I never thought the dungeon synth genre would produce excellent Orthodox Christian music, but he we are. Fathomage are from Australia, and they produce a music that, though generally electronic, incorporate Eastern Orthodox doxology, Celtic Christian themes and fine folkish instrumentation.
Australia
Loren Connors & David Grubbs – Evening Air
What an absolutely sublime record performed by two legends, released on one of the best labels in operation today. From Room40’s Bandcamp site: “Evening Air is the result Loren Connors and David Grubbs’s first trip to the recording studio in the two decades since their first duo album, Arborvitae (Häpna). Continue Reading
Willebrant – Coastal___
Karl Willebrant released an EP’s worth of meditative music that would be appealing to fans of groups like Embryo and Popol Vuh. The tunes are gentle, a bit on the kosmische side, and well-balanced in terms of its sonic character. This is a rather fine little release.
Love 666 – Take a Chance on Death
A quick warning ahead of time – do NOT put this in your hi-fi stereo system. Love 666’s latest album is about as lo-fi as it gets, and considering the audience chatter, this has to be a live recording. The music is harsh, brutally in-your-face noise-rock that bands like Les Continue Reading
Dirty Three – Love Changes Everything
After a long, rather painful, but necessary break, we are back! Thank you kindly for your patience. We start off with an album I’ve anticipated for awhile now, as I have been immersing myself in the works of Dirty Three’s leader Warren Ellis and his collaborations with Nick Cave as Continue Reading
Chapovski – Fogged, Encased
Bleak and morose, this is the debut recording (as far as I know) of Alexander Chapovski, related to the Čapovski clan of musicians from North Macedonia. There’s a thread of Tindersticks, Leonard Cohen and Swans in this piece, perhaps a neofolk influence as well. I look forward to hear his Continue Reading
Willebrant & Williamson – Night Daze
I was introduced to a project new to me coming from Australia. From Karl Willebrant’s Bandcamp site: “Night Daze blends immersive textures and emotive expanses that invites the listener to conceive a visual experience through soundscapes and drones utilizing bass, trumpet, field recordings, and improvised performance. The album evokes themes Continue Reading
Helen Svoboda – The Odd River
Helen Svoboda is a Finnish-Australian composer, double bassist and singer whose work reminds me in some way of Laurie Anderson’s work, but perhaps denser and more lush. This makes for a pretty phenomenal listen.
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 Continue Reading
Jeff Gburek and A.J. Kaufmann – Jazzisthmus
Had I not known the previous (impressive) works of both Jeff Gburek and A.J. Kaufmann, I would have happily believed that this was a lost psychedelic music gem long forgotten about in a basement studio recorded during Soviet times. While the tones are dulcet, you never really get a chance Continue Reading