Krakatau

Australian neo-prog trio Krakatau formed at the beginning of the 2010s, drawing influence from both the improvised astral traveling of '70s Krautrockers and the more hypnotic side of early jazz-rock fusion. Made up of drummer Dylan Lieberman, bassist Danny Smith, and synth/keyboard player James Tom, Krakatau's guitar-free instrumentation pushed them to find deeper free-form fire without the assistance of blazing solos or heavily processed guitar leads. Krakatau played live locally for a few years, crafting their sound to perfection before entering the studio to record their 2014 debut long-player, Water Near a Bridge. The entirely instrumental album consisted of three lengthy explorations in psych and spaced-out prog rock, the running time of each passing the ten-minute mark. ~ Fred Thomas