Even though I can be slow to respond, thanks in part to being a one-man operation since the departure of my old friend and partner Steven Shore (RIP), it is nice to come across emails which turn me on to music I would have otherwise not been able to discover. Continue Reading
The Best Albums of 2024: Essential Releases
The year has been astounding for new releases and reissues, as always. Bandcamp has posted the best of the year, which you can check out using this link.
The Meteors – 40 Days a Rotting
The Meteors are, and will always be, the apex of the psychobilly scene, but it doesn’t mean that their sound cannot continue to grow and mutate. In their latest album the first track sets the tone perfectly. The psychobilly twang is still there, but there is a drop of surf Continue Reading
Lisa Bella Donna – Afterimages
Lisa Bella Donna is a composer and performer whose release, Afterimages, is a rich tapestry of moogs, loops, drone and a tip of the cap to the Berlin School made famous by Tangerine Dream. A touch lo-fi, but I enjoy the overall effect.
Yazz Ahmed – A Paradise In The Hold
It has been a long time since I had a chance to dig into the work of Bahraini/British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s works. She has a new album due on January 1, 2025, and judging by the one track available, it will be blending of deep fusion with Middle Eastern musical Continue Reading
Jisr – Live In Kolkata
From the band’s website: “JISR (جسر) is a Munich-based collective led by the charismatic linguist, singer, percussionist and gembri player Mohcine Ramdan. He has gathered some of Bavaria’s best musicians to share his vision of an emotional pan-oriental sound deeply rooted in the tradition of his musical family. Their live Continue Reading
Al-Qasar – Uncovered
What an astounding follow-up! We had the pleasure of reviewing Al-Qasar’s work in 2022, but this sophomore release (at least as far as we know) is a compilation of covers including Depeche Mode’s seminal classic Personal Jesus. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “With this second full length, Al-Qasar consolidate their Continue Reading
JOHN 3:16 – Terror
Forgive the long delay in posting great albums, kids. Appendicitis has a way of slowing things down, but the scribe is on the mend. Our great friend JOHN3:16 offers a thunderous single. Terror, appropriately named, has the tribal fury of bands like Savage Republic but with even more bone-shaking depth. Continue Reading
Reverse Image – Éclipse Dissonante (FMOA Audio Postcard Series)
From our friend Reverse Image, who offers this 18-minute sound collage: “Reverse Image (Y’ng-Yin Siew) is a sound artist from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She builds her works using a hybrid of analogue and digital tools, with which she explores the intersection between repetitive motifs and moments of discontinuity. Her debut Continue Reading
Ancient My Enemy – Ancient My Enemy
Once upon a time, there was an astounding good band based in Los Angeles called Pressurehed. They were utterly phenomenal to watch live, and were kings of the “20-minute psychedelic jam,” so to speak. Members would form the equally brilliant Farflung, whom I had the privilege of working with briefly Continue Reading