дайджест альбомов которые в течении года остаются на жестком диске моей компьютерры. как и всегда, о большинстве музыкантов тут написано, они имеют свои странички в этом блоге или внешние указания на свое творчество. если кому что нежно — слушайте, а если кому что нужно — пишите. временно или надолго, этот блог приостанавливает новые публикации, но как всегда, не прощается.
янВарь
растарелизы: Sly & Robbie – Sly & Robbie Revisit Bob Marley (Tabou 1, 2017), Max Romeo — Inna Marley Stylee (Aggrovators, 2017), U Roy — Heavy Duty (Aggrovators, 2017), King Tubby – Next Level Dub (Aggrovators, 2017), Linval Thompson – Dread Nah Dead (Aggrovators, 2017), Gregory Isaacs – Cool Ruler Come Again (African Museum / Digital Link, 2017), Sylford Walker And Welton Irie — Lambs Bread (Remastered Duluxe Edition) (VP Records, 2017), I-taweh – Judgement (Tap Nat Muzik, 2017)
Brian Eno – Reflection (Warp Records, 2017) — утянутый 31 декабря 2016го, новогодний релиз Ино, и лейбла Warp Records в виде 54-минутного эмбиент трека с колокольчиками.
Piano Magic — Closure (Second language, 2017) — утянутый еще ранее, в начале декабря 2016го, Recorded in London between April and August of this year, ‘Closure,’ features guest appearances from Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments, Audrey Riley (go-to cellist for The Go-Betweens, Nick Cave, Virginia Astley and many more), Josh Hight (Irons) and Oliver Cherer (Dollboy). For this final album, the nucleus of Piano Magic was Glen Johnson, Jerome Tcherneyan, Franck Alba, Alasdair Steer and Paul Tornbohm.
cv313 (Roderick Julian Modell) — Dimensional Space (Alchemy Edition) (echospace [detroit], 2017) — And finally, here we are in December 2016 with a new Alchemy edition on CD, featuring yet another clutch of new tracks to further the seemingly ever-expanding realms of Dimensional Space. To clear up any confusion, the track labelled “Clouds Beyond (Reprise)” here is actually the same track that is labelled “Beyond Starlit Skies [Reimagined]” from the 3LP Alchemy Edition, while “Sella Bay [Unreleased Edit]” is essentially just a cut down version of the original, with the Alchemy Remaster. Where this new edition differs is in the stunning suite of new ambient tracks at the end of Dimensional Space. This begins with “Beyond Dreams,” a truly intoxicating new twenty-minute journey that begins with birdsong and muted, almost choral intonations and a characteristic hiss that forms the backbone of this slowly building, shimmering, streaming comet of a track. The shuddering sub-bass that joins later completes the effect, but it’s the way the track ends that’s the most affecting, extinguished so suddenly it leaves an aching gap in the space it previously occupied. The six-minute “Cloudburst” recalls Deepchord presents Echospace’s Liumin Reduced in the best possible way, being basically distantly heard drones underpinning immersively mixed and processed field recordings, this time of torrential rain drenching illuminated night time urban streets. And finally we have “Isis (Remake)” that continues the eccentric orbit this piece has taken over the years, with no two versions sounding even more alike. This is the shortest take on the track yet, at six and half minutes, and is probably the deepest and darkest. — Igloo Magazine
David Bowie – No Plan EP (Columbia, 2017) — is an EP by English musician David Bowie. It was released posthumously in digital form only on 8 January 2017 through Columbia and Sony. The songs «No Plan», «Killing a Little Time» and «When I Met You» have first appeared on the broadway musical Lazarus. The release was accompanied by a music video for «No Plan». 8 января, в день рождения Дэвида Боуи, вышел его новый мини-альбом No Plan с тремя ранее не изданными композициями. Видео на одноименную песню снял режиссер Том Хингстон. В альбоме еще два новых трека Killing A Little Time и When I Met You, а также уже известная Lazarus. Все песни вошли в саундтрек к мюзиклу Lazarus, над которым музыкант работал незадолго до смерти. 8 января Боуи исполнилось бы 70 лет.
Aurelio — Darandi (Real World Records, 2017) — Since childhood, Aurelio Martinez has been performing the music of his Garifuna ancestors. Descended from shipwrecked African slaves and the Island Caribs of St Vincent, the Garifuna faced imprisonment and exile in the late 18th century, eventually finding home in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Darandi is a collection of Aurelio’s favourite songs from his career recorded to capture the sound of his incendiary live performances. Accompanied by some of the Garifuna world’s brightest musical talents, pairing upbeat, dynamic rhythms with melancholy, heartfelt melodies, this music is both deep and danceable. Aurelio Martinez is, without exaggeration, the greatest living interpreter of Garifuna music. Specifically, he is a master of the paranda, a style based around the acoustic guitar that often draws comparisons to the blues for its often bittersweet melodies and sharp social commentary concealed within songs about everyday life. Although not as well known as Cuban son or Colombian cumbia, it is without doubt one of the continent’s great music traditions; a style deeply African and Latin American at once.
The xx — I See You (Japan Version) [Young Turks | Cat# YTCD161J, 2017] — kflyj? eujdjhbkb/ is the third studio album by the English indie pop band The xx, released on 13 January 2017 on the Young Turks label. It is the follow-up to their sophomore album Coexist, and is their first release in more than four years. а на обратнойсторонелуны, в обзоре №631 от 24.01, написали «.. не просто новый диск, а пластинка, ещё до своего выхода получившая ярлык «Самый ожидаемых альбом 2017 года». Это третий лонгплей британцев The xx «I See You». Как и обещал лидер столь важного для современной музыки трио Jamie xx, релиз состоялся 13 января на лейбле Young Turks. По степени влияния на сектор современного инди-попа (если рассматривать это определение в максимально широком ракурсе) The xx для второго десятилетия XXI века сравнимы с Massive Attack для последнего десятилетия века двадцатого. Сказав что-то действительно новое своим первым завораживающим минималистичным диском, лондонцы оказались под прицелом собственного же фирменного креста внимания. Сказать «Б» они были просто обязаны, и за это (не считая неоднозначного второго альбома) долгое время отвечал Джеми чуть ли не в одиночку. Он активно мелькал то здесь, то там, признаваясь, что сочиняет много новой музыки, выпуская микстейпы, сотрудничая и с коллегами по The xx, и с другими артистами, в итоге сообразив яркий сольник «In Colour». Именно следы последнего ярче всего заметны на третьем релизе. Джеми, Роми и Оливер записывали его в Техасе, и в итоге у них получилось самое жизнеутверждающее и духоподъёмное высказывание из всех известных. «I See You» ведёт себя, как долгожданный подарок, улыбчиво выскакивая из коробки в сопровождении неожиданных духовых в первом же треке «Dangerous». Тонкая работа с сэмплами; романтические истории, красиво рассказанные на два голоса; сплетение танцевального ритма и гитар — всё ровно так, как и должно быть, когда ты работаешь над диском целых три года и точно знаешь и чувствуешь, что должно быть в итоге.»
Tornado Wallace — Lonely Planet (Running Back, 2017) — Aussie adventurer Tornado Wallace seems to be getting better with age. Over recent years, he’s delivered a string of brilliantly evocative, sun-kissed releases for the likes of ESP Institute, Beats In Space and Second Circle. Lonely Planet is his debut album, and it could well be his strongest release to date. The seven tracks are dreamy, trippy and atmospheric — we’d expect nothing less — and draw on a far wider palette of Balearic influences than we’ve heard on previous experiences. Coupled with a new-found desire to include more live instrumentation (particularly glistening, Peter Green style guitar passages, drums and exotic flutes), the result is an album that’s as evocative, dreamy and humid as anything he’s produced to date. In other words, it’s a great album and comes highly recommended.
Gidge – LNLNN (Atomnation, 2017) — Jonatan Nilsson and Ludvig Stolterman grew up together in the small city of Umeå in the northern part of Sweden, an area that endures lengthy, freezing winters. As Gidge, their field of expertise is electronica—specifically, the liminal space between ambient music and techno. Such music used to be umbilically linked to visions of futurism or modernity but, as with like-minded producers such as Christian Löffler or Ólafur Arnalds’ Kiasmos project, Gidge pursue something more in line with their immediate environment: a wintery, organic electronica that recalls the frosted forests they call home. LNLNN collects seven tracks, all new—sort of. The starting point for the LP was Lulin, an album and film project made in conjunction with the production company Lamprey that explored the strange ambience of a cabin in which Stolterman was living, perched right on the edge of the wilderness. The result was desolate and atmospheric, but when they performed it live, Nilsson and Stolterman filled it out with new beats and textures, and soon it grew into a record in its own right. The result captures the eeriness and desolation of Lulin, while adding a rhythmic quality that transforms and amplifies the material. “Eyes Open” and “White Curtains” wind mournful keys around beats sampled from struck wood and metal the pair scavenged from their wild surroundings. “Lit,” with its garage-y drums and haunted vocal, sounds like Burial transported to the edge of the Arctic Circle. But the album’s standout is “Midra,” where an unwavering, pulse-like rhythm winds through gusts of distortion and billowing, Enya-like vocals. It feels like a long walk through an icy wilderness, wrapped up warm in defiance of the elements. —Louis Pattison
Arthur Lipner — Solo Marimba Arthur Lipner Performs Bob Marley’s Legend (Solo Sounds, 2017) — марли на маримбе.
Mick Harvey – Intoxicated Women (Mute, 2017) — врунете написано: ««Новый диск Мика Харви (ех- Niсk Саvе аnd thе Ваd Sееds), на котором он вместе с приглашенными вокалистками, такими как Хаnthе Wаitе, Sорhiа Вrоus, Сhаnnthу Каk, Lуndеllе-Jауnе Sрruуt, Jеss Ribеirо и Аndrеа Sсhrоеdеr, исполняет песни Сержа Генсбура, написанные им в основном в 60-е годы для Франс Галль, Жюльетт Греко, Брижит Бардо и других артистов. / Intoxicated Women focuses on the many duets Gainsbourg recorded with female vocalists, Jane Birkin and Bridget Bardot most famously, and those duets recorded in the Sixties. Harvey is joined by Channthy Kak (Cambodian Space Project), Australian singers Xanthe Waite (Terry, Primo), Sophia Brous, Lyndelle-Jayne Spruyt and Jess Ribeiro and the German chanteuse Andrea Schroeder Harvey’s son, Solomon. Song wise, the usual suspects are here ‘Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus’ (the second time Harvey has covered it), ‘Cargo Cult’, ‘Sensuelle et Sans Suite’ are all represented. There are downsides, however. The German translation of ‘Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus’ is a nice touch, but it feels like a step backwards, as it was already covered on Pink Elephants, and sadly covered better. It would have been more interesting to have a lesser known song from either Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg, Bonnie and Clyde or <L’Homme a Tete de Chou. а на обратнойсторонелуны, в обзоре №632 от 07.02.2017 имеется такая вот рецензия на альбом Мика — Intoxicated Woman (p) 2017: «Мик Харви, соратник Ника Кейва, идеолог групп The Birthday Party и The Bad Seeds, да и сам по себе ещё как состоявшийся сольный артист представил заключительную, четвёртую часть своих интерпретаций песен Сержа Генсбура. Харви сам перевёл их на английский, а в заглавной пьесе перешёл и на немецкий. Началось всё ещё в 1993 г., когда на Mute вышел диск «Intoxicated Man», удачно рисующий в памяти портрет Генсбура. Потом было ещё две пластинки — и вот круг логично замкнулся. «Intoxicated Woman» фокусируется на песнях Сержа, записанных дуэтом с разными вокалистками, просто красивыми девушками и знаменитостями вроде Джейн Биркин и Бриджит Бардо. Мик Харви, следуя тропой кумира, также рекрутировал поющих красавиц, вполне оправдывающих название. Почти все песни записаны дуэтом с кем-то из них, включая замечательную немецкую певицу Андреа Шрёдер, представшей в той самой первой пьесе в эротическом камео, и не только. Фигурирует также сын Мика Соломон. Ценность таких скрупулёзных изысканий Харви также и в том, что многие песни Генсбура, которые он перепел, мягко говоря, малоизвестны. Даже сам Мик их открыл для себя впервые. Большая часть написана великим французом в середине 1960-х годов, когда он много творил для других. Есть даже такие редкости, как песни, написанные для каких-то телевизионных спектаклей и нигде доселе не издававшиеся. Достойнейшая точка в кропотливо и трепетно исполненном трибьюте.»
Mr. Tophat feat. Robyn — Trust Me EP (Smalltown Supersound, 12″, EP 2017) — In the world of Scandinavian electronic music, Stockholm’s Mr. Tophat is swimming upstream. Instead of icy electro-pop or intricate IDM, Tophat offers massive, 10-minute-plus underground disco and house tracks through his Junk Yard Connections and Karlovak labels. These epic re-edits reference everything from Moroder to Larry Levan, passing through ’80s boogie and ’90s rave. His most recent release, titled Trust Me, is his most audacious yet — not only because of its intriguing balance of experimental textures and pure momentum, but because he has recruited superstar compatriot Robyn to provide vocals. Believe it or not, Robyn’s last solo release, Body Talk, came out in 2010 (coincidentally, the same year Mr. Tophat released his first record), which is several decades in pop time. Entire careers have come and gone in the time that fans have awaited a proper follow-up to “Call Your Girlfriend.” It’s a mark of his producer’s ear that on Trust Me, Mr. Tophat seems aware of exactly how much Robyn is enough; her unmistakable voice envelops the songs without overcoming them, and Tophat expertly weaves her vocals in and out of the mix like one of many instruments in his arsenal. Their partnership feels playfully equal, Robyn’s phrasing even improvisational at some points. On the opening title track, when she sings “We can make love/Don’t think twice/You can trust me,” she sounds like a mischievous siren luring a drunken sailor under the waves—even more so when moments later, she erupts in primal yelps and squeals. It’s this versatile exuberance, refusing to take itself too seriously yet the product of quiet perfectionism, that makes Robyn such a compelling pop star. Even away from the sweaty haze of an actual club, Trust Me keeps your attention. Club music heard in headphones sometimes falls victim to druggy repetition, but these tracks are so layered and dense that new elements keep bobbing to the surface after multiple listens. The 15-minute closer “Disco Dovato” begins with loose percussion, lagging almost behind the beat (courtesy of drummer Per Lindvall, a former member of ABBA and another nod to Swedish pop royalty), until a typical disco guitar riff slowly filters in—but then distorted, looped samples begin slowly encroaching, along with Robyn’s cheeky vocal take. By the time the beat drops and the hi-hats kick in, well past the song’s midpoint, you half-expect the thing to fall apart under its own weight. But it never does. Mr. Tophat has a gift for this kind of balancing act, and on Trust Me, he manages to share the spotlight with one of his country’s famous pop stars.
Deadbeat – Our Rotten Roots EP (Echocord Colour, 12″, 45 RPM, EP, 2017) — We are very proud to welcome back one of our greatest artists and good friends Scott Monteith aka Deadbeat. Scott original comes from Canada but now lives in Berlin for some years. Scott is mostly known for his own BLKRTZ label, but have been releasing on many other labels over the years. The track «Put On Your Red Shoes And Trance» is a peak time bomb, dubby, deep, powerfull and melodic track. The B-side, «Just Jackin Around» is Techno bomb full of dubby chords and build-up-madness.
Ariel Pink & Weyes Blood — Myths 002 (Mexican Summer MEX230, 2017) — одиннадцатый студийный альбом, посвященный памяти автора-исполнителя 1960’х годов Бобби Джеймсона. Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering have worked together before: Mering provided vocals on 2012’s Mature Themes and joined Pink’s band on the subsequent tour, and they teamed up for a Mild High Club track from 2015. Now, the two of them have recorded an entire EP together, which will be given out as part part of the upcoming Marfa Myths festival, and released at the end of the month. (Weyes Blood will perform with Perfume Genius at the festival itself.) Myths 002 is the follow-up to a similar collaboration between Dev Hynes and Connan Mockasin from 2015, and it has Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood working on four tracks together. No music has surfaced just yet, but you can check out the tracklist below.
Marconi Union — Tokyo+ (Just Music-TAO061, 2xCD, 2017) — Tokyo +’ by Marconi Union, the original ‘Tokyo’ album together with a new accompanying EP ‘+’ of Live Studio Remixes is to be released by Just Music for the first time to a world-wide audience as a double album on 20th January 2017.
Girma Bèyènè & Akalé Wubé – Éthiopiques 30: “Mistakes on Purpose” (Prado Records, 2017) -как пишут врунете6: Альбом, на котором сошлись два поколения музыкантов. С одной стороны — легендарный эфиопский клавишник и певец Girma Beyene, популярный в своей стране в шестидесятые-семидесятые годы, а с другой — Akalé Wubé — французская Afrobeat-Funk группа, поклонники эфиопского джаза 70-ых. Girma Bèyènè disappeared from the Addis Abeba music scene in 1981. Miraculously, he was invited by the exiled producer Amha Eshèté to tour the US with the Wallias Band and three singers (Mahmoud Ahmed, Gétatchèw Kassa and Wubishet Fisseha). Girma chose to never return back to the military-Stalianian paradise of Ethiopian dictator Menguistou. Another six musicians followed in his steps. The freshly exiled quickly realised that the Ethiopian community in the US was too small and restrained to offer them enough work to get by as full time musicians. What followed was a chaotic life full of odd jobs which increasingly left less and less time for music. Girma’s first return to his dear homeland happened on invitation from the 7th Ethiopian Music Festival of Addis Abeba in May 2008, which was held around a tribute to Girma Bèyènè and some other exiled saxophone players from the 80s (Moges Habte, Tilaye Gèbrè, Tewodros Meteku). Following that invitation, Girma quietly settled back in Addis for good. It was a discrete affair, considering the huge reputation which he still held in Ethiopia, especially within circles of influential contemporary musicians. Also considering the impressive fan base he garnered with jazz and world music lovers from all around the globe through the publication of the Ethiopiques series, first in line being the members of the band Akalé Wubé. Those who have never seen Akalé Wubé play live have little idea of the groove we’re talking about. They’re not about showy musical feats, neither about posed stage antics. They are all about good old, pure grooves, sober and lyrical, the kind to move feet and lighten hearts. They are already three albums in, three records of pure creative devotion to the cause. None of the covers played are copy/pasted, and all their ethio-grooves are revisited with liberty and passion — the best way to pay tribute and give back life to a genre of music and to a musician which has been, for far too long, put aside and forgotten…until now. Now it is these guys that have listened, appreciated, covered, reinvented and unpretentiously invited Girma Bèyènè … and Girma was totally up for it! An unpredictable meeting that could take any direction, luckily we love risks! Girma Bèyènè featuring Akalé Wubé, or the other way round? In any case it will be a heavyweight match.
Exit Someone – Dry Your Eyes EP (AtelierCiseauxRec, 2017) — Exit Someone is the husband and wife duo of artists June Moon (Forever) and Thom Gillies (Vesuvio Solo). Together their sound elicits relaxed, resonant pop melodies and rhapsodic poetry. Sharing the mic, their lyrics narrate the essence of love and loss with a fixation on symbolic imagery. Rhythmically, the TR-505 drum machine is featured exclusively as an exercise of reiterating patterns to highlight the storytelling. The couple met in the summer of 2015 playing a show in Montréal, and formed a song-writing partnership shortly after. Dry Your Eyes is their first release and defines a becoming time of musical spontaneity.
Luka Productions — Fasokan (Sahel Sounds, 2017) — New age music from West Africa. Lush and hypnotic dreamscapes combine traditional instrumentation with sweeping electronics, field recordings, and soothing affirmations in these original compositions. Cut up Kora and Balafon are layered over software percussion, flute, horns, and synthesizer. Meditative and cosmic, Fasokan guides the listener through ways of living, from the village life into the modern world. Luka Productions is Luka Guindo, rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. One of the most sought after producers in Bamako, he has worked with Supreme Talent Show, Ami Yerewolo, Iba One, Van Baxy, and many more. Here Luka Productions channels his avant-griot, transforming ancient music into the 21st century. This is one of the most left field recordings to ever come out of Mali. If Sahel Sounds has emerged with a hands off approach, recording as a fly on the wall, Fasokan is a radical departure. A collaborative work stemming from the sci-fi concept album «Uchronia,» the album is both an original creation and an cross-cultural experiment, drawing inspiration from new age music, early electronic compositions, and library records. The result is a strange hybrid, wholly unique in sound. In execution, Fasokan finds itself back to Mali, at once strikingly familiar — with the measured voice speaking over a looping melody, offering sage advice for a new world.
Mark Eitzel – Hey Mr Ferryman (Merge Records, 2017) — Hey Mr Ferryman is Eitzel’s first full studio album recorded entirely in London. It was made at 355 Studios with Mercury Prize winner Bernard Butler (ex-Suede, McAlmont & Butler), who has produced and/or recorded albums with Tricky, Ben Watt, Bert Jansch, Edwyn Collins, and more. Butler produced Hey Mr Ferryman and played all of the electric guitar, bass, and keyboard parts on the album. Hey Mr Ferryman features the vivid melodies long associated with Eitzel’s former band American Music Club—which remains a cult favorite to this day—as well as Butler’s distinctive guitar that serves to complement Eitzel’s expressive vocals. Of that voice, Pitchfork once wrote: “If Leonard Cohen’s voice is a story about the passage of time and Levon Helm’s is a story about losing what is most precious to you, Eitzel’s is about the circuitous roads we take in search of ourselves.” “The songs on this record are about celebrating musicians and music, about misogyny, the long shadow of history, getting one’s head out of one’s ass,” quips Eitzel on the themes of Ferryman.
Marcello Giombini — Computer Disco [Mondo Groove – MGLP 101D, 2017] — The greatest euro synthi-disco album of early 80’s finally reprint by Mondo Groove Records. Original released in 1982, COMPUTER DISCO is the most Kraftwerk-ian italian production. Marcello Giombini was a pioneer of early sequencers and in this cult LP produced cheesey cosmic synth pop a little bit italo disco oriented. Every fan of 70/80’s synthesizer music and electronic djs should put in his collection if they not already possess the extremely rare original edition. Original artwork restored. Limited Edition.
Comaneci (comaneci/ortographe) — Blue Velvet (cassette, 2017) — comaneci/ortographe
Federico Durand — Pavel (Pudú, 2017) — This album is a musical approach to traditional children stories, which have a circular narrative, innocent and eerie at the same time. A haunting aura caught me while I was recording this music, in the attic of my home in La Cumbre, at dusk, as a fairy tale. Every piece of «Pavel» could be a company for rainy days, a train journey, in a park, walking under the stars after work, or during a nap: its melodies almost hypnotic will guide you towards to a dream state, as if you were inside your own legend of the forest. Federico Durand : ARP Odyssey, Auris Lyre, acoustic guitar, El Capistan, Count To Five, Roland Space Echo RE-201, Electro Harmonix 2880, tape-loops, bells, keys, black pencil, contact and condenser microphones & small wooden-frog.
Doon Kanda — Heart [EP] [HDB105D, 2017] — Visual artist Jesse Kanda (FKA Twigs, Arca) makes his musical debut with the compellingly bittersweet introspection of his Heart EP for Hyperdub. In key with the off-kilter harmonies of his peer, Arca, but willing to pursue more abstract angles of expression, the ostensibly tart sharpness and distorted exoskeleton of Doon Kanda’s sound belies the inspirations at its core, “love, compassion, empathy” in a very similar way to which his hyperreal visual work also gets under the skin, right to the core of it. While relatively simple, linear in construction when compared with, say, Arca’s output, the five tracks of Heart ache with a pent romantic yearn that hits home from the off: Axolotl — described by the artist as “like a chant for giving it your best try” — exemplifies that raw emotive effect with ruggedly thuggish drive and searing hook juiced for all it’s worth, but the beats barely return over the next four songs; leaving his licks lingering in wide open space like a rhythmic gymnast’s ribbon that never falls to the floor in Womb, or percolated in a curious call-and-response of evaporating bass hits and chiming strokes in Wings, before claggy trap trills infiltrate Heart’s starkly contoured chromatic dimensions.
36 — Tomorrow’s Explorers (3six Recordings, EP, 2017) — «Tomorrow’s Explorers is the follow-up to my 2015 EP ‘Sine Dust’. Usually when I finish a record, I draw a line under it and move onto the next concept, with the explicit desire to do something different. After ‘Sine Dust’, I felt that there was more of a story to tell. Space is a pretty big place! Whereas ‘Sine Dust’ was a 100% synthesiser-based record, ‘Tomorrow’s Explorers’ expands the sound gamut considerably, introducing heavy string-based sections, that work alongside the synths and pads to create expansive, enveloping walls of sound. This culminates in the 13 minute title track, which I feel is one of my most audibly rich, melodically complex tracks to date. Drawing influence from every other record I’ve made, whilst taking the sound to new and unfamiliar places, ‘Tomorrow’s Explorers’ is sure to please fans both old and new. The endless themes of space have been explored countless times by artists in the past. It’s a limitless source of inspiration for many of us and always a joy to discover. As usual, I hope you enjoy where it takes you.» — 36
фЕвраль
февральские растарелизы: Spiritual — Awakening (VP Records, 2017), The Aggrovators — Its a Disgrace 10′ Dub Plate (Pressure Sounds, 2017), Lyricson – Revolution Time Again (Digital Cut / Undisputed Records, 2017), Lariman & Taliras — Out of Darkness (Echobus Records, E, 2017), Ras Teo & I-David — Bredda Daniel Dub (USA Roots Reggae Collective, 2017), Meta And The Cornerstones — Hira (Baco Records, 2017), Dreadzone – Dread Times (Dubwiser, 2017)
Jesca Hoop — Memories Are Now (Sub Pop, 2017) — In February, folk musician Jesca Hoop will put out Memories Are Now, her first solo album since 2014’s Undress. Today she announced a set of 2017 U.S. and U.K. tour dates in support of the LP, with more shows to be added later. She also released a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Memories Are Now, which was apparently recorded after-hours at a Moroccan restaurant in Oxnard, Calif. The video was filmed right after Hoop completed a night’s recording session, she explains, and right before the restaurant reopened and became “bustling with clay pots and couscous.” Watch that video and find Hoop’s tour schedule below. Further down, listen to Paste Cloud audio from her 2011 Daytrotter session. Memories Are Now will be out Feb. 10 via Sub Pop; you can preorder it here. или, из врунета «Джессика «Джеска» Ада Хуп (англ. Jеssiса «Jеsса» Аdа Ноор, род. 21 апреля 1975, Санта-Роза, Калифорния) — американская певица и гитаристка, а также автор песен. Джеска начала писать особенные песни в возрасте 14 лет, чтобы отвлечься во время долгого пути в школу. В 2004 году её охватило желание поделиться этими песнями в более широком масштабе. Она поселилась в Лос-Анджелесе, где оттачивала ремесло автора песен и заработала репутацию уникального и по-настоящему живого исполнителя, который пишет о реальных вещах. Хуп начала писать музыку и работала няней для детей Тома Уэйтса. Том Уэйтс сказал так: «Её музыка походит на купание в озере ночью». В Тhе Lоs Аngеlеs Тimеs Хуп считается одной из десяти певцов Южной Калифорнии, которые стали лучшими в 2007 году. Затем Джеска подписала контракт с Соlumbiа Rесоrds. С того времени, Хуп побывала во всем мире, и её богатый жизненный опыт находит отражение в её отличительном голосе и даре изобретательного создания песен.»
Tinariwen — Elwan (Wedge, 2017) — Malian Tuareg band Tinariwen have announced that they’ll be returning with a new album, Elwan, on 10th February 2017 via Wedge. The band’s homeland – a Saharan mountain range – has recently been transformed into a conflict zone, and the album is set to reflect this, albeit with a range of contributors adding their own distinct touches to the record. Kurt Vile, Matt Sweeney and more have all added something to the record, and it has been honed by Andrew Schepps, who has previously worked with Johnny Cash and Jay Z. To coincide with the announcement, the group have unveiled an animated video for new track ‘Tenere Taqqal.’ Directed by Axel Digoix, depicts the contrast between the hostility of the desert and the love that its inhabitants feel for the land. It’s a look into the spiritual world of the Tuareg and the tenacity that they need to survive in seemingly impossible circumstances. Watch below. [assouf, tishoumaren, afro electric blues, ethno jazz, mali folk, desert fusion, psychedelic] или более кратко «Tinariwen are back with a brand new album, featuring collaborations with Mark Lanegan, Kurt Vile and more. Partly recorded at Rancha De Luna Studios in California’s Joshua Tree National Park, and M’Hamid El Ghizane in the south of Morocco, Elwan touches on themes of exile, lost territory and nostalgia.»
Chinese Man – Shikantaza (Chinese Man Records, 2017) — 5 years after their first album Racing with the Sun, Chinese Man is back with a new opus, SHIKANTAZA, composed between Marseille, Mumbay and their secret nest in the french countryside. Shikantaza is an invitation to let go, to capture the moment, a personal path to enlightenment.
Ноmеshаkе — Frеsh Аir (Sinderlyn – LYN-023, 2017) — как написал 
odlllbo: «Ноmеshаkе — сольный проект Питера Сагара и его друзей, из Монтреаля, в прошлом гитариста Мас DеМаrсо. В 2013-м году дебютировал с Тhе Ноmеshаkе Таре на кассете в ограниченном тираже, в 2014-м вышла его первая пластинка In thе Shоwеr. Третий альбом Пита Мidnight Snасk, 2015. За все время своего существования, представил себя необычным коллективом с очень теплой, иногда меланхоличной музыкой. Легкая фанки-гитара просто завораживает своими аккордами и дает понять,что не все так плохо, как кажется. Повседневные хлопоты уходят на задний план, а мысли становятся легкими, как облако. Закройте глаза и насладитесь этими глотком свежего воздуха, который вселит в вас надежду на лучшее.»
Taylor Deupree — Somi (12K, 2017) — is the new full-length from Taylor Deupree following 2014’s Faint (12k1073/12k2025). The release comes packaged as a CD inside a 20-page hardbound book of Deupree’s photographs that inspired the creation of the music. For the music, made with a small number of instruments (electric piano, glockenspiel, DX7, handheld cassette recorder) Deupree originally set out to create a follow-up to his classic album Stil.. Steeped in subtle repetition and soft electronic sound, Stil. explored themes of time and change. However, Stil. was created with purely electronic means – software synthesizers and looping algorithms which explored the then-novel frontier of DSP based “microsound.” With a strong desire to bring the aesthetics of Stil. to his current way of working Deupree used no software or automatic looping, instead opting for the imperfections of creating “loops” by hand. The result is warm and quietly decayed work of spare, discreet tones and dozens of interwoven slow polyrhythms that create repetitions that constantly fall apart and shuffle themselves back together. While these ideas of phase relationships are not new in music, nor to Deupree’s catalogue of work, it was the way he approached the composing that was different, and more challenging, than his work in the past. Wrapped up warmly in the sonics of cassette players and cheap built-in speakers, Somi’s dusty melodies sit quietly, but uneasily, and question the passing of time and present one of Deupree’s most alluring albums to date.
Teen Daze — Themes For Dying Earth (Flora, 2017) — из врунета: «Тееn Dаzе представляет свой новый полноформатный альбом, получивший название «Тhеmеs fоr Dуing Еаrth». Тееn Dаzе — образованный в 2008 году в Ванкувере, музыкальный проект канадского электронного музыканта Джеймисона Айзека (Jаmisоn Isааk) из Эбботсфорда, Британская Колумбия. Джеймисон взял себе сценический псевдоним Тееn Dаzе еще будучи подростком. Его первые альбомы, которые были выпущены в 2010 году, сразу привлекая к себе пристальное внимание музыкальных интернетовских и печатных изданий, таких как Рitсhfоrk Меdiа. Подписав контракт с лейблом Lеfsе Rесоrds, Тееn Dаzе выпустил полнометражный альбом «Аll оf Us Тоgеthеr» в 2012 году. Затем последовали альбомы «Glасiеr» в 2013 и «Моrning Wоrld» в 2015 году. С продюсером Jоhn Vаndеrsliсе музыка Тееn Dаzе еще больше сместилась к соединению стиля чиллвейв с инди-поп-саундом, для которого Джеймисон добавлял собственные вокальные партии.»
Andrea Belfi — Alveare (IIKKI, 2017) — Alveare is a journey across and around man-made cement beehives — the legacy of a group of visionary architects. Their playground: post-war Italy. Their vision: affordable dwelling designed to meet as many human needs as possible. A superficial look at these architectural reveries decades later might bring to mind terms such as «excessiveness» and «megalomania». But these massive edifices are prototypes of a city of the future – an urbanized future that was yet to be shaped by bold ideas and dreams. Meandering across the endless corridors of Nuovo Corviale or Rozzol Melara is like a surrealist hike through the realities of thousands of inhabitants of a beehive. And although the walls are made from rigid concrete, they have an organic feel to them. Facades move, shapes shift. Human demands are stronger than concrete and nature will always find a way. Alveare is a look at drawing board visions cast into concrete and their human adjustments. [free improvisation, electro-acoustic, avant-jazz, experimental, acousmatique, free jazz]
Poni Hoax – Tropical Suite (Pan European Recording, 2017) — [indie rock, neo-psychedelia, tropical pop, experimental pop, chillwave, electro pop, alternative dance, indietronica, funk, synth pop]
Jens Lekman – Life Will See You Now (Secretly Canadian, 2017) — в Музыкальный блог Сырника и Павлов написали: На «Life Will See You Now» Йенс Лекман вернулся к аранжировкам времен своего самого успешного альбома «Night Falls Over Kortedala» с американскими горками из колокольчиков, арф, скрипок и прочего. Сам Лекман пишет, что после прошлого альбома, вышедшего в 2012 году, он очень сильно устал от самого себя, впал в ипохондрию, стал тревожен, потерял вдохновение. Чтобы выйти из такого состояния, ему потребовались: > записанная в 2014 году демка альбома, которая оставила равнодушными друзей и чуваков с лейбла и дальше не пошла, > проект Postcards, когда Лекман записывал по песне в неделю на протяжении всего 2015 года, > проект Ghostwriting, когда Лекман писал песни на основе историй других людей. На новом альбоме можно найти песни и с запоротой демки (What’s That Perfume That You Wear?), и из «открыток» (Postcard # 17 и How We Met, The Long Version). Этот альбом о том, как быть близким кому-то, кто сильно болен, но не знать наверняка, насколько вы в действительности близки; об избегании конфликтов и первой большой ссоре в отношениях; о выборе того, с кем ты хочешь быть; о духах, которые преследуют годами, и о воспоминаниях, с ними связанных; о печали, вызванной невозможностью выразить свою любовь; о сжигании мостов.
