• Music

    Peter Gabriel – Live in Athens 1987

    July 3, 2023 - By 

    It’s incredibly nice to see Peter Gabriel release the bulk of his solo material on Bandcamp.  He even offers a subscription for rare tracks and remixes, most of which are perfectly okay.  This release was a pleasant surprise, as it was, I believe, once released as part of the So box set, but it sounds fine as a standalone disc.  The recording is during the peak of his creative powers, and the musicians working behind him in this tour (David Rhodes on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, David Sancious on keyboards and Manu Katché on drums) are as tight as…

  • Music

    Kit Sebastian – L’addio / Hayat

    June 22, 2023 - By 

    A brilliant single from the always-impressive Mr. Bongo Records by London-based Kit Sebastian.  From the band’s Bandcamp site: “‘L’addio’ saw the band perfecting their production and orchestration, with strings, horns and double bass, and an Italian synth found in a French dump. The music was greatly influenced by Italian soundtracks and Italian female singers, such as Mina or Rita Pavone. The track announces itself with a break that is guaranteed to get samplers twitching. The tone of the melody and lyrics is heartfelt and aching. It has a beautiful, intimate sadness like the closing scenes to a love affair, and…

  • Music

    Nasim Khushnawaz – Songs From The Pearl of Khorasan

    June 15, 2023 - By 

    Worlds Within Worlds in an Australian record label releasing music from Iran, Afghanistan and India.  This album features rubab (or rebab) player Nasim Khushnawaz.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “As a master of the Afghan rubab, Nasim Kushnawaz hails from one of the most important musical lineages in Afghanistan. The son of Herati rubab maestro Ustad Rahim Khuhsnawaz, Nasim resides in exile in Iran, wherein he continues a four-generation tradition of performing exemplary Afghan, Khorasani and Herati playing techniques. Listeners will easily notice his keen ear for tempo and feeling as he sets up unexpected twists and turns throughout his…

  • Music

    Shono – Kolkhozoy Traktor

    June 14, 2023 - By 

    Our dear friends at CPL-Music will be releasing some solid music from Buryatia in Eastern Russia.  From the bio sheet: “Unheard sounds from Buryatia: Shono revive the ancient rituals of the vast Eurasian grasslands. The autonomous Russian Republic of Buryatia is located in the far east of the country, bordering Mongolia and encompassing the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Today, less than one million ethnic Buryats live in the republic. Under Stalin’s rule, many Buryats were persecuted and murdered. Shono (translated as wolf, by the way!) was founded by Alexander Arkhincheev in 2014. The Buryat musician lives in Irkutsk, is…

  • Music

    Lounès Matoub – Lettre Ouverte Aux​.​.​. (25th Anniversary)

    June 7, 2023 - By 

    Lounès Matoub was the controversial voice of a generation of Algerian Kabyle people.  He was brutally assassinated on June 25, 1998, but his work lives on.  From Elmir Records’ Bandcamp site: “In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his assassination, Elmir offers the very first vinyl edition of the reference album Lettre ouverte aux…; enriched with a 28-page booklet including biographical elements, the transcription of the poems and their analysis, as well as archival photos and facsimiles that suggest to the listener a complete immersion in one of the poet’s masterpieces. An emblematic album that testifies to the immense talent…

  • Music

    Santeri Dobrynin, Egor Masaltsev, Olga Plekhanova – Karjalan Jouhikko: Karelian Instrumental Music

    June 5, 2023 - By 

    This release from our friends at Antonovka Records features three players of the jouhikko, a local stringed instrument: Santeri (Alexander) Dobrynin and Olga Plekhanova from Karelia and Russian Egor Masaltsev, who moved to the region.  There are 22 tracks of charming interplay between the three and individually.  All the tunes are traditional Karelian, except: 7 – traditional Swedish, 10 and 11 — by Olga herself, 18 — two tunes of traditional Russian songs from Karelia, 19 — by Karelian musician Leo Sevets, 20 — a tune from the play “Sampo: The Magic Mill” based on the Kalevala (author Maxim Gutkin), 22…

  • Music

    Plantec – Awen

    May 6, 2023 - By 

    It’s a bit of a tragedy that Breton music doesn’t get the same healthy push as, say, Scottish or Irish music does.  Outside of the absolutely legendary Alan Stivell, it’s rare to hear of great music coming out of this most unique of French provinces.  Thankfully, we have Plantec to bring forth something that I suppose could qualify as electro-Breizh.  The music simply rips with expert playing of Breton bagpipes, but there’s something that makes the music incredibly punchy and even danceable.  Though this release is from around 2012, the band are still quite active today and continue to innovate…

  • Music

    Felix Lebarty – Girls For Sale

    May 2, 2023 - By 

    It’s safe to say that 1976 Nigeria was a somewhat different world from today’s.  The Edo-Delta region must have been a rather swinging place if this reissue of Felix Labarty’s classic, Girls For Sale, is any indication.  The music is lush, perhaps a little tinny, disco mixed with reggae vibes and lyrics filled with a combination of braggadocio and grieving over lost loves.  No, not love, but loves.  He was quite a player in his day.  An essential for those who want their Afrobeat to come in a different flavor.