Zga bandleader Nick Sudnick has been busy composing his Opera of the Hours series, and this installation might be his most creative yet. It has the passion of Rock-In-Opposition with a touch of Frank Zappa’s general weirdness. This is in keeping with what I remember of the old Soviet avant-garde Continue Reading
Avant-Garde
Revista Bastardo
No record reviews today, but I would like to point you to a Mexican blog/magazine who cover Rock-In-Opposition, Avant-Prog and Krautrock and freaky art, all written in Spanish, called Revista Bastardo. They’re a new name to me, but certainly one worth following.
Karolina Ossowska & Jeff Gburek – Witch-Hazel
We have another elegant experimental/electroacoustic album by violinist Karolina Ossowska and her partner in this release, Jeff Gburek. There is a Nurse With Wound-meets-György Ligeti vibe to this release, maybe even references to Krzysztof Penderecki’s earlier avant-garde works, but given a gritty, ghostly treatment. Another glorious release.
Ilia Belorukov & Marina Džukljev – Everything Changes, Nothing Disappears
Ilia Belorukov is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from Russia, but since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he has been a resident of Novi Sad Serbia and will probably be for awhile. He is making wonderful use of his time by collaborating with local talent. Marina Džukljev is a pianst and first-rate improvisor, Continue Reading
Misty Shore Duo – Stillness and Waves
The Misty Shore Duo are Chen-Hui Jen & Jacob Sudol, with Jen performing on piano and Sudol performing with computer electronics. The duo perform the works of Morton Feldman, Alvin Lucier, Michael Pisaro and one of Sudol’s own compositions. For electroacoustic music, each track has an amazing warmth to it.
Hatis Noit – Aura
Compared to the human voice, everything else is mimicry. Hatis Noit is an Japanese artist working out of London whose experimental vocal works compare favorably to artists like Laurie Anderson and the ever-wonderful Anna Homler. It’s a strangely soothing listen.
Thierry Zaboitzeff – Le Passage
Thierry Zaboitzeff was for many years a member of the seminal avant-progressive/RIO group Art Zoyd, and since 1997, he has been involved in numerous solo projects and collaborations. This is one of the bleakest records I’ve heard in recent memory, and the liner notes on the Bandcamp site sum up Continue Reading
Kevin Miller & Jukka Pekka Kervinen – Another Space
If I listen to noise, this is the kind I enjoy – something that will keep me guessing where the artist is going. Kevin Miller & Jukka Pekka Kervinen are two improvisers who make a more elegant form of free improv music, something I could come back to again and 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.
Divertissement Сhamber Orchestra, Sergey Kuryokhin – Re:SEASONS
Sergey Kuryokhin was as fine a composer as he was an improvisor. The Divertissement Orchestra, led by violinist Ilya Ioff, reinterprets one of Kuryokhin’s finest compositions from his album The Sparrow Oratorium. Well-played, indeed. Alisa Ten: vocals [1, 2, 4] Vera Chekanova: vocals [2, 3, 4] Lidia Kovalenko: violin [1], Continue Reading