Shūko No Omit – 秘密の回顧録 (Secret Memoir)

Ramble Records out of Australia have published a unique album here – one that should be seen as a modern psychedelic rock masterpiece.  From their Bandcamp site:

Shūko No Omit, the name of the band, featuring Yonju Miyaoka on guitar and Vocals, his older brother Taiju Sugimori on bass and chorus,and his cousin Yuya Yamazaki on drums and chorus, is a mix of Japanese and english. Yonju told me he came across the word omit while reading an old English dictionary. Shuko (終古) is old Japanese. A word no longer used. One lost to time.

The characters 終 + 古mean end and old, but, he says, when put together, they mean something like “eternity, timelessness, from ancient to forever”; The の “No” character in the middle means of. Like omit of Forever.

As far as names as descriptors go, Shuko No Omit is pretty good. There is decay and damage in this music. And pain and sadness and the dangerous but essential fascination required as you stumble through that damage to the unknown whatever that lies ahead.


The music feels like it is on the edge. There is desperation that you hear from the opening moments. Most of the looseness comes from Yonju. The Rhythm is slow and steady. Yonju says there are many mistakes. The parts of it that people generally want to omit. It sounds to me like a raging fire. Blazing up one minute and smoldering the next.

Heavy listening.

Fabiano Do Nascimento – Mundo Solo

The indubitable Far Out Records have produced what might be my favorite record of 2023, a guitar album by Brazilian guitarist and fellow Los Angeleno Fabiano do Nascimiento.  I’ll let the label’s crack promo team describe this absolute beauty of a record below:

“Adopting Hermeto Pascoal’s concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one’s musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots.

After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10. Studying under his late uncle, Lucio Nascimento, he eventually left Brazil for LA, where he soon became an in-demand player for his distinct and authentic sound. He has since released seven albums under his own name and collaborated with renowned Brazilian artists including Arthur Verocai and Airto Moreira, as well as experimental US saxophonist Sam Gendel.

Mundo Solo (Do Nascimento’s eighth), was recorded in one take per track, with occasional overdubs and a few appearances from collaborators and friends Julien Canthelm (drums on Etude 1), Ajurinã Zwarg, (percussion on CPMV) and Gabe Noel (Bass on Curumim).

Fabiano Do Nascimento’s consummate mastery of his instrument has afforded him a freedom of expression few can claim. Blending the emotional with the elemental, Mundo Solo is a stunning snapshot of solitude and the beauty which can blossom within it.”

If you like Brazilian music and top-shelf reissues, do support our friends at Far Out!

Pyroclastic – Life is an Illusion

Pyroclastic is the brainchild of former member of the Los Angeles Das Bunker Collective Ryant Takai, who was one of the few musicians promoting genres like Industrial Dance, Electronic Body Music and Power Noise.  From main member Ryant Takai’s Bandcamp site:

“The second coming album focuses on the continuing of Power Noise/Rhythmic Noise roots, pays tribute to Indigenous tribal rhythms of North America, and blends in a hybrid of Dark Techno vibes.
Ryant Takai is well versed in percussion and experiments in a diverse array of Bass kicks without sticking to any particular 909, 808, or any other typical digital drum instrumentation.

In this album you will find a variety of harsh electronic music productions of classic Rhythmic Noises from experiments, brutal/complicated drum patterns, horror themed and modern synthesizer soundscapes. Influences by Silent Hill 2 (video game), Dadaist styled samples from many sources both political and noise based. Randomly selected and arranged to bring a unique style in each track, Pyroclastic presents the latest in cutting edge harsh and dark electronics.”

A wonderful throwback to when Los Angeles was still producing radical music.

Roedelius & Arnold Kasar – Zensibility

On December 1, the maestro will again collaborate with Arnold Kasar (whom he paired with on a Deutsche Grammophon release 5 years ago) on a new album of piano and electronics.  Judging by the two tracks available for listening, this will be perfect winter music to meditate to.

From the Bandcamp release site:

“Five years after their first and critically-acclaimed collaborative work in the form of their full-length album “Einfluss” (Deutsche Grammophon), Roedelius & Arnold Kasar now release their second album “Zensibility” on the Berlin-based label 7K!. This new work encompasses eight collaboratively composed instrumental tracks, eight modern call-and-response pieces where Roedelius plays the grand piano while Arnold Kasar contributes the electronic elements.”

Cristina Godoroja – Ciob​ă​naș Cu Oile: Songs From Moldova and Romania

Antonovka Records, once based in Russia but now ensconced in Moldova, continues to release some of the most seminal music to ever come out of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and their reach seems to keep expanding.  This album covers the work of traditional singer Cristina Godoroja, an ethnomusicologist and singer based in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău.  The works hail from Bessarabia and also feature Romanian-language songs.  A worthy addition to any world music collection.

Eclectic Maybe Band – Bars Without Measures

With the exception of Christian Vander, I cannot think of too many people whose name would be so heavily associated with zeuhl and avant-progressive rock in general than Guy Segers.  The former bassist of the legendary Univers Zero has collected some of the finest names in avant and progressive rock to make an album loaded with wildly improvised music.  It’s an astounding, challenging release – one which no listener would ever get bored of.  Kudos to Discus Music for releasing this gem.

The list of musicians should be enough to entice even the newest of zeuhl fans:

Julie TIPPETTS (Vocals)
Dani KLEIN (Vocals)
Sibel DINÇER (Vocals)

Pierre BERNARD (Flute)
Piet VAN BOCKSTAL (Oboe)
Stephan KÖHR (Bassoon)
Martin ARCHER (Saxello)
Dirk DESCHEEMAEKER (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet)
Joe HIGHAM (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone)
Mark BOGAERTS (Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone)
Dave NEWHOUSE (Baritone Saxophone)
Jean Pierre SOAREZ(Trumpet)
Franck COTTRET (Trombone)

Marianne DENOÏA (Violin)
Cécile BROCHÉ (Violin)
Ariane PLUMEREL (Violin)
Forrest FANG (Processed Violin)
Thierry ZABOÏTZEFF (Cello)
Daniel VINCKE (Saz, Vocals)

Michel DELORY (Guitar)
Pierre VERVLOESEM (Guitar)
Michel DELVILLE (Guitar)
Ángel ONTALVA (Guitar)
Matvi BILIS (Guitar)

Guy SEGERS (Bass, Virtual Instruments)
Andy KIRK (Keyboards)
Catherine SMET (Keyboards)

Sean RICKMAN (Drums)
Fabrice OWERZARZAK (Drums)
Dirk WACHTELAER (Drums)

Jeff Gburek – The Radio & The Sea

Jeff Gburek’s latest album is not a departure from his carefully crafter work, but a continuation of his honing sounds together, weaving them in a way that the early musique-concrète composers could not have imagined.  Drones, pulses and the sounds of Burgas, Bulgaria, are blended to produce an immersive soundscape.  Yet another fine work.