Āustras Laīwan – Ephemerality of April Dreams

Friends of the blog Āustras Laīwan have released one of the most sublimely engaging albums I have heard recently.  The tone is melancholy throughout, almost achingly so.  There are parts where one feels like they’re opening up a ballerina box in an old Russian film.  In terms of sound, it’s Continue Reading

Hadi Bastani and Maryam Sirvan – trans​.​placed

It’s wonderful to hear one of my favorite sound designers, Maryam Sirvan come up with new material.  She is paired with fellow expatriate Hadi Bastani in this 20-minute mini-LP of electroacoustics and field recordings.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Stretching from Berlin to Tbilisi, trans.placed starts with the simple act Continue Reading

William Ryan Fritch – Heavy EP

One of the great composers I have had the pleasure of reviewing is William Ryan Fritch.  This EP is his latest, and these notes come from his latest EP via his Bandcamp site: “‘Heavy’, from composer William Ryan Fritch is a bombastic and ever-moving work that draws equally from the Continue Reading

Phil Tomsett & Aaron Martin – At Sea

We have had the pleasure of reviewing the work on cellist Aaron Martin in the past, but it’s nice to see a new release with him collaborating on a project with accordeonist Phil Tomsett which, ironically, began in London.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “At Sea grew out of my Continue Reading

Visera Crash – Babé

Some time in 2017 or so, perhaps earlier, I stumbled onto Bandcamp thanks to some friends sending me links.  I thought I’d do some exploring, and one of the first bands I came across was one from Argentina, a classical string quintet from Buenos Aires called Visera Crash.  The music Continue Reading

Marc Méan – Winds

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Marc Méan’s previous works while working on my old blog, but this one just came across my radar, and it is absolutely shimmering (no pun intended, as Shimmering Records is his label for this release).  This will appeal greatly to those who enjoy the Continue Reading

Heiner Goebbels – A House of Call, My Imaginary Notebook

Your browser does not support iframes.    As a fan of Heiner Goebbels‘ work as far back as the Recommended / RèR Records days, it’s been a joy to hear his music become more full, more dense, and on occasion, more foreboding.  ECM seems to be the perfect home for Continue Reading

The Crossing – Carols after a Plague

I knew nothing about the band The Crossing, but after seeing that a composition by drummer Tyshawn Sorey was featured, I thought it prudent to listen to that track and then to the whole album.  It is, unsurprisingly, a gorgeous, if dissonant, listening experience. From The Crossing’s Bandcamp site: “Throughout Continue Reading