Sinkane – Life & Livin’ It (City Slang, 2017) — True to its name, Life & Livin’ It is an album about all kinds of experiences. When Ahmed Gallab sings, he sounds unafraid yet vulnerable. But while he once sang of feeling like he was on the planet Mars, Ahmed is now firmly grounded on Earth. He’s no longer searching for his home — he has created a home for himself. There’s a party there, and Life & Livin’ It is playing on the stereo. You are invited. или из врунета: Lifе & Livin’ It — новый студийник Sinkаnе (Аhmеd Gаllаb), родившегося в Лондоне музыканта, в семье выходцев из солнечного Судана, что в Северной Африке, затем перебравшегося в США. Стиль Sinkаnе сочетает в себе рок, краутрок, фанк, джаз и суданской поп. На его музыку повлияло то, что по первости в Америке он чувствовал себя как посторонний, и это стало темой его песен. Сейчас же у него всё хорошо, он ощущает себя «человеком мира» и занимается любимым делом.
Brent Cash – The New High (Marina Records, 2017) — Given the state of the world in 2017 and the fall- out from [insert Trump’s latest crime against humanity here], the AM radio sheen of Brent Cash’s backwards-looking The New High is an ideal panacea. As he has done throughout his career, Cash takes his cues from sunshine pop of the ‘60s and ‘70s as well as the classic singer-songwriters of the era, evoking a sound that has its roots firmly embedded throughout music history. Touches of Ben Folds piano and prodigious use of strings mean you can almost feel the wind in your hair as you drive with the top down through Laurel Canyon. However, all is not well in Cash’s world and the counterpoint to this sweetness — the shard of glass in the tin of Quality Street, if you will — is the lyrics, which tell of a man coming to terms with heartbreak. It’s almost comical how Cash’s fey tone and some gorgeous harmonies make the phrase “you were really out for blood” (from ‘Out For Blood’) sound like a loving compliment. Similarly, ‘The Way You Were’ has vocals and violins that sound like they descended from heaven itself, only for you to realise the subject matter is a relationship that’s crumbled due to the girl dedicating herself to God. The upbeat melody paired with downbeat stories trick is nothing new (nothing on this record really is), but eventually the instrumentation can’t carry the weight of positivity, and the arrangements begin to slow down and become more introspective as the album draws to a close. This means ‘The New High’ gives the impression of defeat as it ends, something directly in opposition to the West Coast feel at the beginning. Still, right now, Brent Cash’s world is a much better world to live in than this one, heartache and all.
Thievery Corporation — The Temple Of I And I (ESL Music – esl 222, 2×CD, 2017) — из врунета: «Известный американский музыкальный дуэт Тhiеvеrу Соrроrаtiоn представляет свой новый студийный альбом «Тhе Теmрlе оf I & I». Участники дуэта: Роб Гарса и Эрик Хилтон. Группа была образована летом 1995 года в Вашингтоне, она умело смешивает разные стили, такие как даб, джаз, трип-холп, регги, индийскую и афро-кубинскую музыку. Песни исполняются на английском, французском, португальском, испанском и персидском. Один из их альбомов получил номинацию на премию «Грэмми». «Электронная музыка часто кажется холодной», — говорят участники дуэта Тhiеvеrу Соrроrаtiоn, — «Музыка, которую делаем мы, вдохновлена мелодиями 60’х и 70’х, саундтреками к старым фильмам и другими музыкальными формами, которые очень отличаются от всего, что обычно ассоциируется с современным электронным саундом». Трип-хоп и эйсид-джаз — это только условные границы, которыми можно очертить музыку Тhiеvеrу Соrроrаtiоn. Абстрактные инструментальные пассажи этого дуэта, иногда расцвеченные приятными вокальными партиями, дышат человеческой теплотой и радуют пульсацией настоящей жизни благодаря многочисленным «приправам» из множества стилей.«
The Tiger Lillies – Cold Night in Soho (Misery Guts Music, 2017) — their first album in 10 years not to be tied in to one of their theatre shows. The album was recently described by The Independent as “a remarkable performance, one which confounds their reputation as theatrical ironists and confirms that behind the greasepaint lurks genuine emotion. или изврунета «новый диск очень самобытного лондонского трио Тhе Тigеr Lilliеs, играющего в жанре Dаrk Саbаrеt. В альбомe они изображают Лондон, а именно квартал Сохо, в прямо таки диккенсовских тонах, без прикрас — там и проститутки, и игроки, и ограбления, и пьяная атмосфера, и смерть и прочие тёмные стороны, причём, всё навеяно личными воспоминаниями музыкантов, по их словам. Тhе Тigеr Lilliеs — это Мартин Жак, Эдриан Хьюдж и Эдриан Стаут. Трио работает в мрачном комедийно-трагичном стиле театра Grаnd Guignоl с элементами брехтовского кабаре и чёрного юмора.»
Coldharbourstores — Wilderness (Enraptured Records, 2017) — Of all the turn-of- the-century bands one might reasonably have expected to reform in recent years, surely no one had their money on London’s Coldharbourstores. Still, 14 years on from their softly-softly debut More Than the Other comes Wilderness: eight tracks of luscious indietronica, deftly brushed by the hand of shoegaze and with their sense of ruminative melancholia intact. A marvellous production job from Graham Sutton (Bark Psychosis, East India Youth) allows the band space to breathe amidst the Cocteaus-esque shimmer of opener ‘Sightless’ – particularly when the spotlight switches to novelist Scott Heim’s brief monologue. It’s new vocalist Lucy Castro who seals the deal, however; whether soaring and searching (‘Genie’) or pitch-shifted and mysterious (‘Kissing’), she gives character and colour to David Read and Michael McCabe’s shifting washes of melody and texture. Guess all that time to reflect in the, ahem, wilderness was worthwhile, then – unlikely as it is to bust them out of the indie ghettoes, Coldharbourstores’ unexpected return is a very lovely thing indeed.
Radical Face – SunnMoonnEclippse [EP] (Bear Machine, 2017) — Бен пишет «So this new EP is up today. It’s called SunnMoonnEclippse. A note about this EP: it is really intended to be «watched.» There’s a dedicated website for this presentation here: http://sunnmoonneclippse.com. I mentioned in an earlier post that I’m gonna be doing a lot of short form releases this year. This is the first of those, and I already have two more underway, each with very different styles. I’ve really gone back to just having fun and exploring. And it’s really damn nice to put this out so soon after finishing it. I usually sit on recordings for 6 — 12 months before they finally come out, just because records take so long to set up and manufacture. This is a very welcome change. I made the music alongside my friend Gordon McBryde, who’s done pretty much all my press photos and album art for the past 6 years. He was building the videos as I was making the music, and they started to influence each other. The end result was a strange kind of collaboration, one that neither of us have ever done before. So I really think this all makes the most sense when you watch it. The website gives you the ability to turn the lyrics off and on at will, if you’re on a desktop. The words may take a couple passes to read, as there’s never more than one syllable up at a time, and many are spelled phonetically or replaced with symbols. But if you just wanna watch the videos and not worry about that, the option is there. Otherwise, there are no controls. The 3 songs are built to be a cycle, and the lyrics are really all about that. When you log on to the site, it will put you at a point in the cycle, and you cannot stop it. So everyone’s loop is a bit different, depending on where you begin. That is my personal favorite presentation of this whole concept. But I’ve also uploaded these things to all the usual culprits as well, for general convenience.»
Luke Sital-Singh – Killing Me [Single] (2017) и Luke Sital-Singh – This Woman’s Work / American Girl [Single] (2016) — два чудных сингла от, пусть и попсового, но крайне искреннего, Raised in the southwest London suburb of New Malden, indie folk singer/songwriter Luke Sital-Singh released his first EP, Fail for You, in late 2012. Produced by veteran Irish producer Iain Archer (Snow Patrol, Jake Bugg), the four songs had a haunting, intimate quality that drew comparisons to Bon Iver and Jeff Buckley and earned him considerable airplay in the U.K. Sital-Singh released a second EP in the spring of 2013 called Old Flint, which opened the doors to several tours, key spots on the U.K. festival circuit, and eventually landed him a deal with British major Parlophone Records. Tornados, his third EP and first for Parlophone, found him again working with Iain Archer and was released in late 2013. The EP found Sital-Singh expanding his usually spare sound with the introduction of a full complement of backing musicians, bringing a newfound complexity to his music. He then appeared on the BBC Sound of 2014 long list, and soon after confirmed the details of his debut album, The Fire Inside, which was due for release midway through that year. ~ Timothy Monger
The Underground Youth — What Kind Of Dystopian Hellhole Is This? (Fuzz Club, 2017) — Recorded in Leo’s basement, Berlin, between July & August 2016. is the 8th LP from Berlin-via-Manchester based outfit The Underground Youth and it’s arguably their most accomplished yet. Their latest effort will be released by Fuzz Club on February 15th 2017. Perhaps what is most exceptional about The Underground Youth is their ability to create a brooding melting pot of psychedelia, post-punk, Berlin chillwave, goth and shoegaze but delivered with a dreamy pop sensibility. TUY’s blend of dark psychedelic post-punk music has developed a worldwide loyal fan base that continues to grow. а на обратнойсторонелуны, в обзоре №632 от 07.02.2017 написано «Создателя проекта «Подпольная молодежь» зовут Крэйг Дайер. Он проживает в Манчестере и является единственным постоянным участником своего детища. Вдохновившись такими знаковыми коллективами, как The Velvet Underground и The Jesus & Mary Chain, Дайер исполняет пост-панк в готической тональности и с заметными долями психоделика и шугейза. Лейтмотив его пока последнего диска «Haunted» не даёт усомниться в том, что концепция полностью соответствует названию проекта. Никаких попсовых ноток, всё сдержанно, мрачно и весьма достойно. В одной из представленных в плейлисте композиций Крэйг Дайер вспоминает Майю Дерен, хореографа и режиссёра американского независимого кино, оказавшую влияние, в частности, на Дэвида Линча.»
Sun Kil Moon – Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood (Caldo Verde, 2017) — Last year, Sun Kil Moon mastermind Mark Kozelek released two albums: One collection of covers, and one full-length collaboration with Jesu. And now he’s already got two more albums’ worth of material ready for us to hear. Kozelek recorded the new Sun Kil Moon double album Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood with former Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. The album is written in the diaristic, conversational style that he’s been using lately, and according to Kozelek’s website, it addresses “events from January to August of 2016 and how Mark processed it all while traveling.” We’ve already posted the early songs “God Bless Ohio” and “I Love Portugal.” And right now, you can stream the entire album at Kozelek’s website. Check out the tracklist below.
Fog Lake (Aaron Powell) — Dragonchaser (Orchid Tapes, 2017) — см.
Otis Taylor – Fantasizing About Being Black (Trance Blues Festival, 2017) — Blues music visionary Otis Taylor reflects on the African American experience in a timely release on the Trance Blues Festival label. Fantasizing About Being Black is Otis Taylor s poetic musical exploration from the voyages of slave ships to the Mississippi Delta with a raw and haunting multi-instrumental blend that reveals the connection of history to modern day events; features musical guests Jerry Douglas, Brandon Niederauer and Ron Miles.
Вася Обломов — Долгая и несчастливая жизнь (Self-Released, 2017) — Обломов: «Песня, которая дала название всему альбому. Грустная, депрессивная, но по моей шкале еще не самая безысходная. Я умею писать мрачнее. Она не о политике, она о нас, об аде обыденной ежедневной жизни. На каждом моем альбоме, помимо песен о социальных проблемах, есть две-три такие, лирические. На концертах часто просят петь именно их». Интервью на тему вышедшего альбома. Читать можно здесь. Помимо Васи Обломова в записи приняли участие: Ася Соршнева (скрипка), Яник Николенко (флейта), Ольга Демина (виолончель), Петюня Тихонов (труба), Дмитрий Карев (аккордеон), Глеб Самойлов, Паша Чехов и хор учащихся детской музыкальной школы им. Андреева.
Chip Taylor – A Song I Can Live With (Train Wreck Records, 2017) — Legendary songwriter Chip Taylor, who was inducted into the hallowed Songwriters Hall of Fame (along with Marvin Gaye, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello) in June of 2016, announces a February 17 release date for his new album, A Song I Can Live With, on his Train Wreck Records imprint. Chip’s latest compilation of songs in his own inimitable style, personal in origin but universal in appeal, follows last year’s release of Little Brothers, which generated universal acclaim and also saw Taylor reuniting with his former duo partner, singer/fiddler Carrie Rodriguez, for a series of shows dubbed “the 10th Anniversary Red Dog Tracks Reunion Tour,” in honor of their album of the same name. Taylor also released a “mini album,” I’ll Carry for You, last year, inspired by Canadian golfing sisters Brooke and Brittany Henderson, who caddy for each other, and whose title track was a song about the power of love. Prior to the release of A Song I Can Live With, Chip and his long-time guitar player, John Platania, taped an interview and performance with Chicago’s Dave Hoekstra for his acclaimed WGN-AM radio show, “Nocturnal Journal,” that will air Saturday, January 14, at 10:00 PM Central Time. Listeners can stream it live by going to http://wgnradio.com/ Produced by Chip Taylor and Goran Grini, the new album sessions were recorded at Train Wreck Studios in Mamaroneck, New York, and Grini Studios in Norway. The even-dozen songs feature Taylor backed by a band that includes Goran Grini on an assortment of instruments, as well as John Platania on guitar and special guest Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar.
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растадабы марта: VA — My Enemies Riddim (Conquering Records, 2017), Ventrice Morgan (Queen Ifrica) — Climb (VP Records, 2017), Jackie Mittoo — Striker Showcase (17 North Parade, 2×CD, Compilation, Remastered, 2017), Hempress Sativa (aka Kerida Johnson) — Unconquerebel (Conquering Lion Records, 2017), VA — Inna De Yard The Soul Of Jamaica (Chapter Two – 3342736, 2017), Talisman — Dont Play With Fyah (Sugar Shack Records, 2017), Capleton – Capleton Selects Dancehall (MI Jet Star, 2017), Kingston All Stars — Presenting Kingston All Stars [Roots & Wire Records, 2017], Mungo’s Hi Fi feat Mr.Williamz – Industry (Scotch Bonnet, 7″, 45 RPM, 2017), VA – Sly & Robbie Present_ Taxi Gang in Discomix Style 1978-1987 (Cree Records, Compilation, 2017), Nattali Rize — Rebel Frequency (Baco Records, 2017), Triston Palmer – Stop Spreading Rumours (Jamaican Records, 2017), Chuck Foster – Last Call (Catch Me Time Records, 2017)
Peaking Lights — Little Flower (Two Flowers, 12″, Single, 2017) — Peaking Lights are back at it. While the clouds of pessimism hover, rays of sunshine cut and break thru with two new tracks for healing and conquering the shadows that loom. Little Flower featuring Chloë Sevigny for Regime Des Fleurs was curated by fashion sound guru Michel Gaubert to play during fashion week on Valentines Day 2016. Over the summer of 2016, Peaking Lights was approached by DJ Harvey’s camp for the instrumental version for sweaty times so for some of you this tune may ring familiar; however, this is the first time it’s been released to the public. The vocal version features Chloë Sevigny with a beautiful melancholic yet powerful chant to Saint Therese an alchemical figure who’s words “What matters in life is not great deeds but great love” ring true thru time. Peaking Lights production is a playfully psychedelic mid tempo love jam with a lot of groove. On the flip is Conga Blue with the instrumental to follow. An upbeat weirdo disco cut laying it down at 120bpm with some dreamy vocals with a catchy line “through dark and doom can flowers bloom?” as the solid rhythm section holds it together while melodies float by and the clav and synths ride the groove. Originally this cut was released digitally in March 2016 one year later it’s on wax.
Zenzile — Elements (Yotanka Records, 2017) — a nouveauté réside notamment dans le fait que les ambiances un peu rugueuses façon Berlin sont davantage contrebalancées par des passages plus doux. Cette diversité rend également l’album plus inclassable que jamais, toujours plus à la croisée des chemins. Seule la musique compte, les querelles de chapelle n’ont pas leur place ici. Néanmoins, si ce patchwork peut s’avérer un bonheur auditif pour le mélomane, il ne fonctionne pas toujours aussi bien que son prédécesseur, qui avait le mérite d’être extrêmement couillu. Rien de vraiment problématique, mais si les mélodies sont toujours très particulières, elles sont cette fois moins soutenues par le rythme, globalement plus posé, pour un résultat parfois surprenant («Sequences» rappelle des passages de la bande originale de Virgin Suicides), parfois peu accrocheur. C’est surtout le cas en deuxième partie d’album, où l’intermède «Stellar» tue quelque peu le rythme, et où l’absence de la voix de Zakia Gallard se fait sentir. Un peu curieux d’ailleurs de mettre autant la jeune femme en avant, jusqu’à la faire figurer sur des photos officielles, alors qu’elle n’est finalement que très peu présente. Vincent Erdeven (claviers, guitare) et Matthieu Bablée (basse) se partagent le micro sur les autres titres comportant du chant. Alors certes, cela fonctionne (le single «Presence», très réussi), et le retour franc au dub sur le dernier morceau est bienvenu (tout comme le retour de Zakia), mais il manque un petit quelque chose à l’album, qui s’il pourrait faire revenir des déçus de Berlin, n’est pas aussi marquant que son prédécesseur. Elements demeure toutefois un bel album de musique insaisissable, et Zenzile un groupe précieux car unique.
Dope Lemon – Hounds Tooth (EMI, EP, 2017) — епишка поп-психоделического проекта Ангуса из дуэта Angus & Julia Stone. the latest release from Angus Stone (known to most as one half of sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone) under the pseudonym Dope Lemon is a collection of songs with rich instrumentals and well-formed melodies. Stone combines flute, horns and melodic bass to produce a South American funk vibe on percussive opener ‘Home Soon’. ‘Neon Lights’ follows, bringing a change of pace with a sweet guitar line, softer vocals and charming lyrics that demonstrate Stone’s strong songwriting abilities. Warm, reverb-laden ‘Hounds Tooth’ precedes catchy EP highlight ‘Lovers Left to Die’ and hazy, mesmerising closing track ‘Where Do You Go’. Each song on Hounds Tooth is interesting and captivating — well-written and well-produced. The five-track release was recorded during month-long rehearsals for last year’s Honey Bones tour. Original sessions were delayed after Angus had a snowboarding accident. After a long period of rehabilitation, learning to walk again after stretches of heavy hospital sedation on high-grade pain relief, Stone expanded his songwriting style to transform spontaneous jams into gems.
Conor Oberst — Salutations (Nonesuch Records, 2017) — the album is a companion piece to 2016’s lauded Ruminations. When Oberst wrote and recorded the songs on Ruminations, entirely solo—with just voice, piano, guitar and harmonica—he intended to ultimately record them with a full band. In the midst of putting together that band—upstate New York’s The Felice Brothers plus the legendary drummer Jim Keltner (Neil Young, Jackson Browne, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and many more)—the passionate responses Oberst was getting to those first solo recordings, from friends and colleagues, encouraged him to release the songs as-is, in their original sparse form, as his seventh solo album: Ruminations, which was released in October 2016. The Sunday Times of London called it «the rawest album yet from the forever troubled one-time voice of a generation» and «political and very, very personal,» saying Oberst is «one of the best songwriters around.» Meanwhile, Oberst simultaneously moved ahead with his plans to record with the band, heading to the famed Shangri-la Studios in Malibu to record Salutations—co-produced with Keltner and engineered by long-time musical compadre Andy LeMaster. Guest contributions come courtesy of Jim James, Blake Mills, Maria Taylor, M. Ward, Gillian Welch, Gus Seyffert, Pearl Charles, Nathaniel Walcott, and Jonathan Wilson. Salutations includes full-band versions of the ten songs from Ruminations, plus seven additional songs, some from an additional session at Five Star Studios in Echo Park in fall 2016.
Brian Eno – Sisters (Generative Music, 4×File, MP3, 320, 2017) — второй за год альбом Ино. Music By, Photography By – Brian Eno. Sequenced By [Mutation Software] – Peter Chilvers. The tracks in Sisters were each produced by an algorithm similar in nature to that used in Reflection ; like sisters, they share characteristics, yet have distinct personalities. From the Brian Eno FaceBook page: «As a result of the Brexit-related fall in value of the British pound Apple have increased the prices of all apps sold in the UK by 25%. While we always intended REFLECTION to be a premium priced app, we feel this increase makes it too expensive, so we will take the hit in order to keep the British price to the consumer at its original level. In other territories this decision will translate into a reduced price for the app. As a thank you to anyone who has paid the higher original price for the app, we are making available a free download of a new piece of music created with similar algorithms to those in Reflection. This will be available to anyone who has purchased the app to date and will be available to download until 28th February.» из врунета: «Самый интересный факт о новом альбоме отца эмбиента «Sisters» заключается в том, что его написал не сам Ино, а его приложение для создания музыки. Этот релиз является подарком для всех скачавших приложение на iPhone. Четыре совершенно одинаковых по продолжительности трека — «Hannah», «Irial», «Darla» и «Anya», представляют собой уже полностью «машинный» труд. Хорошо это или плохо — вопрос интересный. Если брать во внимание что это «эмбиент» — это музыка для фона, то наверно такой способ создания не покажется пугающим. Если же брать в расчёт мнение людей, которые пытаются причислить этот жанр к «высокодуховной» музыке, то может случится война или как минимум потасовка в комментариях под подобными постами. Эмбиент всегда служил для заполнения пространства — был музыкой которая не мешает, если не вдаваться в поджанры. Брайан Ино, в свою очередь, снова показывает нам, что он идёт в ногу со временем и открывает новые неизведанные горизонты.»
Talaboman – The Night Land (R&S Records, 2017) — House producers Axel Boman and John Talabot initiated their Talaboman collaboration with “Sideral,” a buoyant track that first appeared on Talabot’s 2013 DJ-Kicks mix before being released as a single in 2014. The two kept plenty busy with their respective solo careers, so it took until 2017 for a Talaboman full-length to appear. The Night Land is appropriately casual and unhurried, with track times stretching well past the five-minute mark, and each song seeming like a document of an extended late-night session. Opening track “Midnattssol” is a calm, peaceful collage of bird calls, rainstick, and African drumming atop slightly eerie ambient synths. “Safe Changes” has a simple kick-snare beat over grainy synth arpeggios, and as the track progresses, adding echo, reverb, and the faintest hint of a melody, the duo seem to get a lot of mileage out of such limited elements. Then they end it with a bizarre, cheeky sample of movie dialogue, where a woman confirms with a man that he wants to sexually stimulate her using an android. The tempo picks up for “Samsa,” which features a sparse, airy beat and dubby chords, and is in no rush to wind up at a melody, which appears only during the last few of the track’s 11 minutes. “Loser’s Hymn” is more immediate, with a captivating fuzzy bassline and a nice melody, not to mention the presence of understated cymbal hits, which end up being crucial to the track. “Brutal Chugga-Chugga” is a bit more primitive and industrial-sounding, but not as nihilistic or dark as it might seem — think Throbbing Gristle’s “Hot on the Heels of Love” after a yoga session or two. The final two tracks continue the duo’s blend of bumping lo-fi house with subtle African drums and trippy effects. Boman and Talabot seem to have enjoyed themselves coming up with these gritty, off-the-cuff tracks, and The Night Land is easily enjoyable without being too safe or conventional.
Blonde Redhead – 3 O’Clock [EP] (Asa Wa Kuru, 2017) — The four tracks on the EP are shaped by the Blonde Redhead‘s 2016 tour showcasing revamped material from 2004 classic Misery Is A Butterfly — bolstered by live strings, the songs took on new meanings and were enhanced in surprising ways. This new EP runs on that theme, meshing Blonde Redhead’s distinct pop bent with orchestral tones. The band’s Kazu Makino says of the new single: «At three in the afternoon, a lot of things happen, how many times we schedule appointments at that time? In Japan, then, it is a holy hour, it’s ‘tea time’. Obviously you might even think about the three in the morning, but I wrote the song starting from this suggestion, thinking about what is a significant time to me on a daily basis, a kind of turning point, metaphorically the beginning of a new chapter for Blonde Redhead.» 3 O’Clock follows last year’s Masculin Féminin collection and their 2014 LP Barragán. The short-player was recorded in New York State and produced by the band. Eyvind Kang contributes woodwind and string arrangements, which are performed by The American Contemporary Music Ensemble: ACME.
Clutchy Hopkins & Fat Albert Einstein (Christopher Vagnoni) — High Desert Low Tide (Aural Tradition, 2017) — Heavy funk/jazz instrumentals with a 60’s/70’s soundtrack vibe played live. Recorded over 10 years between the dust filled caverns of the Mojave Desert to the marine layer rust of Los Angeles. A must for hip-hop heads,jazz cats,rockers and funk freaks. или Clutchy Hopkins and Fat Albert Einstein have both produced some quirky, left-field hip-hop instrumentals on their own over the last several years, and they’re back at it again on high desert low tide, blending funk, jazz and folk into a rich, sloppy stew of beats, grooves and moods. The record feels very homespun, like some friends having fun jamming in a garage or basement who just hit the record button casually. This comes through in the live, raw sound and a few melodies that sound like they were improvised on the spot. The fact that they can seemingly stumble upon greatness — a cool riff here, a catchy hook there — is impressive, but the fact that those little gold nuggets aren’t polished up or exploited can be a little bit frustrating. Some of their most rewarding pieces seem to be more planned out, more composed and arranged. “ZERO G’S” is based on an infectious call and response between bass and a couple saxophones, while “NIGHTSHADE” offers some of their lushest instrumentation on the album, and thoroughly constructs a mood of weary apprehension that could aptly soundtrack a sun-bleached bar full of outlaws anywhere in the world. “PRE VINTAGE” continues this mood with a melody that feels like it’s melting over a grounded but spacious beat. One weird note: “DOUBLE DRIBBLE” has a saxophone melody that reminds one of the “Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius” part of the Planet of the Apes musical from The Simpsons (once you hear it, you can’t un-hear it). Given the musical quirkiness these guys display here though, they’d probably enjoy this serendipity. Aside from the annoying guitar solo at the very end of the album, the rest of it is a pretty fun, unique trip.
Kid Koala & Emiliana Torrini — Music To Draw To_ Satellite (Arts & Crafts, 2017) — в сообществе Музыка Хорошего Вкуса, о этом альбоме написали так: «Канадский ди-джей сделал еще один шаг в сторону самостоятельного искусства (первый был в 2011 году — Space Cadet). На этот раз практически без виниловых сэмплов — только бас, синтезатор и гитара. И, конечно, голос исландской дивы Эмилианы Торрини. Идея записи этого эмбиент-поп альбома родилась после серии акций, где участники рисовали под специальное музыкальное сопровождение».
Julie’s Haircut — Invocation And Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin (Rocket Recordings, 2017) — “Being from Italy and doing what we do — we are outsiders” reckons Luca Giovanardi, a founder member of Julie’s Haircut, whose always incendiary yet increasingly outlandish sound has found itself with few parallels in their homeland since their inception towards the end of the last century. Yet in following their own singular pathway, the band have arrived at the deep-end approach to sonic innovation audible on their debut release for Rocket Recordings, ‘Invocation And Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin’, which finds them at a plateau of small-hours elucidation and revelation that may summon the spectres of the wayward squall of Mercury Rev, the shamanic allure of Dead Skeletons or the wild soundscapes of Amon Düül II to some, yet essentially sounds like no-one but themselves. Inspired by the methods of Can and Miles Davis, the band follow intuitive processes to transcend notions of classicism, genre and contemporary reference, somewhere in motion along the pathways of the consciousness-expanding psychedelic continuum without paying lip-service to its well-worn signifiers. The result is a record built on trance-like repetition that builds to mantric intensity to summon atmospheric plateaus redolent of the psychic and surreal transgressions of its title — a double-helix tribute to both Frank Zappa and Kenneth Anger. As Luca elaborates, «For me, if anything, psychedelic music has always been about adventure and loss of any safety net». Rest assured, ‘Invocation And Ritual Dance Of My Demon Twin’ offers no such security at all.
VA — Synthesize the Soul Astro-Atlantic Hypnotica from the Cape Verde Islands 1973-1988 (Ostinato Records Llc, Compilation, 2017) — the latest compilation from New York-based reissue label Ostinato Records, explores the broad range of electrifying music that blossomed up from this small cluster of islands. Primarily consisting of guitar-and-keyboard-driven, uptempo dance music, the tracks have strong stylistic resemblances to other musical styles of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora, most notably zouk music—as well as Trinidadian soca and the bachata music of the Dominican Republic. It’s a bit different from Analog Africa’s Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde—more dancefloor-oriented and less psychedelic—but they’re clearly two essential peas in a pod.
Fred und Luna — Im Klanggarten (Bigamo Musik, 2017) — новый релиз электрокраут-проекта немецкого музыканта Rainer Buchmuller (aka Sugar Ray Buckmiller), что живет возле Рейна в городе Karlsruhe, Germany. Играет он в одиночку, довольно мелодичную электронику с явными краутными корнями — так и называя себя в рецензиях «Elektrokraut (concerning Read the rest of this entry
Fink — Fink’s Sunday Night Blues Club, Vol. 1 (R’Coup’D, 2017) — врунете пишут: «блюзовый альбом Финка, записанный в Берлине совместно с крутым продюсером Flооd (Марк Эллис), работавшим с U2, РJ Наrvеу, Nеw Оrdеr, Niсk Саvе аnd thе Ваd Sееds, Sigur Rоs, Тhе Smаshing Рumрkins, Мinistrу и ещё с целой кучей известных команд. Кстати, вскоре ожидается и новый студийник Fink, который должен выйти в этом году. Fink — это Фин Гринолл, английский бард, продюсер и DJ из Брайтона, годный артист, близкий по духу андеграунду». folk alternative blues dub indie London
Binoculers – Sun Sounds [Insular, 2017] — см.
Son Of Velvet Rat – Dorado (Fluff & Gravy Records, 2017) — SotVR is the project of European Songwriter Georg Altziebler together with his wife Heike Binder on organ and accordion. Their catalogue includes collaborations with luminaries such as Lucinda Williams and former Wilco-drummer Ken Coomer. “Heartbreakingly beautiful, slow, minimal folk. Think Will Oldham, mellow tracks Iron and Wine, quiet Sun Kil Moon
Аll Indiа Rаdiо — Аll Indiа Rаdiо with Lеоnа Grау (Маrtin Кеnnеdу, 2017) — «Новый альбом Аll Indiа Rаdiо, куда вошли пять песен с вокалисткой Леоной Грей, записанных в разное время в течение нескольких лет, когда Мартину удавалось поработать с Леоной. Аll Indiа Rаdiо исполняет удивительно атмосферные композиции в стилях даунтемпо, лоу-фай, трип-хоп и эмбиент с некоторым влиянием инструментального пост-рока и ретровейва. Аll Indiа Rаdiо — это частично живая группа и частично студийный проект. Основной и постоянный член группы — Мартин Кеннеди, ранее работавший в мельбурнской группе Рrау ТV. Аll Indiа Rаdiо выпустили более девяти альбомов, начиная с 2000 года. Их музыка часто можно услышать в кино и на телевидении, включая такие фильмы и шоу как СSI: Мiаmi, Оnе Тrее Нill, Siсkо, Тill Нumаn Vоiсеs Wаkе Us, Вig Вrоthеr Аustrаliа, Воndi Rеsсuе и Rесruits, а также на саундтреке австралийского пост-апокалипсис-фильма Тhе Rаrе Еаrth. Проект Аll Indiа Rаdiо был номинирован на Аustrаliаn Rесоrding Industrу Аwаrd (АRIА). Его сравнивают с Моgwаi, Воаrds оf Саnаdа и называют одним из самых изысканных и атмосферных музыкальных проектов Австралии.» написано врунете
Rodolphe Burger — Good (Dernière Bande, 2017) — Good, le nouvel album de Rodolphe Burger paraîtra en février 2017 sur son label Dernière Bande (Distrib. Pias). Élaborées au cours de résidences à la Villa Médicis, à Rome, au Théâtre de Vidy à Lausanne et à la Maison de la Poésie à Paris, les nouvelles compositions de Good ont été réalisées avec la complicité de Christophe Calpini du groupe Stade, réalisateur pour Alain Bashung de L’imprudence, cofondateur de Mobile in Motion. Ce quatrième album solo de Rodolphe Burger (qui succède à « No Sport » et aux aventures qui s’en sont suivies) est un disque profondément sensuel. Un truc de « shaman », murmure Burger en parlant de Calpini. Des voix surgissent de très loin : celle de Sarah Murcia, celle de Patrick Mario Bernard qui chantonne. Des batteries digitales, des insectes électroniques qui énervent de très vieilles guitares dégottées dans un atelier vaudois. On n’a presque jamais vu d’entreprise plus fluide que ces sessions estivales, la douceur des générations mêlées, cette façon de traiter la musique comme un festin. GOOD est une contredanse nébuleuse dans un saloon européen. « Le son du variateur quand la lumière faiblit. » C’est cela, exactement.
Tamikrest – Kidal (Glitterbeat, 2017) — Tamikrest’s new album is the music of defiance, of hope. It’s rock’n’roll from the Sahara, the sound of the Tuareg dream, a dream that will be renewed again, in their ancestral town: Kidal.
