It’s very rare for me to review a folk album that doesn’t involve an element of rock in it, but this is something special. Allegra Krieger is a singer-songwriter based out of New York, and the songs on her album especially Precious Thing, are some of the most gentle ballads Continue Reading
Downloads
Blood Rhythms – New Illusions
“A massive, oppressively brutal wall of sound.” That was the first impression that popped into my head after listening to Arvo Zylo’s project, Blood Rhythm’s latest release, New Illusions. Think of ritualistic noise with some sense of structure, like Z’ev meeting Merzbow’s more restrained and focused works. This is bleak, claustrophobic, Continue Reading
Sophia Jani – Music As A Mirror
Sophia Jani is a Berlin-based composer of modern classical music who seems to be part of a wave of a creative new generation coming out of Europe. This collection of string quartets is elegant, yet the music has a mournful quality to it.
Gang Violins – Greater Forces
Hear me out on this one. Gang Violins, a duo out of New Zealand, released a single to their upcoming album Inner Realms, and it’s a well-crafted mix of cinematic ambient music and post-rock, but it triggered a memory of the subtle buildup to the song Where The Streets Have Continue Reading
Jawhar – Tasweerah
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.
Antiq – Ilbeltz / Hanternoz / Anceisural Eritance – D’Anjou en Vasconie
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 Continue Reading
Golden Hands – Golden Hands
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 Continue Reading
Orphan Sound System – Tantric Tantrums
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 Continue Reading
Msylma & Ismael – The Tenets of Forgetting (مذاهب النسيان)
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 Continue Reading
Puscha – Etterath
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 Continue Reading