• Music

    I Have No Face – Feelings That Won’t Return

    It pays to explore the myriad of free albums available on Bandcamp these days.  Though there is a lot of garbage one has to sort through, you will always come up with a few gems during the day if you are persistent, and I Have No Face, a project out of Poland, turns out to be one of those. This isn’t music per sé, but rather four wispy, ghostly, well-crafted tones that flow together pleasantly.  It is ear candy – tasty, tasteful and a nice EP worth hearing.

  • Music

    Mikael Tariverdiev – Visions in Black & White

    Mikael Tariverdiev was a Russian cinema and TV composer of Armenian extraction but raised Tbilisi, Georgia, a true man of the Soviet world.  Though he was quoted as not particularly liking jazz, he was as good an improviser that Russia ever produced. From the release’s Bandcamp page: “Visions in Black and White is a collection of rare jazz and improvised themes by one of the greatest Russian film composers Mikael Tariverdiev (1931-1996). Transferred from the original tapes and beautifully remastered, these recordings manage to retain their original ambience and capture a master at work. Originally composed for cinema and TV movies…

  • Music

    Ernesto Dj​é​djé – Roi Du Ziglibithy (Limited Dance Edition Nr. 15)

    Analog Africa released a disc of music from Ivory Coast legend Ernesto Dj​é​djé recently, and it was rather eye-opening to see that even in a place as far away as Côte d’Ivoire, they had the same problems of so-called foreign influence getting in the way of local music, with Ernesto complaining about the Congolization of the local music scene.  Dj​é​djé more than remedied that situation with this burner of an album.

  • Music

    Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta – The Coastal Invasion

    The ever-stunning Radio Martiko out of Belgium release an amazing collection of cumbia from Colombia’s greatest export, Lucho Bermudez.  From the label’s Bandcamp release site: Bermudez was a key figure who modernised the tropical music of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. At the beginning of the 20th century, this music was largely looked down on. Bermudez changed all that by injecting a modern, jazzy big band sound to the Afro-Colombian sounds from his native region. The infectious Afro-Amerindian dance rhythms of Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta took over the elite nightclubs of Bogota and Medellin and from there, his music spread all…

  • Music

    Wickerbird – The Sea Weaver

    Though our friends at Lost Tribe Sound have chosen to release this album on November 22, 7 weeks away from today’s date, I thought it wise to hip you, my friends and readers, on an album you’ll surely find to be a treasure. From the label’s press release: Lost Tribe Sound is happy to announce a new album and artist joining the roster from Washington State based songwriter, Wickerbird. We’ve been closely following Wickerbird’s output for many years. It’s a bear-hugging type of sound that needs to be heard. Wickerbird is the atmospheric dream-folk project of Blake Cowan, started in the…

  • Music

    Various Artists – Dracula – Music Inspired By The Bram Stoker’s Novel

    Our dear friends at Eighth Tower Records never cease to surprise us with their choices for topics.  This compilation, featuring the legendary Rapoon along with a slew of new artists, is dedicated to the novel that launched the career of Bram Stoker and make vampires alluring among the public well before movies exploded their importance in the public consciousness. From the release’s website: To celebrate this modern myth Eighth Tower has called musicians from various countries and asked them their musical interpretation of the Dracula myth. Either gloomy soundscapes or electroacoustic compositions, all the pieces are inspired by chapters, scenes,…

  • Film & Television - Music

    Gabor Csupo – Blue Yonder For Pluto

    I have the pleasure of sharing an album of electronic music composed by my friend and old boss, Gabor Csupo (of Klasky-Csupo fame).  As well as being an animation legend, he’s a rather fine electronic music composer in the vein of groups like Tangerine Dream, Holger Czukay’s solo work, or a more sunny Brian Eno.  This album has more of a ‘soundtrack’ feel to it, and it serves as a paean to the loss of Pluto, his beloved dog (may his memory be eternal).  As a dog owner, I understand the pain, and the disc is a touching tribute to…