Your Greens” wastes no […]
Short Cuts: “Traveling Light” from ‘Let The Night Begin’ — Troy Mercy
Troy Mercy doesn’t introduce himself on Let The Night Begin so much as he kicks the door off the hinges and dares you to keep up. Produced by Tim Carman (Parlor Greens, Canyon Lights, formerly of GA-20), the record thrives on economy and intent. The guitars are gloriously blown-out without turning sloppy, the grooves stay […]
Slang of Ages Book Report
Rush 1984–2015: On Track by Richard James (Sonicbond Publishing); Every album, every song — and a band that refused to stand still Richard James’ book arrives just in time as a companion to the reunited Canadian Prog-Power masters. The book jumps into the band’s heady days. By the time Rush hit Grace Under Pressure in […]
Short Cut: Shane Sato’s “Deep Dive” (featuring Box Dream) (2026)
Following the momentum of his debut solo effort Until We Meet Again, Japanese-American drummer and producer Shane Sato shifts gears with his second single, “Deep Dive”. Released via Mixto Records, the track serves as a moody, sophisticated preview of his upcoming album, Wavelength. The song finds Sato collaborating with his indie-rock outfit, Box Dream, transforming […]
Short Tracks: The Freedom Affair – The Freedom Affair (2025)
Kansas City’s The Freedom Affair doesn’t revive Southern soul so much as inhabit it. Their self-titled sophomore set moves like Muscle Shoals with a Midwest passport—deep-pocket grooves, church-rooted harmonies, and songs that understand both joy and pressure. Produced with Grammy vet Boo Mitchell at Royal Studios, the album wears its lineage proudly without sounding like […]
Short Tracks: Roberto Fonseca & Vincent Segal – Nuit Parisienne à la Havane (2026)
Nuit Parisienne à la Havanefeels less like an album and more like an overheard conversation at 2 a.m.—intimate, unguarded, and quietly profound. Pianist Roberto Fonseca and cellist Vincent Segal strip everything down to essence, trusting touch, space, and shared history to do the heavy lifting. There’s no virtuoso flexing here, just deep listening and instinctive […]
Short Tracks: ‘Clouds’ by Fernando Perfomo (2026)
Didn’t multi-instrumentalist Fernando Perdomo give us 120 wonderful Prog-Rock songs in 2025? His “Waves’ series, which culminated with the recently released ‘The Best of Waves’ not only demonstrated Perdomo’s prowess as a composer but also his skill as an arranger and player. ‘Clouds’ continues the ‘Waves’ formula yet is an evocative journey through atmospheric soundscapes […]
Short Tracks: O.A.R. – Stories of a Stranger (20th Anniversary Edition) (Craft Recordings)
Some albums capture a moment, and others quietly define an era for the people who lived with them. Stories of a Stranger has always been the latter. Released in 2005, it marked O.A.R.’s transition from road-tested grassroots heroes to a band capable of translating communal joy into mainstream resonance—without sanding off the edges that made […]
Slang of Ages Book Review: Welcome Back My Friends: A People’s History of Emerson, Lake & Palmer By Bruce Pegg
In Welcome Back My Friends, author and music historian Bruce Pegg builds a living, breathing oral history of Emerson, Lake & Palmer—one of prog rock’s most daring and divisive trios. Rather than another chronological biography or technical deep dive, Pegg opens the microphone to the fans themselves—370 of them—whose memories capture the band’s fire, spectacle, […]