Tom Penaguin by Tom Penaguin

French based multi-instrumentalist and composer Tom Penaguin presents his spectacular self-titled debut album. The album showcases some of the most impressive Canterbury Scene progressive rock sounds since the genre’s inception in the 1970s. Tom (guitarist of Djiin and former keyboardist of Orgöne), began playing guitar at the age of 6 and later learnt how to play drums, piano and organ to a professional standard by the age of 15. Influenced by the likes of Frank Zappa and the Canterbury Scene, Tom set out to build an analog music studio in his house in 2020, where he recorded the entire album using a plethora of vintage studio hardware and equipment. The result is a masterful ode to bands like Egg and National Health. The songs are complex in structure, with Stravinsky-inspired patterns, glorious melodies, whilst allowing room for lengthy improvisations akin to the fusion scene of the early 70s.


"It is amazing to know that two generations after us young men are venturing into the landscapes we explored with the same equipment we used! Like someone today climbing up Mount Everest with the equipment used by Hillary in 1953." (Dirk 'Mont' Campbell, Egg, National Health) 

"Il ragazzo è molto talentuoso, suona tutti gli strumenti, un arsenale analogico di tutto rispetto, ha un approccio quasi maniacale al cosiddetto suono di Canterbury e dimostra un amore sincero e viscerale per la materia. L'effetto è piacevolmente nostalgico e al contempo Tom è anche in grado di esprimere la sua cifra e il suo linguaggio fatto di tante sfumature armoniche e timbriche. Consigliatissimo." (Dario D'Alessandro, Homunculus Res)

"Highly polished, beautifully rendered, complex music in the vein of Egg, Hatfields, National Health - wonderful stuff." (Phil Howitt, Facelift)

"It's an unbelievable record, a fantastic piece of work very well produced. An ode to the Canterbury sound. The likes of National Health, Egg... But it's so organic. He plays all the keyboards, the drums, the bass and the guitar work is unbelievable. It's like some sort of John McLaughlin Marvishnu Orchestra fusion playing... So you should really check this out. I highly recommend it." (Ryan Stevenson, Zopp)

"La ópera prima de Tom Penaguin, editada por el sello lucense áMARXE constituye una de esas escasas ocasiones en las que todo encaja para conformar un viaje sonoro a escuchar de principio a fin.
Muy influenciado por los grandes nombres del sonido Canterbury, especialmente por la banda Hatfield and the North y en menor medida Egg, este disco rezuma honestidad por los cuatro costados. No solo por estar grabado del modo más analógico posible (la grabación en cinta, tremendamente inusual en la actualidad, le da una calidez extra a los temas), sino porque se evidencia que no hay trampa ni cartón en la propuesta. Y eso, en tiempos de perenne engaño musical y pose artística, es un logro del más alto nivel. Pocas veces se puede hablar de un álbum de debut tan recomendable como este." (Alberto Villarroya, Amoeba Split)

¿Tú te acuerdas de la primera vez que escuchaste la Sinfonía N°2 de Egg? ¿Eres capaz de recordar ese instante mismo en el que expusiste cuerpo y alma a Tenemos Roads de National Health por primera vez? Yo sí. Y no había vuelto a tener una sensación parecida hasta que he metido el primer disco de Tom Penaguin en el reproductor. Me dices que "Housefly Leg" y "Arrival Of The Great Hedgehog" son temas descartados de un hipotético súper grupo Canterbury compuesto por Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, Richard Sinclair y Phil Miller en el 74 y te doy las claves de la Visa. Luego escuchas "Aborted Long Song n°2" y piensas en lo útil que te hubiera sido todos estos largos años para explicar qué diantres es la escena Canterbury en 3 jodidos minutos. ¡Otro maravilloso inadaptado como yo, que ha venido de no sé bien dónde, para hacer lo mío un poco más fácil y definitivamente más brillante! Acojonante, cos, esto es un artefacto tremebundo de esos que acaban siendo columnas maestras. (Carlos Torrecilla, Kiss That Prog)

"Right at the beginning I want to say that we have a brilliant album in front of us, where Tom Penaguin shows the ability to fuse different genres with spectacular results, moving from jazz to rock, from psychedelia to something completely new, in one fantastic presentation that will leave you breathless." (Goran Čabrajić, New Dawn of Prog)

"On this album, his artistry seamlessly merges acoustic and electric sounds, weaving a tapestry that pays homage to the music of Canterbury greats such as Egg, Hatfield & The North, Soft Machine, and Caravan. His compositions balance serenity and vigor, blending timeless and contemporary elements to maintain a unified theme across the album... This album is an essential listen for aficionados of the iconic Canterbury scene, offering a smooth, dynamic, and enchanting experience that stands apart from much of the current prog-influenced music, really authentic sounding. Remarkably produced, mixed, and mastered in Penaguin’s bedroom, this album transcends the norms and signifies an impressive entrance into the music world." (Jose Zegarra Holder, Romantic Warriors Prog Documentaries)

"This is a very important recording. Tom Penguin took me completely by surprise. This is a guy who knows how to build on the shoulders and the foundations of the best what the 20th century art rock brought us.
But this music never tends to overplay nor to proof itself. This is the work of an artist who definitely loved things of the past, but knows that what lays ahead in the future for other people is what’s made today: this is in no way stale nostalgia." (Frank Nuyts, Beat Love Oracle / Hardscore)

Music from a future too far away