Month: March 2023

  • Batavia Collective – Propulsion

    Batavia Collective – Propulsion

    I haven’t had a chance to review anything from Indonesia in some time, so it gives me pleasure to introduce you to a band called the Batavia Collective.  Their sound is a great balance of jazz, fusion and electronica.  One track only, but it’s a solid one.

  • Vidna Obmana – Dante Trilogy: Tremor . Spore . Legacy

    Vidna Obmana – Dante Trilogy: Tremor . Spore . Legacy

    Dirk Serries has kept his Industrial/Fourth World project Vidna Obmana alive since 1984, but this release for metal label Relapse Records will be his coup de grace.  Loosely based on Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, this 3-CD set covers all the music genres Serries has worked in over the past four decades.  From his Bandcamp site:…

  • WITCH – Message From WITCH

    WITCH – Message From WITCH

    Zambian rock legends WITCH post a brand new single.

  • Hadi Bastani and Maryam Sirvan – trans​.​placed

    Hadi Bastani and Maryam Sirvan – trans​.​placed

    It’s wonderful to hear one of my favorite sound designers, Maryam Sirvan come up with new material.  She is paired with fellow expatriate Hadi Bastani in this 20-minute mini-LP of electroacoustics and field recordings.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Stretching from Berlin to Tbilisi, trans.placed starts with the simple act of opening a door. This…

  • William Ryan Fritch – Heavy EP

    William Ryan Fritch – Heavy EP

    One of the great composers I have had the pleasure of reviewing is William Ryan Fritch.  This EP is his latest, and these notes come from his latest EP via his Bandcamp site: “‘Heavy’, from composer William Ryan Fritch is a bombastic and ever-moving work that draws equally from the forward-thinking arrangements of modern chamber…

  • Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself

    Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself

    Many, many years ago I was a fan of the sludge-metal band Neurosis, who first came to my attention with a booming cover of Joy Division’s classic, Day Of The Lords.  What I didn’t know until a week ago is that their guitarist, Steve Von Till released a gothic-Americana album in 2015 which has the…

  • Various Artists – Kalamine Records: Inside / Beside IX

    Various Artists – Kalamine Records: Inside / Beside IX

    Our dear friends at Kalamine Records have today released a compilation of dark ambient and electronic music that is in keeping with the label’s ethos.  Artists featured include label stalwarts like Zumaia, Daria Galabriel and Voleurs.  A solid comp.

  • Phil Tomsett & Aaron Martin – At Sea

    Phil Tomsett & Aaron Martin – At Sea

    We have had the pleasure of reviewing the work on cellist Aaron Martin in the past, but it’s nice to see a new release with him collaborating on a project with accordeonist Phil Tomsett which, ironically, began in London.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “At Sea grew out of my walks along a particular part…

  • [vinylconnection.com.au] STILL BLOOMING GOOD

    [vinylconnection.com.au] STILL BLOOMING GOOD

    One of the holy grails of rock music is the making of an album that defies time. The Stone Roses achieved this with their 1989 self-titled debut, a … STILL BLOOMING GOOD The excellent blog Vinyl Connection reminisces about how impactful the debut album of the Stone Roses actually was.

  • Atman – Personal Forest

    Atman – Personal Forest

    Our dear friends at the Lollipoppe Shoppe have released a freakily good album out of 1990s Poland.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Atman was an eco-activist collective, that released tape-only pastoral dwelling jams in the fine Polish-Jazz tradition… Hamered dulcimer and exotically tuned 12-string guitars among basket-loads of unknown sounds, since the 70’s! Personal Forest…