• Music

    The Secret Society of the Sonic Six – Out Of The Past EP

    October 28, 2022 - By 

    A decade or two ago, there were only four bands who I would bother to make the trek out from the suburbs to the ‘great’ metropolis that is Los Angeles: Farflung, Tunnelmental, The Flash Express and The Secret Society of the Sonic Six.  Each were brilliant in their way, and in the end, The SSotSS won out for me because no one was able to weld together 50’s horror movie soundtracks, cold wave à la Americana, avant-funk, weirdo pop in the vein of Yello or other Ralph Records bands, and a stage show that kept you far away from gawking…

  • Music

    Steve Kilbey – Of Skins and Heart (Acoustic Sessions Vol.1)

    October 27, 2022 - By 

    I don’t think Steve Kilbey of The Church needs much of an introduction, but it’s been awhile since I’ve heart what he’s been up to.  This album shows him playing an acoustic set based on The Church’s second-finest album, and the recordings are of sparse, but warm and stunning quality.  It’s nice to hear the songs in a more stripped-down setting.

  • Music

    Odeya Nini – Ode

    October 26, 2022 - By 

    Los Angeles-based composer Odeya Nini is a marvel to listen to.  She uses her voice and body to full effect as an instrument and composes profoundly interesting contemporary classical music, and whose works are radical enough to fit into musique concrète.  If you enjoy the works of Meredith Monk or Anna Homler, this just might appeal to you.

  • Music

    Vartra – Basma

    October 25, 2022 - By 

    Our beloved friends at CPL-Music have submitted a bizarre and completely engrossing album of ethereal tribal music from Serbia in the form of Vartra.  The band was founded in 2017 by Siniša Gavrić and sisters Ivana and Aleksandra Stošić.  What makes the music so interesting is that it not only draws from Serbian folk themes, but also Vlach themes as well.  The Vlachs are terribly underrepresented in folkloric music, and the chants on this disc serve to remedy this issue.

  • Music

    Santiago Fradejas – Montages, Volume Two

    October 24, 2022 - By 

    What a joy it is when a friend releases a new album!  Argentine composer (now residing in England) Santiago Fradejas offers an experimental music album composed on an 8-string electric guitar and loops, making a soundscape album that is, at times, Fripperesque.  It’s dark, but not foreboding, and gently flows in and out of consciousness.  A headphone album for sure.

  • Music

    Ragnar Ólafsson – Urðarþráður

    October 23, 2022 - By 

    I had the pleasure of meeting multi-instrumentalist Ragnar Ólafsson in Bulgaria when he was performing with the Icelandic post-rock group Árstíðir many years ago. Every now and again, I see his name pop up and I came across this gorgeously-sung single track he released in May of this year. From his Bandcamp site: Urðarþráður means “the thread of Urður. The name refers to one of the three primary norns (witches) in Norse mythology, responsible for shaping the course of human destines. Uður is believed to sit at the foot of Yggrasil, the tree of the world, spinning the thread of…

  • Music

    Felix Laband – The Soft White Hand

    October 22, 2022 - By 

    Compost Records continues to please my ears, this time releasing the latest album of South African composer Felix Laband, who works somewhere in the center of a dance/experimental/collage triangle.  The music is ever-evolving, never boring, and blessed with a pleasant beat.

  • Music

    Susana Seivane – Os Soños Que Volven

    October 21, 2022 - By 

    Galicia is a land of gaiteros and gaiteras, bagpipers of fine quality.  Susana Seivane is one of the best of the newer generation, and she brings a raw, almost punk-like power to her performances.  This album is a more subdued affair, but she plays so well that the more controlled atmosphere does her music a service.

  • Music

    EYRYX – Psychological Projective

    October 19, 2022 - By 

    There aren’t too many releases that seamlessly blend electroacoustic music, post-Industrial and noise-rock, but to their credit, EYRYX seem to have straddled this very thin line perfectly.  The release features friend of our blog, Philippe Gerber, who not only performs on the album, but who released it on his Alreon Musique.