• Music

    Anglachel – A Light that Shines so Bright

    April 4, 2024 - By 

    The first thought I saw with this lovely cover art from Greek composer Anglachel was, “good boi!”  It’s a heartbreakingly charming bit of cover art, but the main story is the music.  It’s dungeon synth, but perhaps a little meatier than what I am used to hearing.  The production value is quite nice.  The story about the release is recorded below: “The purpose of this EP is to provide assistance in organizations helping stray animals in Greece. For that reason ALL earnings will be donated to such organizations. The donation will take place on the 8th of May, so contributions…

  • Music

    RKS Trio – Live at Bab-Ilo

    April 1, 2024 - By 

    Thanks to the ever-consistent Muteant Records for bringing this album to my attention!  I’m familiar with both Michel Kristof and Makoto Sato’s work, as both as masters in the improv world, but Quentin Rollet is a new name for me.  His sax playing and sound manipulation are expertly underpinned by the aforementioned Kristof and Sato, making this a bouncy and adventurous listen. Quentin Rollet : sopranino and alto saxes, Korg Monotron Delay, iPhone, SmarFaust App Michel Kristof : electric guitard, Sfx, cowbells Makoto Sato : drums

  • Music

    Found Object – every silver lining

    March 30, 2024 - By 

    Well done, Found Object!  The tracks on this album remind me of some of best synth-pop bands I grew up with in the 1980s.  Though Tangerine Dream is referenced as an influence, I hear something different – Kraftwerk, Blancmange, a more instrumental Depeche Mode or Soft Cell seem to be popping up as influences as I listen through.  Really, a joyful album.

  • Music

    The Gaslamp Killer meets The Heliocentrics – LEGNA

    March 28, 2024 - By 

    This collaboration between Los Angeles’ The Gaslamp Killer and Britain’s funkiest band, The Heliocentrics, is one of those lucky finds you stumble into every now and then, and I say this as someone who isn’t too big a fan of hip-hop.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “The stars would align a few years later, as The Heliocentrics would go on to tour with the GLK Experience as his backing band. This laid the groundwork for a monumental collaboration that was recorded at Quartermass Sound Lab, and would take many years to complete. The resulting album is a testament to the…

  • Music

    Vadims Dmitrijevs Quintet – Integration!

    March 27, 2024 - By 

    Though the price is a bit steep at 17 Euros for a download, this one might be worth it.  Vadims Dmitrijevs is an up-and-coming trombonist from Latvia, and this slab of hard bop swings mightily.  Currently there are two tracks made available to sample.  The whole album will come out on May 23, 2024, so you have a chance to save your pennies now.

  • Music

    Sarah Belle Reid – MASS (Extended + Remastered)

    March 26, 2024 - By 

    Thanks to the magnificent blog a closer listen, I was introduced to the work of a fellow Los Angelino Sarah Belle Reid.  I was intrigued by postrockcafe’s description of the album, and after hearing it this morning in between teaching duties, I have to say that the description is apt.  Shades of early Industrial music with a more academic bent (don’t let that scare you!), a modern, sharper and cleaner take on experimental music, and bits and bobs of something that could pass for soundtrack music underpinned by a subtle, harrowing trumpet underneath, make this an absolutely worthy listen.

  • Music

    The Land Of Yrx – Termination Point

    March 25, 2024 - By 

    The Land of Yrx are (were?) a charmingly weird band staffed by members of Audion, perhaps the most important magazine of my youth.  The Freeman brothers would wax on about albums I wouldn’t have the chance to hear in full until I was in my 20s working at a record shop, but their description of said albums always piqued my interest. The most curious releases were ones released by friends.  The Land of Yrx was mentioned a few times, and this was the first time I had the pleasure of actually hearing one of their albums in full.  This one…

  • Music

    Romowe Rikoito – UKA

    March 24, 2024 - By 

    This is the latest from Prussian/Russian neofolk band Romowe Rikoito.  The music is heavy, based on the neofolk paradigm, of course, but what sets this apart is the reconstructed Old Prussian lyrics, something the band is passionate about transmitting.

  • Music

    Bahareh Fayazi & Asareh Shek – Nasim-e Sahar

    March 23, 2024 - By 

    From the Little Axe Bandcamp site: “Nasim-e Sahar (The Breath of the Dawn) by Asareh Shekarchi (on tombak and āvāz), and Bahareh Fayazi (on tar) is a reinterpretation of works by master Iranian singer Reza-Qoli Mirza Zelli (1906 – 1946). This recording features a variety of modal divisions of Iranian music with poetry that speaks of both earthly and mystical love stories. Sparse and powerful, Nasim-e Sahar showcases the technical virtuosity and improvisational mastery of these two artists. By reinterpreting the masterpieces of a male singer, Bahareh and Asareh, two young women, promise the dawn of a new age in…