Mudd & Pollard — N7 Odyssey (Claremont 56, 2017) — Balmy, groovy late-night disco with organic funk and cosmic synths by Kevin Pollard, Paul N. Murphy.
Paul St. Hilaire & Rhauder — Derdeoc (Sushitech Records – SUSH43, 2017) — новый даб-техно-эмбиент альбом давно известного Пола и нового для меня Marco Rhauderwiek. Вот так о этом релизе написал Дмитрий Игнатьев: Сотрудничество Rhauder с первым даб-техно вокалистом Полом Сент-Хилером, он же Tikiman, началось еще в прошлом десятилетии с пластинок, выпущенных лейблом Ornaments. В этом году они отметились еще одной совместной пластинкой и двумя треками на компиляции «Tessera II» лейбла Sushitech, где и выходит их дебютный альбом «Derdeoc». Над альбомом музыканты работали более года и говорят, что там сосредоточены разнообразные влияния ямайских дабовых ритмов. Но при этом первостепенное внимание уделяется танцпольной составляющей. Однако, прослушивая их трек с компиляции «Tessera II», как раз от танцполов все довольно далеко.
Molly Nilsson — Imaginations (Night School, 2017) — Осенью 2016-го the-village.ru написали о очередном альбоме Молли — «Шведка Молли Нильссон стала известна благодаря «Hey Moon!», сумрачной балладе в дуэте с Джоном Маусом, с тех пор ассоциируясь то ли с новым странным попом в духе Ариэля Пинка или Женевы Джакузи, то ли с более мрачными и минималистичными скандинавами вроде Lust for Youth и First Hate. Сама же Нильсон пишет довольно простую, но цепкую музыку — это восьмидесятнический синтипоп напополам с нью-вейвом, сделанный будто бы с оглядкой на группу Oppenheimer Analysis, только максимально безжизненный, нарочито плохо звучащий и с неадекватным количеством реверберации и эхо. Альбом Молли анонсировала песней «Think Pink» — чуть ли не самой весёлой и прямолинейной композицией в своей карьере, которую уже сложно включить на какой-нибудь готической вечеринке, но все ещё можно попробовать» конец цитаты
Ghost Culture – Nucleus EP (Phantasy Sound – PH58, 12″, EP, 2017) — Two years on from his critically acclaimed self-titled debut LP and 2016’s similarly transcendent club hit Safe/Multiply, Ghost Culture is pleased to announce his new EP Nucleus. Due for release on 24.02.2017, Nucleus, captures the enigmatic London artist’s signature sound in the reflection of unexpected, vibrant new lights.
Multicast Dynamics – Continental Ruins (Denovali Records, 2017) — Finland-based Samuel van Dijk is an electronic music producer, sound designer and media artist, having released electronic music under a variety of projects, namely, Mohlao and VC-118A. Following on from 2014-2016’s praised album quadrilogy, Multicast Dynamics releases his new Continental Ruins LP on Denovali Records. Inspired by decayed infrastructure, Samuel van Dijk reveals his sound documentary about sunken cities and continents. A study on storytelling with sound, where electronic music acts as a verb, moved by images and narratives. Continental Ruins is a journey through washed out, blurred particles, gliding across the ungraspable seafog of the atlantic, transforming the visible into sound. The murky and desolated atmosphere throughout the tracks reflects an forgotten utopia of places that were once populated. Unfolding fallen structures, immersing into the elusive, submerged land, searching for signs of life in the lost memories of faded civilizations, Multicast Dynamics explores ultrasonic underwater communication, decodes messages and browses through the archive of the past. Written and produced with analogue synthesizers, arcane effect units and manipulated field-recordings, finally sequenced with the computer and mixed using temperamental analogue mixers. “Continental Ruins” LP is a slow horizontal panning, gliding through frames of sounds, creating textures and layers with unobtrusive rhythms. Samuel van Dijk delivers a calm and organic sound journey, resting on gloomy swirls and hidden artefacts.
Jane Birkin — Birkin-Gainsbourg_ Le symphonique (Warner Classics/Parlophone, 2017) — Gainsbourg’s songs given the symphonic treatment, beautifully arranged British actress, singer, fashion icon and Serge Gainsbourg’s muse Jane Birkin presents Birkin-Gainsbourg Le Symphonique Jane Birkin‘s first studio album since 2008, Le symphonique marks Jane’s return to the music world Gainsbourg’s beloved songs as you’ve never heard them, for the first time with a 90-piece symphonic orchestra. Arranged and orchestrated by renowned Japanese composer, pianist & Emmy Award nominee Nobuyuki Nakajima. Artistic direction by Gainsbourg’s historical A&R, ‘man in the shadows’ Philippe Lerichomme. Recorded in Warsaw with National Polish radio Orchestra. Джейн Мэллори Биркин (англ. Jаnе Маllоrу Вirkin; род. 14 декабря 1946, Лондон) — англо-французская актриса театра и кино, певица. Известна длительным личным и творческим союзом с французским певцом, актёром и режиссёром Сержем Генсбуром. Мать англо-французских актрис и певиц: Кейт Барри (фотограф и актриса), Шарлотты Генсбур (актриса и певица) и Лу Дуайон (актриса, фотомодель и певица). Когда Биркин было 17 лет состоялся её дебют на сцене лондонского Науmаrkеt Тhеаtеr. Однажды на съёмочной площадке она встретила игравшего в том же фильме Сержа Генсбура, и по словам самой Биркин, «это была любовь с первого взгляда». Биркин и Генсбур моментально стали самой модной парой Франции; в 1969 году они выпускают свой первый совместный сингл. Это обозначило начало певческой карьеры Джейн Биркин. Творческий союз Биркин с Генсбуром подкреплялся их личными отношениями, продолжавшимися 12 лет. На протяжении совместных с Генсбуром лет, Джейн Биркин продолжала активно сниматься в кино. Творческий союз композитора и его музы продолжался до самой смерти Генсбура в 1991 году.»
Kelly Lee Owens — Kelly Lee Owens (Smalltown Supersound, 2017) — Even in the increasingly crowded field of electronic music, Kelly Lee Owens’ debut album arrives as a wonderful surprise. An album that bridges the gaps between cavernous techno, spectral pop, and krautrock’s mechanical pulse, ‘Kelly Lee Owens’ brims with exploratory wonder, establishing a personal aesthetic that is as beguiling as it is thrillingly familiar. или из врунета: Непринужденно сочетая в перегонном кубе своей личной эстетики сумрачность минимал-техно, эфемерность дрим-попа, механичность краутрока и необъятность эмбиент-дроуна, в своей дебютной работе Келли Ли Оуэнс создает неделимый монолит звучания, не поддающийся категоризации. Мастерски выдержанный темп альбома плавно колеблется между медитативной, едва ли не буколической акустикой и динамичной электроникой. И вне зависимости от того, находится ли исполнительница в царстве ритмичных битов или воздушных сновидений, её музыка преисполнена чувством и оставляет после прослушивания ощущение, словно после приятного, но тут же забытого после пробуждения сна. (underrated.ru)
Pick a Piper – Distance (Tin Angel Records, 2017) — is the psych-electronica project of Caribou drummer Brad Weber, rounded out by Angus Fraser, Dan Roberts and, from time to time, a few guest vocalists. Their sound is friendly to both headphones and dance floors, with organic, acoustic textures blended with electronic layers and beats — not unlike Gold Panda, Baths or Weber’s regular gig in Caribou. Weber has ventured everywhere from Chernobyl and Guatemala to the Canadian Arctic, northern mountains of Japan and south America since his first release as Pick a Piper. On this new album, he lets that influence show. A bewitching slow-rave travelogue of sounds and stories picked up along the way, it’s a record that simmers with both the excitement of adventuring to these locales, and the melancholy of the people you leave behind to visit them.
H-Burns (Renaud Brustlein) — Kid We Own The Summer (Vietnam, 2017) — He was known as a traditional singer-songwriter, acoustic guitar and vocals, French cousin to Will Oldham and Jason Molina. Then, he became the leader of a rough and enraged band who recorded Off the Map, an electric storm of a record, with Steve Albini (Nirvana, PJ Harvey…), at the legendary Electrical Studio in Chicago. But the truth is we hadn’t seen anything yet. H-Burns is back with a new album that proves once more that it’s possible to reinvent yourself endlessly while staying true to yourself. Calmer, more pop, cleaner, more Californian, but still as anxious and sorrowful, Night Moves was produced by the all too rare Rob Schnapf (who produced Beck, Elliott Smith and Guided By Voices’ greatest albums) with musicians as prestigious as A.A Bondy and Troy von Balthazar. The result: 11 songs orchestrated around one main theme: nighttime in Los Angles. A restless and troubled night with the insidious threat of an earthquake lurking in the shadows. There are ghosts there too, those of Elliott Smith, Brian Wilson, Neil Young, Roy Orbison and Bruce Springsteen. To be released in January on Vietnam, the music branch of the So Press group (So Foot, So Film, etc.). Under exclusive license to Because Music.
You’ll Never Get to Heaven – Images (Yellow K Records, 2017) — Ontario ambient pop duo You’ll Never Get to Heaven first emerged in 2012, creating pleasantly hazy soundscapes threaded with singer Alice Hansen’s willowy vocals. Following a pair of independent releases in their native Canada, the group signed with American indie Yellow K Records, who released their third outing, Images, in early 2017. Co-conspirator Chuck Blazevic paints the canvas of Images with heavily treated synth and guitar textures, creating an appropriate backdrop for Hansen’s hushed deliveries on more pop-oriented tracks like “Shared Dreams” and the title cut. Elsewhere, the pair collaborate on more cerebral instrumental offerings like the celestial “Shadow Garden” and the misty closing trio of “Vapor Frames,” “Wind,” and “Rain Copy.” Surprisingly, You’ll Never Get to Heaven are at their best on those more ambient vocal-less tracks, building strange windows whose formlessness somehow makes them even more enticing. While Hansen is a strong enough singer, the band’s more structured songs which feature her voice tend to resemble the kind of affable but generally unremarkable dream pop emerging from bedrooms worldwide.
A Thousand Hours – Endless Grey (Vesper Records , 2017) — is an American slow-core and dream-pop project from the cold and hazy north of Alaska. Their debut album Endless Grey boasts a sound filled with reverb, echoes, ethereal vocals, and melancholia, although it is not a completely grim affair. Their songs are comparable to a 4AD-infused Low or a Cure-drenched Red House Painters, all with a touch of Cocteau Twins’ ethereal dreamscapes. Lead singer and songwriter Red Collier describes the album as, “…Our little fingerprint on the reemerging dream pop and shoegaze scene. It is very much a labor of love that is different than so many of these redux based bands. We missed the eighties by almost thirty years, but we hope that this release both carries the torch of all our favorite bands, as well as pushes the envelope of all they have built.” There are certain thematic elements that recur throughout the album including water, rain, clouds, and floods, as well as isolation, existential angst, and escape. Hazily drawn out male vocals, at times buoyed by airier female vocal accompaniment, float though the dreamily drifting to melancholically hanging soundscapes. The mood is calm to pensive, inwardly-gazing at the vast expanse of the mind. Endless Grey is continuously hypnotically absorbing.
Australian Testing Labs Inc. — Music For Aircooled Motoring (Polytechnic Youth, 2017) — в сообществе E:\music\krautrock написал Ринат Хозин: Абсолютно новая сольная работа британского музыканта Oliver Cherer, известного по таким проектам, как Cooler, Dollboy, Rhododendron и другим. Все предыдущее творчество Oliver Cherer не было связано с краутом, но в этом, «дебютном» для себя альбоме, Oliver потрясающим образом соединил настроение дюссельдорфской музыкальной волны конца 70-х, а также грув и моторик 80-х. В результате получилась очень легкая и позитивная работа, которая решительно сподвигнет вас на новые открытия и дальние путешествия. #krautrock #motorik
Timber Timbre — Sincerely, Future Pollution (City Slang, 2017) — новый альбом TT. stands out in Timber Timbre’s catalogue of imagistic records, with Kirk and band-mates Mathieu Charbonneau and Simon Trottier taking a unique approach to Timber Timbre’s process of sonic invention. Kirk wrote the songs in late 2015/early 2016, then arranged the music over a “very focused” Montreal winter with the veteran Timber Timbre members. Kirk explains how Charbonneau and Trottier came to play more integral roles in the realization of Sincerely, Future Pollution, articulating the songs’ urgency with an unexpected palette: “My solitary sketching was left more rudimentary than in the past,” Kirk says. “The prior records, I’d decided what they were going to sound like. I’d imagined the arrangements when the songs were sketched. Down to anomalous sounds. There was a vision that was manageable somehow. This album was much less focused that way, but far more complex. It was complicated and challenging to the end, every detail seeming somehow counterintuitive.” For the recording, the trio – armed with “secret weapon” Olivier Fairfield on drums – travelled to La Frette chateau outside Paris, where they looked to the studio’s array of archetypal synthesizers for the flesh of the songs. Be it the freedom of recording abroad, or the revelation of these unexplored instruments, Timber Timbre found a release from artistic constriction and created its most daring work yet. как пишет istinny_ariets: — шестой студийник известной канадской психоделик-рок-блюз-фолк-группы Тimbеr Тimbrе, сформированной в 2005-м году, в состав которой в настоящее время входят Тауlоr Кirk, Simоn Тrоttiеr, Маthiеu Сhаrbоnnеаu и Оliviеr Fаirfiеld. Если первые два альбома группа выпустила самостоятельно, то третий вышел на двух лейблах, попал в лонг-лист номинантов на премию Роlаris Мusiс Рrizе и был назван изданием Еуе Wееklу альбомом года. Следующие альбомы были не менее успешны и не раз номинировались на различные музыкальные премии.
Coldcut & On-U Sound — Vitals (Ahead Of Our Time, 2017) — на dmoon.ru написали так: «будем иметь дело с настоящими легендами электронной музыки, не выпускавшими свежего материала целых 11 лет. А именно, с лондонским диджейским дуэтом Coldcut. Преподаватель искусств Джонатан Мор и программист Мэтт Блэк придумали его ровно 30 лет назад. Видимо, ввиду такого события молчать они больше не могли и, как следствие, появился альбом «Outside The Echo Chamber». Блэк и Мур также основатели очень важного для электронной музыки рубежа веков лейбла Ninja Tune. В последние годы импринт несколько утратил влияние — но только не уважение, как и его основатели. 30-летие группы одни из пионеров британского сэмплинга и брейкбита решили отметить в компании ещё одного культового персонажа по имени Эдриэн Шервуд. Хозяин лейбла On-U Sound — мягко говоря, не последний человек в мире даба и рэгги. Собственно, и пластинка красноречиво представлена как результат работы двух королевств: Coldcut & On-U Sound System. Под system имеются в виду друзья и коллабораторы Эдриана Шервуда (Roots Manuva, Junior Reid, Lee наш незабвенный Scratch Perry и другие вокалисты, безусловно украсившие релиз). Путеводной звездой Coldcut всегда было стремление к новаторству. Из-за этого они не раз ругались с представителями звукозаписывающей индустрии, требовавшими эксплуатировать одни и те же идеи. На этот раз Мэтт и Джонатан увлечённо погружаются в «шервудский» лес регги, даба и дэнсхолла. Единственным недостатком диска является его какая-то неорганизованность и непоследовательность. Либо слишком спешили отпраздновать, либо жалко было удалять явно лишнее. Но, хорошо, что вообще вернулись.»
апРель
растамузыка апреля: Lutan Fyah — Music Never Dies (I Grade Records, 2017), Teacha Dee — Rastafari Way (Tenfloor Records, 2017), Gentleman’s Dub Club — Dubtopia (Easy Star Records, 2017), Roger Robinson & Disrupt – Dog Heart City (Jahtari – JTRTAPE03, Cassette, Album, 2017), Akae Beka — Jahsaydo (Uhuru Boys, 2017), Riddim Research Lab – Research Program #1 (G.A.M.M. – GAMMLP001, 2017), Imperial Sound Army feat. Fikir Amlak — No Fear (Imperial Roots – IR7-0011, 7″, 45 RPM, 2017), Christafari — Hearts Of Fire (Lion of Zion Entertainment, 2017), Reality Chant — Love vs. War (Reality Chant Productions, 2017), Keznamdi — Skyline Levels, Vol. 1 (Keznamdi Music, 2017), Sly & Robbie — Dubocalypse (Tabou, 2017)
Windows彡96 — Reflections (2017) — White Gavri’el. Featuring Neko GF on most of songs. Vaporwave / Chillwave / Sadwave / Synthwave / Retrowave / New Wave / Experimental / Electronic (Brazil) (̅_̅_̅_̅(̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅̅_̅()ڪے~ ~
Halasan Bazar – Burns (Requiem Pour Un Twister, 2017) — Recorded in the French mountains, armed with a magical unending bag of weed, Halasan Bazar laid down these tunes mostly live — all vocals, acoustic guitars, drums and piano. This immediacy emphasizes their blissed out sonics, buoyant melodies and kaleidoscopic composition, each moment purposefully placed creating their rich sonic tapestry. Inspired by the greats of Greenwich Village’s ‘60s folk, the lavish production of Lee Hazlewood, vocal harmonies of yesteryear and hallucinogenic day tripping. Some surf-y guitar vibes and plenty of driving piano jams too. Tunes like “Freak” wave that Halasan flag proudly atop infectious guitar melodies and layered vocal harmonies creating a sing-a-long anthem for the misfits and the weirdos out there. “Get Sick and Die” incorporates swelling strings for an unexpectedly dreamy passage alongside sophisticated rock ’n’ roll. One of many highlights, “Burns My Mind” has a driving, catchy groove and the entire band firing on all cylinders crafting a bombastic party atmosphere. A beautiful and vivid album from an unapologetic band of freaks and dreamers, Halasan Bazar effortlessly leave their mark with “Burns»
Arto Lindsay — Cuidado Madame (P-Vine Records – PCD-25212, 2017) — On April 21th, 2017, Northern Spy Records releases Cuidado Madame, Arto Lindsay’s first full-length album of new material since 2004’s Salt. • The album is titled after an infamous 1970 Julio Bressane film about oppressed housemaids revolting against and brutally murdering their mistresses. The literal translation is “Careful, Madame.” • The album is produced by Lindsay. It features Melvin Gibbs, Paul Wilson, Kassa Overall, Patrick Higgins, Ryu Takahashi and Thiago Nassif. • Candomblé (spiritual rhythms revolving around possession and trance) served as the foundation for the record. The process began with recordings of atabaques in Brazil. Lindsay wrote melodies and lyrics over the rhythms in the studio in Brooklyn. • The album is an exploration of the cultural nexus of Afro-Brazilian spirituality and western modernity. When people talk about Arto Lindsay’s body of work, they often project a reductive dichotomy. There is Scary Arto and Sexy Arto. Scary Arto’s music is stormy and serrated and ruthless and almost deranged; evoking perhaps the glare and noise of New York City. Sexy Arto’s music is seductive and warm and textured and ethereal; evoking perhaps the dappled sunlight of Brazil. Both musics seem dreamlike. In the sense that there are many kinds of dreams. In 2014, Northern Spy issued a unique and conceptually provocative double-disc anthology of Arto’s solo work, called Encyclopedia Of Arto. Disc 1 was a “best of Arto LIndsay” survey of his solo albums. Disc 2 was something much more unusual: many of the same songs from disc one, performed live with Arto’s signature haywire noise guitar (Scary Arto) juxtaposed against his lilting, slyly erotic, post-Caetano vocal style (Sexy Arto). The choice to marry Sexy and Scary into a single performance was striking and bold. I cannot speak for Arto, but my read of the statement was that it rebuked the notion that his vision is somehow binary. It felt like fresh terrain. This brings us to Cuidado Madame, the long awaited new album, where Arto’s mastery is in full bloom. Though the album certainly favors Sexy Arto, its fearlessness makes us let go of our boring, dichotomous ideas. On offer is the full, inimitable Arto Lindsay range of texture, noise, technology, ensemble playing, melody and poetry, sensuality and intellect. You will find that you stop analyzing and parsing. You will find that you surrender. In the sense that there are many kinds of dreams. – Chad Clark. Beauty Pill / Washington, DC / Spring 2017
Alexandra Savior — Belladonna of Sadness (Columbia, 2017) — дебют американской певицы Александры Сэйвьер, спродюсированный фронтменом Arctic Monkeys Алексом Тернером и Джейсом Фордом (Simian Mobile Disco, The Last Shadow Puppets). Композиция «Risk» прозвучала во втором сезоне сериала «Настоящий детектив», а «M.T.M.E.» в 3 сезоне 11 серии «БХМ».
Conrad Schnitzler & Pole — Con-Struct (Bureau B, 2017) — Masterful producer and mastering engineer, Stefan ‘Pole’ Betke, is next up for a creative undertaking of the Schnitzler archives. By his own admission, a late adoptee to the sizeable canon of Conrad Schnitzler’s work, Stefan Betke is a fine choice to rework the late Kraut icon’s deep tape archive for the latest ‘Con-Struct’ album. Largely occupied with mastering duties since his most recent Pole LP, ‘Wald’, this six-track undertaking is perhaps the best ‘Con-Struct’ yet, offering a sharply-poised exercise in dub dynamics. Betke coaxes you in with the first two tracks, Wurm and Sieht Hoch, which share the same lazy-eyed string refrain whilst subtly implementing an upwards shift in momentum. From here there is some real head-crushing moments. Lacht is a largely beatless affair that squeezes plenty of unease out through the queasy, sinewy dub FX, and the tripped-out Drachenbäume sind friedliche Wesen has a unique sense of continually fraying at the edges. The brief Und fängt den Vogel! offers an interlude-shaped lesson in maximal sound design before Betke ends on an extended palate cleanser with a slab of classic Pole dub techno in the shape of Wiegenlied für Katzen.
Ryuichi Sakamoto – async (Milan, 2017) — Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced a new studio album, async, out April 28 via Milan. It’s the Japanese composer’s first studio album since 2012’s Three, with Jaques Morelenbaum and Judy Kang, and his first solo album in 8 years. Sakamoto recorded and conceived of the album in New York, taking inspiration from “everyday objects, sculpture, and nature,” according to a press release. Find the tracklist and artwork below. A world premiere listening event for the album (in 5.1 surround sound) will take place at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, which runs from March 23-26. Sakamoto’s also set to perform on April 25 and 26 at Park Avenue Armory Veterans Room in New York. The new album follows his 2015 score for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film The Revenant (where he was assisted by the National’s Bryce Dessner and German musician Alva Noto). It’s also his first studio album since his recovery from cancer in 2015. и изврунета: японский музыкант, композитор, актер и продюсер Рюичи Сакамото представляет свой новый студийный альбом «аsуnс», выпущенный 28 апреля на Мilаn Rесоrds. Это первый студийный альбом композитора с 2012 года и его первый новый сольный альбом за 8 лет. Сакамото задумал и записал этот альбом в Нью-Йорке, вдохновляясь «архитектурой, скульптурами и природой». / Рюичи Сакамото – лауреат премии «Оскар», двукратный лауреат премии «Золотой глобус», лауреат премии «Грэмми». Известен по музыке к фильмам Бернардо Бертолуччи «Последний император», «Под покровом небес» и «Маленький Будда». Он родился 17 января 1952 года в Токио. Окончил Токийский национальный университет искусств и музыки. Построил карьеру, переходя музыкальные и технологические границы. Сакамото экспериментировал и добился успеха во многих музыкальных стилях, сделав себе имя в популярной, оркестровой и киномузыке.
Orchestra Baobab — Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng (World Circuit – WCV092, 2017) — в сообществе Музыка Хорошего Вкуса написали так: Знаковые для нулевых сенегальские музыканты вернулись спустя 10 лет (и спустя 50 лет после своего создания)! На этот раз с трибьютом одному из вокалистов группы, который умер в ноябре 2016 года. Афро-кубинские ритмы и участие сына погибшего вокалиста. Плюс две приглашенных звезды: Шейх Ло зашел в студию, чтобы добавить проникновенных мелодии в «Magno Kouto» и Thione Seck, который покинул Babobab в 1979 году, чтобы стать одной из крупнейших сольных звезд в Западной Африке. Оба музыканта воссоединились со своими старыми товарищами по группе впервые за 35 Лет, чтобы повторить свой первый хит «Sey».
David Olney – Don’t Try To Fight It (Red Parlor Records, 2017) — There are always at least two ways to interpret David Olney’s songs. They involve earthly matters of love, work, and engaging in vices. They are parables about the relationship between human beings and God. The fact that the meanings intertwine so well reveals his talents as a songwriter and philosopher. Olney understands our worldly actions have a ripple effect that goes far beyond what an individual may intend. Everything is connected to everything else. Olney’s low and gritty vocals belie his heavenly concerns. He also takes things slow and easy, even when all hell is about to break out. Take his entreaties to the boss when the workplace is about to explode on “Situation”. The narrator needs backup. He can’t handle the problem, and he’s not even sure if there is one. But his instincts tell him something is wrong. Olney’s poetic language suggests the narrator himself may only be paranoid and there is no trouble (“Was that a siren’s whine / or was that a woman’s laugh /was that a raven calling / or the sound of broken glass”). Whatever the case, he needs the boss to come down and take care of the issue. Does he mean god and modern life or a worker in a nameless factory? The answer is yes to both. After 26 albums, Olney’s skills as a songwriter are well-known. His songs have been covered by Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and many others. But the 10 tracks gathered here on Don’t Try to Fight It are among his best. There is not a clunker in the bunch. One of them, “Yesterday’s News”, was originally written (but not recorded) when he was a young man in search of success. The self-referential treatment of this pursuit now as an older man adds another layer to the cut. Or in terms of the song itself, what does last call matter when tomorrow is another day? What does material gain and fame in life mean if there is an afterlife? Olney sings and plays acoustic guitar and harmonica on the album. He’s joined by Blair Hogan on electric and nylon string guitars, Brock Zemon (who produced and engineered the record) on acoustic guitar and glockenspiel, and various side musicians on drums, fiddle, cello, dobro, piano, accordion, and saxophone. The mostly acoustic instrumentation gives the sound an organic feel, rich with the compost of various Americana traditions. One can hear echoes of waltzes, two-steps, folk songs, country blues, and Southern gospel weaved into the mix. The echoes of the past are made present through people at the precipice of their understanding, whether it’s the person atop the “Ferris Wheel” looking down at the crowd and grasping their unhappy fate, the man at the circus (“Big Top”) seeing a tornado in the distance, or the one who spots the “Crack in the Wall” as an omen of a much bigger problem. Whatever the case, action needs to be taken. Or not. As he sings with co-writer Kieran Kane on the title track, sometimes it is best not to fight but to cosmically laugh at one’s existential circumstances. Sometimes it is best to let the phone keep on ringing and the train go down the rails without hopping on. Olney makes no claim as a preacher. He understands the attractions of sin and the limitations of clean living. He just pens songs that illuminate the human condition. Whether there is anything more to life, well, he’s still deciding.
The Heliocentrics — A World Of Masks (Soundway, 2017) — The Heliocentrics are a group for which genres are meaningless and boundaries invisible. Since first appearing on DJ Shadow’s 2006 album The Outsider the group have gone on to release a string of records that float through jazz, hip-hop, psych, krautrock, and musique concrete whilst collaborating with numerous genre heavyweights from Mulatu Astake to Gaslamp Killer and picking up prestigious fans along the way, such as Madlib and the recently departed David Axelrod. The primarily instrumental group, who operate out of their vintage analogue studio in East London called the Quatermass Sound Lab, bring in a new singer on album number four — a young Slovakian singer called Barbora Patkova. The result is an album that takes the band, already solidified in ever-expanding grooves and rhythms into new previously unexplored dimensions.The group’s deep-set ability to craft music intuitively and impulsively stems from a desire to avoid typical processes or generic structures. Since its conception, the band’s music has mainly been created from live improvisation. This musical approach gives the band its own sound and identity -«for anything to happen it must be at that time from the people in the room, and on the spot». A decade of such sonic adventures has resulted in a tightly knit bond that the group refer to as “almost a form of telepathy” with “musical changes that otherwise would be near impossible to write.»
Kreidler – European Song (Bureau B, 2017) — #krautrock #leftfield
King Ayisoba – 1000 Can Die (Glitterbeat Records, 2017) — Apozora Ayisoba, better known in Ghana as King Ayisoba, became a star in west Africa by furiously updating traditional styles. He comes from the far north of Ghana, where he studied the kologo, a two-stringed lute, before moving to the capital Accra, where he used the traditional instrument to provide the backing for his massive hit ‘I Want to See You, My Father’. It’s very much in evidence on his new album, along with a variety of Ghanaian drums, which are mixed in with beats, electronica and echoes of hiplife, the local blend of highlife and hip-hop. Producer Zea (Arnold de Boer), from the Dutch band the EX, provides a range of musical settings, from the full-tilt chanting of the opening track to the acoustic ‘Grandfather Song’, or ‘Dapagara’, which features the Nigerian saxophonist Orlando Julius. But the album is most remarkable for the intensity and urgency in Ayisoba’s thrilling and insistent harsh-edged vocals.
Golden Bug — Krokodil EP (La belle, 2017) — новая епишка французского диджея-электронщика и дизайнера Антуана Ариспьюру, помешанного на диско-фанке, роботах и флюоресцентных красках. Антуан Ариспьюру (он же Golden Bug) – один из самых интригующих представителей европейской футуро-сцены. Парень вырос в магазине игрушек, которым владела его мать, и – по легенде – был воспитан японским роботом по имени Виктор, изображение которого ныне красуется на всей продукции Golden Bug. Когда Антуану исполнилось 14 лет, он получил от Виктора в подарок драм-машину Roland TR808, недорогой сэмплер и стопку пластинок с соулом 70-х и фанком 80-х. Виктор же помог подростку «изобрести» новый стиль – роботизированный диско-фанк – и определиться с творческим псевдонимом. До своего совершеннолетия музыкант набивал руку, сочиняя музыку и устраивая громкие вечеринки в своем плавучем доме на Сене. А несколько лет назад переехал жить в Барселону, где его и обнаружили скауты лейбла Gomma – культового немецкого рекординга, специализирующегося на электронной музыке. Впечатленные крутым замесом из future-disco, фанка и соула владельцы Gomma взяли Golden Bug под свое крыло и помогли издать первый лонгплей «Hot Robot» в 2008-м году. Ныне за ремиксами в очередь к Ариспьюру выстраиваются Two Door Cinema Club, Gloves и WhoMadeWho, его треки включают в свои сет-листы Prins Thomas, Shit Robot и Digitalism, его привлекают к сотрудничеству лейблы Kitsune, Bang Gang и Codek/NYC. Второй лонгплей Golden Bug, носит название в честь его «учителя» – «V.I.C.T.O.R» – вышел на собственном лейбле Антуана Ариспьюру La Belle. — с любовью, написали на meloman.tv
Roman Flugel — Black Acid EP (Phonica Records, 12″, 2017) — новая 12-дюймовочка от Ромы.
Sean Rowe – New Lore (Anti- – 87525-2, 2017) — New Lore’s simple yet powerful sound focuses on Rowe’s renowned baritone and evocative songwriting, delivering a collection of affecting stories of desperation and resilience. His voice is beautifully augmented throughout by tasteful arrangements including flourishes of piano and a string section. The album was recorded in the city of Memphis at the historic Sam Phillips Recording studio and produced by Matt Ross-Spang who began working at the legendary studio when he was 16 and recently won a Grammy for his work with Jason Isbell. Rowe says of the album, “This is a record about loneliness and a longing for connectedness. This yearning for a sense of home. Musically, I think this record is more focused than any before. I’ve become really aware about what it is that I do well, allowing my voice to come through and lyrically grabbing people with the stories.. Those are kind of my superpowers. The instruments on the record never intrude on my voice and words.” и из врунета: Бородатый американский дядька Шон Роу с восточного берега реки Гудзон весьма неплохо поёт под гитару свои альтернативно-фолковые авторские песни. Внешне он, конечно, напоминает кого-то, то ли из книг Достоевского, то ли из фильмов про средневековую Русь. Nеw Lоrе — его новый альбом. Сольно он выступает с 2004-го года. Также, одно время участвовал в дуэте Мudfunk вместе с перкуссионистом Марко Хабером.
Fujiya & Miyagi – Fujiya & Miyagi (Impossible Objects of Desire, 2017) — Fujiya & Miyagi is the self-titled sixth LP from the band still led by founders and Krautrock/post-punk aficionados David Best and Steve Lewis. In a slow reveal, the album’s tracks were released piecemeal as three EPs (titled EP1, EP2, and EP3), with the first two arriving in the spring and fall of 2016 and the final installment sharing its release day with the full, completely resequenced album. Best and Lewis are joined on the full set by the rhythm section of Ben Adamo and Ed Chivers, marking their debut as members of the group. They stick with the outfit’s recognizable sound and affinity for wordplay here while seeming to move a bit later into the club rotation with a pulsing, insistent energy that makes the whole album more infectious. Best has explained that they were trying to capture the flow of their live shows on the album, and they do seem reinvigorated, not that they ever seemed to be waning. Written and recorded before certain political elections that took place before its release, Fujiya & Miyagi is uninformed by related anxieties («upon completion, the world went a bit mental»), instead offering deadpan wryness and dance-insistent grooves that, in context, have an unintended escapist overtone. Featuring songs like «Serotonin Rushes» («I can’t get you out of my system/I can’t get it out of my system») and «Outstripping (The Speed of Light)» («Does your day bleed into your night?»), the album concerns itself with targets of affection, moving feet, and occasional ennui. Thoughts are delivered by Best‘s conversational half-whisper over a synth and guitar palette reminiscent of Brotherhood-era New Order and just as engaging, but with a twist of contemporary effects, as well as a dash of disco, Kraftwerk, and more. A dance tune with a spoken chorus of «You’ll get a repetitive strain injury,» album closer «R.S.I.» sums up the album’s spirit, rhyming slip, slop, and prop over a skittering snare, funky guitar, and melodic bassline. With a full set that rivals their best songs to date without significant reinvention, it’s a must for fans and great place to start for the uninitiated. и из врунета: Неутомимые британские краут-эксплуататоры Steve Lewis (Fujiya) и David Best (Miyagi) обзавелись двумя новыми музыкантами и выдали свой шестой выход в люди. Чуть более танцевальный, чем прежде. Лирика характерна для пост-панка — экспейпизм, бессильный бунт против системы и навязших на зубах ценностей социума.
