Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang have about the best pedigree any indie rock band has ever had, being part of such legendary projects as Galaxie 500 and Luna. Their catalogue under Damon & Naomi is equally impressive, and this Sub Pop compilation gives a nice snapshot of their work during Continue Reading
Easter Monday
No post today. Time for a wee break for Bright Monday.
Chronos Ensemble – Life of the Savior
As we celebrate Pascha (Easter) today, I had the good fortune to find this CD. From the Chronos Ensemble Bandcamp site: “The polyphony emerged in Russia long before its musical culture experienced European influence. Even the earliest survived examples of western polyphony of 10-11 centuries are mostly composed according to Continue Reading
Fairouz – Wa Habibi
As today is Good Friday, as celebrated by the Julian Calendar, I will be taking tonight off for late-night prayers. I leave you with a track by Lebanese singer Fairuz (or Fairouz) celebrating the darkest day of the year. Have a blessed Paschal season.
Esbjörn Svensson Trio – HOME.S.
The world lost one of jazz’s most incredible players in 2008 when pianist Esbjörn Svensson was killed in a diving accident. He and his trio were at the peak of their creative powers in this album, where the playing is gentle but dynamic. One could only imagine what sort of Continue Reading
Various Artists – Canary Records: Tarab Vocal Art in Khedival Cairo, vol. 2, ca. 1905 – 1914
Another gem from Canary Records, as they return to Egypt, as quoted on their Bandcamp site: “When disc recording technology arrived in Egypt in 1903, much of the Arab world around the Mediterranean had been experiencing a cultural, political, and social “awakening” (the “nadha”) that had been intrinsic to literary Continue Reading
Carmela & Carme López – Vinde Todas
This is something of a live music artifact containing not only the work of avant-garde gaitera Carme López but that of some of the best names of the Celtic music scene in Spain.
Elsio Mancuso, Berto Pisano – Decameron nº2 – Le altre novelle del Boccaccio
Italian soundtracks from the late 1960s and early 1970s are in a league of their own. The music generally qualifies as easy/cheesy/sleazy listening, and this album, scored by Elsio Mancuso and the legendary Berto Pisano, makes me want to enjoy a good whiskey and a puff of the pipe. Easy Continue Reading
Freh Khodja – Ken Andi Habib
What a wild release this is! Our friends at Wewantsounds have released yet another unknown gem. From their Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Algerian music reissue program with the release of Freh Khodja’s sought-after 1975 LP, Ken Andi Habib. Recorded in Paris with Les Flammes, a group Continue Reading
Heathertoes – Ballagàrraidh
My dear brother in music, Heathertoes, has released a great album for rainy-day listening. Elements of dub, trip-hop, and a crunch, almost lo-fi electronic music aesthetic, spice up an album’s worth of brilliant ideas sketched into pleasant daytime listening.