• Music - Music Articles - Press Releases

    [Press Release] Robert Fripp “Exposures” 32-Disc Box Set To Be Released May 27, 2022

    March 30, 2022 - By 

    I normally don’t post press releases (that may change soon), but this is a monumental event for me.  Our friends at Glass Onyon PR explain further: 25 CDs, 3 DVDs (audio only), 4 Blu-Ray discs (audio only) Packaged in a 12” boxed set with 48-page booklet including extensive notes by Sid Smith and Al Okada plus press releases, photos and memorabilia. The long-awaited 32-disc boxed set of Robert Fripp in the studio and in concert 1977 – 1983 will be released on 27th May 2022. The set will feature many previously unreleased tracks, outtakes and rarities as well as numbers…

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    Allegra Krieger – Precious Thing

    March 29, 2022 - By 

    It’s very rare for me to review a folk album that doesn’t involve an element of rock in it, but this is something special.  Allegra Krieger is a singer-songwriter based out of New York, and the songs on her album especially Precious Thing, are some of the most gentle ballads I’ve heard in a long while.  Her voice is fragile, almost to the point of breaking, but she sings so calmly that these tunes almost qualify as lullabies. This was a surprisingly relaxing, warm album.  Well done.

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    Blood Rhythms – New Illusions

    March 28, 2022 - By 

    “A massive, oppressively brutal wall of sound.”  That was the first impression that popped into my head after listening to Arvo Zylo’s project, Blood Rhythm’s latest release, New Illusions. Think of ritualistic noise with some sense of structure, like Z’ev meeting Merzbow’s more restrained and focused works.  This is bleak, claustrophobic, ugly, and fitting with the zeitgeist of our current time.  A heavy listen, made much better and more engrossing with headphones.

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    Gang Violins – Greater Forces

    March 26, 2022 - By 

    Hear me out on this one.  Gang Violins, a duo out of New Zealand, released a single to their upcoming album Inner Realms, and it’s a well-crafted mix of cinematic ambient music and post-rock, but it triggered a memory of the subtle buildup to the song Where The Streets Have No Name by U2.  No surprise, as Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno had a lot of input, and made a rather decent pop song start lushly. I’m looking forward to hearing more from these lads.

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    Jawhar – Tasweerah

    March 25, 2022 - By 

    Some very mellow chamber rock can be found here by Tunisian singer Jawhar.  If you are a fan of groups like the Tindersticks, but are looking for something more exotic in sound, I can happily recommend this.

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    Antiq – Ilbeltz / Hanternoz / Anceisural Eritance – D’Anjou en Vasconie

    March 24, 2022 - By 

    This was a combination I didn’t expect.  It’s not uncommon for, say, black metal musicians to integrate their music into pagan folk and make a good hybrid, but this is something different.  Antiq combine soaring traditional Basque and Breton vocals with a proper metal backing, and somehow, by some strange miracle, it all comes together very well.  As far as metal goes, this is really quite good.

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    Golden Hands – Golden Hands

    March 23, 2022 - By 

    Sdban Records, a magnificent Belgian imprint I came across recently, is releasing some absolute bangers in the field of jazz, library music and funk.  This particular album, which has its roots in Morocco’s hardly-ever-discussed funk scene, was first available as a cassette in 1978 on Disques Gam. The reissue is lovingly done with crisp cover art, but the music is what wows me.  This isn’t merely a funk album.  There are tracks here, like My Story With Mrs. Life, are beefy rock tracks with gritty vocals you know you loved hearing on AM radio in the 70s.  Another gem, Love…

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    Orphan Sound System – Tantric Tantrums

    March 22, 2022 - By 

    Experimental music isn’t a genre that avails itself to the power trio.  In this case, however, Jeff Gburek, John El-Manahi and John Palumbo should be given such a venerable title.  The music they produce as Orphan Sound System is reminiscent of vintage progressive rock bands like Faust or Cranioclast but with production input by the Gyuto Monks.  This is sitting on the nexus point of psychedelic music, post-Industrial and experimental.  Challenging listening, but ultimately rewarding, as the listener will feel as though they’re being transported on a not-unpleasant tour of Saṃsāra. Lineup: Jeff Gburek: electric guitar, bassic guitar, microfreak, drum machine,…

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    Msylma & Ismael – The Tenets of Forgetting (مذاهب النسيان)

    March 21, 2022 - By 

    Saudi singer Msylma & Egypt’s Ismael are two musicians who come from the rich Middle Eastern electronic music scene.  Msylma’s rich, mournful and introspective voice gives depth and emotion to the electro music produced underneath.  I have to admit, though this isn’t the kind of music I normally listen to, it’s so appealing to my ears that I’ll have to see what else these fine folks have produced in the past. Infinite respect to Éditions Appærent for publishing this fine album.