San Fermin — Belong (Downtown Records, 2017) — The follow-up to 2015’s elaborate and often challenging Jackrabbit, Belong finds San Fermin mastermind Ellis Ludwig-Leone delivering a more streamlined set of chamber pop confections that reflects the group’s evolution from his post-Yale composition project to a fully operational and battle-tested band. As per usual, the lineup has been tooled with a bit — they are now an eight-piece — but brooding baritone Allen Tate and charismatic N.Y.C. singer/songwriter Charlene Kaye remain the band’s vocal mainstays — Kaye took over for touring vocalist Rae Cassidy in 2014. The aptly named “Open” starts things off disjointedly, with the vaguely humanoid electronic samples that heralded Jackrabbit eventually giving way to elliptical swirls of strings and brass, and steamy electro-beats. Subsequent cuts “Bride” and “Oceanica” continue to flirt with icy European pop textures, with the former invoking names like Susanne Sundfør and Lykke Li, and the latter sharing space with the midnight urban electronica of Sohn and Lapsley — the slow-burn “Bones” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Frank Ocean’s Blond. Ludwig-Leone’s arrangements continue to impress with their ability to frame simple melodies with controlled chaos, and Tate and Kaye provide compelling performances throughout, especially on the smoldering title cut, in which they tease each other with the promise/threat “I belong to you, but not all the time.” Belong manages to strike a nice balance between San Fermin’s musical theater/experimental rock predilections and their emerging pop ambitions, and while there’s still a lot to chew on, the taste has grown significantly sweeter.
Karen Elson – Double Roses (HOT Records Limited, 2107) — Seven years have passed since Oldham-born, Nashville-based Karen Elson released debut album The Ghost Who Walks, a work that was notable less for its solid collection of murder ballads and blues jams than the person who produced it: the model and singer-songwriter’s then-husband Jack White. In the time since, the pair have undergone a not terribly amicable separation (though are reportedly now friends), and Elson’s musical tastes seem to have drifted away from White’s bluesy leanings and towards something more luscious and Laurel. Double Roses is produced by long-time Father John Misty collaborator Jonathan Wilson, and features the sort of orchestral flourishes present in Misty’s own work. (Misty himself appears on the album, along with Laura Marling and – rather contentiously given his band’s acrimonious history with White – Pat Carney of the Black Keys.) As with her previous album, it’s tidy and tasteful rather than gripping, with the exception of the wonderfully beguiling title track, a swirl of arpeggiated harps and hushed melodies. из врунета «Карен Элсон (англ. Каrеn Еlsоn; 14 января 1979 год, Олдем, Большой Манчестер, Англия, Великобритания) — британская певица, автор песен, гитаристка и фотомодель. Элсон пела с Робертом Плантом (Rоbеrt Рlаnt), участвовала в альбоме-посвящении Сержу Генсбуру (Sеrgе Gаinsbоurg) и, более того, до сих пор выходит на клубную сцену в составе группы Тhе Сitizеn Ваnd. На этом фоне появление ее первой сольной пластинки было вопросом времени. Знакомство и совместная жизнь с лидером Whitе Striреs, разумеется, ускорило этот процесс. Пара встретилась на съемках видео «Белых полос» «Вluе Оrсhid». Начался роман, который закончился браком, рождением двух детей и переездом в Нэшвилл. Там Элсон под присмотром мужа и записала «Тhе Ghоst Whо Wаlks» – пластинку, собравшую хорошую прессу и в целом благожелательно-восторженные отзывы. Как говорят, голос Элсон звучит, словно его взяли напрокат из шестидесятых.»
Suffering, Praying Hands — Un (2017) — chizzarro написал так: «Ричи Томсон и обособленная группа музыкальных интровертов возвращаются на истощённые рудники альтернативного кантри. Самое место для создания очень темного и беспросветного дарк-фолка. Какого это копаться в отработанной породе, в которой не осталось и горсти ценного минерала. Прииск опустел. Кайло и лопата стучат о бездонность наших ожиданий. Но «Сам» процесс творчества у людей подобного склада перевешивает «Исходный результат», кто бы ни ставил ломаный грош «на успех мероприятия». Вот и Suffering, Praying Hands поначалу решили отписаться бич-поветрием наших расхристанных вех – аудио кассетами !!! Но к моему персональному и сиюминутному счастью, Ребятки одумались и в марте выпустили цифровой вариант за каких-то пять баксов. Хочу сразу одернуть позитивно настроенных меломанов-филофонистов. Релиз очень брутален по части лирики. Но ведь, при легкодоступном желании можно настроить слух своих перепонных барабанок на сознательное игнорирование Второстепенной Опции. То есть: вариант — «о чём поют» — отключить. И тогда трубадуры из Огайо легко сойдут за разнузданных ковбоев, с оригинальной подачей примитивных госпелов под завывание пилы, перестукивание маримбы, сопение флейт.»
The Caretaker — Everywhere At The End Of Time — Stage 2 (History Always Favours the Winners, 2017) — на underrated.ru пишут: Это второй из шести запланированных лонгплеев в серии, призванной каталогизировать смешанные чувства вымышленного персонажа, страдающего от ранних симптомов расстройства интеллекта. По мере того, как память The Caretaker начинает стремительно ухудшаться, объединяющие в себе джаз, неоклассику и эмбиент треки становятся все пространными и обрывочными, тем самым освобождая место для всепоглощающего чувства страха, потерянности и неопределенности. Четкие мелодии воспоминаний музыканта оборачиваются бездонными и затягивающими провалами памяти, в которые низвергаются водопады далекого эхо струнных и духовых инструментов. Аккомпанирует им вездесущее потрескивание, издаваемое то ли старым граммофоном, то ли гаснущим костром сознания лирического героя. Но этот импрессионистский и сюрреалистический трип в глубины подсознания неведомым образом служит моментом просветления в сегодняшнее запутанное и непредсказуемое время.
Chip Wickham — La Sombra (Lovemonk Records, 2017) — La Sombra takes an altogether more rooted direction than Chip’s recent collaborative work, with the jazz of the late ’60s and early ’70s a dominating influence to the recordings. Comprising of seven tracks recorded in Madrid with musicians assembled by Chip from Madrid’s jazz scene, it combines contemplative explorations akin to Yusef Lateef’s early work on tracks like ‘La Sombra’ and ‘Pushed Too Far’. There’s a fiery cover of Camarón de la Isla’s classic ‘La Leyenda Del Tiempo’ and tracks like ‘Sling Shot’ and ‘Red Planet’ are locked in a groove harking back to Freddie Hubbard’s Blue Note era and Nathan Davis. #jazz #spiritual #latin #souljazz #funk» chipwickham.bandcamp.com
The Chi Factory – The Kallikatsou Recordings (Astral Industries, LP, Album, 2017) — The Chi Factory’s new release is a very pleasant aural experience that is well recorded, mastered and pressed to vinyl. Each song blends looping, delay and ambience in a familiar and trusted way. Nothing ground breaking, but for fans of ambient, new-age and drone minimalism then this album will be a nice new addition to your collection. [ambient, experimental, krautrock, psychedelic rock, new age, electro-acoustic, free folk, progressive rock] или врунете: В прошлом году лейбл Astral Industries выпустил «The Bamboo Recordings» — неземной эмбиент-вояж от малоизвестных голландцев The Chi Factory. Основой для музыки проекта послужили полевые записи, сделанные композитором Ханьё ван Остеромом (Hanyo van Oosterom) в начале 80-ых, которые он записал во время жизни в пещере на греческом острове Палмос. Следующий альбом группы следует той же канве и состоит из звуков, текстур и музыкальных элементов, над которыми Остером работал уже в 90-ых. Подобно своему предшественнику, альбом «The Kallikatsou Recordings» — названный в честь «священной горы», в которой жил продюсер – сочетает в себе эмбиент в духе Брайана Ино, стокхаузеновское коллажирование звуков, безукоризненность семплов The KLF, сырость звучания Finis Africae и современные дроун-веяния. (underrated.ru)
M (Matthieu Chedid) & Toumani Diabaté & Sidiki Diabaté & Fatoumata Diawara – Lamomali (Wagram Music, 2017) — the new album by iconic French rocker, M. Recorded in collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, that Grammy-winning kora virtuoso from Mali, West Africa, and featuring a who’s who of singers and musicians from, well, everywhere, it’s both a mighty slice of African pop and a testament to music’s power to enchant, heal and unite.
Edward Herda – Goodnight Jaybird (Edward Herda, 2017) — новый альбом Edward Herda. Edward Herda was inspired to make music his career when his fiancé backed out of their impending marriage (only to wed another man three months later.) He fled to Pioneertown, CA. There, holed up at the Inn, he wrote much of his first record The Wondrous Folly of Vaughn Frogg. As Herda began writing the follow up he fell in love again. Without warning, she too flew the coop. Armed with his destructive mind and shattered self, Herda returned to the same room at the Pioneertown Inn to see if there was a little magic left, hidden under the bed or behind the bureau. There was. Goodnight Jaybird is a collection of pretty love songs. Yet, while this is a love story, it’s also a story about understanding yourself more fully, moving a little more gently, and having more empathy toward humanity and one’s own struggle.
Radius (Stephen Hitchell) – Obsolete Machines [w/cv313 Reshapes] (echospace [detroit], 16×File, Album, Remastered, 2017) — An unreleased classic from the vaults emerges with beautiful reshapes by cv313 (recorded and reshaped from 2007-2016) This is where the sound of cv313 was realized, culled from cassette tapes recorded live (1995-2000) with nothing but analog/digital hardware, no computer in sight (excluding our Commodore 64 midi sequencer, which is still alive and well today). The radius project has been absent since the final release in 2001, the first 12″ appearing in 1996 (limited white label run of 100 copies pressed at Acme pressing in Canada) after revisiting these works we realized there was truly some magic here. This project was initially sent to Rod Modell & Mike Schommer shortly after they launched their brilliant deepchord label in 2001. They were incredibly kind in saying it was the best demo they had ever heard and passed it on to Octal records for release, sadly, that didn’t materialize and since then these masters have been collecting dust in our cassette rack for nearly 20 years now. We’ve spent months doing our best to restore the old tapes from our Tascam 688, an 8 track cassette recorder purchased and abused since 1992 and to our ears still sounds quite impressive even by modern standards. (that is of course, if you can get past the tape hiss) We’ve had nearly every component replaced and re-calibrated to bring this obsolete machine back to life, it’s been a truly nostalgic experience re-visiting these masters.
VA – Lovin’ Mighty Fire (Nippon Funk • Soul • Disco 1973-1983) [BGP Records, Compilation, 2017] — Lovin Mighty Fire is Howard Williams third Japanese music compilation for the Ace Records house of labels — this time, for BGP International. Assembled in between his job as a record distributor and his monthly Japan Blues show for NTS radio, the first two have taken a look at the late 50s for a blast of Japanese rockabilly (Nippon Rock n Roll CDWIKD 313), then the 60s and 70s for a romp in Japanese surf music (Nippon Guitars CDWIKD 297). Following his retrospective of jazz singer Maki Asakawa for Honest Jon’s, this new outing searches for the soul music of Japan, from the early 70s to the early 80s. Japan has long been known as the final destination for many a collectible soul record. Yet, who suspected that some fine soul grooves were recorded for the domestic market, from ballads, to funk and disco? Strangely enough, some of the busiest writers and producers in this field came from a late 60s rock band, Happy End, but on listening to their collaborations, their rhythmic, soulful feel is immediately apparent. The bluesy funk of Lily; the maverick genius of Haruomi Hosono; the lively songstress Yasuko Agawa; and the sultry steaminess of Mari Natsuki, and more. This album finally plants a Japanese flag firmly on the global map of soul.
Low Roar – Once In A Long, Long While… (Nevado Music, 2017) — After moving from Livermore, CA to Reykjavík, Iceland in 2010, Ryan Karazija wrote and recorded Low Roar’s self-titled debut with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele). Upon its release in November 2011, Karazija then recruited Logi Guðmonsson on drums and the two toured a myriad of European countries, eventually joining the Iceland Airwaves and ATP festival lineups, as well as supported indie favorites Soko and Ásgeir. Adding Leifur Bjornsson on programming, Low Roar issued their second album, 0, co-produced by Scheps and Mike Lindsay (Tuung, and featuring Icelandic darlings Amiina on strings, in 2014. Now Karazija & Co. return in 2017 with Once In A Long, Long While, their highly anticipated third full-length outing. Low Roar is way past that «Made In Iceland» label. Ryan wrote the new album moving between Warsaw, Mexico City, California and London, where he finished recording and mixing with longtime collaborator Andrew Schepps. The results were the same: honest songs that can sooth your soul or break your heart depending on the time of day. Ultimately, it is deeply personal music that emerges, not out of an external landscape, but from within the most basic human emotions.
Mac DeMarco – This Old Dog (Captured Tracks, 2017) — пожалуй, первый альбом довольно скушного Марка, который мне понравился. Dream Pop, Lo-Fi, Psychedelic (Canada). Mac DeMarco (aka 26-year old MacBriare Samuel Lanyon DeMarco) will release, This Old Dog, his third album and first full-length since 2014’s Salad Days, on May 5th! In conjunction with today’s album announcement, DeMarco is also announcing a North American tour and we’re sharing TWO lead singles — “My Old Man” and “This Old Dog.” They are the album’s openers and right off the bat, they show a new sonic direction and a glimpse into the very personal nature of this record. It was a little space—in time, location (he moved from Queens to Los Angeles), and method—that inspired DeMarco while making This Old Dog. Arriving in California with a grip of demos he’d written in New York, he realized after a few months of setting up his new shop that the gap was giving him perspective. DeMarco says, “I demoed a full album, and as I was moving to the West Coast I thought I’d get to finishing it quick. But then I realized that moving to a new city, and starting a new life takes time. Usually I just write, record, and put it out; no problem. But this time, I wrote them and they sat. When that happens, you really get to know the songs. It was a different vibe.” DeMarco wrote some demos for This Old Dog on an acoustic guitar, an eye-opening method for him. “The majority of this album is acoustic guitar, synthesizer, some drum machine, and one song is electric guitar. So this is a new thing for me.” And right off the bat, from the pops and clicks of the CR-78 and acoustic strums on the album-opening “My Old Man,” and the synth-drenched beauty of the second track, “This Old Dog,” it’s clear that DeMarco’s bag is filled with new tricks indeed. This Old Dog is rooted more in a synth-base than any of his previous releases, but he is careful not to let that tactic overshadow the other instruments and overall “unplugged” mood of the work. “This is my acoustic album, but it’s not really an acoustic album at all. That’s just what it feels like, mostly. I’m Italian, so I guess this is an Italian rock record.” врунете хорошо написали «Король всех аутсайдеров с большим промежутком между передними зубами. Удивительно, но только это свойство позволяет людям относиться к образу, как к чему-то низкокачественному, ведь даже lo-fi в этой работе вы не услышите. Да и как человек с полным именем «Вернор Винфилд Макбрайр Смит IV» может не выйти в тираж? 400к слушателей на Last.fm, один лейбл с The Soft Moon и Wild Nothing, но на этом список достижений только начинается. Потрясающая работа над звуком делает очередной лонгплей лучшим в карьере Вернона, полной прогресса и внимательности к деталям. Пусть образ музыкального проходимца не отводит ваш взгляд от этого парня — 31 альбом душевного как тёплый весенний вечер инди-рока. Его в последнее время довольно старомодные гитарные партии бросают в лабиринт психоделической революции 60-x, пока привычно не оставят в ранних 70-х, с ростками Великой депрессии, обострившейся в конце века. Все эти настроения довольно легко читаются на безмятежном лице канадца. А нам остаётся только наслаждаться гением мультиинструменталиста, который любит кривляться на камеру, плохо одеваться, курить, и между тем воплощает собой профессионализм. Не перестаю удивляться, насколько же легко ему всё даётся.» (с) E:\music\ И немного о самом исполнителе: Мак Демарко (Мас DеМаrсо) — канадский музыкант, автор-исполнитель. Родился в апреле 1990 года и вырос в Эдмонтоне. В настоящее время проживает в Нью-Йорке. Во время обучения в средней школе Демарко начал записывать песни и тогда же придумал псевдоним Маkеоut Vidеоtаре, в 2008 году он переехал в Ванкувер, где собрал группу (с тем же названием), дававшую концерты, в том числе на разогреве у Jараndrоids, и выпустившую несколько записей на аудиокассетах. В 2011 году коллектив был распущен, и его фронтмен под своим собственным именем выпустил 5-трековую версию мини-альбома Rосk аnd Rоll Night Сlub. Песнями Демарко, записанными с эффектом замедления и проникнутыми иронией, заинтересовался лейбл Сарturеd Тrасks, на котором и была издана эта пластинка, дополненная ещё несколькими композициями, в марте 2012 года. Работа получила благосклонные отзывы на сайтах Рitсhfоrk и Аllmusiс..
Arizona Amp & Alternator – The Open Road (Scatterland, Compilation, 2017) — Over the course of four decades squatting on rock ‘n’ roll’s outskirts, Howe Gelb has made a career defying expectations — his fans’ regularly, and no doubt his own from time to time. It’s one of his extensive catalog’s central draws. Ensconced in the un-rock ‘n’ roll hub of Tucson for most of that time, Gelb’s weirdo muse first conjured in the hard rock-cum-post-punk Giant Sand (nee Giant Sandworms) before morphing into a host of other sonic dimensions. There’ve been outings in twisted country (The Band of Blacky Ranchette records), flamenco flavored gypsy fare (Alegrias), gospel choir-infused indie rock (‘Sno Angel), and even a recent turn to aging-in-style jazz piano trio (this year’s Future Standards, reviewed HERE at Blurt). All these twists and turns, though, are uniquely Gelbian. Even the most considered retain a relaxed feel, where a clever rhyme or humorous quip trumps any literal sense, and the loose music vibe never drifts far from the open skies of his home range. Released in 2005, the first Arizona Amp and Alternator LP served as a revved-up extension of his country leanings and featured a host of cameos, including the likes of M. Ward, Grandaddy, Scout Niblett and even the Arcade Fire drummer. It was a laissez-faire effort by even Gelb standards, and The Open Road — the first project since to bear the Arizona Amp and Alternator brand — pushes that notion even further as a “collection of sketches from several different projects spanning over the last 5 years.” What’s remarkable, though, is how these instrumental doodlings, fully fleshed-out tunes, live show-takes and collaborations stand on their own as both intro and primer to Gelb’s delightfully off-kilter world. Here, in the title track and “Shapeshifter,” are the echoes of late friend/collaborator/mentor Rainer Ptacek’s high plains, lone rider surf guitar — what Blurt’s esteemed editor first labeled “desert noir.” “Every Now and Then” and “Llueve en Mi Corazon” find Gelb delving into the accordion-fueled Norteño rock that former Giant Sand bandmates Joey Burns and John Convertino incorporated to define Calexico. The snare-driven thrum of “Contraption” and a live duet with Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle (“Left”) highlight some of the elements that helped Giant Sand crossover to the indie rock crowd, and the sexy duet with Phoenix native Lonna Kelley (“Left of Center”) reminds us that Gelb usually pairs well the ladies, from Victoria Williams and PJ Harvey to Neko Case and Cat Power. There’s even a couple of numbers — “Piano of Erosion” and a live take on Chore of Enchantment‘s “Bottom Line Man” (called “Bottom Line Again, Man” here) — that scratch Gelb’s long-standing jazz piano itch. Such a hodge-podge would instantly qualify as completists-only fare for most musicians. But the rules are different for Gelb, whose whole career has celebrated the alchemy of happy accidents. The Open Road isn’t essential, and only scratches the surface of Gelb World, but even a drop-in visit like this proves worth one’s while. BY JOHN SCHACHT
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Plankton_ Music for an Intallation By Christian Sardet and Shiro Takatani (Milan Records, 2016) — is a unique artistic collaboration between biologist Christian Sardet, visual artist Shiro Takatani and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 2016 the three men debuted an art installation at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art in Kyoto, Japan showcasing Sardet’s unbelievable images of microscopic plankton. These photos were paired with a video installation by Takatani and music composed by Sakamoto. This release features the whole score composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto for this unique art installation.
Gas — Narkopop (Kompakt, 2017) — Wolfgang Voigt presents an incredible new chapter in the GAS saga almost 20 years since its last instalment, taking us deeper still into the recesses of that neon lit forest nightscape, just in time for that new series of Twin Peaks that’s just around the corner… Over the last two decades many listeners have become deeply familiar with Zauberburg, Königsforest, and Pop — many for the first time via the vital Nah Und Fern compilation [2008], and with an even greater number becoming seduced and schooled via the comprehensive Box collection in 2016, which effectively sets the scene for this, Wolfgang Voigt’s keenly awaited re-arrival. Not to make him sound like christ or anything but, jeeeeez, we need this guy’s music now as badly as ever. Under the title Narkopop, which suggests a continuation of the themes explored by its predecessor, Pop [2000], as well as a succinct acknowledgement of his music’s putative purpose, the Kompakt kingpin floods the senses with what must be a life-threatening dose to folk who are AMSR responsive or suffer cardiac respiratory problems; you’ll either shiver yourself to a very pleasurable death or find yourself catching your breath at the point of systolic syncopation with Voigt’s inhale/exhale dynamics. To be clear, the formula of etheric de/composition remains the same; there’s no studio skits or sidesteps into Ed Sheeraned polkapop (free ideas for the future right there, Wolfgang) — but the production and dense sense of tension is taken even further into that unique soundworld. The kicks remain as deep as your pulsatile tinnitus heard thru the pillow at night, whilst the strings are diaphanous and intangibly convective; slowly but surely directing the listener to a highly desirable state of delirium; along a spiralling Escher’s staircase to a beautiful nowhere. It’s perhaps arbitrary to give a run thru of all the tracks because, as anyone who has immersed themselves in GAS will tell you, it’s quite likely that consciousness isn’t an option by the end of the recording, with the final tracks of his albums tending to be received by osmosis from behind closed eyelids. But, in case you have the concentration span of a long haul trucker or a tolerance for beta blockers, you’ll be well attuned to its valerian gauze and durational thrum, which picks us up at the very Leyland Kirby/The Caretaker-esque Narkopop 1, and carries thru distinct highlights in the breathtaking symphonic smudge of Narkopop 4, and the windswept aeolian harp shiver laced into Narkopop 6 before delivering us at the feet of a towering, cloud-shrouded holy mountain which gradually reveals its peak in Narkopop 10. 20 years on, it’s still a sound that no one has managed to better, despite countless imitations. а в обзоре underrated.ru написали так: По прошествии почти 20 лет Вольфганг Войт представил следующую главу саги проекта GAS с целью завести нас ещё глубже в дебри подсвеченного неоновым сиянием леса, тем самым словно предвосхищая скорый выход нового сезона «Твин Пикс». Название свежего релиза «Narkopop» отсылает нас к его предыдущему альбому «Pop», а также намекает на галлюциногенные свойства вошедших в него треков. При прослушивании вы либо полностью покроетесь гусиной кожей и умрете от электрического разряда, накопившегося в волосках на теле, либо задохнетесь, не поспевая за динамикой вдохов и выдохов музыки Войта. Спустя годы биты музыканта остаются столь же глубокими, как пульс биения сердца в ушах, а струнные столь же прозрачными, сколь и вескими; их посредством GAS ведет слушателя по эшеровской спиральной лестнице к сладостному забвению и благословенной пустоте.
Pacific Coliseum — Ocean City LP (Coastal Haze, 2017) — l-онгплей нового проекта Джеймисона Айзека (Teen Daze) и Coastal Haze label. electronic, balearic
Slowdive – Slowdive (Dead Oceans, 2017) — is the upcoming fourth studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It is scheduled for release on 5 May 2017, on record label Dead Oceans. The album is their first since 1995’s Pygmalion. The album was preceded by the single «Star Roving», which was released on 12 January 2017. В сообществе E:\music\shoegaze & post-punk немного пафосно но верно написали: Год назад Slowdive объявили, что приступают к работе над новым альбомом. В январе этого года группа подписала контракт с Dead Oceans и опубликовала первый за 22 года трек с грядущего альбома, вызвавший исключительно положительные эмоции, сплотившей всех нас с одной единственной целью — с нетерпением отсчитывать дни до релиза. Эта неделя начинается с прекрасной для нас, и, скорее всего, грустной для группы новости, ведь в сеть утекает релиз, на который эти уже не молодые ребята, каковыми их принято помнить, потратили много усилий и вложили все частички своей души, как и на все свои предыдущие работы. Slowdive в очередной раз совершает революцию в собственном звуке, однако в песнях отчётливо можно услышать отголоски прошлых работ, от которых наворачивается ностальгическая слеза. Нил и Рейчел смогли не потерять всё волшебство своих голосов, которые постоянно переплетаются со звуками, издаваемыми гитарами, они всё так же звучат как часть чего-то одного целого, вгоняющая нас в эйфорию. Стоит сказать, что настроение у альбома переменное, в точь как у подростка, что удивляет, ведь они будто переместились своим внутренним состоянием в те далёкие времена: времена Creation Records, времена потери любовных отношений, времена тотального разгрома прессой их творчества. Но, несомненно, не только в воспоминания о плохих временах для членов группы. Они смогли позаимствовать и тёплые чувства, которые грели их, а теперь греют и нас. Всё это говорит о том, как много для них значит группа, которую они основали ещё будучи школьными друзьями, в далёком 1989-ом году. Очень радует, что они смогли сохранить и не потерять свой прекрасный шугейзинг, так сильно полюбившейся в «Just For A Day», уносящий в облака дрим-поп с «Souvlaki» и, конечно же, никуда не делся сладкий эмбиент с «Pygmalion» — всё это сплотилось воедино и предстало перед нами в новом одноимённом альбоме этих замечательных творцов.
Federico Durand — La Niña Junco (12K, 2017) — Ambient/Microsound/Minimalism/Drone. Argentinian musician Federico Durand returns with his 2nd full length album on 12k following 2016’s A Través Del Espejo (12k1085). Taking his already minimalist composition style Federico challenged himself by using only one synthesizer for this beautiful album of sparse, hypnotic dustiness. His talent for creating works of so much emotion out of so little attest to his concentration when working and his passion for the craft. La Niña Junco is a handwoven gem. Music with a humble origin and a deep resonating soul. Famed Argentinian artist Lola Goldstein graciously illustrated the album cover, caputuring the idea of memory and object that is so infused with Federico’s work. «Immersed in the beauty of the very moment, the songs for La Niña Junco were recorded in one take during two days, in a rush of inspiration. I used a small sound palette: one instrument, a Crumar Performer synthesizer along with two looping pedals and Roland Space Echo RE-201. The Crumar was my first synthesizer. I bought it many years ago and then gave it to a friend, who later lent it to my brother. After a very long time, I got it back when we moved to La Cumbre, a small town in the central mountain area of Argentina. As this instrument has a very limited but beautiful oscilator, it was rewarding to make small melodies using only its almost magical sound. I was enchanted to have the chance to play with my Crumar again: in many ways this album feels like returning to an early home. The electric noises of my old, broken keyboard, were an unexpected and musical gift and a humble proof of the passing of time.» — Federico Durand, La Cumbre, 2017
Chihei Hatakeyama + Federico Durand – Sora (White Paddy Mountain, 2017) — is the second collaborative recording between Hatakeyama and Durand. (Sora means «sky» in japanese). This album is organized by exchanging alternate sound files Hatakeyama and Durand by internet. A simple analog synth tone was processed with a modular synth, an effector, a cassette tape, etc… That tone is just like the sound that came down from the heavens. This album has a silence and a simple structure Ambient music like William Basinski. In addition, this work was to be released in accordance with Federico Durand ‘s second visit to Japan in March 2017.
Juan Atkins & Orlando Voorn — Mind Merge (Out Electronic Recordings, 2017) — Хуан Аткинс и Орландо Ворн объединили усилия ради нового альбома, который выйдет на мощностях независимого лейбла Out-Er (Out Electronic Recordings) в марте 2017-го. Релиз под названием Mind Merge станет первой совместной полноформатной записью ветеранов техно более чем за 20 лет. Их первой коллаборацией стал трек Infiniti Game One 1994 года, а недавно дуэт Аткинса и Ворна отметился совместной композицией Reloaded на юбилейной компиляции, приуроченной к 5-летнему юбилею Out-Er. Новый альбом выпускающий лейбл называет «квинтэссенцией детройтского техно, фанка и электро». Релиз состоится 6 марта 2017 года на двойном виниле и в цифровом формате. (написано mixed.news)
Woods — Love Is Love (Woodsist, 2017) — «Wisdom comes with age, so it’s no surprise that Woods have grown more sage in the twelve years since they formed, expanding from sylvan drum circles into increasingly elaborate, transcendent psychedelia.»- Pitchfork «We walked down streets and crammed onto trains, our faces masks of fear. Unsure how to react, we, collectively, did not react. We grieved for a country and an ideal we never thought would die. We grieved for a loss of certainty. We argued about what we thought would happen. We preached understanding. We advocated for anger. Some people said that we’d at least get some incredible art, other people said that was a small view of a world we were quickly realizing we’d misunderstood. Everyone was right. Everyone was wrong. Art made in precarious times matters as much as we let it matter. But what are we looking for from the art we enjoy? Escapism? A reckoning with harsh reality? A temporary shared hallucination? Music can heal because it presents the pain of being human as universal. Love is Love was written and recorded in the two months immediately following the election, but it’s not a record borne entirely of angry, knee-jerk reaction to what America is becoming. Instead, it’s a meditation on love, and on what life means now. Taking cues from last year’s City Sun Eater in the River of Light, it feels very much like a record made from living, shoulder to shoulder, in a major city: weaving psychedelic swirls of guitar between languid horns reminiscent of the best Ethiopian jazz—Love is Love is a distinctly New York record. It is a document of protest in uncertain times and an open-hearted rejection of cynicism in favor of emotional honesty. It is bright, and then, unexpectedly, a little dark sometimes too. There will be parts of life where we will watch as events unfold and we will feel helpless. We will not be sure of the future. On good days, we’ll have each other. On the bad ones, we’ll turn to the art that helps us feel something. Love is Love is a document of the new world we live in, proof that light can come from despair and hope is still possible. We just need a little help remembering it exists.»- Sam Hockley-Smith
Fred und Luna — Plasma (2017) — второй в 2017-м году, релиз электрокраут-проекта немецкого музыканта Rainer Buchmuller (aka Sugar Ray Buckmiller), что живет возле Рейна в городе Karlsruhe, Germany. Играет он в одиночку, довольно мелодичную электронику с явными краутными корнями — так и называя себя в рецензиях «Elektrokraut (concerning Read the rest of this entry
Chantal Acda – Bounce Back (Glitterhouse Records, 2017) — was recorded by producer Phill Brown, known from his work for artists like Talk Talk, Mark Hollis and Bob Marley. Kindred spirits Shahzad Ismaily, Bill Frisell, Eric Thielemans, Alan Gevaert, Niels Van Heertum, Gaëtan Vandewoude, Gerd Van Mulders, Fred ‘LYENN’ Jacques and Mathijs Bertel do not only colour the album but also Chantal’s live. Most of them will also appear with her live. read more
Tara Jane O’Neil — Tara Jane O’Neil (Gnomonsong, 2017) — 2017 release. Tara Jane O’Neil describes her eighth solo album as a singer/songwriter endeavor. At the invitation and design of Mark Greenberg (The Coctails), she recorded, mostly live, half of the record at Wilco’s Loft Studio in Chicago with a band that included James Elkington, Gerald Dowd, Nick Macri, and Greenberg himself. The other half was made in O’Neil’s home studio in California with Devin Hoff, Wilder Zoby, Walt McClements and string supervisor Jim James. The album also features the voices of Chris Cohen, Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs and Joan Shelley. O’Neil herself plays guitar, bass and percussion. A founding member of Rodan, The Sonora Pine, amongst other ensembles, O’Neil has also collaborated on recordings and stages with Papa M, Michael Hurley, Little Wings, Marisa Anderson, Catherine Irwin, Mirah, Mount Eerie, and many, many others. She’s performed at clubs, galleries, and DIY spaces around the world and venues such as the Centre de Pompdou, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and All Tomorrow’s Parties, while also starring in the cult classic film Half-Cocked. Her visual art work has been shown in cities including London, Tokyo and Portland and has been published in three monographs.
Phase90 (Stephen Hitchell) – Absonia (echospace [detroit], 2017) — A haunting of the spirit and soul, a near-hour long journey into some of Phase 90’s most ominous territories yet. The darkest side of Dub. Field recordings extracted at The Detroit Masonic temple, an alleged location of supernatural and EVP Phenomena. Recorded live in the mix for an art installation exhibit held in Ann Arbor, MI. 2016
VA — AOR Global Sounds, Vol. 3 (Favorite, 2017) — For the third volume in his consistently superb AOR Global Sounds compilation series, Charles Maurice has largely opted to showcase tracks that combine West Coast rock flavours with disco and soul influences. It’s a heady and intoxicating collection, where the blue-eyed soul/jazz-funk fusion of «Girl» by Stratus rubs shoulders with the horn-heavy, electrofunk era AOR cheeriness of Willy Santana’s «Mais Uma Chance» and the ’80s soul smoothness of Omega Sunrise’s «Heartbreaker». Other highlights include the rubbery boogie bass and Steely Dan guitar passages of Billy Always’ «More Than A Minute» and the drowsy warmth of Jon Konteau’s synth-laden «The Heckler», which comes on like the Steve Miller Band jamming with Moon B.
