• Personal

    Steven Michael Shore (1943-2024)

    April 16, 2024 - By 

    In the about section, you will see two names referenced as being responsible for Music You Need To Hear: myself and Steven Michael Shore.  I met Steven in 1991 along with my brother, Ralph, and my friend, Brian, as we studied at a place called Trebas Institute after I had left Chino Police Department wondering what my next career step would be. Steven was somewhat larger than life by reputation (though you wouldn’t know it by talking with him), having worked with a couple of bands who left a sizeable mark on the new wave scene, as well as having…

  • Music

    Opa – Back Home

    April 15, 2024 - By 

    Far Out Recordings graces us with yet another vital release out of South America.  This one by Opa is a little treasure out of Uruguay, not exactly known as a hot-spot for jazz fusion (at least not when compared to Brazil or, maybe, Argentina).  This record, shelved for reasons unknown, has finally seen the light of day.  There will be no digital release of the album (only vinyl and CD), but you can hear a slice courtesy of Youtube.

  • Music

    Floreana – Floreana One

    April 12, 2024 - By 

    I don’t do top tens, but if I did, this album might be EP of the year.  It’s that good.  Imagine early Brian Eno or Tuxedomoon with a sound updated for the 2020’s.  Yes, these names are the ones I’m happy to drop for this release.  From Floreana’s Bandcamp site: “Floreana One, is the first installment of a three-part series, captures tones reminiscent of early Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, exploring themes of isolation and idealism through tape-saturated woodwinds, hazy synthesizers, and vintage drum machines. Features appearances from her father- David Mordoch, John Carroll Kirby, Nico Georis, Shags Chamberlain, and Daryl…

  • Music

    Various Artists – G.O.D. RECORDS (Garden Of Dreams): Mondo Farfisa Garage Psycodelico

    April 11, 2024 - By 

    I was a big fan of bands like The Bomboras and The Lords of Altamont during their heydey in the 1990s and 2000s, but there is such a deep, rich reservoir of farfisa and hammond organ-based garage rock that it boggles the mind.  The ever-excellent Greek record label G.O.D. RECORDS (Garden Of Dreams) offers what ends up being about fours albums’ worth of fuzzy organ music to whittle your day away with.  A solid compilation all the way through.

  • Music

    Azymuth – Carnival (Original Full-Length Unedited Mix)

    April 10, 2024 - By 

    Brazil’s finest fusion band return with a reworking of their legendary hit! From the promo pack: Celebrating 30 years of Far Out Recordings, Azymuth’s biggest club track from their groundbreaking 1979 album Light As A Feather is reissued on 12” vinyl, in its full length unedited form. When it was originally released, Azymuth’s disco fusion worldwide hit “Jazz Carnival” stayed in the UK top twenty for eight straight weeks. It was used as the theme music for national broadcasts in Italy and even made it onto Top Of The Pops in the UK. Since then the track has become a…

  • Music

    Khruangbin – A La Sala

    April 9, 2024 - By 

    There is almost nothing I can add to the lore of Khruangbin except to say that, despite me occasionally talking about albums which are fine for nighttime listening, this one belongs to the sunrise.  It has the feeling of an album you would play after an intense night out on the town, and coming down from the high of people around way too many people for too long.  From their Bandcamp site: “The title makes it clear. A La Sala (“To the Room” in Spanish), the fourth studio album by Khruangbin, is an exercise in returning in order to go…

  • Music

    Ernesto Diaz-Infante – Amor Celestial

    April 8, 2024 - By 

    Amor Celestial is the latest album by Bay Area guitar improviser Ernesto Diaz-Infante, release on Rambutan Records out of New York.  The album reminds me of waves gently crashing into the rock of the Pacific Coastline, ebbing and flowing as clouds of feedback surround each bend of the strings.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “San Francisco-based Ernesto Diaz-Infante brings his complete mastery and open exploration of the electric guitar to Tape Drift. It’s an honor to present this deeply focused and heavy work from someone who has dedicated so many years to fearless sonic experimentation and improvisation. The cover art…

  • Music

    Tomotsugu Nakamura – Moon Under Current

    April 7, 2024 - By 

    I’m new to both the work of Tomotsugu Nakamura and the label he released this album on, Teinei Records out of Japan.  Moon Under Current is a gorgeously minimal piece of electronic ambient, perhaps a better name for the genre than merely ‘ambient’.  I really like the lullaby-ish nature of the music.