Some very mellow chamber rock can be found here by Tunisian singer Jawhar. If you are a fan of groups like the Tindersticks, but are looking for something more exotic in sound, I can happily recommend this.
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This was a combination I didn’t expect. It’s not uncommon for, say, black metal musicians to integrate their music into pagan folk and make a good hybrid, but this is something different. Antiq combine soaring traditional Basque and Breton vocals with a proper metal backing, and somehow, by some strange miracle, it all comes together very well. As far as metal goes, this is really quite good.
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Sdban Records, a magnificent Belgian imprint I came across recently, is releasing some absolute bangers in the field of jazz, library music and funk. This particular album, which has its roots in Morocco’s hardly-ever-discussed funk scene, was first available as a cassette in 1978 on Disques Gam. The reissue is lovingly done with crisp cover art, but the music is what wows me. This isn’t merely a funk album. There are tracks here, like My Story With Mrs. Life, are beefy rock tracks with gritty vocals you know you loved hearing on AM radio in the 70s. Another gem, Love…
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Experimental music isn’t a genre that avails itself to the power trio. In this case, however, Jeff Gburek, John El-Manahi and John Palumbo should be given such a venerable title. The music they produce as Orphan Sound System is reminiscent of vintage progressive rock bands like Faust or Cranioclast but with production input by the Gyuto Monks. This is sitting on the nexus point of psychedelic music, post-Industrial and experimental. Challenging listening, but ultimately rewarding, as the listener will feel as though they’re being transported on a not-unpleasant tour of Saṃsāra. Lineup: Jeff Gburek: electric guitar, bassic guitar, microfreak, drum machine,…
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Saudi singer Msylma & Egypt’s Ismael are two musicians who come from the rich Middle Eastern electronic music scene. Msylma’s rich, mournful and introspective voice gives depth and emotion to the electro music produced underneath. I have to admit, though this isn’t the kind of music I normally listen to, it’s so appealing to my ears that I’ll have to see what else these fine folks have produced in the past. Infinite respect to Éditions Appærent for publishing this fine album.
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Puscha is an Australian sound designer and film composer who hails from Australia and his music ranges from deep, cinematic ambient dub to cold, icy minimal techno. I’ve been out of the techno world far too long, as this release is astounding, and it’s making me wonder what else I’m missing these days. The beats remind me of something like Cinematic Orchestra and Monolake colliding. As both are legends of electronic music, Puscha is using some fine reference points to create his music.
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From the legendary Canary Records Bandcamp site: From the 1910s through the 1950s, immigrants released 78rpm discs marketed to their own language / ethnic groups, and that practice survived for a century well into the era of the 33rpm, 45rpm, cassette, and CD era. But from the mid-50s though the mid-70s some Greek, Armenian, and Lebanese-Syrians capitalized on the bellydance fad by issuing their recordings to a broader American public. While many of those recordings drew straight from the repertoire of pre-existing bands, some of the resulting LPs represented ad hoc groupings of performers that were unique and, in retrospect,…
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Uzu Noir is the monicker used by Finnish audio engineer-mixer-producer (having worked with Richard Dawson & Circle, Brian Eno, The Tindersticks, These New Puritans, Ulver, Natacha Atlas, Pharaoh Overlord, The Utopia Strong, Cyclobe, Old Man Gloom, etc) Antti Uusimäki. With such an incredible résumé, one would expect that his debut EP would cover interesting sonic terrain. I’m happy to say that he does! Though he identifies the release as ‘ambient’, a buzzword I’m beginning to dislike only because of the lack of consistently about what ‘ambient’ actually is, I’d say that his ambient music is something along the lines of…
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Roger Doyle, like his equally talented countryman (and friend) Daniel Figgis, doesn’t get his fair shake inside of his home country of Ireland, yet is better regarded in the U.K. and the European continent as a master of electroacoustic music. This version of Oizzo No is a reworking of the original album (which you can hear here) and it has a rather fascinating back story: “Originally part-recorded and subsequently aborted when the would-be label vanished without trace overnight, Oizzo No was shelved indefinitely until a scholarship at the prestigious Institute Of Sonology at the University Of Utrecht in Holland afforded…
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Cecilia Ann are an indie-rock group out of Granada, Spain, who have a wonderful jangly pop sound which reminded me of acts like Biff Bang Pow! The production is crisp, the sound is garage-friendly and the label they’re on, Elefant, produce a lot of amazing music.