Not the happiest record I have ever heard, but Philadelphia’s Moor Mother uses a sumptuous soundscape to air her grievances of past horrors. This is a deep listen, and I’m sure I’ll come back to this a few more times before all is said and done.
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Our friends at Wewantsounds have dug deep for this one, and of course, they have found gold. This album, available from the label as a vinyl-only release, sits in a strange apex of electronic music, soul, pop, jazz and the avant-garde, which is the first genre I would have associated with Steve Beresford. This is an album you can don your smoking jacket for. Swanky, well-produced and an elegant listen. You can purchase the album here.
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Our friend Cousin Silas and his cohort Michael Brückner offer a relaxed ambient two-disc album album which floats between fusion and the Berlin School.
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Compared to the human voice, everything else is mimicry. Hatis Noit is an Japanese artist working out of London whose experimental vocal works compare favorably to artists like Laurie Anderson and the ever-wonderful Anna Homler. It’s a strangely soothing listen.
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In honor of getting the chance to see the band this evening here in Beijing, I share with you a recent EP by London-based nu-jazz band Alfa Mist. It turns out that they put on a hell of a performance to a packed crowd, mainly of locals. It was one of the best shows I’ve been to in some time now.
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Sometimes experimental music can produce either dour listening or tie itself to miserable cover art showing the worst of humanity in some sort of fetishistic way. Not so with this release! London-based Chinese composer Li Yilei’s album concentrates more of a happy, carefree childhood, where, as she puts it, “…learn[ed] about fear and fearlessness, love and despair, grief and glee, curiosity and mistakes.” Sitting back and listening to this after hearing my own Chinese geography students caterwauling for nearly two hours is balm for the soul. A gentle listen that deserves a more appropriate tag than “experimental,” as much as…
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Although I’m happy to say I’m a longtime fan of Cousin Silas’ work, I had no idea what to expect from Glove of Bones, a project I knew nothing about until reading their webpage. I still know little about the band in terms of bio, but what a great impression they make on an album! The album sounds like a combination of early ambient and a touch of Popol Vuh’s later, more acoustic moments; not that the album is acoustic, but the vibe is certainly similar. An elegant album.
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The legendary goth-rock band And Also The Trees have been around since 1979, and are still recording elegant post-punk music that is richly produced with acoustic instruments, drones and electronics. Fine listening.
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Well done, Found Object! The tracks on this album remind me of some of best synth-pop bands I grew up with in the 1980s. Though Tangerine Dream is referenced as an influence, I hear something different – Kraftwerk, Blancmange, a more instrumental Depeche Mode or Soft Cell seem to be popping up as influences as I listen through. Really, a joyful album.
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This collaboration between Los Angeles’ The Gaslamp Killer and Britain’s funkiest band, The Heliocentrics, is one of those lucky finds you stumble into every now and then, and I say this as someone who isn’t too big a fan of hip-hop. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “The stars would align a few years later, as The Heliocentrics would go on to tour with the GLK Experience as his backing band. This laid the groundwork for a monumental collaboration that was recorded at Quartermass Sound Lab, and would take many years to complete. The resulting album is a testament to the…