Peel, Palmer, Tuning and Gould – Synesthesia Review
Like a Lost 70s Harvest Prog Album – Synesthesia by Peel, Palmer, Tuning and Gould
A beautifully strange instrumental journey
There are some releases that arrive with a fanfare, a marketing campaign and endless social media noise around them. Then there are albums like Synesthesia by Peel, Palmer, Tuning and Gould — records that seem to drift quietly into view, waiting for the right listener to discover them.
And that, really, is one of the reasons I wanted to talk about this album.
Over the last few months I have become more aware that a large part of the Now Spinning Magazine audience is not living on social media and not scanning every music site every day. People often message me and say, “Phil, I had no idea that was coming out.” Sometimes that is about a major deluxe box set. So when it comes to something more left-field, more underground, more niche, it is even easier for an album like this to slip past unnoticed.
That would be a shame, because Synesthesia is exactly the kind of record that deserves to be discovered by adventurous listeners who still love the thrill of finding something unexpected on vinyl.
Who are Peel, Palmer, Tuning and Gould?
This is a four-piece instrumental project featuring:
- Icarus Peel – guitars
- Steve Palmer – keyboards
- Jay Tuning – drums
- Rob Gould – keyboards
That line-up gives you a clue that this is not going to be a conventional album. The name Icarus Peel alone sounds like it belongs to some mysterious psychedelic wizard who has wandered out of an obscure 1971 Harvest Records catalogue. And in truth, that is not far from the spirit of the music.
This is an album made by musicians who clearly know and love the world of progressive, psychedelic and exploratory rock, but who are not interested in trimming those instincts down into something more commercial or easier to package.
That is one of the joys of releases like this.
What does Synesthesia sound like?
As I listened to Synesthesia, I found myself hearing echoes of Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Steve Hillage, and even a touch of Blodwyn Pig, alongside that broader Canterbury and jazz-prog sensibility that so many collectors and crate-diggers will recognise straight away.
There is also that unmistakable sense of musicians trying to conjure an alternative timeline — the feeling of some long-lost progressive underground album that might once have sat in the racks alongside early Harvest releases. You can imagine it: a sleeve with surreal artwork, a cryptic band photo, and four side-long explorations waiting to be discovered by those willing to take the trip.
And that is what Synesthesia offers. Not songs in the radio sense, but four instrumental journeys that unfold patiently and atmospherically, each one given room to breathe.
Four tracks, four journeys
The album consists of just four pieces, each around the ten-minute mark:
- The Turquoise Shards of Atlantis – 9:37
- The Cobra – 9:38
- Super Purple Sunshine – 9:47
- Coral Correlation – 9:48
Just look at those titles. They tell you everything and nothing at once. They are wonderfully unashamed, gloriously evocative, and completely in keeping with the spirit of the record.
This is not music that is trying to chase trends or fit into neat playlists. It is music made for immersion. Music for people who enjoy lying back, letting the sounds take over, and allowing the imagination to do its own work.
The Turquoise Shards of Atlantis immediately sets the tone, opening the door to a world that feels both cosmic and earthy. The Cobra has a hypnotic pull to it, while Super Purple Sunshine leans into that rich, liquid psych-prog atmosphere the album does so well. Coral Correlation rounds things off in a way that feels coherent with the whole journey, rather than simply ending it.
The Fruits de Mer spirit
One of the reasons I enjoy releases on Fruits de Mer Records is that they often feel liberated from the usual expectations of the music industry. The label has built a reputation for putting out records that are imaginative, playful and made with real love for the music.
Listening to Synesthesia, that freedom comes through strongly.
Back in the 1970s, even some of the great adventurous bands would still have had someone somewhere asking, “Which one is the single?” or “Can we make this shorter?” With a release like this, it feels as if those voices have been completely shut out of the room. The musicians have simply followed the music wherever it wanted to go.
That is refreshing.
There is seriousness in the playing, in the arrangements and in the sonic detail, but there is also humour and personality running through the whole presentation. Even the back cover suggests a band with a sense of mischief. I loved the newspaper-style touch, including the wonderfully daft line that the weather “was today and it will be all week.” That tells you this is music made by people who care deeply about what they do, but who are not afraid to smile while doing it.
What I like most about Synesthesia is that it reminds me why physical music still matters.
A record like this is not just a collection of tracks. It is an object, a mood, an invitation into a very particular world. It asks for your attention. It rewards curiosity. And it gives something back when you spend time with it.
This is also why I want to keep highlighting albums like this on Now Spinning Magazine. Not everything worth hearing is going to be pushed into your path by algorithms, sponsored posts or magazine covers. Some of the best discoveries are still made the old-fashioned way — by one music fan telling another, “You need to hear this.”
So here I am telling you: if your shelves contain Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Steve Hillage, Canterbury oddities, jazz-prog obscurities, or anything on Harvest that ever made you feel as if you had found a doorway into another world, then Synesthesia is well worth your time.
Synesthesia is a marvellous piece of work — immersive, imaginative, unapologetically instrumental and deeply rooted in the exploratory spirit of progressive and psychedelic music.
It is the kind of album that will not be for everyone, and that is perfectly fine. In fact, that is part of its appeal. It exists for listeners who still want to be surprised, who enjoy wandering off the main road, and who understand that some of the most rewarding records are the ones that arrive without fanfare.
If that sounds like you, this could be one of those vinyl discoveries you end up recommending to everyone else.
Recommended if you like
- Tangerine Dream
- Pink Floyd
- Steve Hillage
- Blodwyn Pig
- Canterbury scene artists
- Early 70s Harvest-style progressive music
