Federico Mosconi has produced a perfectly melancholy album, one of those discs you will go to at 4 a.m. when the word feels like it will fall apart, yet magically sticks together through a combination of faith and music. From his label DRONARIVM’s Bandcamp site: “”Nocturnal” is a trip that Continue Reading
Israel
Wings Of An Angel – Hieronymus Bosch’s Belated Revenge Comes On Like Thunder And Shakes Us Asunder
Despite the horribly long song and album titles, Wings Of An Angel is an ambient music machine, pumping out quality ambient music almost daily. This is the album that caught my attention recently, and the tracks are long, droning tracks that float on clouds. Despite the frequency of output, WOAA Continue Reading
Minimal Compact – Statik Dancin’
Minimal Compact was an Israeli band which left a sizable imprint with their music during the 1980s and 1990s, and both Malka Spiegel and Samy Birnbach continue, as far as I know, to record great music. An unbelievable post-punk shuffler from 1981, by Tel-Aviv-Brussels band Minimal Compact! This tune is Continue Reading
Liraz – Azizam
Persian-Israeli pop singer Liraz will have a brand new album called Roya in October, but she’s seen fit to release an early single which is in parts psych-ish and sensual. Definitely for fans of Israeli pop and even Googoosh fans!
Luna Abu Nassar – I’ll Tell You [أحكيلِك] [ספר לך]
Israeli singer Luna Abu Nassar produces a darkly mellow sound, singing in both Hebrew and Arabic, and her lilting voice fits well with such heavy instrumentation. The only problem with this gem is that I don’t understand either Hebrew or Arabic, and from what I understand, the lyrics are quite Continue Reading
Les Dynamites / Radio Trip – Pop Oud #2 / No Oud
This snazzy 7-inch features two Israeli bands, Les Dynamites and Radio Trip, who mix the best of hipster-inflected bellydance music, surf, funk and psych with Greek, North African, Yemenite and Mizrahi styles of music. Worth donning a fez and smoking a hookah pipe for.
Autumn Tears / Zeresh – Widowing / Possessing
What a strikingly good album this is. Autumn Tears is a collective of musicians from Billerica, Massachusetts who make an ethereal sound that blends the best of bands who would have fit well on 4AD Records during their 1980s heyday and progressive rock, especially for those who are fans of Continue Reading
Şatellites – Seni Sen Olduğun İçin Sevdim
Batov Records, based out of Tel-Aviv, Israel, is producing some funky and hard-hitting music, and this 7-inch by Şatellites simply rocks. The title song of this single is a cover from Arabesque rock legend Hakkı Bulut is a driving jam which is described as a tune “with the force of The Continue Reading
ΠϢΑϪЄ – Sleep (שֻׁנָּה)
I have a feeling that this Israeli psychedelic release is a hoax, and the label, ΠϢΑϪЄ (That Word), seem to admit the same. However, on the music’s merits, it’s a pretty interesting slab of Middle Eastern-influenced psychedelic rock. Eventually, the mystery of this album will be solved, but it’s nice Continue Reading
Rami Moscovich – Capsules
As far as electronic music releases go, Rami Moscovich does a nice job straddling Eno-esque ambient with Berlin School vibes reminiscent of 70s-era Tangerine Dream. The jewel of the crown of this release is the track My Grandmother’s Apartment, where it sounds like Rami’s grandmother is reminiscing about old times Continue Reading