- 2006 - "Concatenations" 
This second offering from American outfit Z-AXIS, "Concatenations", reveals all the same values and shortcomings that are typical of its predecessor, "Music from Reality Check", from six years ago. As usual, the band merge progressive-rock arrangements with spacey, new-age and (to a lesser degree) psychedelic landscapes not always to best effect, at times losing any sense of proportion when diluting the rock structures with ambient ones - to the detriment of you know what. The recording comprises ten tracks, but only the first three and, at the same time, longest ones, Whitewater, Too Clever By Half and Out of Hand, have a well-balanced sound, though it's only the latter that fully suits my concept of progressive music. Almost all the subsequent cuts are short, with the statistically-average duration clocking in at just under three-and-a-half minutes. With the exception of She Had To Go Live With The Lizards and Put Out the Cat, all those are devoid of any kind of rock component, being totally cinematic in character. "Concatenations" is a motley rather than diverse release and is not enough coherent musically to recommend it even to those exclusively into Ambient, even though half of the tracks here are within the framework of that style - at least overall.
Zinc - 1985 - "Theme of Secrets" (UK) 
This is the second solo-album from Maestro Eddie Jobson, legendary composer, keyboardist and
violinist, the founder of "UK". Both solo-albums were recorded in Eddie's own modern studio
"Zinc" in NYC with the help from some people (see "Z" in "Detailed Reviews"), and both of them
(as well as any work which was mostly composed by Jobson) are different. Unlike the
predecessor, which, on the whole, was a lighter album with vocals, "Theme of Secrets" is
absolutely instrumental.
This one is more profound and also darker than "The Green" with quiet complex various
compositions where a big arsenal of keyboards and violins plays prominent roles. An independent
self-release-LP by Eddie Jobson (maybe it was reissued by another label, but about the
CD-reissue I've heard nothing).
