PEEL, PALMER, TAUSIG & GOULD – SYNAESTHESIA (Fruits de Mer Records) (Release date: 15th March, 2026)

“Synaesthesia” arose from a dinner conversation between Icarus Peel and Steve Palmer at which it was decided to produce an instrumental album of four ten-minute long pieces. Jay Tausig on drums and Rob Gould on keyboards joined the project.

The end result has a nostalgic feel about it; as the liner notes suggest, harking back to the times people sat cross-legged on the floor in the dark fully immersed in the music which cites various influences- the one that struck me the most was Steve Hillage and it is, in parts, typically Vertigo (the label) with elements of Kraut and Canterbury rock. Apart from the drums and bass being a little too high in the mix for my taste the four pieces never cease to fascinate and are impeccably produced.