Yumi Zouma – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Turntable Kitchen, 2017) -Turntable Kitchen recently commissioned Yumi Zouma to cover a classic record in its entirety for the site’s Sounds Delicious subscription service. After months of deliberation, the Yumis eventually landed on Oasis’ landmark 1995 LP (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and without giving away too many spoilers, let’s just say they nailed it. We’ve already heard their beautifully blown-out, shoegaze-y cover of “She’s Electric”, and today the group shares their slinky and very Yumi-esque (the highest compliment) dream-pop version of Morning Glory‘s best track, “Champagne Supernova“, the first song they tackled for the project. Yumi’s Charlie Ryder tells us: “When Matthew from Turntable Kitchen asked us to cover an entire record from the depths of history, it took us many many months to decide what album to do. Even when we realised that an Oasis album could potentially be an option in terms of something we could actually do in a Yumi Zouma way, we weren’t 100% sure whether it would just sound totally ridiculous or not. It wasn’t until we tried the first song that we had an initial idea for – Champagne Supernova – that we knew we had finally settled on something rad. As four songwriters, it’s often a long process to agree on things within the band, but this was one of the rare moments when we all just thought “hell yeah – this is possible AND it’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s go ahead and cover an Oasis album in it’s entirety.”
Föllakzoid Feat. J. Spaceman – London Sessions (Sacred Bones Records, 2017) — в E:\music\krautrock, естественно Ринат Хозин написал: Во время своего прошлогоднего европейского тура, когда чилийское трио, в том числе выступило на московском и питерском Psych Fest’e, группа записала эту 12″ пластинку. Пригласив в лондонскую студию своего давнего друга Jason Pierce (a.k.a. J. Spaceman), всем известного по таким проектам, как Spacemen 3 и Spiritualized, музыканты сделали новые версии своих альбомных треков Electric и Earth. По мнению группы Jason Pierce внес новую гармоническую атмосферу в композиции.
Jesu & Sun Kil Moon — 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth (Caldo Verde, 2017) — The sophomore album from the band. The first song to be released was titled “He’S Bad” followed by “Needles Disney World. A third song was released «The Greatest Coversation Ever In The History Of The Universe” which was included as apart of the 30 Days 30 Songs project promoting artists for a Trump Free America. Another Track being played on the most recent tour which fans Our calling “Bombs” which Mark has commented jokingly about the rift being similar to the Beatles song “Day Tripper. This song has been worked on through out the tour with different lyrics to the second half while always maintaining the first half staying the same and spanning about 30 min in length. Another song being played on the recent tour was written towards the end called twenty something or Johnny Saint Lethal about a guy of the same name who gave Mark a book he wrote titled Twenty Something. в сообществе E:\music\ написали так: Второй альбом одной из самых важных коллабораций современного фолка. Первый мы слушали чуть больше года назад (vk.cc/5vM0kl). Марк Козелек и Джастин Бродрик не собираются никого удивлять экспериментами. Рецепт тот же, что и в начале их совместного творческого пути — гитара, драм-машина и множество примочек. И конечно же лично-апокалиптический вокал Марка, граничащий со споукен-вордом. Это сложно назвать песнями в привычном смысле слова. Это скорее рассказ отчаявшегося человека с тяжелым прошлым, силы которого на исходе. Это одновременно и исповедь и предъявление обвинений всему миру. За 30 секунд до падения Земли в небытие. Думаю, всё творчество Марка можно считать автобиографичным, учитывая его сложное детство с отцом, что только усиливает эффект от пластинки. Не знаю, будет ли уместно такое сравнение, но лично у меня возникли ассоциации с творчеством Тома «Planning for Burial» Уозлака, только без тяжелых гитар. Вряд ли кто-то из них это прочтет, но, возможно, это был бы самый душераздирающий творческий союз на современной сцене. Пластинка должна была выйти 5 мая, но засранцы-пираты слили ее на 2 недели раньше. Но мы постараемся сильно не расстраиваться этому.
Feist – Pleasure (Interscope Records, 2017) — Feist has been known to take her time between albums, but it has been a long stretch since 2011’s Metals. She has since provided guest vocals on Peaches’ Rub, appeared in music videos for Jenny Lewis and Kevin Drew, and is set to contribute to Broken Social Scene’s new album. Today she announces Pleasure, produced by Feist with Mocky and Renaud Letang and set for an April 28 release date on Universal. а whoisyodiller написал о нем так: «…у случившегося может быть несколько причин: 1) легализация рекреационной марихуаны способствует открытию одних чакр и закрытию других, 2) во время бесконечных гастролей на Фвйст напали обратившиеся в натуристически-веганское хипстерство КокоРоузи и жестоко покусали её, 3) яркой и талантливой певице на самом деле претит запись песен, от чего альбомы она выпускает редко, а записанное из-за этого иногда выглядит записанным на утюг в ведре концептуальным «недопродюсированием» – в пику перепродюсированной попсе; 4) её тошнит кроликами хамелеонами, которые облепляют её гитару, ползают по грифу и мешают играть, из-за чего она записывает песни урывками и там, где её застаёт свободный от хамелеонов момент, и из названий песен пытается составить SOS-обращение к слушателям – вдруг спасут… Но если серьёзно, то новый альбом требует определённой синхронизации настроения – знаете, как глаза привыкают к темноте, или как тебя оглушает шум леса, казавшегося тихим, или когда ныряешь под воду и на какой-то момент сам становишься частью стихии. Обычно требование каких-то дополнительных условий для произведения искусства («для этого фильма нужна определённая обстановка», «для этой музыки нужно определённое настроение»…) говорит либо о художественной несостоятельности самого произведения, либо о неспособности реципиента адекватно воспринять произведение в предлагаемых условиях, но для этого альбома действительно нужно выдохнуть и позволить себе хотя бы на несколько минут прислушаться.»
MPSO (Mount Pleasant Sympathy Orchestra) — Examined Life (EP, 2017) — новая работа Daniel Gray и его проекта MPSO. ambient alt pop ambient pop downtempo dream pop shoegaze Montreal
TW Walsh – Terrible Freedom (Tower of Song, 2017) — Terrible Freedom is an album about fear and liberation, space and time, the self and the mind. Its themes are existential and broad, but they also characterize the cultural and political dumpster fire in which we find ourselves engulfed today. Walsh grew up in Reagan’s America (The New Cold War, the AIDS crisis, trickle-down economics, The War on Drugs), so Trump’s chaotic presidency is familiar territory. If Terrible Freedom has a message, it’s to cultivate compassion and courage. If you can muster the strength, simply lean into the fear. All things must pass. Whatever comes, just let it arrive. TW Walsh is a member of Lo Tom (Barsuk Records) and a former member of Pedro the Lion, Headphones and The Soft Drugs. Terrible Freedom is his sixth album. He has also contributed to more than 850 recording projects as a producer, musician or engineer, working with artists such as Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), members of The National, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Foxygen, Damien Jurado and David Bazan.
Ducktailes — Daffy Duck In Hollywood (New Images, Compilation, 2017) — 60 minutes of unreleased music recorded by Matt Mondanile between 2014-2017. Hypnagogic Pop/Lo-Fi Indie/Neo-Psychedelia/Psychedelic Pop/Indie Pop/ D. — американский psychedelic pop проект, сольное детище гитариста группы Real Estate Мэтта Монданайла (Matt Mondanile), которое он соорудил в 2006 году в родном городе Northampton, Massachusetts. В работе над музыкальным материалом ему помогают Luka Usmiani, Alex Craig и Read the rest of this entry
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растамайские релизы: Elijah Prophet — New Chapter Of My Life (Carles Pastor / Arise, 2017), Wailing Souls — Island Girl (Black Oak Studios, 2017), Ras Denroy Morgan — Muzical Unity (ASAPH / VP Records, 2017), Suga Roy & Conrad Crystal & The Fireball Crew — The Kings Book Album (Fire Ball Records, 2017), Danman — Chant Down Babylon (Dubquake Records, 2017), Kingston All Stars — Dubwise (Roots & Wire Records, 2017), Lee «Scratch» Perry — Science, Magic, Logic (Jam Ra, 2017), Matisyahu — Undercurrent (Fallen Sparks, 2017), Coldcut x On-U Sound — Outside The Echo Chamber (Ahead Of Our Time, 2017), Morgan Heritage – Avrakedabra (CTBC Music Group, 2017), VA — King Size Dub Germany Downtown Chapter 3 (Echo Beach, 2017), Digitaldubs ft. Cedric Myton & Afromandinga — In the Beginning/Nyahbhingi de (EP, 2017), Burning Babylon — Sound Bomb (3 Shakes Records, 2017), Mystica Tribe (Taka Noda) – Island Oasis (Silent Season, 2017), Slownoise — Ruffington Dubs (2017)
Real Estate — In Mind (Domino Recording Co., 2017) — On In Mind the band fine-tunes the winsome songwriting and profound earnestness that made previous albums—Real Estate, Days, and Atlas—so beloved and pushes their songs in compelling new directions. Written primarily by guitarist/vocalist Martin Courtney In Mind offers a mild shifting of the gears, positing a band engaged in the push/pull of burgeoning adulthood. Reflecting a change in lineup, changes in geography, and a general desire to move forward without looking back, the record recasts the band in a new light — one that replaces the ennui of teen suburbia with an adult version.
Adna – Closure (Despotz Records, 2017) — On her new album Closure, Swedish Singer-Songwriter Adna Kadic, going simply by Adna, demonstrates how she can cover and clothe the gloom of her soul, despite all the goods it stashed away. Releasing her self-titled debut EP in 2012, just before her 18th birthday, soon Despotz Records discovered the young, introverted singer. Using music as a way to paint the words that are hard to roll out of the tongue, she started exploring the deepest caves of her songwriting abilities. Now with two full-length albums under her belt, 2014’s Night and 2015’s Run, Lucifer, Adna has planted a name for herself bringing forward Closure. Recorded and produced entirely by the haunting beauty in her Berlin apartment, the album opens up with the title-track “Closure,” a tune of cascading voices that warmly sets the tone of the entire record. It is a song of soul-searching and there is tenderness in every piano tooth pressed and a fierceness in every muscle of the drum. Following thereafter is “Overthinking,” which finally makes its way onto this project, despite being written a couple of years ago in just one hour, at that! The singer claims she was in an apathetic state of mind when she birthed the song, but wanted to shed light on her background and her refugee parents.
Amanda Palmer & Edward Ka-Spel – I Can Spin a Rainbow (Cooking Vinyl, 2017) — Amanda Palmer collaborated with Edward Ka-Spel, founding member of the experimental rock group the Legendary Pink Dots, on the upcoming record I Can Spin a Rainbow. совместный альбом двух известных артистов, американской певицы, автора песен Аманды Палмер и английско-голландского автора-исполнителя и музыканта Эдварда Ка-Спела (Эдвард Франсис Шарп), которого больше всего знают как фронтмена и сооснователя группы Тhе Lеgеndаrу Рink Dоts. «Мы объединили наши песенные и поэтические миры, чтобы создать новую вселенную» — сказала Палмер об этой совместной работе.
Burnt Friedman — Isomorphic (Bright Sounds 007 D, EP, 12″, 2017) — After years of quarantine on his own Nonplace label, Burnt Friedman’s otherworldly world music is starting to infect the wider ecosystem. Last year’s The Pestle for Latency was a career highpoint, and Toronto’s Marionette will soon release further recordings from Friedman. This release on the Berlin label Bright Sounds follows a remix he did for their last release, from Andreas Tilliander. As with the Latency record, it consists of older tracks. On The Pestle, knowing this fact made the vivid, timeless music even more powerful. Isomorphic, whose contents date from ’94-’99, doesn’t quite pull this off. There’s a slightly dated stoner vibe, for instance, to the lazy dub skank of «1999 Platin Tundra.» But weird details—such as the sci-fi flickers of wah-wahed bass, dry and teasingly polyrhythmic percussion and vapour-like ride cymbal—still carry it. The other tracks are ultra-subtle rhythm pieces made from soft percussion and micro-samples. «1994 Knick» and «1996 Echokammerr» offer moments of suspense, rather than the oceanic bliss found in Friedman’s more dramatic productions. Both are quietly fascinating, but the latter track takes the cake thanks to its dull ripples of delay. The slower «1996 Plastikthai» has a prim microhouse swing and the pillowy suggestion of a 4/4 kick. Saxophone—it’s also in «1999 Platin Tundra»—voices a riff in the latter half, but doesn’t get above a whisper. As with everything on this release, it seems like it might evaporate at any minute.
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy — Best Troubador (Drag City/Palace Records, 2017) — Oldham’s covers of the Everly Brothers, Bill Withers and even R Kelly are some of the most satisfying curios in his massive catalogue, and he continues here with an album of songs by the late Merle Haggard. Oldham’s reaffirmation of country as a spartan, romantic, existentially troubled music is a trick he perhaps learned from Haggard himself, but he strays further still from country’s core sound, replacing the pedal steel and banjo with flutes, saxophones and acoustic guitar. By doing this, and choosing deep cuts rather than hits like Okie From Muskegee, he universalises a music that is still overlooked by many listeners, and in some cases arguably improves it – Haggard (Like I’ve Never Been Before) gives some swing to the stodgy honky-tonk of the original. But Haggard’s songwriting still shines throughout. With one eyebrow audibly raised, he sang of life’s trials in rueful yet stoic ballads, characterised by lines like “for most of my life I’ve almost been a winner”; Oldham beautifully recasts them in his leaf-rustle baritone.
Kaori — Aux îles fortunées (Thierry Folcher, 2017) — Dans les forêts humides et denses de Nouvelle Calédonie, il existe une espace d’arbre qui dépasse les quarante mètres de haut, un véritable colosse vert aux racines impressionnantes qu’on appelle localement « kaori ». C’est le symbole et le nom de scène qu’ont choisi d’adopter deux guitaristes chanteurs originaires de Nouméa. Ensemble, ils proposent un premier album de chansons françaises du bout du monde qui invite au voyage. Kaori est un duo formé par Thierry Folcher et Alexis Diawara. Tous les deux ont un passé étonnant, presque légendaire, digne d’un conte. Le premier a découvert sur le tard qu’il est un descendant de bagnard, le deuxième a grandi dans une tribu Kanak avant de devenir marin et sillonner le Pacifique. Les racines et le vécu des deux musiciens ne pouvaient que nourrir leur musique au même titre que leurs influences diverses. Dans leurs chansons écrites toutes en français se mélangent des notes de blues, de rock, de reggae et de bossa nova. Sans frontière. Fier de ses origines calédoniennes, Kaori entend aussi s’ouvrir sur le monde avec des sonorités venues des Etats-Unis ou d’Amérique du Sud. « Aux îles fortunées » est un album qui respire le soleil, le voyage, et la douceur de vivre avec une pointe de nostalgie ; un répertoire de chansons faites pour nous accompagner sur le chemin de la vie…
Kevin Morby – City Music (Dead Oceans, 2017) — «The record is a collection of ten songs, a Germs cover and a Flannery O’Conor passage read by my friend Meg Baird, inspired by and devoted to my metropolitan experience across America. It is a mix-tape, a fever dream, a love letter dedicated to those cities that I cannot get rid of, to those cities that are all inside of me.» — Kevin Morby. или наруском «Четвертый альбом американского исполнителя Кевина Морби, которого часто сравнивают с Бобом Диланом и Леонардом Коэном. Сам Морби называет этот альбом «аналогом» прошлогоднего альбома «Singing Saw».«
Luke Sital-Singh – Time Is A Riddle (Raygun Records Ltd, 2017) — the second album from singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh, pushing pass label politics with a desire to create his follow up album on his own terms, Like Sital-Singh has created a collection of intimate and caring songs that hold vulnerability and braveness hand in hand. Having written a brace of songs – simple songs that moved him – Sital-Singh followed his long-held artist’s dream: he escaped to a remote studio, Attica Audio, in Donegal, with nothing on his mind other than making the record of his life. The studio’s owner, producer Tommy McLaughlin (a member of Villagers’ touring band, who Sital-Singh has opened for) pulled together a small group of musicians. Well-used to playing together, the band slotted together effortlessly for a series of recordings over ten days. ‘Time Is A Riddle’ is a record where you can smell the graft, see the joins and hear the sweat on the frets – and the occasional live-recording misstep. It’s that real. Luke Sital-Singh wouldn’t have it any other way.
Glass Vaults – The New Happy (Melodic, 2017) — Fuzzy, melodic indie-pop from a group led by Bevan Smith, who used to make gorgeous ambient techno as Signer. “If you want to know the secret to happiness, look no further than transcendental psychedelic pop outfit Glass Vaults. The New Zealand via Berlin band led by Richard Larsen, Rowan Pierce and Carpark Record’s signee Bevan Smith, create a unique concoction of joyously uplifting pleasure in their sonic laboratory and The New Happy is the result — an exploration of the euphoric sensations associated with Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). Glass Vaults’ sophomore LP was recorded and mixed to seduce. ASMR, otherwise known as a ‘brain orgasm,’ is an aurally triggered euphoric experience characterised by a tingling in the scalp which travels down the neck and spine and The New Happy was specifically mixed to elicit an ASMR effect. ‘We focused on retaining short high frequency transients and worked on modulating and panning certain sounds to induce goose bumps and shivers when listened through headphones,’ Smith explains of the record’s atmospheric ambiance. ‘It looks not to emulate a sexual high, but a deeper, euphoric wave, that washes over the body in feelings of comfort and security… a new kind of happy.’ The New Happy sees the band peeling away at a once hazy veneer to reveal vibrant and colourful majestic pop moments crafted with precision and clarity. ‘The New Happy is a sonic departure for us… where once we would have relied on large crystalline reverbs, this record takes cues from intimate spaces, percussive rhythm and groove to elicit a different kind of transcendence.’ Glass Vaults’ unique brand of dreamy psychedelic pop has wowed capacity crowds everywhere from drained swimming pools and humid forests, to New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.A.” Read the rest of this entry
cv313 (Roderick Julian Modell) – Beyond Dreams [Analog Passages] (echospace [detroit], 2017) — This release features 4 epic moments ranging from 12-20 minutes each passage from cv313, where a vintage trident desk, hand crafted analog effects units and a vast array of synthesis sculpted and shaped what would become, «beyond dreams». One of the recent highlights of the alchemy edition of cv313’s opus, «Dimensional Space», an intergalactic journey into an ocean of analog bliss. These recordings were digitally transferred using Apogee convertors to ensure the integrity of original master tapes were preserved. All four passages have a life force all their own, deep and hypnotic, sonic submersion.
Fred Frith & Hans Koch — You Are Here (Intakt Records, 2017) — Free Improvisation/Avant-Garde/Free Jazz. Fred Frith is a world renowned improvisor, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has positioned himself on the contemporary music scene between rock and jazz, improvisation and compostition. Experimental saxophonist and bass clarinetist Hans Koch has a similarly superb reputation. In the past few years Hans has dedicated himself to the quieter side of improvisation. Both musicians have extended the possibilities of their instruments and stepped into new territories. The pair have known each other since the Nineties. As a guest, Frith took part in the “hardcore chamber music“ of trio Koch-Schütz-Studer. On the new album “You Are Here” they create intriguing sound worlds and fascinating tone structures purely by improvising. It is the music of two mature masters who have worked all their life to develop their own musical language. The duo allows them to make full use of their artistic capability to the great pleasure of the listener.
Malcolm Holcombe — Pretty Little Troubles (Gypsy Eyes Music, 2017) — Produced by Darrell Scott and recorded at The Sanctuary and Hippie Jack’s studios, the album is Holcombe’s 15th studio recording. Joining Malcolm on the record are Darrell Scott (acoustic and electric guitar, pedal steel,piano, mandola, bouzouki,vocals), Jarrod Tyler (dobro, mandolin,vocals), Verlon Thompson (acoustic guitar,vocals), Dennis Crouch (bass), Marco Giovinno and Kenny Malone (percussion), Jelly Roll Johnson (harmonica), Jonathan Yudkin (violin,viola, cello), Mike McGoldrick (Ulleann whistles & pipes) and Joey Miskulin (accordian). “Malcolm Holcombe is an artist of deep mystery and high art,” says producer Darrell Scott. “He is who I listen to, and have for over 20 years—this record goes on my list of “working with my heroes” – all the goods that I value in songs and artistry are in Malcolm – the real deal.” An acclaimed contemporary of Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle, and an “emotionally captivating” (Isthmus) performer, Holcombe has shared the stage with Merle Haggard, Richard Thompson, John Hammond, and Leon Russell. Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Holcombe’s “heartfelt baritone” (NPR) poignantly delivers “haunted country, acoustic blues and rugged folk” (Rolling Stone) with lyrics that invite you in, sit you down, and speak directly to you. “The album is flawless, swimming in integrity and beautifully played.
Hugo Race And Michelangelo Russo – John Lee Hooker’s World Today (Gusstaff Records, 2017) — Hugo Race and Michelangelo Russo are no strangers to either Hooker or the blues. Hailed as a supreme influence on the music of their band Hugo Race & The True Spirit, here the duo create a full sensory immersion in John Lee Hooker’s World Today with devastating singularity of purpose. Recorded in a single, continuous day and night session at the Berlin studio of Boris Wilsdorf (Einsturzende Neubauten), this is an epic album of sonic sorcery suspended in time and place, looking back through twenty-first century eyes at John Lee Hooker’s delta blues legacy in a swirling mix of analogue grit and deep trance pulses. The selection of tracks tells a story in itself; from the runaway twelve-year old boy of the desolate classics ‘Hobo Blues’ and ‘Country Boy’ to the worldly-wise elder Hooker of ‘The World Today’ (originally from Hooker ‘n Heat) and The Motor City’s Burning (a cover of Hooker’s cover of the MC5 classic), the album traces the arc of a life from pre-modernity to the Now on the 100th anniversary of Hooker’s birth. Race and Russo’s reimagining of Hooker is simultaneously blues, electronica, avant-garde and ambient, a homage to one of the greats of rock and roll prehistory, delivered with a sting and a twist more relevant than ever to The World Today.
Portable Sunsets — Order (Atomnation, 2017) — Portable Sunsets is one of the monikers of Peter Segerstrom, a producer based in Brooklyn, US. He previously released his full-length album Bless on Atomnation (2015), an LP as Surfing on 1080p (2015), and another Portable Sunsets album on the Magical Properties label (2012). Order is the follow-up to these records and it is a dreamy, somewhat lo-fi experimental techno LP. Combined with an ancient ambient undertone, Order does not lose its club ready vibe — This record floats somewhere between laid-back warehouse techno and electronica. Very much representing a unique style, Peter often uses his own voice in his productions, programmed through self-created synths in Max/MSP. Vocals have become textures and are used as a synth, pad, or soundscape. The combination of genres makes Order a perfect record to dream away to at home, as well as to dance to in clubs. Comes in a gatefold sleeve.
Ofeliadorme — Secret Fires (Society of Sound Music,2017) — Inspired by Rimbaud’s poem, Ophelie, Bologna-based trio Ofeliadorme live up to their name. Se- ductive, tender, immersive, and shrouded in a mystery befitting ancient prose, theirs is a cross- roads between the serenity of Cocteau Twins, Portishead’s emotive darkness, and PJ Harvey’s shape-shifting pop qualities. It’s ambient, New Wave, dreamy, stargazing electronica. One part foggy warmth, another stark desperation, the results are truly unique, and utterly compelling. Already coveted in their Italian homeland, a country with a burgeoning electronic scene right now, the combination of Francesca Bono’s vocals and guitars, Michele Postpischl’s percussion, and Tato Izzia’s synths, low ends, and bewitching noises create an intense yet subtle sound. Far from an oxymoron, some might say it’s inescapable but somehow also meditative. A veritable opiate high that draws you in before refusing to let go. Produced, mixed and recorded by genre-straddling UK legend Howie B (U2, Bjork, Soul II Soul) and engineered by Joe Hirst (Four Tet, Jarvis Cocker, DJ Shadow), Ofeliadorme’s third full length offering, Secret Fires, contains all the hallmarks of his own HB Recordings, the imprint carrying the record. Impeccably realised and perfectly polished, it’s neither sanitised nor forced, and instead, like the poem itself, represents natural beauty. A rare thing indeed, in the troupe’s own words, ‘everyone is screaming and we don’t want to scream to be heard’. Better yet, they really don’t need to, hence being invited to play SXSW this spring, and the mesmeric impact of this latest outing.
Cléa Vincent — Tro-cléa (Midnight Special Records, 2017) — Les sessions du soleil de Cléa Vincent. Album tropical bonus enregistré en live en studio. Toutes les chansons sont écrites et composées par Cléa Vincent sauf Destination tropicales (Cléa Vincent, Kim Giani, Raphaël Thyss). Enregistré et mixé par Bertrand Fresel et Marius Duflot au Studio Juno. Masterisé par Jean-Pierre Bouquet à l’Autre Studio.
Julia Lucille – Chthonic (Keeled Scales, 2017) — second album “Chthonic” was released April 7th on Keeled Scales, and has been described as “a triumph” (Gold Flake Paint) and “Lucille’s most fully realized work yet” (Austin Monthly). She grew up in Menlo Park, California and graduated from Lewis and Clark College in 2010, where she majored in music. She currently lives in Austin, Texas.
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly & James McAlister – Planetarium (2017) — is an upcoming collaborative album inspired by the Solar System, featuring Bryce Dessner of the American indie rock band The National, drummer James McAlister, American contemporary classical music composer and arranger Nico Muhly, and Sufjan Stevens. The album is scheduled to be released by 4AD on June 9, 2017. The group formally announced the recording on March 26, and shared the album’s track listing along with the song «Saturn.» The album includes songs inspired by the Solar System. There are songs for the system’s planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—as well as the dwarf planet, Pluto. There are also songs inspired by black holes, Halley’s Comet, the Kuiper belt, the Moon, and the Sun.
Jamie Saft, Bobby Previte, Steve Swallow with Iggy Pop – Loneliness Road (Rarenoise Records, 2017) — So, the front man for the rock group called The Stooges gets an invite to pitch in with a classic jazz piano trio. The Stooge would be Iggy Pop; the piano trio, Jamie Saft’s, with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte. That’s quite an experiment, like something Frank Zappa might have tried. Pianist Jamie Saft has hitched a big part of his star to John Zorn, appearing, as a sideman or leader, on a score of Zorn’s Tzadik label outings. That says “adventurous,” and “no boundaries.” But in his piano trio outings milieu, the avant-garde buttons aren’t pushed all that hard. His The New Standard (2014), a fine outing, fits well within the mainstream. So does his second Rare Noise outing, Loneliness Road, a deep exploration, with an edge, of the Great American song forms, drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan, The Band, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Evans. Those songbook forms rooted in folk music seem especially important here, with Dylan and The Band sharing that foundation. But Saft’s concept seems less raw, more expansive, including the grandeur of Charles Ives and Aaron Copland, Stephen Foster, leaned in a pared down, modern mode. The three distinctive musical approaches of the trio team coalesce to weave a beautiful and cohesive tapestry, whether it’s the sunny opener, “Ten Nights,” or the portentous, time-standing-stillness of “Bookmarking.” Then there’s Iggy Pop, showcased on three tunes. This trio format—and this particular trio—suits him. The firm but pliable piano trio backing showcases Pop’s speak/singing baritone dialogues. “Don’t Lose Yourself” sounds like a baton handoff from Leonard Cohen for the leader of the elder statesman, poet/songster category. “Loneliness Road” is sounds like a brooding Van Morrison song. “Everyday” is a tender love song from someone who has experienced deep heartache. Iggy Pop—who’d have known—exudes gravitas. A superior piano trio outing with bonus of Iggy Pop’s cool contributions.
Tony Allen — A Tribute To Art Blakey And The Jazz Messenger (Blue Note, 10″, 45 RPM, 2017) — Blue Note is pleased to announce the release of legendary Nigerian drummer Tony Allen’s new EP: A Tribute to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. The 4 titles featured exclusively in the EP provide a preview of his forthcoming album for Blue Note on which Tony Allen pays tribute to his longstanding idol, American jazz drummer Art Blakey. The EP’s four titles and the other tracks that make up the album were recorded over three days in Paris at the Midilive studios, the former facility of the Vogue label. The sessions were done in live conditions that saw Tony Allen and his 8-piece band together in the same room, with the sound channeled through 12 separate mikes onto 2″ tape via a Sony MCI-JH24 analogue multi-track recorder.
Burning Hearts — Battlefields (Betula Pendula, 2017) — It’s been almost a year since we last mentioned Burning Hearts from Finland, and that was when they released the song ‘Work of Art’ back in June. That song gave us a hint that the sound of the band was moving into more of a synthesized direction, a move that seems to be confirmed with the band’s latest release ‘Bodies as Battlefields’, which has a clear synth pop beat running throughout. This makes it all the more danceable. The first lines of the song: “Our bodies were not meant to operate as battlefields. Year after year they have to deal with all the aching of wounded hearts.” really sums up the theme of the track, but reading the lyrics like that without hearing the song feels weird. How do those words even fit in there? Well, they do. Vocalist Jessika Neuman has a very personal touch in her way of singing. She sounds airy and calm, and there’s a certain narrative quality in the way she accentuates the lyrics. Listening to her vocals is fascinating, as she continues to develop a style introduced in her previous band Le Futur Pompiste some seven years ago.
Kikagaku Moyo – Stone Garden (Guruguru Brain, EP, 2017) — Stone Garden started in a basement studio in Prague with a nearly continuous session over several days and nights. The original concept was influenced by the raw and seemingly endless jams of psychedelic pioneers. The freeform songs that emerged from these sessions were refined over several months at the band’s home in Tokyo where each song was sculpted into an uncommon form. Compared to the relatively song-based House In The Tall Grass (2016), Stone Garden is a window into Kikagaku Moyo’s more experimental side. While improvisation is essential to their songwriting process it can take on many forms. This record enabled the band to experiment not only with instrumentation but also atonality and a playful approach to mixing. The unexpected results have become five unique songs each woven together through the same process.
TOPS — Sugar at the Gate (Arbutus Records, 2017) — изврунета: «ТОРS — канадская группа из города Монреаль, известного такими по-хорошему сумасшедшими уроженцами, как Маkеоut Vidеоtаре, Мас DеМаrсо, Аlех Саldеr, Wаltеr ТV, Sеаn Niсоlаs Sаvаgе и многими-многими другими. Эта команда, состоящая из прекрасной Джейн Пенни (Jаnе Реnnу), Дэвида Карьера (Dаvid Саrriеrе), Райли Флека (Rilеу Flесk) и Маделин Гловски (Маdеlinе Glоwiсk) уже успела завоевать сердца многих слушателей и получить для своего дебютного LР «Теndеr Орроsitеs» (2012) звание лучшего альбома года от авторитетного журнала Gоrillа vs. Веаr. Их музыка захватывает своей загадочностью и искренней легкостью, а тонкий голосок очаровательной Джейн надолго западает в сердце. Новый диск «Sugаr аt thе Gаtе» стал третьим полноформатным студийным альбомом в их дискографии и их самой амбициозной работой на сегодняшний день.»
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex (PTKF, 2017) — The debut album out June 9th featuring Apocalypse and Each Time You Fall In Love
VA — Pop Makossa_ The Invasive Dance Beat of Cameroon 1976-1984 (Analog Africa AA083, 2017) — Analog Africa proudly present — Pop Makossa — The Invasive Dance Beat of Cameroon 1976–1984 in 2 beautiful packages (CD with 44-page Booklet & 2XLP Gatefold LP (140gr)with 20-pages LP size Booklet) The Pop Makossa adventure started in 2009, when Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb first travelled to Cameroon to make an initial assessment of the country’s musical situation. He returned with enough tracks for an explosive compilation highlighting the period when funk and disco sounds began to infiltrate the Makossa style popular throughout Cameroon. So why has it taken almost eight years from that first visit to the final compilation? From the very beginning, there were several mysteries hanging over Pop Makossa.
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растадабы июня: Pablo Moses — The Itinuation (Grounded Music, 2017), Mad Professor Meets Jah9 — In The Midst Of The Storm (VP Records, 2017), Vin Morgan, Lone Ark — Iroko Showcase, Vol. 3_ Give Thanks (Iroko Records, 2017), Sizzla — Fought for Dis (Baco Records (Broken Silence), 2017), Gentleman — The Selection (Vertigo Berlin, 2CD, 2017), Roge Abergel & Kingdom Culture — Hope Road (Kingdom Culture Music, 2017), Bionic Clarke — Role Model (11-7 Records, 2017), Sizzla Kalonji — Welcome To Judgement Yard (2017), Mark Wonder (Mark Andrew Thompson) — Dragon Slayer (Baco Records, 2017), Luciano — Embrace Your Failures (Treasure Chest Productions, 2017), General Levy & Joe Ariwa — Be Conscious & Wise-Dub Showcase (Ariwa, EP, 2017), Desove — Solo Dub Works (Space Of Variants, 2017)
Intrusion (Stephen Hitchell) – Amongst The Stars (echospace [detroit], 2017) — This marks the third single from Intrusion’s forthcoming album «A Gentle Embrace» (also with alternate versions coming out on a forthcoming 12″). What has not been heard before comes into glimpse via analog circuitry, obsolete synthesis & sonic exploration beyond dreams. This double CD set features the original mix as well as 3 beautifully hypnotic dub reductions from cv313, an epic 60 minute beautifully composed hypnotic and entrancing ambient rework from variant, which might be one of our personal favorites to date. Those who loved the past «A Gentle Embrace» project will have much to love here. A passionate, galactic, deep voyage on the other side of the galaxy. See you in the stars…
Dale Cooper Quartet & the Dictaphones — Astrild Astrild (Denovali Records, 2017) — The Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones are returning with their 4th album called «Astrild Astrild». Like all of the previous albums, the band recorded the seven pieces at home in Britanny during several sessions between 2013 and 2016. 50’s crooners singers, noisy guitars, atmospheric electronic and hypnotic jazz. All of these elements painted in monochrome black. We have two limited colored editions available.
