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Jostaberry Hello Turbine Review by Gary Hill The previous set I reviewed from this act seemed to have a split personality (in a good way). That's at least as true of this one. We get everything from pop leanings to things that call to mind acts from The Residents to King Crimson and more. There is perhaps more traditional prog here than the there was on its predecessor, but it also has some particularly pop-oriented things. It covers so much territory (sometimes in one song) and is creative and intriguing from start to finish. If anything, I think I like this one better than the first one, and that one was great. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022 Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review

Roots A chord opens the disc. Vocals come in from there, bringing a classy pop-prog vibe with them as they do. This works out to some killer AOR prog. It has some definite psychedelic edges and some cool hooks in the mix. As it works into a more exploratory section later I'm reminded of both Billy Sherwood's musical style and early Pink Floyd. This fires out into some killer almost Yes-like jamming after that movement.

B12 Dreams Weird electronic pop, trippy psychedelia and more merge on this cool number. It's poppy and yet so tastefully strange.

Living with It Hard rocking and weird angles are on display at the start of this number. It has a freaky space edge of the electronic variety. There are some jazzy melodies on this. The percussion is prominent and unusual. The guitar based chaotic section later really calls to mind King Crimson. A mellower, piano dominated movement is heard beyond that section.

Connecting The Residents come to mind to some degree here. This is a weird and artificial sounding piece that still manages to groove and jam. It gets more "human" in nature at times.

The New Savanna A hard rocking piece, this is suitably otherworldly and strange. Yet ii is oddly compelling, too.

Tree Line Piano based, there is an echoey, distant sort of vibe to this. This turns weird and trippy later, really getting into some darkly psychedelic zones.

Planet I love the more mainstream prog concept here. This is energized and so meaty. It has some more pop oriented stuff before it's over.

6 Or 7 Miles After Starting percussive, this grows out into more classy electronic styled prog pop after a while. At six-minutes long, this is the epic of the disc. I wouldn't consider it an epic for that length, but it is in terms of the scope and range. This is a pure prog number with so many cool changes and dramatic instrumental pieces. Yet there is still an alternative pop edge to it.

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