• Music

    Jeff Gburek – Diaphragmata

    August 25, 2021 - By 

    This release allows me to kill two birds with one stone.  First, it’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to review music by Jeff Gburek (one of the several venerable composers who always manage to find a welcome home on these pages), and this is a strikingly quiet and meditative album.  Second, I have sampled some of the wares of Muteant Sounds, a fine experimental label out of Florida in the United States, but I believe this might be the first album from that label I’ve had the change to listen to in full. Jeff explains the concept…

  • Music

    trajedesaliva – Mima Blanca

    August 23, 2021 - By 

    My friends from trajedesaliva gifted me one of their older albums recently, and as I had some spare time to listen today, I indulged in Mima Blanca. It took me a moment to figure out what this reminded me of, but then it dawned on me – several incredibly good influences, or they’re on the same wavelength If you’re a fan of Tuxedomoon (especially the solo projects by Steven Brown or Blaine L. Reininger), Daniel Schell & Karo, or some of the projects on the Made To Measure series of albums on Crammed Discs, you’ll find a quirky experimental experience…

  • Music

    Roman Stolyar – Right Back from Bosnija

    August 21, 2021 - By 

    I’m delighted to share a piece from my old friend, the Siberian composer and multi-instrumentalist Roman Stolyar.  This nearly 20-minute improvisation was recorded live on July 30, 2021 at the MMMESSS studio in Saint Petersburg, Russia.  The piano-playing is quick, sharp, with each keystroke coming at you like waves of noise.  A great example of Russian free jazz.

  • Music

    Various Artists – Z Tapes Summer 2021

    August 20, 2021 - By 

    Z Tapes is a small-but-mighty label out of Bratislava, Slovakia, who release everything from bedroom pop to properly polished indie music.  They have a massive roster of artists they work with, and also, bucking the current trend for vinyl, offer cassette releases.  There is a lot of appealing music on this comp, but the track that sold me on how good this record was was 動物園 by Stargirl, which you can hear below.

  • Music

    Various Artists: Habibi Funk 015: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World, Part 2

    August 19, 2021 - By 

    Our friends at Habibi Funk are becoming legendary as their roster grows.  What impresses me the most about the folks who run the label is their absolute passion for music from the Maghreb which has been criminally underrepresented throughout the world for decades.  It’s shameful that the labels in the region didn’t think that the rest of the world wouldn’t appreciate such talent, but Habibi Funk are stepping in to right that wrong, and it will hopefully inspire more and more local labels to release their hidden treasures. Have a listen to the tracks above and sample what’s coming down…

  • Music

    KAUAN – Ice Fleet

    August 18, 2021 - By 

    KAUAN hail from Estonia and bring something extra to both progressive rock and post-rock.  Long, drone-laden, repetitive music that holds one’s interest throughout.  Perhaps the best way to describe this is like a very much slowed-down My Bloody Valentine with a symphonic progressive tinge to it.  Unique.  I quite like this.

  • Music

    IZ Band – 廻声Jangqerek

    August 17, 2021 - By 

    The legendary Shenzhen-based Old Heaven Books released a powerful album from the Chinese-Kazakh band IZ Band.  This is listed as folk music, yet the music is brutal, sounding like early 1980s post-punk or Industrial rock.  Think of, maybe, a Kazakh Killing Joke or a Central Asian early-period Current 93.

  • Music

    Controlled Bleeding – Songs From The Drain

    August 16, 2021 - By 

    Controlled Bleeding were one of the few bands who could glide from genre to genre easily.  They were comfortable working with EBM, harsh noise and experimental music, and would even appeal to some elements in the goth-rock crowd, but this particular album stood out as their magnum opus for me.  Paul Lemos, the one constant member of the band, sculpted beautifully minimalistic guitar playing which sounded almost like avant-progressive rock, while the late Joe Papa (of eternal memory) would let his vocals soar, especially on the track Red Stigmata.  My favorite album by a criminally underrated band. For a more…

  • Music

    Dominique Figaro & Steve Shehan – Figaro​.​.​. Si!

    August 15, 2021 - By 

    I had no idea what to expect with this album except that it was promoted by Carbon 7 record label impresario and former Univers Zéro bassist Guy Segers.  His taste tends to be outstanding, so I gave this a shot.  Quite pleasant, actually. Dominique Figaro’s voice reminds me of a lot of 80s female avant-pop which was coming out in the 1980s or 1990s, and though the sound is a bit too compressed for my liking, the music is quirky enough to hold my attention throughout.  It is as if Sade fronted Tuxedomoon for a session.  Yes, that quirky, and…

  • Music

    Celer – In Light Of Blues

    August 14, 2021 - By 

    Will Long is Celer, an ambient music composer living in Japan and therefore, a relatively close expatriate neighbor of mine.  He releases a lot of music, as is the fashion with some highly competent composers these days, but his work feels like a cut above.  Though this album has 12 tracks, they are rather short compared to some of his other albums, where one track can clock in at over an hour.  The material is dark, but not claustrophobic, and quite easy on the ears if you’re listening on headphones.  Really, consider following his Bandcamp site.  He’s constantly putting out…