If you are in the mood for something fun and light, I recommend Active Heed. The band is the brainchild of Umberto Pagnini, and their new album is Visions From Realities. Stylistically, it is all over the map, and I mean that in a good way. I hear a strong ’60s folk/rock influence in songs like “FFF Flashing Fast Forward”:

While the gorgeous “The Weakness of Our Spinning” sounds like an outtake from Lindsey Buckingham:

Listening to the album in its entirety gives me the sense that I’m peeking into an artist’s sketchbook; most songs are relatively brief, and the melodies have a charming, playfully raw feel to them. Take a listen to the under-two-minute pop blast of “Awake?!”:

The band has generously posted the complete album on Soundcloud, and you can listen to it here. Visions From Realities is more evidence that we are in the midst of a historic explosion of excellent progressive music, and they certainly deserve a wide audience. It would be a shame for this gem to be missed.