Departure Street – Everybody’s Leaving

From the bio: Allan J. Kimmel (aka Departure Street) is an American/French solo electric guitarist based in Paris France. He plays alternative ambient and neo-folk music with shoegaze & American blues underpinnings. I could not have said it more succinctly.  This is not my first time reviewing Allan’s wonderful guitar Continue Reading

Tom Carter – Beautiful Saviour

Tom Carter was the guitarist of improvisers Charalambides, one of the heirs of fine Texas psychedelia.  His new album, Beautiful Savior, comes as a pleasant, hopeful respite after being inundated by moronic ‘devil’-related titles.  Is this an acid-Christian album?  Who knows?  The tones from this album speak for themselves. The Continue Reading

Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra – Letters From Afar

This release by Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra is a joint Chinese-American project.  The back story is rather interesting.  From the Bandcamp website: In early 2020, we found ourselves separated and stuck at home. Even though four of us were in Beijing, COVID19 control measures prevented us from meeting face to face. Continue Reading

Andrew Land – (Making Good) Defects

Andrew Land is a composer out of Birmingham, England whose work is simple and rhythmic, played in an elegant manner, without sounding simplistic.  It’s minimalistic, so those of you who enjoy the works of Harold Budd, Philip Glass or even Hans-Joachim Roedelius may want to pass your time enjoying this Continue Reading

Maja S. K. Ratkje – Corona Lockdown Concert For TUSK Festival 2020

Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje is perhaps the most important active composer in Norway’s experimental music scene.  The Trondheim native not only works with avant-garde music, but with contemporary classical, choral, experimental, electronic and even rock music. She provides a new release which clocks in about 30 minutes of vocal improvisation Continue Reading

Marcos Resende & Index – Marcos Resende & Index

This album is a sort of ‘holy grail’ for Brazilian jazz.  From Marcos Resende’s Bandcamp site: Beyond their highly sought after 1978 album Festa Para Um Novo Rei – home to the mystical jazz-funk classic ‘Vidigal’ and released on Philips’ iconic Musica Popular Brasileira Contemporanea series (MPBC) – little is Continue Reading

Lappländer & Ancylus – Veden Varaan

Lappländer & Ancylus are a project hailing from Finland.  According to their bio, both Janne Lappalainen (Lappländer) and Visa Uotila (Ancylus) have over two decades of history working in electronic music. This is quite a powerful listen.  It reminds me of mid-period Tangerine Dream under the cavernous influence of Steve Continue Reading