Month: May 2023

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Petar Vujačić – Made in Ovto​č​i​ć​: Songs from Montenegro

Amazing.  The ever excellent Antonovka Records are now producing music outside of the former USSR.  We have a description of the recordings below, courtesy of the label’s Bandcamp site:

“Gusle (not to be confused with Russian gusli) is a Balkan (mainly Montenegrin and Serbian) bowed instrument. There is only one string on the gusle, but it is always decorated with rich carvings. Those are usually long epic historical songs that are performed with the gusle.

Petar Vujačić comes from the village of Ovtočić (both ‘č’ and ‘ć’ are pronounced roughly as ‘ch’), located in the mountains between the Adriatic Sea and the Skadar Lake. His ancestors had lived in this village for several centuries.”

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Necrocock – Jan Ži​ž​ka z Trocnova (Original Soundtrack)

Jan Ži​ž​ka z Trocnova is a twelve-part series covering the life of Czech hero Jan Ži​žka, whose role in his nation’s history is indisputable despite fighting for Protestant heretics.  Though I have never managed to watch the series, I did get a chance to enjoy the soundtrack scored by Tom Necrocock.  It’s a pretty solid soundtrack which, surprisingly, may appeal to fans of dungeon synth music.  There’s an appropriately medieval quality to the music despite it being generated from what I gather are synthesizers.  Engaging work.

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Āustras Laīwan – Ephemerality of April Dreams

Friends of the blog Āustras Laīwan have released one of the most sublimely engaging albums I have heard recently.  The tone is melancholy throughout, almost achingly so.  There are parts where one feels like they’re opening up a ballerina box in an old Russian film.  In terms of sound, it’s crisp and warm, and this will appeal to those who like neofolk, neo-classical, contemporary and soundtrack music.

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Plantec – Awen

It’s a bit of a tragedy that Breton music doesn’t get the same healthy push as, say, Scottish or Irish music does.  Outside of the absolutely legendary Alan Stivell, it’s rare to hear of great music coming out of this most unique of French provinces.  Thankfully, we have Plantec to bring forth something that I suppose could qualify as electro-Breizh.  The music simply rips with expert playing of Breton bagpipes, but there’s something that makes the music incredibly punchy and even danceable.  Though this release is from around 2012, the band are still quite active today and continue to innovate by incorporating electronic music and even hip-hop into their authentically Breton sound.

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Maud the Moth + trajedesaliva – Bordando el manto terrestre

trajedesaliva, our friends from Galicia, Spain, have released a new album in partnership with Maud the Moth, a new artist I presume is also from the area.  This has to be their tightest work, combining the most stellar elements of early, more harshly ‘industrial’ Current 93 with a more ethereal streak where fans of Dead Can Dance can feel comfortable.  Spoken word, wordless vocals and bewitching soundscapes make for a stunning album.

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Milan Knížák – Broken Music

Milan Knížák is a hidden treasure from the Czech Republic.  He has been a performance artist, sculptor, musician, installation artist, dissident, graphic artist, art theorist and pedagogue of art according to his biography, but what sets him apart is that he is the true father of turntablism.  All modern practicioners, such as Christian Marclay, the late Philip Jeck, Boyd Rice (NON) and Otomo Yoshihide owe him a great debt.  The recordings are made of broken, scratched and damaged records repurposed for new compositions, and the sounds would have fit perfectly had he had the opportunity to work with fellow Czech compatriot and director Jan Švankmajer.

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Alister Fawnwoda – Night Bunny (feat. Suzanne Ciani) – [Carla Azar Reconstruction]

I’m new to the music of Alister Fawnwoda, but not to Suzanne Ciani, whose work is immeasurably important.  The thought of hearing these two collaborate was pretty intriguing, and the wait to hear this track was indeed rewarding.

The track clocks in at just under 5 minutes, and is a gently sloping listen.  Adding to this particular recording is that it is reworked by Carla Azar of Autolux and Jack White’s backing band fame.

After going through other tracks of Alister’s work, I have to say he’s earned a new fan.  His blending of ambient music, Americana and even a touch of house really makes for appealing listening.

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Mapped Out In Lights – Longform One

Illinois-based label Somnimage has been on quite a roll producing some of the best post-Industrial and experimental music coming out of the United States.  Today’s offering pairs Dan Burke (who won fame as the chief focal point of Illusion of Safety) and label owner Mykel Boyd (who has also performed with such luminaries as The Anti-Group and post doom romance).  There are two tracks on this album – the first being a solid sample lasting 7 minutes giving a fine taste of what is coming, and a full track clocking in at nearly an hour of shifting drones, pulses and eerily dark soundscapes.  Crucial listening.