VA – Soul Jazz Records Presents Boombox 2_ Early Independent Hip Hop, Electro and Disco Rap 1979-83 (Soul Jazz Records, 2017) — ‘Boombox 2’ is a new selection of early rap music from the period 1979 — 83, with barely a household name in sight. Featured here are some the earliest hip hop records that came out of New York City following the enormous commercial success of the first ever rap record, ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by the Sugarhill Gang, in September 1979. «Artists and producers alike tried to jump aboard the new commercial possibilities of hip hop. By the end of the year there were 30 hip hop singles, all released by independent New York labels. The following year there were over 100 more and so on. ‘Boombox 2’ tells the story of how hip hop went from its evolutionary roots in the Bronx through DJs Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa through to its second phase where veteran music producers — Paul Winley, Peter Brown, Joe Robinson and others — all based in Harlem, began to put rap on vinyl for the first time. Harlem is also where the separate worlds of disco and hip hop met through the styles and influence of earlier ‘uptown’ DJs — DJ Hollywood and Eddie Cheba. In similar fashion these veteran Harlem-based producers instinctively tapped into a long lineage of African-American rhythm and blues, soul and disco.»
Ian Hawgood & Wil Bolton – Transparencies (Home Normal, 2017) — Ian Hawgood and Wil Bolton started collaborating almost eight years ago, yet Transparencies marks only their first full album release. Utilizing piano, guitar, glockenspiel, flute, vocals, and found sounds, the album contains the fragile yet melodious nature that both artists have become known for. Following on from Wil’s own Bokeh release (2014), Transparencies features cover art by Hitoshi Ishihara and package design by Christian Roth.
Maleco — Nos limites — EP (Stora Music, 2017) — Belle chanson. https://www.facebook.com/malecofficiel/
Bertrand Betsch — My Love Is for Free (Microcultures, 2017) — Mon album «MY LOVE IS FOR FREE» (composé de 18 reprises de chansons que j’aime à ma sauce) est désormais disponible en commande sur le site des Imprudences ainsi que l’album de Sébastien Polloni, et le EP de Kiefer (+ la possibilité de devenir adhérent du label). https://www.facebook.com/bertrandbetschfanpage
Imagho – Soleil de Tokyo (03H50, 2017) — French неChanson, а скорее франко-американа от гитариста экспериментальщика Jean-Louis Prades. Album Preview
Shinichi Atobe – From the Heart, It’s a Start, a Work of Art (DDS – DDS023, 2017) — It might not feel like it now, at a time when the internet has rendered so many mysteries of the era moot, but from the mid 1990s until not long after the turn of the millennium, Berlin’s Chain Reaction label was among the most cryptic operations in electronic music. Label heads Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, better known as Basic Channel, kept a defiantly low profile, and the label’s artists trafficked in a dizzying array of aliases; some, like the solo project known simply as Various Artists (Torsten Pröfrock, aka T++, Erosion, et al), continue to flummox databases decades later. The label’s sound didn’t exactly lend itself to transparency, either: grainy dub techno emphasizing collective ethos over individual ego, in which shadows and murk threatened to drown out techno’s steady footfall. Chain Reaction’s most enduring mystery came with its penultimate release, in 2001: Ship-Scope, a near-perfect EP of shimmering ambient techno credited to one Shinichi Atobe, a total unknown. Unknown he remained: Chain Reaction gave up the ghost two years later, and Atobe dropped out of sight, seemingly for good. Many listeners assumed that he was really another Chain Reaction artist in disguise. Then, in 2014, Demdike Stare’s Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker, allegedly following a tip from the Basic Channel office, claimed to have tracked down the artist at home in Saitama, Japan; they came away with an album’s worth of unreleased material, some new and some archival. The result, Butterfly Effect, built upon Ship-Scope’s dream-world architecture with a tantalizing assortment of styles, from glistening, minimalist house to dissonant musique concrete to lumpy rhythm studies poised somewhere between Dettinger and Burial.
Portugal. The Man – Woodstock (Atlantic, 2017) — is the upcoming eighth full-length album by Alaskan rock band Portugal. The Man, scheduled for release on June 16, 2017 through Atlantic Records. After having released Evil Friends in 2013, Portugal. The Man began work on a new project, under the working title Gloomin + Doomin. This album was eventually shelved, partly due to a conversation between John Gourley and his father and the discovery of a lost ticket stub from the Woodstock festival. Work began on the Woodstock album shortly thereafter, involving new music as well as material from the Gloomin + Doomin era.
Marconi Union — Ghost Stations Remixes (Just Music, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM,, 2017) — On this special vinyl release for Record Store Day, Marconi Union have commissioned four stunningly evocative and bold remixes from Biosphere, Japan’s Steve Jansen, Antonymes and Digitonal, one for each track on Ghost Stations, which exquisitely compliment the captivating beauty of the original al-bum. With Ghost Stations, their ninth studio album released in August last year, Marconi Union were not afraid to accept the challenge of making new music rather than just repeating their earlier work and were well aware of the risk of trying new things. “People who have bought our previous records may think we’ve gone too far in this direction or that direction or that we don’t do enough of some particular aspect any more, but we’ve already done those things in our previous work and we have to keep pushing our boundaries otherwise what is the point? We want people to hear Ghost Stations and say “’What the f**k is that’ either in a good or bad way!” They decided to set aside any preconceptions about the new album and spent two years experimenting with playing, programming, editing, re-editing, (agreeing and disagreeing) until Ghost Stations naturally evolved. Once the title was decided upon, everything fell into place, connecting ideas of abandonment, empty spaces and dereliction. Over fourteen years of writing and performing, Marconi Union – thought to be “amongst today’s most talented musicians” (The Sunday Times) — have continually steadily developed and refined a unique musical identity, evoking emotions from gracefully blending elements of dub, jazz, ambience and electronica within their richly melodic compositions.
Peaking Lights — The Fifth State of Consciousness (Two Flowers Records, 2017) — psychedelic, dub, synth-pop. Peaking Lights’ 5th album titled, «The Fifth State Of Consciousness», is a double LP produced in Peaking Lights’ Dreamfuzz studio over the last two years. It’s both a departure from the new and a return to the old with a whole new twist on the psychedelic dub-pop they’ve become know for. The Fifth State Of Consciousness is an exciting listening experience invoking a story of overcoming the shadow to rise above and painted with otherworldly sounds. It’s a 12 song 2 Disc nearly 80 minute journey, where the album takes precedence over the single. Each of the 12 songs is a story and together form the larger narrative that is the album as a whole. Thru all its peaks and valleys the larger arc of themes within The Fifth State are about dreams, loss of innocence, strength and seeking an enlightened state of being after trials and tribulations. Sonically the double album shifts through many states from beginning to end, resonating deep, like a drive thru foreign landscapes where you’re glued to the window as everything slowly changes around you. The flow and pacing of songs has a sense of wonderment and each time you play it there’s a whole new batch of lovely sounds and eccentricities within each of the players. While bringing together their love of Psychedelic music, House, Electronic and Reggae each song manages to live it’s own life and yet still there is some magical thread that binds them together. Produced by Aaron Coyes, the whole creative process was filled with nerdy gadgetry, playful experimentation and deep alchemical soul searching for a musical medicine. Aaron describes Dreamfuzz as “a small junkyard with many happy mistakes”. Using tape machines, writing melodies backwards then playing them in reverse, layering sound upon sound to create “pads”, literally breaking electronics to get sounds, and a strict motto of “anything goes, pure creativity”. Most sounds were run thru Peaking Lights’ 1976 16/8 Soundcraft Series Two mixing console (the same type of board used by Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry at Black Ark, and at the infamous Cargo Studios where many of the early Factory Records bands were recorded) to add some “mojo”. It’s an album that is sure to be a creeper even if you don’t fall in love on the first date. “The Fifth State Of Consciousness” Will be released worldwide on Indra’s label Two Flowers Records In June 2017.
VA – Oté Maloya_ The Birth of Electric Maloya On Réunion Island 1975-1986 (Strut – STRUT151CD, Compilation, 2017) — новое тропическое очарование от лейбла Strut. Strut present a brand new compilation documenting the groundbreaking maloya scene on Reunion Island from the mid-‘70s, as Western instrumentation joined traditional Malagasy, African and Indian acoustic instruments to spark a whole era of new fusions and creativity. Compiled by Reunionese DJ duo La Basse Tropicale, Ote Maloya follows up last year’s acclaimed Soul Sok Sega release on Strut. Traditional maloya, originally called ‘séga’, described the songs, music and dances of slaves on the sugar plantations of Reunion Island in the 17th Century – maloya ceremonies paid tribute to ancestors and mediated between the living and the dead. The music and culture began to be more widely accepted by Reunionese society from the 1930s as folklorist Georges Fourcade began to play maloya songs. By the ‘50s, maloya tracks were appearing on 78rpm releases and, in the ‘60s, it was used as a form of cultural protest music. In the mid-‘70s, a new generation began exploring new directions in the music, using Creole language; many were self-taught and learned their craft in 1960s dance band “orchestres”. Andre Chan-Kam-Shu’s Studio Royal in the south of the island became the main hub for experimentation and collaboration. Most notably, the band Cameleon honed their sound here – with maloya legends Alain Peters and vocalist Herve Imare involved, Cameleon became the leading collective on the scene, using poetic lyrics and creating their own potent fusion of maloya, jazz and psychedelia. Ote Maloya tells the story of this fertile period in Reunion Island music for the first time and features the full spectrum of maloya styles. From Cameleon’s genius to the teenage Michou’s classic Maloya Ton Tisane, Daniel Sandie’s breakbeat sleeper Defoule 3e Age and more traditional styles from Maxime Lahope and Pierrot Vidot, this is an essential trip through a lost era of Indian Ocean blues and soul. Both formats come with an extensive booklet featuring a history of maloya by Nathalie Valentine Legros of 7 Lames Lamer. All tracks are fully remastered by The Carvery.
Trouble – Snake Eyes (Sacred Bones Records, 7″, 45 RPM, Single, 2017) — Written and recorded for the highly anticipated return of David Lynch’s cult television classic Twin Peaks, «Snake Eyes» effectively harkens a time when noir R&B was the de-facto soundtrack to hard liquor violence. The instrumental trio Trouble includes Lynch’s son Riley Lynch on guitar, longtime music supervisor for Lynch, Dean Hurley on drums and Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches, Last Lizard) on tenor saxophone. The B-side to the single consists of the bonus ‘Mother’s Gone;’ a menacing companion track also recorded during the band’s only Twin Peaks recording session. There may never be any more music from Trouble, but this 45 serves as physical evidence of the group’s continued existence in a parallel cinematic universe, grinding out late night Roadhouse gigs in the fictitious town of Twin Peaks, Washington.
Sam Baker — Land of Doubt (Self-released, 2017) — The recording represents a deepening of the approach Baker has pursued since his 2004 debut album Mercy: lyrics pared down to their essence set against the spare backdrop of folk-rock instruments used in a chamber-music way. But there are a few new twists as well. Working in Nashville for the first time with producer Neilson Hubbard, Baker uses the ‘50s-jazz trumpet playing of Don Mitchell and the sustained guitar textures of Will Kimbrough (producer/guitarist for Rodney Crowell and Todd Snider) to frame the lyrics with a kind of chamber-music folk-rock and to break up the ten vocal numbers with five cinematic-sounding instrumental interludes. Baker himself switches from acoustic to electric guitar for this project. When Baker first emerged 13 years ago, the chief story was how he had survived a 1986 terrorist bombing in Cuzco, Peru, to reinvent himself as a first-rank singer-songwriter. Five albums later, however, the main story now is his continuing growth as a songwriter—broadening his range and deepening his impact. He continues to perform widely in North America and Europe.
Baptiste Braman — Si C’est Ça (CMP Musique, 2017) — Premier album pour Roocky. Le chanteur tarbais le présentera samedi soir, sur la scène de La Gespe, en compagnie d’une belle brochette d’invités. On avait savour la présentation de l’album de JB Bullet, au printemps dernier, à La Gespe. On aimera sans aucun doute samedi, à La Gespe, celle déclinant l’opus de Roocky, son comparse de scène d’alors, guitariste, auteur, compositeur et chanteur. Car pour lancer «Si c’est ça», album autoproduit, déjà disponible dans les bacs et composé par Vincent Marie-Bouvot (compositeur notamment de deux albums de Zazie dans les années «90»), Jean-Baptiste Braman, pour l’état civil, a choisi de convier des invités de marque : Sylvain Duthu et Florent Dasque, de Boulevard des airs, pour un trio sur un titre de Roocky ; mais aussi d’autres voix locales comme celles de Jean-Pascal Amato, de la chanteuse Angèle ; de Jean-Baptiste Bullet, bien sûr, ou d’un ami d’adolescence, Tom Frager, tous accompagnés en fin de set sur un de leurs titres par la guitare ou la voix de Roocky. Ce sera l’apothéose du set de samedi soir, à la SMAC tarbaise, lequel déclinera d’abord les titres du jeune et talentueux chanteur : «Un mélange de vieux morceaux et de nouveaux titres, nous confie-t-il, avec beaucoup de chansons d’amour, d’aventures, d’aventures amoureuses…». Quand on connaît la plume légère, ronde et romantique du jeune trentenaire, on sait que ce premier album aura le mérite d’avoir une écriture assez travaillée. «Mais sans que l’on tombe dans le registre banal de la chanson française, explique encore Roocky. D’ailleurs, les arrangements seront assez rock et pop, de manière à ce que cela tourne bien sur scène.» Et la scène, le gaillard à la crinière rousse (depuis trois ans en accompagnement artistique à La Gespe, sous la houlette de «Pierrot» Domengès) la maîtrise plutôt bien, à l’aise avec la guitare en bandoulière et à l’aise aussi avec le public. C’est du moins le souvenir que l’on garde du concert du mois d’avril aux côtés de JB Bullet, un concert qui avait valu par l’avalanche d’émotions et de sensations fortes déversées sur scène. «Si c’est ça», on a hâte d’être à samedi soir !
Night Drive — Night Drive (Roll Call Records, 2017) — Texas duo Night Drive look more than set to capitalise on the ’80s synth hype re-ignited by last year’s Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things. Stranger Things isn’t the only soundtrack new LP Night Drive will remind you of – there’s elements of the sparse, retro feel of Drive and eerie eccentricity of the recently revived Twin Peaks. That’s not to say their sound is unoriginal – merely refreshingly upfront and honest about its influences. “This album was largely inspired by a collection of films (and other non music-related art) that we were into when the band first began,” explains Night Drive’s Brandon Duhon of the project’s cinematic feel. “Although it’s not a concept album, a few common themes seemed to emerge as the songs took shape. These themes revolved around the feelings that accompany a dystopian or uncertain future, either on a personal or universal level. Within this bleak feeling is a thin line of exploration or searching – is there is a way to put the pieces back together, or does one just escape?” Co-founders Rodney Connell and Brandon Duhon met after a young woman they were unknowingly both dating was killed in a car crash. The tragic event bonded the two, and became the seed from which the band was born. Perhaps because of the dark events surrounding its inception, Night Drive often focuses on the darker abstract currents of emotion. Inspired by sci-fii cinematic landscapes, they create modern synthpop with infectious melodies wrapped in thoughtful lyrics. Carried along by pulsing dance beats, the result is a stylish and energetic sound that has been featured in film, TV, and radio around the world.
Landing — Taeppe EP (Vast Arc Hues, 2017) — new EP, titled “Taeppe” (which means “blanket” in Danish), continues their long tradition of EP releases with a mix of their most recognizable modes. Like a warm blanket, this batch of songs are meant to surround and comfort the listener with fuzzy vibrations and soft tones. “Page After Page”, which is based on an improvisational session between Landing and Kryssi Battalene (The Mountain Movers, Headroom, Medication) which was captured live to tape at Best Video in Hamden, grows and develops over the course of its nearly 9 minutes to include Adrienne Snow’s soft and delicate voice over dubbed out drums and crystalline guitar. “Tape” begins side B and features Landing in guitarscape/soundworld mode. As guitars ripple and curl around a repetitive,meditative line, the bass modulates the chords and lays a bed for Adrienne’s softly beckoning voice. “Together” flows out of “Tape” and hearkens back to Landing’s dreampop and shoegaze beginnings. Adrienne and Aaron Snow harmonize over fuzzy guitars and the driving rhythm section of Daron Gardner and John Miller. “Taeppe” is being released by Vast Arc Hues in an edition of 50 and will be available at shows on their summer 2017 tour.
Ducktails — Hummingbird Babysitter (compilation, 2017) — 2nd compilation of unreleased tracks. released June 20, 2017. Recorded from 2013 — 2016 by Matthew Mondanile in Los Angeles. (Hummingbird Babysitter)
Jupiter & Okwess – Kin Sonic (Zamora Label, 2017) — Жан-Пьер Баконджи по прозвищу Юпитер — человек из Киншаса, при содействии своих верных соратников, а так же Дэймона Албарна, Уоррена Эллиса, и Роберта дель Ная создаёт «музыкальный праздник» на основе «совершенной Алхимии». Ничего не остаётся, кроме того как цитировать муз-критиков: «…to share moments of beauty and pure madness, all mixed up together». — написал мой коллега Семён Небаба.
Porter Ricks — Anguilla Electrica [Tresor, 2017] — Thomas Köner and Andy Mellwig will soon release a new Porter Ricks album. Anguilla Electrica is coming through Tresor, the Berlin-based label that put out Porter Ricks’s comeback 12-inch, Shadow Boat, last year. The LP sees Köner and Mellwig deliver six high-definition techno tunes that Tresor says captures the duo looking forward, not backwards. It was recorded after a long period of hibernation, during which their seminal Biokinetics album was reissued. Anguilla Electrica will be Köner and Mellwig’s first album on Tresor, having put out albums on Mille Plateaux and the Basic Channel sub-label Chain Reaction during the ’90s.
Didier Sustrac — Ostende Bossa (PBC Music / Warner Music France, 2017) — Le nouvel album de Didier SUSTRAC «Ostende bossa», sera disponible à partir du 16 juin prochain dans sa version digitale. Il faudra attendre la rentrée pour l’édition physique. Ce septième disque est accompagné de la publication d’un roman «Je hais les DJ’s», aux Éditions Première Édition («Il se déroule à Ostende, d’où le titre de l’album. Entre réalité et fiction, il raconte l’écriture de mes nouvelles chansons” confie l’auteur), et d’un EP de remixes de Charles SCHILLINGS.
Nev Cottee – Broken Flowers (Wonderfulsound, 2017) — Caught somewhere between the rain-drenched streets of Manchester and the sun-beaten deserts of America lies Nev Cottee’s third album Broken Flowers. A deeply cinematic, string-soaked album rich in atmosphere and brooding ambience. Its origins however, began in India, with Cottee trying to leave rainy-city heartbreak behind. “I hate the English winter. Really can’t stand the grey days. So I shipped out to India in January 2016. I found a place and set up a simple studio to demo out there”. Rising at dawn each day the ideas began to flow and quickly enough 20 new songs began to take shape, “Maybe the new surroundings helped – getting out of my comfort zone, getting away from all the shit one accumulates at home”. The songs, even in sparse demo form, captured the plaintive tone of Cottee’s vocals slowly unfurling in emotional waves – the gentleness reminiscent of Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce but with the rich warm resonance of Lee Hazelwood. Cottee then took the songs to Wales to work with previous collaborator and producer Mason Neely (Lambchop/Edwyn Collins). Neely brought in some classical musicians, “cut away the flab” and pushed the songs to their extremes – the producer’s intuitions and abilities clearly trusted by Cottee, “On the album notes it says ‘Mason: Sounds’ and that’s him in a nutshell. He brings so much to the table and gives the album it’s sonic identity – I can’t give him a bigger compliment than that.” Whilst the finished album hums with quiet beauty – dense swirls of ambience hanging in the air as elevating strings cascade through – there’s also a darkness, “Although I recorded during the day this is a night time record. It’s dark and introspective. I find that juxtaposition hugely creative. The night in India can be quite a foreboding place. Me and a mate would make late night excursions inland – into the heart of darkness. Not quite Apocalypse Now but enough to take you out of any semblance of comfort. We saw some strange things, weird village ceremonies, people biting snakes’ heads off… the songs represent a physical and mental journey.”
Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last (Anti Records, 2017) — «новый альбом американского поэт-песенника, музыканта и продюсера Джеффа Твиди, который наиболее известен как певец и гитарист группы Wilсо. Собственно, на этом альбоме Твиди и исполняет песни из репертуара Wilсо, только сольно, в очень «ламповой» акустической манере (гитара и голос онли). Записанный в его чикагской студии альбом, демонстрирует первую студийную работу такого рода от знаменитого музыканта. Слушая, легко вообразить, будто вы сидите, например, на кухне со своим старым приятелем, за окном дождь, он тихо что-то играет себе на гитаре, а вы попиваете пиво и глубокомысленно пялитесь в потолок.» написал jam_eater in 
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GAPS (Rachel Butt and Ed Critchley) — As It Is (2017) — Pushing themselves and all manner of genre boundaries, seemingly with each and every release, Brighton duo GAPS have shared another new cut from their forthcoming second record in the form of “Lift Me” – a captivating three-minutes that acts as part soundscape, part meditative retreat. The aforementioned As It Is LP will be released next month, and “Lift Me” acts as a captivating introduction to the record, the band’s always weird and wonderful instrumental backing meeting an intoxicating lead vocal that feels pulled from some other world entirely, wrapping itself in to all manner of shapes as it rolls slowly forward through the somewhat skewed landscape. Expansive and engrossing while feeling brilliantly restrained at the same time, the new track is streaming below right now; the full album gets a release on June 22nd. facebook.com/gapsmusic
Amélie-les-Crayons — Mille Ponts (Neômme, 2017) — Loin des modes qui se démodent, Amélie-les-Crayons perpétue la tradition d’une chanson pleine de poésie à l’instrumentation voyageuse. A l’origine, Mille Ponts est un spectacle sur le lien, la filiation, le fil invisible qui relie chaque vie sur ce monde. Lumineux, enjoué, rythmé, percussif, virevoltant, comme un bal extraordinaire où les danseurs, connectés par le pas, ne font plus qu’un ! On y retrouve toute une ribambelle de morceaux espiègles ou profonds, c’est selon, ainsi les plus anciens sous de nouvelles formes. Accompagnée de deux multi-instrumentistes épatants, Amélie, autour de son nouveau piano magique, convie à un moment chaleureux, interactif, festif et poétique dont on sort le cœur léger ! L’album qui en découle s’apprécie aussi en dehors d’un théâtre. Tout semble charmant et frais en apparence mais s’avère pourtant bien plus profond, bien plus essentiel… Mille Ponts aborde même des thématiques engagées comme celui des migrants et des exilés et permet surtout d’apprécier toujours et encore la plume ensorceleuse de cette Amélie qui comme ses consœurs Jeanne Cherhal, Emily Loizeau ou Camille possède une style bien à elle. © CM/Qobuz
Beach House – B-Sides and Rarities (Sub Pop, Compilation, 2017) — Cry those tears of joy, because on Friday, June 30th, Beach House will release the B-Sides and Rarities album , a 14-track compilation of songs from throughout their career. The album features 2 previously unreleased tracks “Chariot” and “Baseball Diamond,” which were recorded during the Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars sessions (both Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars were released, 2 months apart, in 2015). Beach House says of the release, “When we announced that we were releasing a B-sides and rarities album, someone on Twitter asked, ‘B-sides record? Why would Beach House put out a B-sides record? Their A-sides are like B-sides.’ This random person has a point. Our goal has never been to make music that is explicitly commercial. Over the years, as we have worked on our 6 LPs, it wasn’t the ‘best’ or most catchy songs that made the records, just the ones that fit together to make a cohesive work. Accordingly, our B-sides are not songs that we didn’t like as much, just ones that didn’t have a place on the records we were making.” “The idea for a B-sides record came when we realized just how many non-album songs had been made over the years, and how hard it was to find and hear many of them. This compilation contains every song we have ever made that does not exist on one of our records. There are 14 songs in total.” или из врунета: альбом дуэта Веасh Ноusе, составлененный из би-сайдов и раритетов, песен, которые по разным причинам не вошли в их полноформатные номерные альбомы. Веасh Ноusе — американский музыкальный дуэт, основанный в Балтиморе, Мэриленд, состоящий из урожденной француженки Виктории Легран (вокал, электро-орган) и балтиморца Алекса Скэлли (гитара и синтезаторы). Дуэт играет в стиле дрим-поп. Альбомы группы (2006, 2008, 2012) попадали в список самых важных пластинок года по мнению редакции портала Рitсhfоrk. Группа образовалась в 2004 году и сразу же обратила на себя внимание общественности, и, в частности, композиция Аррlе Оrсhаrd в августе 2006 попала в музыкальную компиляцию от Рitсhfоrk Меdiа. Их дебютный альбом Веасh Ноusе был выпущен в октябре 2006 на лейбле Саrраrk Rесоrds. По итогам года он был включен в список лучших пластинок года от Рitсhfоrk. Наиболее точным определением стиля группы является дрим-поп. Звучанию присущи медленные, плавные, атмосферные ритмы, эффект эхо. Голос Виктории часто сравнивается с вокалом Нико.»
Afous D’Afous - Tenere (Sahel Sounds, 2017) — is a new group from Algeria, they are included in the Tuareg rock (or Sahara rock). While many groups (or most of them) in this genre seems to be heavy influenced by the US and UK 60s & 70s rock scene, like Tinariwen, Toumast, Bombino, this group seems be influenced by both reggae and latin, their music actually a bit more tight and sounds a bit fresh (but it’s still some kind of sahara-rock) like new blood in the genre. Support the group and their record label Sahel Sounds here. Very groovy!
Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton – Yellow Kitchen (Caldo Verde Records, 2017) — new album with Parquet Courts bassist Sean Yeaton. It’s called Yellow Kitchen and is out July 4 via Kozelek’s Caldo Verde Records. The cover artwork is a pastel yellow square. Yellow Kitchen will mark Kozelek’s fourth release of 2017.The effort spans six tracks and counts special guests in Will Oldham, aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, Holly Throsby, and Jim White. As a preview, Kozelek has shared a song called “The Reasons I Love You”. It’s a sparse but sweet number about — you guessed it — all the reasons why he loves his girlfriend, Caroline. “Your face lights my day like the sun,” he sings in the opening verses.
The Heliocentrics – The Sunshine Makers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Soundway Records, 2017] — From the makers of the Academy Award winning ‘Searching For Sugarman’. Two warriors for peace, a vat of chemicals and an LSD cookbook. What could possibly go wrong? Original score by The Heliocentrics. или London Psychedelic Jazz collective ‘The Heliocentrics’ have a brand new soundtrack album which will be released on June 30th, 2017 through Soundway Records. The album features the scoring from the documentary film «The Sunshine Makers» which was completed over two years ago and finally hit the public this year.
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растадабы и ю л я: Vivian Jones — Deep Roots (Lana Sounds, 2017), Bost & Bim feat. Brisa Roché & Winston McAnuff (double EP, The Bombist Records, 2017), Chronixx (Jamar McNaughton) – Chronology (Virgin EMI Records, 2017), Alpha Steppa — 3rd Kingdom (Steppas Records, 2017), Conciousness — Crazy Goliath (Conciousness Muzik, 2017), Pitch Black — Invisible Circuits (Dubmission Records, 2017), Chuck Foster — Rebel Dub (Catch Me Time Records. 2017), Dean Frazier’s Sax and Friends — Bob Marley’s Greatest Hits (Instrumentals) (Famous Reggae, 2017), Damian «Jr. Gong» Marley — Stony Hill (Universal Records/Tuff Gong Records, 2017), Ginjah (Valentine Nakrumah Fraser) — Roots (Stingray Records UK, 2017)
Capital Cities – Swimming Pool Summer (EP, 2017) — новая епишка Electro Pop Rock Dance дуэта Sebu Simonian и Ryan Merchant из Лос-Анхелеса.
Craig Taborn & Ikue Mori — Highsmith (Tzadik – TZ 4019, 2017) — Pianist Craig Taborn — who seems an artist unconcerned with striking a commercial chord—climbed into a higher profile with three terrific releases on ECM Records: Avenging Angel (2011); Chants (2013); and Daylight Ghosts (2017). Beyond those, his discography as a leader is slim — as opposed to his prodigious sideman contributions. He and his artistry have been described as “elusive.” Go ahead and try to find the category for him. And if ECM Records has a place for his wide-ranging vision, so does John Zorn, on his Tzadik label, with a 2016 release Flaga: Book of Angels, Volume 27, a piano trio offering — one of the year’s best — of Zorn’s Masada Songbook tunes; and now Highsmith, a duet outing teaming Taborn with electronics wizard/laptop-ist Ikue Mori. The addition of electronics to jazz/improvised music is usually more subtle than this, more an adding of tweakings and textures and background tapestries. On this improvised, in-the-moment set, Mori and Taborn are equal partners on a percussion fest packed with Mori’s otherworldly sounds, reactive and proactive. A “Space Age” feeling pervades. Taborn’s dynamics—from steroidal muscularity to the most subtle of twinklings — mesh in an inspired precision with Mori’s delicate twitters; or they engage in fiery conversations, Taborn punching back against Mori’s solar flare explosions; or they slip into gentle reveries with her eerie, luminescent backdrops. Or they fight like rioting rats, robotic versus organic (“Dangerous Hobby”). Taborn, in addition to his status as a top tier jazz pianist, is one of the more dynamic employers of electronics in his music. Highsmith, his highly successful engagement with Ikue Mori, takes the electro/acoustic marriage deeper, crafting a unique improvised sound. Personnel: Craig Taborn: piano; Ikue Mori: electronics.
Passenger – Sunday Night Sessions (Black Crow Records, 2017) — из врунета: новый альбом Раssеngеr, состоящий полностью из каверов (которые они играли за последний год) на известные песни различных известных команд и артистов. Раssеngеr — это группа британского певца, музыканта и автора песен Майкла Дэвида Розенберга, в состав которой входят 5 человек. До Раssеngеr Розенберг был известен как автор музыки к фильмам и сериалам (имеет награду ВАFТА). Популярность группа приобрела благодаря не только своим альбомам, но и частым концертам и гастролям в разных местах от Европы до Австралии.
The Yearning – From Dawn Till Dusk (2011-2014) (Elefant Records, Compilation, 2017) — To say that Joe Moore is prolific is to say not nearly enough. To his ever-growing collection of releases under the name The Yearning, you have to add the fantastic Lia Pamina album he produced and composed, as well as several new and very different projects. His productions are becoming more and more well-known all over the world, from one side of the planet to the other, from the US to Japan. Their signature effusive, romantic, and elegant sixties-style pop is already a well-known trademark! That’s why the release of From Dawn Till Dusk (2011-2014) is big news. Big for all the newcomers, because they can get their hands on the completely sold out first singles, EPs and Mini-LPs; and big for the more experienced fans, because they can get access to hard-to-find tracks from compilations and B-sides, and even some previously unreleased songs; and because it’s a way to enjoy this huge collections of songs as a whole, available together for the first time on CD. From Dawn Till Dusk (2011-2014) includes songs from their first two Mini-LPs, Jukebox Romance and Still In Love, the b-sides from the singles “Baby Be Mine” and “If I Can’t Have You”, the song they shared with The School on the split-single for Kingfisher Bluez, the song that was released on the Elefant compilation A Christmas Gift For You From Elefant Records and three previously unreleased songs (“Dawn”, “Love Is Like A Rollercoaster” and “Dusk”). The result is truly amazing. It’s a sixties-pop treaty with more than twenty songs, and Maddie Dobie’s and Justyna Halas’ delicious voices, full of exceptional arrangements and exquisite choruses, with songs about love and disillusionment, about loneliness and the need to have someone by your side.
Bjørn Torske & Prins Thomas — Square One [Smalltown Supersound, 2017] — After a session together in a Bergen studio 20 years ago which sadly only resulted in a distorted tape, Bjørn Torske and Prins Thomas finally get back together to make music. Bjørn Torske is a figurehead and grand old man of the electronic music scene in Norway, inspiring and laying the foundation for producers like Prins Thomas, Lindstrom and Todd Terje. Bjørn and Thomas’ relationship goes back to the mid 90’s when they first bonded over a shared passion for oddball disco, dub and detroit techno. This album is in many ways full circle with Bjorn and Thomas making music together for the first time. Square One is a collection of loose, abstract and freeform avant-disco jams, parallel world-disco maybe Whatever you call it, this album is a labour of love. A sound they both have traveled towards for all these years. And here they finally are, at square one. The album was recorded live in Taakeheimen Studio, Oslo, in the spring of 2015 with both guys manning an instrument each in each overdub, piling the layers of sounds on top of each other. A year later they took the now edited tracks and mixed them down in live takes with all hands on the desk in Malabar, another Oslo studio. After a couple of rounds with some very blunt scissors the tracks became what are now included on this album. Square One is a meeting of two minds. Probably as close to their musical soul as you can get. или из врунета: Дебютный совместный альбом двух ключевых фигур норвежской электронной музыки. Музыканты знакомы уже более двух десятилетий, но это первый случай, когда их совместная работа увидела свет. Пластинка была записана лайвом в 2015 году на студии Taakeheimen в Осло, в 2016 году отредактированные треки были сведены уже на другой студии и вот, спустя еще год, запись наконец предстала перед слушателями. Прекрасный симбиоз из даунтемпо и диско, живой бас, густые перкуссии, афро-экзотика, отсылки к раннему краутроку, вобщем все что мы любим — от двух скандинавских адептов. или другое: «Совместный альбом двух героев нашумевшей документальной киноленты «Северное диско сияние». Принс Томас на пару с Линдстремом (Lindstrom) создавал канон скандинавского нью-диско, но в последнее время отошел от танцевальной музыки, увлекаясь то краут-роком, то эмбиент-техно девяностых. Торске скорее любил хаус, но тоже не чурался всевозможных лефтфилд-экспериментов, а главным его козырем всегда были сложнейшие перкуссионные рисунки. Словом «диско» не назовёшь и эту пластинку – да, здесь безусловно есть и прямая бочка, и некое подобие заторможенного грува, но совсем нет ощущения праздника, слишком уж это музыка медленная, ночная и репитативно-гипнотическая (чему не в последнюю очередь способствует как раз перкуссия Бьорна). Скорее уж «Square One» – психоделический балеарик-даб вроде того, что иногда выходит у украинца Вакулы. Этакие альтернативные семидесятые, которые могли бы случиться, если бы Salsoul Orchestra, Pink Floyd и Ли «Скрэтч» Перри (Lee «Scratch» Perry) пересеклись бы в одной точке.»
