Most '60s bubblegum groups were faceless studio concoctions, made up of hired professionals and given nominal group identities after the fact. The Archies made no pretense of being a real band in the first place - their music, including the smash hit "Sugar, Sugar," was "performed" by the animated TV cartoon characters spun off from Archie comics. In reality, of course, they were a studio concoction made up of hired professionals (most notably lead singer Ron Dante), but in this case, they weren't technically faceless.
The Archies (1968) is their debut studio album.

This LP contains two broadcasts featuring Charlie Parker at Boston's Storyville club in 1953. one set finds him accompanied by the Red Garland Trio (two years before Garland became famous playing with Miles Davis) while the other one also features trumpeter Herb Pomeroy and a trio led by pianist Sir Charles Thompson. The recording quality is just so-so but Bird was in fine form for these sessions, playing hot versions of his usual repertoire.

The English veterans have combined mood tunes with several very strong songs here, with a soundscape that is really fascinating. At the most mellow you may associate the music with early Marillion and late 70's Eloy, while the harder parts stretch out towards prog metal territory. And the mood of the album is a dark one, filled with sadness, grief and anguish - and something undefinable "more". As for instrumentation, the synth is central in adding to melodies and soundscape, as backdrop or floating above the other instruments in the soundscape. The guitars are dark, polished but somewhat gritty, and played so that you'll hear each individual tone to a shorter or longer extent rather than plain riffing. Rhythm section is energetic and hard, often played in a fashion reminding of prog metal. And the vocals are used as an instrument in it's own right as well.

20 years of Pop Ambient. Pop Ambient Music is medicine against illnesses, that you don’t even suffer from. It’s giving everything, demanding nothing.
Musical lotus leafs, off which the virtual wastewater of our time is rolling like the reality is dripping off the matrix.
 In this sense, we’re happy about the pop-ambient anniversary greetings from new and old companions like Thore Pfeiffer, Max Würden, Yui Onodera, Jörg Burger, Thomas Fehlmann, Morgen Wurde, Leandro Fresco aswell as contributions from T. Raumschmiere, Andrew Thomas and, after a long break, from friends from early days like Joachim Spieth, Markus Guentner und Klimek.