Jazz Q – Živí se Diví: Live in Bratislava 1975

A new label out of Poland called GAD Records has been documenting seminal jazz and jazz-rock albums out of Poland, but now they’re venturing into the former Czechoslovakia with this release.  Jazz Q were a progressive rock band who managed to incorporate blues rock and even a bit of free Continue Reading

Porch Kiss – Fort Stevens 2006

This is the first time I had the pleasure of reviewing something from Start-Track, a fine small label run by our friend Filip Zemčík.  Porch Kiss’ music is sparse and lo-fi, reminding me of a lot of British indie band from the 1980s with lower production values and fine songwriting.  Continue Reading

Plume Girl – In the End We Begin

A bliss-filled release from out mappa Records out of Slovakia from a new name, Plume Girl.  I’ll let the label describe this rather ethereal bit of emo folk, which you can read in full at their Bandcamp release site: “Already in its title, Plume Girl’s debut thoroughly lets things go Continue Reading

Various Artists – Z Tapes Summer 2021

Z Tapes is a small-but-mighty label out of Bratislava, Slovakia, who release everything from bedroom pop to properly polished indie music.  They have a massive roster of artists they work with, and also, bucking the current trend for vinyl, offer cassette releases.  There is a lot of appealing music on Continue Reading

Various Artists: Canary Records: The Dull Hatchet: Late 1940s Lemko Instrumentals in Brooklyn NY

Canary Records is one of the best independent labels specializing in archival recordings.  This batch comes from Lemko immigrants, who hail from the Carpathian Mountains, and it documents some of the tunes they brought with them to the United States.