Steven Michael Shore (1943-2024)
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…
Opa – Back Home
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…
And Also The Trees – Mother-of-Pearl Moon
The legendary goth-rock band And Also The Trees have been around since 1979, and are still recording elegant post-punk music that is richly produced with acoustic instruments, drones and electronics. Fine listening.
Toshiki Kadomatsu (角松敏生) – 52nd Street (52ndストリート) (1987)
I will be taking some time off from the blog soon, as the co-founder of this site, Steven Shore will no longer be among the living. For now, I leave you with something sunny.
Floreana – Floreana One
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…
Various Artists – G.O.D. RECORDS (Garden Of Dreams): Mondo Farfisa Garage Psycodelico
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…
Azymuth – Carnival (Original Full-Length Unedited Mix)
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”…
Khruangbin – A La Sala
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…
Ernesto Diaz-Infante – Amor Celestial
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…
Tomotsugu Nakamura – Moon Under Current
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…