Welcome to 2025! Our first release is from the brilliant Bulgarian experimental music label Mahorka, and their latest offering is phenomenal. The Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective are from Manila, Philippines, and this is a strangely elegant release. My favorite track of the album, Ang itak ng kamalayan – Isang Ritual, Continue Reading
Music
So Ends 2024. Bring on 2025!
We wish all readers of Music You Need To Hear a happy and prosperous 2025. 2024 was, in some ways, a fine year but it was marked with some grave tragedies for us, especially with the loss of co-founder Steven Shore. We will continue to soldier on with the blog, Continue Reading
Barre Phillips – Ahoy!
The world of improvisational music lost one of its biggest icons a couple of days ago. Barre Phillips, a bassist known for his being adaptable to any style, passed away on December 28. He worked with legends like Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Bley, Archie Shepp, Peter Brötzmann (whom we also lost Continue Reading
Nick Sudnick – Opera of the Sixth Hour
Zga bandleader Nick Sudnick has been busy composing his Opera of the Hours series, and this installation might be his most creative yet. It has the passion of Rock-In-Opposition with a touch of Frank Zappa’s general weirdness. This is in keeping with what I remember of the old Soviet avant-garde Continue Reading
Peter Sinfield – Eulogy by Andrew Keeling
Many thanks to Mariana Scaravilli at Discipline Global Mobile for sharing this eulogy for the English poet Peter Sinfield. Why a poet on these pages, when I could have put this at my other website? Because Peter’s work was intimately tied to progressive rock and beyond. Not only did he Continue Reading
Various Artists – Glitterbeat Records: Taa! Our Language May Be Dying, But Our Voices Remain
From Glitterbeat Records’ Bandcamp site: “Volume #11 of our acclaimed Hidden Musics series. The Taa language in Botswana possesses 112 sounds, the most of any language in the world. In contrast, English has approximately 44 sounds, Italian 32. But there are only around 2,500 Taa speakers remaining and the language Continue Reading
Science Noodles – Soothe Me
From an article in TimeOut Magazine: “Science Noodles is a self-described “Hong Kong-Taiwan mixed baby” that formed in the most 21st century way possible. While on a trip to Taiwan, vocalist/guitarist Yuet matched with vocalist Qing on Tinder, and the two bonded over their mutual love for Taiwanese indie band, Continue Reading
Jeff Gburek – Heliopathy
As the calendar winds down for 2024, we still have a few more treasures to share. This one comes from Jeff Gburek, who should need no introduction to regular readers here. On this release, it comes out courtesy of Post Orientalism Music from Berlin, Germany. From the release’s Bandcamp site: Continue Reading
Fathomage – The Doxologion Codex
I never thought the dungeon synth genre would produce excellent Orthodox Christian music, but he we are. Fathomage are from Australia, and they produce a music that, though generally electronic, incorporate Eastern Orthodox doxology, Celtic Christian themes and fine folkish instrumentation.
Bing Crosby – Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy
We rest tonight for Gregorian Christmas Eve. May you all have a lovely Christmas!