A founding member of the synth-pop band Japan in 1974 and later becoming keyboardist in the art-rock band Porcupine Tree in 1993, till now, Richard Barbieri returns in 2021 with a fascinating, full-length solo album called Under A Spell. Even with his synth-pop, post-punk and New Wave background, Under A Spell is firmly rooted in a kind of modern day, post-jazz meets avant-garde electronica-based instrumental music that owes as much to Brian Eno as it does to Bowie and even Miles Davis. Under A Spell is definitely a Co-vid related album with Richard adding, “I wrote and recorded it in my studio at home, with all this strangeness going on outside. It became something completely different: this weird, self-contained dream-state album.” A number of other-worldly sounds and styles intersect including a Miles-like experimental jazz sound on “Flare 2”, with trumpet sounds by Luca Calabrese. Jazz-fusion bass ace Percy Jones appears too. Sans vocals with words, the album nevertheless adds in sampled voices from a range of male and female singers, which only adds to the uncanny nature of Under A Spell. The 9-track, 50-minute Under A Spell just oozes with experimental sonic intrigue and that is further born out in the album artwork and CD packaging which is just stunning to look at.