Too dense and sumptuous to be labeled ambient music, what Los Angeles’ own bu.re_ offers is a ride on the clouds on your way to something approximating Heaven. The drones emanating from these works are some of the warmest tones I’ve heard this year. Bravo.
United States
Mapped Out In Lights – Longform One
Illinois-based label Somnimage has been on quite a roll producing some of the best post-Industrial and experimental music coming out of the United States. Today’s offering pairs Dan Burke (who won fame as the chief focal point of Illusion of Safety) and label owner Mykel Boyd (who has also performed Continue Reading
Micah Frank & Chet Doxas – The Music of Hildegard von Bingen Part One
The combination of Micah Frank and Chet Doxas put a very different spin on the work of Saint Hildegard von Bingen. Instead of the deeply mystical Catholic music she is famous for, the duo, along with some impressive cohorts produce a rather filmic work which has the feel creating sound Continue Reading
Akshin Alizadeh – Reasons
We have here a slab of R&B and modern soul courtesy of Akshin Alizadeh, the wunderkind originally from Azerbaijan who records for Cold Busted Records out of Oregon. It’s strangely radio-friendly, but the funk is pleasant on this single
Seah – Clouds & Spectres
Seah is an experimental music artist from Bradley, Illinois who produces long, sweeping ambient drone. There is an organ-like elegance to the compositions, especially with the first track, Unfurling, which meanders in a way that would fit in an old 1920s soundtrack of walking on the tundra. Many thanks to Continue Reading
DÜNYA – A Sacred Music Celebration: Greek Orthodoxy and Turkish Sufism
For my friends in the West, today is Good Friday, and I wish you a wonderful, blessed and prosperous Paschal celebration. I send you a gift in the form of the ensemble DÜNYA offering Christian and Islamic chants in celebration of Holy Weekend and Easter.
Kalia Vandever – We Fell In Turn
Kalia Vandever is a New York- based trombonist whose playing is about as elegant as anything I’ve heard in a while. From her Bandcamp site: “We Fell In Turn is the solo debut from Brooklyn-based trombonist, composer, and quartet leader Kalia Vandever. Vandever, who plays with Harry Styles and Continue Reading
William Ryan Fritch – Heavy EP
One of the great composers I have had the pleasure of reviewing is William Ryan Fritch. This EP is his latest, and these notes come from his latest EP via his Bandcamp site: “‘Heavy’, from composer William Ryan Fritch is a bombastic and ever-moving work that draws equally from the Continue Reading
Phil Tomsett & Aaron Martin – At Sea
We have had the pleasure of reviewing the work on cellist Aaron Martin in the past, but it’s nice to see a new release with him collaborating on a project with accordeonist Phil Tomsett which, ironically, began in London. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “At Sea grew out of my Continue Reading
Cinnamon Soulettes – I’ll Show You How
This is some beautiful soul from the Pacific Northwest. The Cinnamon Soulettes were, apparently, from Seattle and recorded this private single sometime during the 1970s, but according to the Bandcamp site, “Unfortunately, most information the estate had was lost in a flood and none of the collectors and music historians Continue Reading