This is a perfect example of ‘difficult listening’. However, it is also a rewarding one if you come from a background where one is open to hearing an amalgamation of post-Industrial sounds, harsh noise, and electroacoustic music. It’s a rough and at times painful listen, but it made for a Continue Reading
Experimental
Heathertoes – Plata Rasa
Our dear friend Heathertoes returns with an album that is a bit more abstract than his last few releases. You can find a rather heavy post-Industrial music vibe on this EP.
Cousin Silas & Oystein Q Jorgensen – Symbiotic
Though this isn’t the first time Cousin Silas and Øystein Q. Jørgensen have collaborated on an album, this one stands out for bringing together Tangerine Dream-like ambience with a touch of The Orb. It’s an impressive one-track work.
Ton de Leeuw – The Electronic Works
Ton de Leeuw was a microtonal composer who passed away in 1996. The Netherlands has produced an amazing array of composers and improvisers, but for all their wealth, such luminaries as de Leeuw rarely get promoted. Thankfully, the Dutch Oscillation Series, headed by the legendary Jos Smolders, is rectifying this Continue Reading
Jeff Gburek – Laments, Train-Wrecks & Adulation. A suite in homage to Tony Gatlif.
The legendary Romany filmmaker Tony Gatlif passed away a few weeks ago. Composer Jeff Gburek produced a stunningly good album of guitar music as a tribute. From his Bandcamp site: “My latest album here comes as a surprise even to me. Spontaneous acoustic guitar improvisations in a mode of commemoration Continue Reading
Clem Leek – Rest
Clem Leek’s music is beautiful in its simplicity. It sounds like something you would hear in a TV soundtrack or even a travel documentary. There is a post-rock and modern classical element to his work. Accessible and elegant.
The Last Five Minutes – Blind End Now
The ever-dependable Mahorka Records out of Bulgaria blow us away with yet another intriguing release. This one comes from a duo known as The Last Five Minutes, who hail from Italy. The music on offer here is drone-laden, with an electroacoustic base. It is experimental, but warmly so. Nothing particularly jarring was heard Continue Reading
David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado – Desolation Row
David Maranha and Rodrigo Amado, two musicians from Portugal, pair up for a dark, tense, noir-tinged jazz release. One of the year’s best releases.
Paul Beaudoin – Signal Loss
From Paul Beaudoin’s Bandcamp site: “signal loss, the latest work from Tallinn-based composer and interdisciplinary artist Paul Beaudoin, examines what happens when structures—electrical, emotional, or cultural—fail to connect. The album is a work composed for slow listening in quiet environments.” The album offers a very pleasant listening experience. It’s perfect Continue Reading
Z aka Bernard Szajner – Visions of Dune
A few days ago, the great electronic music composer Bernard Szajner, who performed and recorded as Z, passed away. This is one of his most important works. We keep losing so many good musicians, and this is yet another painful loss.