Denis Mpunga & Paul K. — Criola EP (1984, Music From Memory, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, Compilation, Remastered, 2017) — Denis Mpunga relocated from the Congo to Belgium at a young age, eventually embedding in the Leige music scene and forming the group Gomma Percussions, a band that used found objects and improvised instruments alongside West African-style percussion. Paul K. is the stage name for Patrick Stas, a Leige local who Music from Memory calls “a luminary figure in the electronic and experimental music scene in Belgium.” Mpunga and Stas first came together in 1980 to work on a soundtrack for a children’s animation company. (The “Intermezzo” tracks on Criola are culled from these sessions.) Their ongoing studio collaboration saw Mpunga bringing balafons, senzas and a zither to complement Stas’s array of classic Roland and Korg gear, creating what the label calls a “fascinating new musical language.” They recorded only a smattering of tracks as a duo, and Criola draws from both released and unreleased material from the first half of the ’80s.
Ariel Pink — Dedicated to Bobby Jameson (Mexican Summer, 2017) — Арт-хиппи и рок-звезда из Лос-Анджелеса Ариэль Маркус Розенберг, он же Ariel Pink, объявил о выходе нового альбома. Он будет называться «Dedicated To Bobby Jameson» и выйдет 15 сентября на лейбле Mexican Summer. Название является отсылкой на музыканта Бобби Джеймсона, который тоже родом из Лос-Анджелеса. Бобби в 1960-х годах был на пороге становления коммерчески успешной звездой и идолом, настоящим поп-символом эпохи. Но записываясь совместно с The Rolling Stones, Фрэнком Заппой и делая разогревы для The Beach Boys, он выбрал путь избегания массовой славы, так и оставшись культовой личностью лишь для узкого круга фриков и маргиналов вплоть до своей смерти в 2015 году. «Его книга и жизнь резонировали со мной до такой степени, что я почувствовал необходимость посвятить свою новою запись ему», — сказал Ariel Pink в своем заявлении прессе. с [moisture]
The Radio Dept. – Teach Me To Forget [EP] (Labrador, 2017) — have released a new EP, Teach Me to Forget, which is out now on Labrador. It includes the 12″ version of the title track (and a remix), originally on last year’s Running out of Love, as well as two new songs, and remixes of “We Got Game” and “Swedish Guns.” You can stream new song “Just So” (which is also the name of The Radio Dept’s new label they’re starting) and that 12″ version of the title track below, along with the rest of the EP via Spotify.
Oiseaux-Tempête – Al-‘An! الآن (And Your Night Is Your Shadow — A Fairy-tale Piece Of Land To Make Our Dreams) [Sub Rosa, 2017] — French post-rock duo Birds-Storm’s latest work is described as “some live epiphanies improvised between Middle East and Europe during the year of chaos 2016.” They’ve painstakingly sculpted and woven together vignettes and movements for a monumental album experience. At times, Oiseaux-Tempête nurture a seamless blend between a track that builds tension and one that releases it. The first two tracks, and the fifth and sixth, do exactly this, with each pair involving a free-time solo building into a deep groove. The sixth track is also elevated by Tamer Abu Ghazaleh’s soulful vocals. Another strength of this record is the rich tapestry of references. “Carnival” includes a clip of Christian hymn “Wa Habibi” sung by famous Lebanese singer Fairuz, Before going into a distorted synth riff and off-kilter drums. “Electric Resistance” opens with a bit of self-defense, and ends with a siren that blends into the next track. “The Offering” sets an excerpt of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish reading his own poem against a soundscape including some funky drumming and a 7/8 synth ostinato. The 17-minute centerpiece, “Through the Speech of Stars,” boasts an explosive first movement and then falls back as the clues and songs of street protest passes by, leading to GW Sok’s dramatic reading from Darwish’s poem. White Man. ” Then, it builds back up to a pummelling climax worthy of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Swans. Fans of post-rock and experimental music styles, will devour the sumptuous textural palette this record provides. For those who seek political and personal truths, AL-‘AN! Also weaves critical dissent together with complexity and compassion.
Dauwd (Dauwd Al Hilali) – Theory of Colours (Technicolour, 2017) — After about six years of singles and EPs, Berlin-based beatmaker Dauwd is finally ready to drop his debut full-length, Theory of Colours. A press release lists influences including the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a hub for experimental electronic music starting in the late ’50s and famous for Delia Derbyshire’s groundbreaking work on the original Doctor Who theme. Fittingly, Dauwd’s music has a pretty sci-fi vibe to it, although with cleaner, modernized production, having had about a half-century’s advantage. Here, unknowable sounds hover, skitter and undulate against a backdrop of refined, futuristic grooves. “Macadam Therapy” opens the album with warm synth pads and the sounds of someone breathing. When the first percussion drops in after a minute, a robotic voice says something indistinguishable, but the delay effect blends the voice into the musical texture. As the song unfolds, a variety of synthesized, warped sounds create an aural ecosystem for listeners to get lost in. “Murmure” opens with a sample of some whispering in French over a three-note bass line, then introduces some burbling synth notes before gradually wandering into a sort of childlike, prancing rhythm. “Glass Jelly” stirs in funkier bass and drums, and a staccato synth figure that sounds like bubbles of liquid chrome. “Theory of Colours” closes the album with fast parts that feel like we’re travelling through space alongside slow parts that evoke being in a womb. If you asked someone to draw you a beach, they’d probably at least draw a shoreline and the sun, but Dauwd might fine-tune the details down to the intricate spiral of a seashell. If it takes another half-decade for another pristine musical beach full of sand-grain subtleties, at least we know it’ll be worth the wait.
Leandro Fresco & Rafael Anton Irisarri (a.k.a. The Sight Below) – La Equidistancia + La Espera EP (A Strangely Isolated Place, 2017) — Kompakt artist Leandro Fresco and Rafael Anton Irisarri (a.k.a. The Sight Below) released a collaborative LP titled La Equidistancia via A Strangely Isolated Place. The pair of producers were introduced to each other by the label and immediately found common ground, sparked by a deep appreciation with each other’s work. With to-the-point direction from Rafael, Leandro went about creating specific sounds for the project, warm melodies and textures that would form the undercurrent to Rafael’s signature sound design — it’s a combination that takes each of their distinct sounds into new achingly beautiful territory. Continuing the theme of La Equidistancia, Leandro and Rafael on companion three-track EP titled La Espera explore more of their deep, swirling and mysterious textures over this three-track EP. ‘The Wait’ is the sound of being barricaded in isolation, as the world moves around you. Track 4 is a bonus alt master featuring all 3 tracks mixed.
Marcus Fischer & Taylor Deupree — Lowlands (IIKKI – IIKKI003, 2017) — Lowlands is the result of a dialog between the artist Ester Vonplon and the music artists Taylor Deupree & Marcus Fischer initiated by IIKKI, between April 2016 and April 2017.
Schneider Kacirek — Radius Walk (Bureau B, 2017) — After hinting at this sound for years, Stefan Schneider and Sven Kacirek turn out as uniquely beguiling mesh of textured rhythmelodic electronics and Sofia Jernberg’s pinched, puckered vocals shaped into wistful, sorta-ambient pop songs. RIYL Kriedler, To Rococo Rot, Harmonia.
Jah Wobble — The Lago Years (Emotional Rescue, Compilation, 2017) — Collection of Lago Records EPs from 1981 to 1985. All songs included come in extended form, so A Long, Long Way and Fading are the «Discomix» versions of vocals and dub joined as per the original 12″ versions.
Burnt Friedman — Dead Saints Chronicles [Marionette, 12″, 45 RPM, Mini-Album, EP, 2017] — Burnt Friedman in mystic drummer mode for Marionette Records, following suit from their ace Kilchhofer release with a batch of archival recordings shaped as a concept record about Near Death Experiences, transcendence, featuring guest input from longterm collaborators Joseph Suchy and Hayden Chisholm. “Marionette’s fifth installment sees Burnt Friedman channeling some sinister, mystical rhythms. As if a djinn were mapping out a higher order logic map. This is some visionary work that is riddled with contradicting non-human concepts, brought to life with geometry and intuition. ‘Dead Saints Chronicles’ is an ode to drawing fascination from Near Death Experiences (NDEs). The title for the EP is inspired from a book written by David Solomon and Antony West, involving sifting through thousands of recorded NDEs, a process similar to that which Friedman used to revive pieces from his archive of DAT tapes.
авГуст
растахипхопдабы августа: Sizzla — I’m Yours (FX MUSIC GROUP, 2017), Alborosie — Freedom In Dub (VP Music Group, 2017), VA — Dubiquinone (Hadra AlterVision Records, 2017), Letoyo & The Roots Radics — Simple Ticket (Khanti Records, 2017), Alpha And Omega Meets Indica Dubs — Jah Guide And Protect Remixes (Jah Guide And Protect Remixes, 2017), Cloud Tissa — Survival 99 (Survival 99, 2017), Double Tiger — Sharp & Ready (Easy Star, 2017), Elijah — Tout Terrain (Elijah / Spinnup, 2017), Sound Faya — Les Yeux Dans Le Feu (BSL Records, 2017), Mellow Mark — Nomade (Mellow Mark, 2017), Ras Kawintseb — Touch of Tsion (Self-Released, 2017), King Jammy — Waterhouse Dub (VP Records, 2017), EGOLESS — Lion Charge Volume 2 — Egoless In Dub (Lion Charge records, 2017), Sir Samuel — De Saïan Supa Crew À Sir Samuel (Addictive Music, 2017), Babe Roots feat. Ixm — Dub Sessions 1 (rohs! records, 2016), VA — More Warriors Riddim (VMF Records, 2017), Wrongtom, The Ragga Twins — In Dub (Tru Thoughts, 2017), Hal Anthony — Hal Anthony Sings The Gladiators Greatest Hits (Hal Anthony, 2017), New Kingston — A Kingston Story_ Come From Far (Easy Star, 2017)
Elliott Sharp (with Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot) – Err Guitar (Intakt Records, 2017) — Last summer in Elliott Sharp’s recording studio in Manhattan, New York guitarist Sharp spent a day with guitar colleague Mary Halvorson and another with Marc Ribot, legendary guitarist of Tom Waits, The Lounge Lizards and Marianne Faithful. The result was a series of recordings that could only be created by friends. They represent the great art of guitar playing by three exceptional musicians looking for new sonic adventures in search of the sound of our time. “I hear in their playing both a step into an unknown future and wild growth from a deep past,” says Elliott Sharp. “The contradiction is resolved in improvisation – the transcendent sonic path of the now.”
The Atomic Bomb Band – Plays The Music Of William Onyeabor (Luaka Bop, 2017) — Featured on this album: Jamie Lidell, Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Luke Jenner (The Rapture), Charles Lloyd, Pat Mahoney (LCD Soundsystem), Ahmed Gallab (Sinkane), Money Mark (Beastie Boys), Jas Walton & Jordan McLean (Antibalas), Jason Trammell, Ish Montgomery, Johnny Lamm, Lekan Babalola, Kofo the Wonderman, Felicia Douglas & Amanda Khiri. Luaka Bop wrote: “When we began to release the music of William Onyeabor, we did not know that he’d never played a show in his entire life – though we did know he probably had no interest in doing it now. So, we put together a band to play his music live. It was never intended to compete with his original work, but meant to share his music in a live setting. Together with music director Ahmed Gallab of Sinkane, we formed The Atomic Bomb! Band, which over two years came to feature nearly fifty amazing musical guests and collaborators. For each show we did, we would ask different musicians to join, always trying to make it a little different, or a little more special for where we happened to be. After 20 shows around the world, we found it so enjoyable and special that we wanted to document the group in a studio. So after playing at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in the early summer of 2015, we went into the beautiful Blackbird Studio, in Nashville, Tennessee . Two years later, we have these recordings that we would like to share with you all.” — Luaka Bop
Demen (Irma Orm) – Nektyr (Kranky, 2017) — is the work of Swedish songwriter Irma Orm (aka Demen), who was signed to Kranky after anonymously e-mailing the label links to 3 songs. The album took a few years to materialize, which might not be the right word, given how vaporous and ethereal it sounds. The songs themselves take their sweet time to progress, typically starting off with vast, glacial droning before slow, heavy drums come in (if they appear at all). Orm’s vocals are sensuous and cloaked in reverb, and like Elizabeth Fraser, most of the time it’s nearly impossible to tell if actual words are escaping her mouth. Not all of the songs have vocals, though. “Korridorer” is a piano-based meditation with many pregnant pauses, eventually gaining some deeply reverberating electronic beats, which sound like drops of water dripping from a stalactite into a vast, deep pool inside an expansive cavern. Ultimately, Orm’s vocals are the most arresting part of her music. By the end of the slowly building nine-minute epic “Morgon,” her voice sounds utterly lost, and during the dramatic middle of “Illdrop,” she sounds like she’s mumbling in a fit of ecstatic rapture. “Ambur” is more subdued and wintry, and her voice completely disappears halfway through the song, with music itself gradually melting away. Nektyr would’ve been perfectly at home on 4AD or Projekt during the late ’80s or early ’90s, and might have been among their best releases, but its weightlessness and otherworldliness can’t be attached to any specific time period.
The Green Kingdom – The North Wind and the Sun (Lost Tribe Sound, 2017) — Michael Cottone is the very model of consistency; certainly none of the many releases he’s issued under The Green Kingdom alias over the years has been a let-down, and The North Wind and the Sun sounds as strong as any of the others issued by the Michigan native. It shares many qualities with earlier sets, its pastoral-folk style, for one, as well as arrangements in which acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, mandolin, kalimba, cello, and the like prominently figure. But the new collection does part company with earlier releases in one respect: in response to a production-related pitch by Lost Tribe Sound, Cottone largely set aside his electronic gear to produce the album’s thirteen tracks using acoustic instrumentation only. The result is a purer presentation of The Green Kingdom’s folk-ambient sound though one not so far removed from his previous releases that it sounds unrelated. With a distinctly ‘bedroom’-like feel pervading much of it, Cottone’s always highly personalized music is rendered even more engaging when it’s presented as intimately as it is here, and the emergence of tape hiss in a track or two only adds to the project’s appeal. During “The Singing River,” lattices of acoustic guitar picking couple with shakers, thumb piano, and the soft, mellotron-like sound of a wooden flute to conjure the image of a hazy country paradise. Adding to the music’s languor, electric guitar textures sometimes seep into the album, cases in point “Unnamed Lands” and “From the Ashes of Industry” where tremolo shadings deepen the allure, as does an occasional synthesizer, such as the one softly murmuring throughout “Aventurine.” The material’s at its best during uplifting folk reveries such as “Virescent” and “The Beacon Tree,” especially when the music exudes an aura of joyful affirmation untainted by cynicism. Interestingly, the recording was originally intended to be to released on cassette, a format choice that wouldn’t frankly have been inappropriate given the music’s homespun character; the label was wise, however, in deciding to issue it on vinyl so that the music’s nuances could be captured in all their glory. Calling The North Wind and the Sun a panacea would be perhaps excessive, but it’s certainly capable of soothing the soul and banishing from one’s thoughts the kinds of troubling realities that regularly darken our collective days; its nostalgic evocation of carefree summers certainly offers a welcome respite from the latest go-round of political turmoil grinding the spirit down.
Black Grape – Pop Voodoo (UMC, 2017) — Shaun Ryder originally planned to spend the mid- 2010s recording a new album with a reunited Happy Mondays but there were so many cooks in that kitchen he decided it’d be easier to finish off a new Black Grape record. Working with his sidekick Kermit and producer Youth, Ryder reverts to his old loves: ’70s soul and disco, big beats and psychedelics, word games and singsong melodies. Ryder never abandoned these signatures but Pop Voodoo puts them in sharp relief, partially because Youth keeps the emphasis on the vibe, not the words. All through Pop Voodoo, Ryder drops lines that are alternately provocative and embarrassing, but it takes considerable effort to pick out “My girl, she loves her money/Not as much as she loves her mummy” — and that line serves as a chorus on “Sugar Money!” By burying Ryder in the mix, using his voice as just another aural element, Youth performs a service to Pop Voodoo as a whole, because it keeps the focus firmly on brightly dense rhythms designed for late nights at the club. Not that Pop Voodoo would be heard in many dance clubs in 2017. Black Grape never make any attempt to navigate the neon-blasted aftermath of EDM, choosing to assert their middle age by re-appropriating their favorite sleazy sounds from the past. That’s why Pop Voodoo, unlike the band’s stilted 1997 farewell Stupid, Stupid, Stupid or the 2007 Happy Mondays album Uncle Dysfunktional, actually works. It’s nothing more than a couple of old friends sitting around and cracking jokes to each other. If you happen to share their sensibility, it’s a fun way to spend 50 minutes.
The Tiger Lillies – Edgar Allan Poe’s Haunted Palace (Misery Guts Music, 2017) — After the critical and popular success of Cold Night in Soho at the beginning of the year, the Tiger Lillies return to their inspired stage shows with this new album, based on the life and works of the peerless Edgar Allan Poe.
Radius — Interpolation Tapes [Restoration One] (echospace [detroit], 2017) — The original source tapes had aged, warped and degraded and as a result we’ve preserved the best segments, sampled and reprocessed with a vintage prophet 2000 sampler, studio 440 and various Linn samplers to add depth and range to the original source material. We’ve spent nearly an entire year restoring and interpolating over 100 hours of music, processing sound and redesigning the blueprints of this long forgotten project. Every track was originally recorded down to an old Tascam 688, an 8 track cassette recorder purchased and abused since 1992 and to our ears still sounds quite impressive even by modern standards. We’ve had nearly every component replaced and re-calibrated to bring this obsolete machine back to life. It’s been a truly nostalgic experience re-visiting and re-arranging these masters, regardless of the time passed, there’s so much depth in sound design, raw emotions and when considering the limitations of hardware in the era these were recorded, they’ve truly aged like a fine wine…
Mokoomba – Luyando (Out Here Records, 2017) — Hailing from a border town in Zimbabwe, Mokoomba is known both at home and abroad as a group of rising stars. The band’s previous releases have been heavy on fusion, mixing rock and dance music with traditional Zimbabwean sounds, garnering praise, awards, and a good number of dub remixes. Not so on Mokoomba’s latest. Named for a word that means “mother’s love” in Tonga, one of the first languages ever spoken in the Zambezi Valley, Luyando sees the group finding its roots with more straightforward acoustic sounds in an affectionate tribute to home. Every track feels like a team effort, with strong vocal harmonies and rapid-fire drums often dominating, accompanied by blissful guitar. Stripped down to these bare essentials. Luyando almost feels like an intimate studio session. Mokoomba unplugged. Established fans may be shocked at the outset, but the change in technique works out well. These sounds are authentic ones to Mokoomba, and there’s an extra touch of warmth to the whole album—it sounds organic, each song made of elements that grow from each other, blossoming together. The album begins with “Mokole”, a midtempo piece spiked with hints of soukous. Dedicated to the life-giving Victoria Falls, it ends with the line “Give me some water to drink.” As drought and flood alternately ravage Zimbabwe, the message and Mokoomba’s collective worries and hopes for the region are clear. Emotions stay high throughout the album, with songs like “Kulindiswe” and “Luyando” recalling home and family with a rosy nostalgia.
Booka Shade – Galvany Street (Deluxe Edition, 2017) — released their sixth studio album Galvany Street, incorporating elements of their synth-pop roots from the early 90’s, collaborating extensively with former Archive singer Craig Walker; with various tracks mixed by Mark Plati (David Bowie, The Cure, Prince). The album touches on various genres and takes the listener on a musical journey, from their distinct house beat to ambient downtempo, electro synth-pop and 90’s Manchester. The duo of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier originally formed Planet Claire; a German synth-pop duo prior to Booka Shade, and it’s evident they have drawn upon components of their musical beginnings within various tracks of the new album.
VA – Soul of a Nation: Afro-Centric Visions in the Age of Black Power – Underground Jazz, Street Funk & the Roots of Rap 1968-79 (Soul Jazz Records, 2017) — In the ’60s, American music and culture were going through profound changes, and the seismic shifts in both politics and the arts were felt especially strongly in the African-American community. The twin phenomena of psychedelia and youth in revolt shifted the axis for rock & roll, but in many respects the call for revolution had an even deeper impact in soul, R&B, and jazz. Just as demands for radical change had been simmering in the black community long before the tumult of the ’60s put them on the 6 o’clock news, black music and art potently reflected the evolution of the Black Power movement from Martin Luther King’s nonviolent protest to the more militant approach of Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party.
Ducktails – Daffy Duck in Hollywood (New Images, 2017) — Matt Mondanile aka Ducktails has released Daffy Duck in Hollywood, a new compilation of unheard music recorded over the last two years in his current home of Los Angeles. Named after a 1938 Merrie Melodies short, Daffy Duck in Hollywood is a collection of decidedly lo-fi cuts recorded between 2013 and 2016. At one hour in length, it’s arguably relatively long for a pop album, but then that’s probably where the psychedelic element really kicks in, as it oscillates from full blown signature paeans to life itself and a series of sweetly expressive instrumental parts, all prompting genuinely light-headed sensations with the sort of harmonious magick that has carried them thus far. As opposed to the more sardonic Ariel Pink, or, say, the smug slacker thing that Mac Demarco does, these guy simply trades in gorgeous vibes between the hazy, gunky groove of “Prelude” thru the stellar, synth-heavy Yacht Rock glyde of “Don’t Want to Let You Know”, to Antena-Like instrumental bossa swoons in “The Conversation” and “x66”, plus some proper ‘90s British indie-pop psychedelia drenched in their synth-and-string-drenched “Carousel”.
Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald Present Borderland: Angles (Tresor, 12″, EP, 2017) — Detroit godfather Juan Atkins and Berlin techno legend Moritz Von Oswald return as Borderland, one of several collaborations since 1992 and following up their 2016 album for Tresor: the Transport LP which again consolidated both respective artist’s solid studio experience, honed over the last 30 years. The funky, slightly bumpin’ and absolutely addictive hi-tech soul of «Concave 1» will have you grooving away on a late night dancefloor in Berlin or beyond with its evocative and life affirming vibes. On the flip «Concave 2» further explores their studio refined sequences on this heady and hypnotic journey full of woozy arpeggios, steely rhythms and dubby bass frequencies.
A Thousand Hours – Sleep (Vesper Records, 2017) — All songs arranged and composed by Red Collier, except «Bleach» (written and composed by Demi Haynes and Red Collier), «It’s Rumoured» (written and composed by Demi Haynes) and Crushed (written and composed by the Cocteau Twins). Additional arrangements, synths and drums by Saad Khan. Backing vocals by Nadi Mack.
Passenger – The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Black Crow Records, 2017) — I thought this was a metal band. This was not a metal band. Maybe Passenger is an album by a metal band? I’m very confused.
Erica Russo — Starling (self-release, 2017) — новый альбом Эрики любящей лоу фай и барабаны. (Starling)
Tony Allen — The Source (Blue Note Records, 2017) — Drum legend Tony Allen has seen a childhood dream come true. He even says that when he made The Source (his debut album for Blue Note Records), it was the best recording in his whole life. Coming from Allen, that’s not a casual statement: he is 76 years old and his career goes back 50 years, not to mention recordings by the hundred. The saxophonist Yann Jankielewicz, who has been playing alongside him for nearly a decade, observes: “Tony has never played drums as well as this. He’s never had as much freedom, never had as much power as he does today.” The Source is the Nigerian-born Paris-based drummer’s first full-length album for Blue Note, following the tantalizing 4-track EP release A Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Blue Note is one of the most prestigious names in jazz and a label that has opened its sphere of creativity considerably wider since its renaissance in the 1980s. The Source manages to represent the label’s classic era at the same time as it symbolizes Blue Note’s innovative present. The jazz here navigates its way back to the source in Africa, creating a sound that is totally captivating.
Timecop1983 — Lovers EP — Part II (Self-released, 2017) — в сообществе The Retrowavers написали: Долгожданная вторая часть путешествия в мир воспоминаний по давно ушедшим дням, сотканным из незабываемых событий детства, которые оставили след в каждом из нас. Lovers – это вечерний киносеанс в летнем кинотеатре на колесах. И после титров нас обязательно ждет продолжение. Сам музыкант в нашем с ним интервью год назад рассказывал об этой работе: «В этом релизе я еще больше приблизился к кинематографическому звучанию. Я очень счастлив, что SEAWAVES поучаствовали в записи». Интервью с Timecop1983: vk.cc/5pvL0h. Страница на bandcamp.com
David Douglas — Spectators Of The Universe (Atomnation, 2017) — is the new album from Dutch producer/artist/video director David Douglas released via Atomnation Records. Following on from 2014’s “Moon Observations”, Douglas continues to perfect his interstellar sound, taking the listener on a polyrhythmic, technicolour journey through melodic, sun kissed disco and electronic music.
Iron & Wine – Beast Epic [Deluxe Edition] (Sub Pop Records, 2017) — “I must confess that I’ve always shied away from album introductions citing the usual “dancing to architecture” cop out. Speaking to their own work is uncomfortable for many artists, but I’ve made a new album called Beast Epic which is important to me and I wanted to take a moment to talk about why. I’ve been releasing music for about fifteen years now and I feel very blessed to have put out five other full lengths, many EPs and singles, a few collaborations with people much more talented than myself, and made contributions to numerous movie scores and soundtracks. This is my sixth collection of new Iron & Wine material and I’m happy to say that it’s my fourth for Sub Pop Records. “It’s a warm and serendipitous time to be reuniting with my Seattle friends because I feel there’s a certain kinship between this new collection of songs and my earliest material, which Sub Pop was kind enough to release.
Al Massrieen – Modern Music (Habibi Funk Records, 2017) — For the first time on CD, this is a collection of ’70s disco moves, groovy funk and modernized Arabic pop by Egypt’s Al Massrieen. The sounds range from lush disco to psych rock, and there’s also some incredible jazz fused pop. “In the beginning of Habibi Funk, our search was focussed on vinyl records. Around a year ago though, we got to the point where we realized that it became substantially harder to discover music, that we enjoyed and hadn’t heard before. It became apparent that it was time to start looking for other formats. Cassette tapes were the obvious alternative. These were introduced in the arabic world around the late 1970s. In some countries they took over a bit earlier, in others a bit later, but eventually they pushed the vinyl format out of the market in the 1980s. In Egypt this trend already even started in the late 1970s. Al Massrieen was one of the first bands I learned about once I discovered the tape format for myself. They were really popular in Egypt in the 1970s and the more of their music I found on either tapes or Arabic pirate mp3 sites, the more I was becoming a fan. Only very few bands from the region can match the band’s versatility as well as their strive for innovation. Hany Shenoda is the man behind the Al Massrieen band. He is a reknown figure of the Egyptian music scene and has worked with everyone from Abdel Halim Hafez to Mohamed Mounir. Al Massrieen was his attempt to introduce his ideas of modernizing Egyptian music, heavily encouraged by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt’s only winner of the Nobel Price for literature) after discussing his ideas with him. Al Massrieen’s sound goes from lush disco like “Sah” to psych rock like “Horreya” or incredible jazz fused pop on songs such as “Edba Mn Gded”. I was shocked to realize the band seemed to be hardly known outside Egypt, even though I feel they’re at least on the same level as Ahmed Fakroun. An relative obscurity which I largely attribute to the fact that their releases never have been pressed on vinyl (apart from a Greece best of LP which wasn’t a strong compilation of the group’s songs). One way or another it felt like this band and especially their composer, band leader and overall brain Hany Shenoda was in need to get some recognition outside of Egypt.” — boomkat
Tim Grimm and the Family Band – A Stranger in This Time (Corazong, 2017) — Were there to be a Leonard Cohen homage contest, then Tim Grimm and the Family Band would win hands down with Gonna Be Great, the nicotine-stained, smokily talked-sung second track swipe at Trump on A Stranger In This Time. It is, though, in terms of style and vocal, atypical of A Stranger In This Time, the first to be actually credited to both him and the band, which, as the name suggests, is indeed a family affair comprising sons Jackson and Connor alongside wife Jan Lucas, as well as the first time they’ve collaborated, as both writers and musicians, in such a focused manner.
Eddie C (Edward Currelly) — Auf Der Ufer (Endless Flight, 12″, 2017) — In 2016 Canadian producer and DJ Eddie C released his third Endless Flight album entitled On The Shore: a compelling musical trip of drifting repetition in rhythm and melody. It was inspired by his studio that sits upon the Panke River in Berlin’s Wedding district. Now he drops a new EP, consisting of three tracks plus «Auf Der Ufer» — a tune he did with his Norwegian buddy Rune Lindbaek. This slo-mo beauty is smothered with rich vintage synth flair and dusty drums: a sonic odyssey made for drifting. Our favourite though, was the lush synth-pop beauty of «Pumapunku» or B side cut «Inner Piece» which was a right curveball. This bleepy rave techno jam will take you all the way back to the early ’90s. Another heartfelt arranged mix of instruments, synths, samples and drum machines by Eddie C.
Протон-4 — Сны О Вечном (Self released, EP, 2017) — 3 альбом украинского проекта Протон 4. Скачать\слушать 80s electronic dreamwave retrowave sovietwave synthwave Ukraine
Kommode — Analog Dance Music (Brilliance Records, 2017) — дебютный альбом проекта Kommode, одного из участников Kings of Convenience. Every once in a while comes an album like this that swims upstream amidst a current of musical ideas, and the title of this one is only partly the reason. Commonly when one thinks of dance music sequencers, arpeggiators, patterned bass lines and looping software are all major forces that help shape our conception. Analoge Dance Music – a solo project from Eirik Glambek Bøe of Kings of Convenience – relies on pure musicianship to achieve something that sounds polished, well produced and gorgeously, subtly imperfect. While the danceability factor languishes more on the chill side of things and the album is best suited to be played on a warm sandy beach with an endless sunset, the ebb and flow of ADM is a perfect blend of warm intoxicating patterns, catchy hooks and soft hypnotizing vocals. But just when the effects of the big analog warm hug spreads like a good wine, a lone trumpet – or, in the case of “I Feel Free”, an entire horn section – totally melts any inhibitions off your face. So there’s this real-humans-playing-instruments-and-making-dance-music thing which is of coursde not the first of its kind, but refreshing nonetheless, and brilliantly executed. The other interesting piece that makes this record glow is that ADM makes no apologies about celebrating life and does so without a sense of overindulgence. ADM blissfully embraces all that is good in the world and encourages us to walk away from things that drag you down. When Bøe smoothly whispers “I don’t want to be the captain of a sinking ship”, he absolves us of guilt and negativity and affirms that it is ok to leave crap behind and be excited about the opportunities that life provides. The optimism is simply intoxicating and it comes at the right time when the headlines are constantly advertising the darkest parts of humanity. ADM is the feel-good record of the summer, and perhaps will retain that position for many summers to come.
Roosevelt — Midnight Versions EP (City Slang, 2017) — If the music of Roosevelt sounds like Future Islands signed to Kompakt, it is because sole member Marius Lauber ran through a bunch of teenage garage bands before submitting fully to the techno of Cologne. As a teenager, Lauber lived in the Cologne suburb of Viersen, where he cut his teeth strumming guitars and singing in indie bands. When he moved to the heart of the city, his roommates were Kompakt signees Coma, and after he got over his «it all sounds the same» attitude, Lauber became a dance music devotee. So much so, that within a few years he was resident DJ at Kompakt’s Total Confusion party alongside Superpitcher and Michael Mayer. In 2012, he introduced his techno-meets-indie pop project Roosevelt with the single «Sea,» released by Greco-Roman, the label co-owned by Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard. A year later, his «Elliot» single landed on Future Classic, then it was back to Greco-Roman for the 2015 single «Hold On.» Roosevelt’s self-titled album arrived in 2016 as a co-release from Greco-Roman and City Slang. ~ David Jeffries
Quicksound & Alpha Yaya Diallo — Mosulu (Tumbao Records, 2017) — To Vancouverites, Alpha Yaya Diallo is something of a local hero. When the west coast city was still a cultural backwater that had no inkling of world music, Vancouver did know African grooves thanks to Alpha’s legendary performances at the Commodore Ballroom. And, while African is a pretty sweeping label, Vancouver was exposed to one of the very best, a celebrated axe man and soaring vocalist from Guinea; Alpha has since racked up 3 Juno Awards and numerous other trophies and accolades. Another thing about Alpha, he’s an extremely intelligent and savvy artist. Throughout his career thus far, he has intuitively recognized the value in collaboration (a contributor to the two Guitar Summit recordings and last year, touring with kora master, Prince Diabate). He’s also welcomed the challenge of reinvention, moving gracefully between acoustic and electric albums and contemporary themes like the 2010 album Immé, with it’s environmental overtones. And now comes his most radical reinvention to date, Mosulu, a partnering of Alpha Yaya Diallo and Montreal production company, Quicksound who have worked their makeover magic with many prominent artists and projects from Lionel Richie to Cirque du Soliel to Bran Van 3000. Also featuring the beautiful voice of French/Guinean chanteuse, Tiranke Sidime, Mosulu’s 11 tracks find Alpha sounding completely refreshed and re-energized. Quicksound have tastefully introduced his music to the world of programmed beats and pumping bass that update and compliment his intricate guitar patterns and passionate, sustained wails; most effectively on the title/opener, Gakhu and the cinematic, over the top production number, Master Of The Universe. Classic Alpha compositions would include long, groovy jams that delighted dancers in live performances but were a little unwieldy for radio programmers. Astutely, the Quicksound team keeps the Mosulu package moving with all the songs clocking in at just over 3 minutes. The fades may come too early for some listeners but the old adage, «Keep them wanting more» has never been applied more effectively. Mosulu is a triumph from beginning to end and reinforces Alpha Yaya Diallo’s relevence and vitality. He is an artist for the ages and Vancouver should be terribly proud.
