There is such a gentle lilt to the voice of Nata Boundriver of Ясный-Svetly that I can imagine this being what Kate Bush or Hope Sandoval sounding like if either had fronted post-rock era Mark Hollis or some band specializing in ethereal, ghostly music. A sublime listen.
Dead Can Dance singer Brendan Perry released this masterpiece of an album for 4AD Records in 1999. 23 years later, the label is offering the album as a download, CD and LP with bonus tracks from a performance recorded during 4AD’s infamous 13 Year Itch residency at the storied London venue in 1993
One of the benefits of being in Beijing at a high-grade academy is that I run into some rather brilliant young minds who are turning me on to great local music, case in point being Mimik Banka, who listeners would compare their music favorably to acts like dream pop and pop-psych bands like Dream Academy during their less somber moments and Khruangbin in places, and something radically their own in other spots. Perhaps my new favorite Chinese indie band at the moment.
This is some of the most fun, poppy, Beatlesque music I’ve heard in a while. Say Sue Me 세이수미 hail from Busan, South Korea, yet I would have believed it if someone told me they were out of London or Liverpool. Well done, folks.
One of Australia’s most important, if overlooked, musicians, Louis Tillett, passed away on August 6. He started off as a musician who experimented with Industrial music in his first band, Wet Taxis, but ended up developing a rough, bluesy style that could really only be compared, vocally, to fellow Australian Nick Cave. When I was 23, I had started working at a local record shop after traveling a bit called Aron’s Records, and this album, already 6 years old at the time, came onto my desk, as we had first dibs on used albums and CDs. It blew my mind,…
Avant-rock legends Pere Ubu have a brand new album out! From the band’s Bandcamp site: “Pere Ubu unveil their new album, ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’, nearly four years after their previous record for Cherry Red, ‘The Long Goodbye’. ‘The Modern Dance’ (1978) marked the end of Rock ‘n’ Roll. ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’ marks the end of The Song. Pere Ubu ended with ‘The Long Goodbye’ (their last album, also on Cherry Red, from 2019). Pere Ubu begins again with ‘Trouble On Big Beat Street’. If you missed the last 48 years then imagine a bad- attitude. Imagine…
Kuzman Markoski has produced a rather fine EP’s worth of soundtrack-style music. The composer, thereminist and sound designer offers a groove-filled, damn-near danceable disc. From his Bandcamp site: “Kuzman is a versatile musician and audio-visual artist based in Skopje, Macedonia. With a background in classical training, he has honed his skills as a composer, thereminist and sound designer. This highly anticipated release comes two years after his debut solo album “Collective Zero” that marked Kuzman’s first foray into the world of studio albums as a solo artist, after his successful tenure with the Berlin-based band The Protagonist and the collaboration…
Because I will be on the road for the next few days, I will have to prepare a couple of posts ahead of time until around Thursday or Friday, when I should be settled again in Beijing. In the meantime, practice your Spanish by listening to one of Spain’s coolest podcasts, La Montaña Rusa.
Rural Track are a band out of Japan who do heavy shoegaze rock, so those of you who miss My Bloody Valentine’s peak moments would do well to check this track out.
Kara Jackson certainly knows how to leave a strong impression! If you can imagine Nick Drake’s guitar being willed to Nina Simone with a touch of the spirit of David Bowie (see the track brain for reference), then you have this incredibly powerful album. I had no idea what to expect when I saw the cover art, but this is one of those albums I’m very happy to have taken a chance on, as the listening was rewarding.