Maya Jane Coles — Take Flight (I Am Me Recordings, 2017) — врунете написали «Майя Джейн Коулз выпустила свою самую значительную на сегодняшний день музыкальную работу, второй полноформатный альбом «Таkе Flight» на своем лейбле I/АМ/МЕ. Он стал долгожданным продолжением ее дебютного сольного альбома «Соmfоrt» (2013) и одноименного альбома в рамках проекта Nосturnаl Sunshinе (2015). Майя Джейн Коулз (Мауа Jаnе Соlеs) — британский талант японского происхождения в женском обличье, она прославилась своими запоминающимися dj & livе-сетами, а также оригинальной и уникальной продукцией. В возрасте 23 лет Майя ворвалась на электронную танцевальную сцену с такими недавно вышедшими релизами как Whаt Тhеу Sау, достигший 1 места в Dеер Ноusе Сhаrt Битпорта и 1 места в чарте «Лучшие треки Rеsidеnt Аdvisоr за октябрь 2010″. Неудивительно, что эта дама получила широкую поддержку от соратников по цеху в лице легендарных диджеев планеты и в данное время она гастролирует по миру с плотно забитым графиком выступлений. Майя выпускает релизы под своим именем на десятках лэйблах по всему миру.»
Windy & Carl – Blues For A UFO (Self-released, 2017) — is music made from frustration and compassion. From a place of anger and of understanding. We have been living across from a huge construction project – a ten year overhaul of an old research and devolpment complex in Dearborn owned and operated by FMC, and it is ruining our lives. Day by day and bit by bit our house and mental health fade. Our beautiful historic home has cracks and issues and is covered in dirt and cement dust each day, with the sounds of cranes rumbling and cement trucks beeping going on for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. We tried to move, and found our home had been devalued until the work was done – in ten years…
VA — Sweet As Broken Dates Lost Somali Tapes From The Horn Of Africa (Ostinato Records, 2017) — This compilation seeks to revive the rightful image, history, and identity of the Somali people, detached from war, violence, piracy, and the specter of a persistent threat. These 15 tracks should serve as a necessary starting point.
SPC ECO – Calm (Self-released, 2017) и SPC ECO – Under My Skin EP (Self-released, 2017) — новые релизы британских дримгейзеров. alternative curve dean garcia nugaze rock rose berlin shoegaze trip hop darkwave dream pop electronic pop noir United Kingdom
In Gowan Ring — B’ee’s Pent Pouch (Not On Label, 10″, Shape, 2017) — The music of the Pent Pouch was recorded on September 12th, 13th, & 14th in the Pent Tent, errected in the hazel wood of Cautine, France, summer 2012. Mixed September 17th at Testcard Studios, Berlin.
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растадабы сентября: Malachi — Wiseman (Upstairs Music, 2017), The Black Seeds — Fabric (Easy Star, 2017), Rockie Campbell — Call Me (D&V Records, 2017), Eleven — The Shapes of Dub (Conscious Sounds, 2017), Emeterians — The Magic Touch (Stingray Records UK, 2017), Lee «Scratch» Perry, Subatomic Sound System — Super Ape Returns to Conquer (Subatomic Sound, 2017), Green Lion Crew & Mr. Williamz — The General Comes To Town (Green Lion Crew, 2017), Samory I (Samory Frazer) – Black Gold (Black Dub, 2017), The Expanders — Old Time Something Come Back Again Vol. 2 (Easy Star Records, 2017), VA & Ouvoimoja — Sing 4 Comoros Forests — Ouvoimoja (iM 2017 DAHARI, 2017), Junior Reid — Give Love (Beatnick & K-Salaam Records, 2017)
Ikue Mori — Obelisk (Tzadik, 2017) — Universally acclaimed as a pioneer in live laptop electronics, Ikue’s signature style is still uniquely her own and has influenced two generations of laptop performers. Her new band project Obelisk is a super-band featuring three of the most acclaimed and original players in the Downtown scene—Okkyung Lee, Jim Black and Sylvie Courvoisier. Ikue’s startling compositions blend gorgeous melodies with hypnotic rhythms and evocative soundscapes. Strange and beautiful music from a legendary master of laptop improvisation!
Marta Collica – Inverno (Brutture Moderne, 2017) — «Marta currently is presenting her third solo album Inverno which she co-produced with guitarist and composer Cam Butler. It was recorded over a period of two years in Berlin, Melbourne, Paris and Italy..»
Foreign Fields — Take Cover Dark (Heppenheim / Communion, 2017) — Upon first listen the magic of Foreign Fields is still immediately present, but you will find your mind drifting back to the perfectly orchestrated musical moments that are carefully hidden for you throughout the course of the record. Compared to their previous works, Take Cover has a noticeable lean toward spirited rhythms which dance anachronistically beneath honest lyrical confessions of doubt and hopelessness.
Oumou Sangare — Mogoya (No Format, 2017) — is a highly acclaimed artist and singer from Mali. Mogoya is her latest album, and musically it’s a groovy folk (both acoustic and electric) album with west african rhythms and beats, part framed with modern attitude, sometimes you will get a «sahara rock» vibe, but with much more soul and groove. Sangare is engaged in women’s rights and opposing child marriage.
Marcus Fischer – Loss (12k, 2017) — is the long-awaited and anticipated follow-up to Marcus Fischer’s acclaimed Monocoastal (12k1063, 2010). Fischer created Loss over several years, finding inspiration to complete it during his time at the Robert Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, Florida, in early 2017. The album is a particularly emotional work as Fischer explored what loss means to him and how to cope with the permanence of absence. The result is decisively somber and perhaps one of the darkest, most emotional albums in the 12k catalog. Fischer manifested the concepts of loss in his compositions through the use of generation loss from reel-to-reel tape, re-recording sounds through various speakers in physical spaces, layering, and the use of sounds that have been physically displaced from their source. Conceptually, he listened inside the degradation of sound, pulling out chance moments of beauty and hope amid the rubble. While Loss has a bleak and lonely tone, the music is characteristic of Marcus Fischer with fragile tape loops on the edge of falling apart, distant haunting melodies and a physicality that grounds the album’s human spirit.
Catherine Graindorge / Hugo Race – Long Distance Operators (Sub Rosa, 2017) — The music of LDO is an intensely atmospheric dreamweave of violins, electronics and Hugo’s darkly evocative voice. The duo explores metaphysical lyrics, experimental sounds and retro-baroque orchestrations in a romantic, song-based context.
Micah P. Hinson – Presents The Holy Strangers (Full Time Hobby, 2017) — Micah P. Hinson’s new album “Presents The Holy Strangers” is described by the artist as being a “modern folk opera.” Telling the story of a war time family, going from birth to love, to marriage and children, to war and betrayal, murder to suicide – spanning all of the strange and glorious places life can lead. We follow their story, we see their decisions, we see their faults and their beauty. We live with them, we die with them. Two years in the making, Micah wrote and recorded The Holy Strangers in Denison, Texas, incorporating ancient reel to reels, analogue keyboards, old Tascam and Yamaha desks. The recording only entered the digital realm once pre-mastering took place. Split across two pieces of vinyl, the 14 tracks which make up The Holy Strangers are at times sparse and haunting; at other times luscious, maybe even euphoric. From the Johnny Cash-style country single “Lover’s Lane,” to the album’s broad, spoken-word centrepiece “Micah Book One”, The Holy Strangers covers a lot of ground over the course of its hour long running time, appealing to both long-time fans and new ones alike. или из врунета: «Парад осенних альбомов продолжается. На этот раз новой пластинкой обзавелся один из самых пронзительных голосов в альтернативном кантри. Майка Пол Хинсон уже был в нашей ленте год назад с одним из самых эмоционально тяжелых своих альбомов (vk.cc/76nUIG). В этот раз музыкант попробовал себя в концептуализме. Альбом представлен как аудиокнига, поделенная на 2 акта. Тематика песен стала еще более депрессивной, чего только стоят названия некоторых композиций: The Great Void или The Memorial Day Massacre. В музыкальном плане произошли небольшие изменения: стало больше фортепьяно и скрипки и чуть меньше классической акустической гитары. Строго говоря, Майка стал звучать довольно минималистично. Не думаю, что это плохо, потому что себя он при этом не потерял. Это все тот же Майка П. Хинсон, только оголтелая пьяная тоска под срывающуюся гитару сменилась на сдержанную печаль под небольшой оркестр.«
Ducktails – Jersey Devil (New Images, 2017) — Ducktails aka Matt Mondanile has announced the new album Jersey Devil which is out this fall via his own label New Images Limited. The album is described as a return to Mondanile’s DIY roots and began as the recording sessions in LA that set the scene of our 2015 interview with him and his Against The Clock. Following those sessions and his departure from Real Estate, Mondanile traveled back to his hometown of Ridgewood, NJ where he continued recording in is mom’s basement. “Everything felt right: the mini mall across the street, the stock brokers walking their dogs, and the sweet summer smell in the air,” he explains about returning to the suburban area that inspired the early Ducktails and Real Estate recordings. The album was finally mixed in Hoboken at Sonic Youth’s Echo Canyon studio.
Deepchord & Imax — dc trax [the octal years] (echospace [detroit], 2017) — In reflection of the many years of development of the DEMF/Movement festival since its inception coupled with the near 15-year anniversary of these releases (and the first live appearance of d e e p c h o r d @ DEMF w/Mike Schommer) we’re pleased to announce the continuation of our archival edition. Many of these releases (originally appearing on Octal Records) took center stage on the walls of the dance room @ Record Time (circa 2001) canned by Detroit Legend, Mike Huckaby. This release will mark the fourth installment to the coveted series and returns to form with a stone cold classic from the DC vault. The first time ever released on CD (including unreleased material), lovingly remastered and assembled by Rod Modell. Great measures, focus and time were spent to preserve the analog warmth and sonic integrity of the original masters. For those who don’t know, these releases are considered by many some of the most inspired and influential sounds to emerge from Detroit well over 15 years ago — a blueprint was set here for many artists to come, a step in the evolution. Expect gorgeous plumes of sound deeper than the ocean floor — a rich analog tapestry made in the heart of Detroit, Techno City.
Weyes Blood — A Certain Kind bw Everybody’s Talkin’ (Mexican Summer, 2017) — Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery for the Wilde at heart, but for the Weyes mind it’s a natural note in the songbook of life. For the first recorded Weyes Blood music since her 2016 breakthrough album Front Row Seat To Earth, Natalie Mering shares A Certain Kind b/w Everybody’s Talkin’, a double a-side 7″ of cover songs close to her home but recognizable under any roof with a hearing heart at its hearth. From her DIY days self-releasing CDRs through her ascent as a defining voice of a new folk tradition, Natalie Mering has always possessed a proclivity for exceptional taste. Whether influenced by her bloodline of musicians or the cast of curious coastal characters she encountered while exploring life and sound, Mering always took special care to acknowledge the artists that shaped her music in live Weyes Blood performances.
Axefield — Pressure Drop (Atomnation, 2017) — electronic ambient disco electronica house techno Amsterdam
Mdou Moctar – Sousoume Tamachek (Sahel Sounds, 2017) — Music for desert picnics. Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar delves into his more sensitive side with a minimal studio recording of dreamy ballads. Thumping calabash, droning guitars, and vocal overdubs evoke an imagined desert soundscape. All instruments and vocals performed by Mdou only, creating a very personal and auteur sessions. Emotive and introspective, exploring themes of religion, spirituality, and matters of the heart. After his underground success on the pirate mp3 networks of West Africa with his first release, the psychedelic autotuned “Anar,” (2008) he was featured on the Sahel Sounds compilation “Music from Saharan Cellphones” (2011) and launched a successful touring career. In 2012, Mdou relocated from his village to Agadez, the center of Niger’s guitar scene, and formed his band. Over the past years, he has become well known on the international circuit, playing high energy electrified music in festivals and clubs across Europe and North America. In 2013, he released his first international album, “Afelan,” rocking and raw sessions recorded live in Niger. In 2015, he starred in the first ever Tuareg language film, “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red In It,” a Nigerien remake of “Purple Rain.”
Angus & Julia Stone – Snow ([PIAS] Le Label, 2017) — Angus & Julia Stone return with “Snow,” the first taste of music to be unveiled from their forthcoming new album, out later this year on Nettwerk Records. The first notes of “Snow” are instantly transporting. The guitar is a scratchy, wooden memory laid over a moment of silence. The gently driving organ beat emerges and takes you with it, beginning the next enchanting journey with the Australian brother-sister duo. «‘Snow’ is both of us. We sat down and wrote it together,» Angus says, continuing a process the siblings began at the suggestion of producer Rick Rubin on their self-tilted album of 2014. «That was the first time that we actually started writing together, in the same room, and I guess we took a leaf from that chapter into this record.»
Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions — Son Of A Lady (Tendril Tales, 10″, EP, 2017) — The 10″ EP from Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions, led by Mazzy Star singer Hope Sandoval and My Bloody Valentine’s Colm Ó Cíosóig, features three new songs: «Sleep,» «Son Of A Lady» and «Antiquity.» Also appearing on the record is an alternative, acoustic version of the song «Let Me Get There,» which features Kurt Vile. All of the songs are from the band’s Until The Hunter sessions. Other collaborators on the EP include Dirt Blue Gene, Mariee Sioux and ‘Artist General’ Michael Masley.
Fink — Resurgam (R’coup’d, 2017) — is the 6th studio album from the UK singer, songwriter Fink, his follow up to 2014’s ‘Hard Believer’. Produced by Flood (U2, Depeche Mode, PJ Harvey, Warpaint), it’s his most ambitious release to date. The definition of the Latin ‘Resurgam’ means ‘I shall rise again’.
VA — dc trax [the octal years] ([echospace Detroit], 2017) — In reflection of the many years of development of the DEMF/Movement festival since its inception coupled with the near 15-year anniversary of these releases (and the first live appearance of d e e p c h o r d @ DEMF w/Mike Schommer) we’re pleased to announce the continuation of our archival edition. Many of these releases (originally appearing on Octal Records) took center stage on the walls of the dance room @ Record Time (circa 2001) canned by Detroit Legend, Mike Huckaby. This release will mark the fourth installment to the coveted series and returns to form with a stone cold classic from the DC vault. The first time ever released on CD (including unreleased material), lovingly remastered and assembled by Rod Modell. Great measures, focus and time were spent to preserve the analog warmth and sonic integrity of the original masters. For those who don’t know, these releases are considered by many some of the most inspired and influential sounds to emerge from Detroit well over 15 years ago — a blueprint was set here for many artists to come, a step in the evolution. Expect gorgeous plumes of sound deeper than the ocean floor — a rich analog tapestry made in the heart of Detroit, Techno City.
Deepchord — Campfire (Soma Records, 2017) — As with the title, Campfire evokes a sense of intimacy and tranquility through Modell’s divinely sensitive touch, yielding the fathoms-deep layers of synaesthetically heightened tones in Perfumes of a Spring Mist, and plunging head first into the murky depths of Xpan, with the title piece, Campfire offering one of the very lovliest tracks in his whole catalogue by addition of a starlit canopy of chimes that we’ve not really detected in his productions prior to this one.
Vieux Farka Touré – Samba (Six Degrees Records, 2017) — When the producers of the Woodstock Sessions, a hybrid/live recording series in Saugerties, NY, asked Malian guitarist and vocalist Vieux Farka Touré to stop by in 2015, he didn’t have enough time to make it happen. Intrigued, he promised to return the following year. Making good on his word, the result of that incredible session is now Touré’s newest album, Samba. The ten songs on Samba are all brand new. Given Touré’s natural musical curiosity, the far-reaching blend of Malian blues and praise song, funk, reggae, and rock make this his most mature, well-rounded effort to date. The live element, where Touré excels as a performer, shines through on every track, even though the band stopped whenever they wanted to change something up. This was not your average performance.
Linda Perhacs — I’m A Harmony (Omnivore Recordings, 2017) — врунете перевели так: «Это мой третий альбом, — говорит Linda Perhacsс. «Это действительно мое лучшее до сих пор, потому что это сотрудничество с другими удивительными людьми. В нашем мире, который все больше страдает от «затмения всей любви», этот альбом возобновит вашу любовь и «омоет свою душу в звук». Среди приглашенных исполнителей — Chris Price, Devendra Banhart, Pat Sansone & John Stirratt (Wilco/The Autumn Defense), Glenn Kotche & Nels Cline (Wilco), Julia Holter, журнал MOJO описывает альбом как «спектрально гипнотическую работу призматической красоты». Со-продюсер Perdomo сказал: «Линда Перхац — музыкальное сокровище. Для меня было большой честью помочь Линде продолжать приносить столько радости миру с ее удивительным видением и духом. Я Гармония — самая амбициозная запись, в которой я когда-либо был. В 75 лет Линда более творческая, чем когда-либо, и я надеюсь, что она вдохновляет всех так, как она меня вдохновила».
Marc Almond – Shadows and Reflections (BMG, 2017) — new album Shadows And Reflections features sumptuous arrangements of iconic torch songs and 60’s orchestral pop for which he is beloved, as well as two new original compositions. The release features songs written or recorded by artists such as Burt Bacharach, The Action, The Yardbirds, Bobby Darin, Julie Driscoll, Billy Fury and the Young Rascals. It thematically begins and ends in an apartment. “It’s about this guy that’s living in a luxury expansive glass apartment overlooking the city, filled with sculptures and beautiful things, an empty soulless shell, surrounded by absurd wealth,” Almond explains. “He is sitting alone and I imagine listening to this music, possibly the songs that make up this album. He’s rich in the bank but the poorest person you know.” 2017 cements the 60th Birthday year for the singer who the Observer noted, “has never stood still” and follows on the great success of his Top 10 album Hits And Pieces.
Amadou & Mariam – La Confusion (Because Music, 2017) — Amadou & Mariam recently released the Bofou Safou EP via Because Music. The EP includes the first two La Confusion singles, Bofou Safou’ and Filaou Bessame,’ alongside remixes of the EP’s title track by Fatima Yamaha, Africaine 808, Henrik Schwarz and more. The term bofou safou’ is a Bambara (the Malian national language) nickname given to nonchalant young men who would rather dance than work. Of the new EP, the group notes, We really like the remixes that were made for the EP. You get to hear our music in a different form, which is great. All five remixes manage to catch the essence of our song while really pushing those enticing afro pop and electronic vibes further.’
Aldebert — Enfantillages 3 (Jive Epic, 2017) — Musique pour enfants.
Valparaiso – Broken Homeland (Zamora Label, 2017) — This French collective rose from the corpse of Jack the Ripper (the French Band – named for the Nick Cave song) and provide a particularly Gallic flavoured brand of Americana. The four corners of their world are populated by Giant Sand, Spain (both Howe Gelb and Josh Haden guest), PJ Harvey and the Tindersticks, so it’s slow burning Desert rock with an overcoat and a bucketful of attitude. It’s produced by John Parish (who also appears) and it sounds beautifully organic, suffused with as much atmosphere as a Joseph Conrad novel.
Debademba – Sanikoya (Dankama, 2017) — Rares sont les musiciens virtuoses qui réfléchissent et agissent en collectif et qui croient à l’esprit de groupe. Patiemment, avec persévérance et obstination, Abdoulaye Traore porte le projet « DEBADEMBA », et en a fait en quelque années une des formations les plus appréciées de la nouvelle génération d’artistes d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Après deux albums produits par Chapa Blues, DEBADEMBA revient avec un nouvel opus « Sanikoya » produit par Dankama (Le nouveau label créé par Abdoulaye Traore). Cet album met un point d’honneur à rappeler les forces positives qui ont permis à des générations entières de vivre en paix en Afrique de l’Ouest. Ce nouvel opus, nous emmène à travers l’Afrique avec des rythmiques allant du djoulaba (Côte d’Ivoire/Burkina Faso) au ziglibithy/ bikoutsi (Côte d’Ivoire/Cameroun) en passant par le borowi (rythme traditionnel que l’on danse avec des masques), le takamba (Nord du Mali), le badjoulou (rythme joué pour les grands hommes dans toute l’Afrique de l’Ouest) et le blues-rock. Dans cet album Abdoulaye Traore, s’entoure de Mohamed Diaby (chant), Bisou Bass (basse), William Ombe (batterie), Adama Bilorou (percussions), Virna Nova (guitare sur « Ah les femmes »), Malaika Lokua (chœurs sur « Dakama » et « Mandela »), Valentin Ceccaldi (violoncelle sur « Mandela ») et invite Ben L’Oncle soul pour deux featuring sur « Sanikoya » et « Saikain ».
Mark Lanegan – Still Life with Roses_ Gargoyle Remixes (Heavenly Recordings, 2017) — Mark Lanegan is no stranger to having people rework and remix his music these days. After allowing friends, peers and assorted others free rein over (almost all of) his No Bells on Sunday / Phantom Radio experimental diptych, this month sees the release of Still Life with Roses, a shorter selection from his current band’s Gargoyle album, upon which Rob Marshall features heavily. There’s also a more underground feel to this one, thanks to the assembly of a small band of remixers of varying legend.
Luna [Dean Wareham] – A Sentimental Education / A Place Of Greater Safety (Double Feature Records, 2017) — A Sentimental Education continues this tradition with a set of thoughtful and finely curated covers. The A Place of Greater Safety EP also showcases the band in top form and features hooky, well-crafted originals that bring to mind Dean & Britta’s soundtrack work for director Noah Baumbach. That said, given how essential Wareham’s vocals and lyrics are to Luna’s sound, the songs sometimes feel like demos waiting for a final vocal track to be added. Which brings us back to A Sentimental Education. One of the really likable aspects of Wareham’s proclivity for covers is that this habit never comes off as an exercise in hipster irony — you always get the sense that he really just likes the song. A Sentimental Education tracks like Luna’s dusky rendition of the Cure’s «Fire in Cairo» and their rambling and cheery take on Fleetwood Mac’s «One Together» feel affectionate rather than competitive. The band achieves more revelatory results elsewhere, as on the spacy reworking of Willie «Loco» Alexander’s criminally underappreciated 1980 new wave anthem «Gin.» Their poignantly atmospheric arrangement of «(Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City» also deserves mention, as it transforms the early Mick Jagger and Keith Richards co-write into an evocative, rain-soaked ballad. It’s also fascinating to hear how such seasoned indie rockers rework aspects of the original songs, like when they transfer David Bowie’s humming on 1969’s «Letter to Hermione» from a vocal part to a guitar line, and use a shimmery synth instead of piano at the end of the Velvet Underground’s «Friends.» Of course, we also get several sublimely straightforward songs here, like their heartfelt reading of Bob Dylan’s «Most of the Time» and their stripped-down, Lou Reed-esque take on Mercury Rev’s «Car Wash Hair.» As is the case with much of A Sentimental Education, both of those songs find Luna deftly straddling the line between deep reverence and inspired reclamation, a perfect balance that renders each track a new addition to the band’s own storied oeuvre.
The Caretaker – Everywhere At The End Of Time — Stage 3 (History Always Favours The Winners, 2017) — The third of a six album cycle cataloguing The Caretaker’s fictional first person account of life with early onset dementia, presenting some of the last coherent memories before confusion fully rolls in and the grey mists fade away. In this crepuscular, autumnal phase, recollections phosphoresce and wilt in advancing stages of entropic decay, steadily approaching a winter of no return. Continuing to mirror the progression of dementia, using nostalgia for ballroom as an allegory of the disease, The Caretaker’s musical flow in places becomes more disturbed, isolated, broken and distant. Singular memories, and all their connotations, begin to atrophy and calcify, crumbling away with each rotation of the record — sometimes in curt scene cuts, others in quietly breathtaking reverbed fizzles; like tea lights extinguished, never to flicker again. These are the last stages of awareness before we enter the post awareness stages, where those memories become completely detached from comprehension. On stage 3, the haunted ballroom’s repertoire becomes increasingly muddled, pealing off in recursive contrails from the gestures of Back There Benjamin, to snag on the stylus in starkly reverberant knots on Hidden Seas Buried Deep, or worn down to calloused nubs such as To the minimal great hidden, and Sublime beyond loss, all leading up to some of the project’s most uncanny detachments in Libet Delay and the coruscating brass shimmer of Mournful Cameraderie, which beautifully suggest the mercurial nature of memory and its recollection.
Chicago Afrobeat Project & Tony Allen – What Goes Up (Chicago Afrobeat Project, 2017) — Can there be any greater thrill for a band, especially one with love and appreciation for Afrobeat, than getting to work with Tony Allen? If the Chicago Afrobeat Project’s new collaboration with Allen is any indication, there’s nothing better than the music that comes from working with the legendary Afrobeat founder. Not a single track holds back as the group plays fiery, modern funk with Allen’s intense rhythms driving them forward. The group tackles race relations and police brutality on “Race Hustle” and climate change on “Marker 48”, which starts with a quick spoken breakup between the Earth and her deadbeat boyfriend, the human race, before turning into a lament for the fate of them both. All in all, it’s one of the Project’s finest, and Tony Allen’s beats are a natural fit with the group’s mix of vital social activism and sharp, soulful grooves. If the collective ever worried about being on the wrong track, the way Tony Allen so seamlessly joins in with the group should put those fears safely to rest. What Goes Up is an energetic, horn-heavy album that puts every member involved—master drummer and otherwise—to excellent use.
Will Samson – Welcome Oxygen (Talitres, 2017) — After 7 years of consistent touring and new releases, Brussels-based Will Samson steps away from his familiar use of electronics and ambient soundscapes, to present his 4th solo album, Welcome Oxygen. Consisting largely of guitar, voice & violin recorded onto tape – this is his most raw and direct work to date.
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октябрьские раста-даб-релизы: Errol Brown & BB Seaton — EB Meets BB in the Valley of Dubs, Vol. 1 (Soul Beat — Roots International, 2017), Macka B — Health Is Wealth (VP Records, 2017), Solomon Jabby — Soul Liberation (Altarsound Records, 2017), Jesse Royal — Lily Of Da Valley (Sony Music Canada Inc., 2017), Pascal Opera — Back to My Roots (Opéra Productions, 2017), Dr. Dubenstein — Conspiracy Theory (Big D Records, 2017), Illbilly Hitec — One Thing Leads To Another (Echo Beach, 2017), Capelton — Kings Of Dancehall (Penitentiary, 2017), Prezident Brown — Journeyman Pilgrimage (Towerman Production, 2017), Som Central feat. Pablo Seea Rasta — Som Central (2017), Marcus Gad and Tribe — Chanting (Natural Prod’, 2017), Brain Damage meets Harrison Stafford — Liberation Time (Jarring Effects Label, 2017), Dub Pistols — Crazy Diamonds (Sunday Best Recordings, 2017), SOJA — Poetry in Motion (ATO Records, 2017), Flox — Taste of Grey (Underdog Records, 2017)
Variant — [Shadowbands] Aphelion/Perihelion (echospace [detroit], 2017) — In reflection of the extraordinary phenomena in our universe, the variant project has reemerged to produce an immersive sonic landscape, recorded specifically to soundtrack for the Total Solar Eclipse which took place on August 21, 2017. The sound art painted here is deeply emotive, engaging and emotionally one of the most inspired in his entire discography. Includes a hauntingly beautiful digital bonus song made exclusively with sounds from forthcoming, «Echoes In Space» [Volume 2] sound library. This epic sound world has been nearly 5 years in the making and features what we would consider the most engaging sound designs to date. A sonic universe all its own.
Yumi Zouma – Willowbank (Cascine, 2017) — After they got off the road in support of their debut album Yoncalla, the New Zealand quartet Yumi Zouma headed home to recuperate and start work on another album. The home cooking and family must have left the band because Willowbank is a much more intimate affair that is less of a record for a sunny day and more of one for a cuddle and a restorative stroll through dusky streets. With songs that never work up a sweat and melodies that caress jangled nerves, the band have crafted chill out music of the best kind. It’s relaxing and warm, but never drowsy or boring. Christie Simpson’s vocals have grown more assertive and strong, but she still sings with the tune instead of leaping out in front. The band hold back too, mixing clouds of synths with jangling guitars, bubbly bass and gently propulsive drums. It’s a homey, bedroom made spin on the electropop of their debut, which was already a low impact version of the sound that took over radio waves in the mid-2010’s. It’s like New Order were college kids who grew up on a tiny verdant island, or Chvrches cut all the drama out of their sound.
Mark Kozelek With Ben Boye And Jim White – Mark Kozelek With Ben Boye And Jim White (Caldo Verde, 2017) — For such a legendary curmudgeon, Mark Kozelek sure seems to play well with others. Following his collaborative LPs with Jesu’s Justin Broadrick and Parquet Courts’ Sean Yeaton, Mark Kozelek has teamed up with Ben Boye and Xylouris White/Dirty Three’s Jim White for a new album. We’ve already heard “House Cat” and “The Black Butterfly,” and now you can stream the whole thing here over on Sun Kil Moon’s official website. Mark Kozelek With Ben Boye And Jim White is out 10/6 on CD and sometime in 2018 on vinyl via Caldo Verde/Rough Trade.
Andrew Bird – Echolocations_ River ( Muffet Music Co., 2017) — Andrew Bird has announced a new album: Echolocations: River is out October 6 via Wegawam Music. Bird recorded the eight-track instrumental LP while standing in the Los Angeles River underneath the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge. River is the second installment in Bird’s Echolocations series, which features site-specific pieces. Below, preview Echolocations: River and find the tracklist; scroll down for Andrew Bird’s upcoming tour dates. Bird’s first Echolocations record, Canyon, was issued in 2015. Last year, he released Are You Serious.
Kiasmos (Janus Rasmussen & Ólafur Arnalds) — Blurred (Erased Tapes, EP, 12”, 2017) — Kiasmos mark their return in 2017 with a new 12” EP titled Blurred — available worldwide on October 6th via Erased Tapes. Since their 2015 Swept EP, the duo have been performing shows extensively across the world. After writing and recording together in their native Iceland this year, the pair will be bringing a glimpse of light to a particularly gloomy time of year as their light sounds are brighter than ever.
Carla Dal Forno — The Garden EP (Blackest Ever Black, 2017) — мини-альбом австралийской певицы, автора песен и мультиинструменталистки Карлы Даль Форно, участницы коллективов F Ingers, Tarcar и Mole House.
Alvarius B. — With a Beaker on the Burner and an Otter in the Oven (Abduction, 2017) — Here donning his Alvarius B. persona, Alan Bishop returns with a trilogy of albums, all recorded from 2014-2017 in Egypt with various members of Cairo’s Invisible Hands and the Master Musicians Of Bukakke. Psychedelic Folk/Indie Folk/Country/Blues/Avant-Folk/Alternative Rock
Windows彡96 — Optmized煙霧 (2017) — второй за год Vaporwave / Chillwave / Sadwave / Synthwave / Retrowave / New Wave / Experimental / Electronic (Brazil) (̅_̅_̅_̅(̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅_̅̅_̅()ڪے~ ~
CYMBALS — Light In Your Mind (Tough Love Records, 2017) — third full-length album, 2017’s Light in Your Mind, is a sanguine, deeply emotive, yet often brightly colored affair that reflects the turmoil and personal struggles the band went through prior to its recording. After the release of 2014’s Age of Fracture, lead singer Jack Cleverly entered a bleak period that found him confronting his addiction issues and going through a divorce. As a side-effect, Cymbals underwent lineup changes that ultimately resulted in Cleverly and bandmate keyboardist Dan Simons remaining the sole members. Undeterred, they eventually returned to the studio and began crafting new material.
Piper Street Sound (aka Matt Mansfield) — Barrier Island (EP, 2017) — Producer and multi-instrumentalist Piper Street Sound, aka Matt Mansfield of Atlanta, Ga, returns with Barrier Island. Dedicated to the imperiled Cumberland Island, this work reflects Mansfield’s deep love for Georgia’s wild places and the inspiration found there.
Roman Flugel — Fabric 95 (Fabric Worldwide, 2017) — Over 10 years since his first gig at fabric London, German techno artist Roman Flügel has mixed the new installment of the venue’s prestigious mix series, fabric 95. The 75-minute mix champions the sound that the techno veteran has pursued since the beginning: “abstract, idiosyncratic and tense at times, but ultimately warm and inviting.” The 22-track mix, which Roman himself describes as “a little dance music adventure,” features music from Genesis P-Orridge & Psychic TV, Red Rack’em, Rebolledo, along with Roman’s joint track with Ricardo Villalobos ‘RoRic, and an original and a remix bearing the Flügel stamp.
Juju & Jordash – Sis-Boom-Bah! (Dekmantel, 2017) — Pivotal A’dam players, Juju & Jordash move beyond the themes of Techno Primitivism [2012] and Clean-Cut [2014] to arrive in serene, Far Eastern and African-facing house-not-house zones with Sis-Boom-Bah! The vibe is assuredly home-listening, leaving the club in pursuit of coolly introspective dimensions, guided by gently rolling deep house impulses and populated with myriad synth voices in a most sublime version of the devilishly detailed, hardware-driven style they’ve honed since 2004. Ok there are tracks you could dance to, if the mood takes you with the deep (inner) space techno of Attack The Crwod, and the buoyant, chromatic twirl of Back Tuck Basket Toss, but the biggest attraction iOS the way they weave those tracks into he album’s warp and weft, in equilibrium with more etheric, esoteric gestures such as the rippling gamelans of Herkie at the front, or the 4th world rhythmelodic cadence of Paper Doll, and the quietly deliquescent charms of hanging Pyramid.
Kologbo — Africa Is The Future (Paris DJs, 2017) — Guitar legend Oghene Kologbo was born in Warri, Nigeria in 1957. His father was the well known highlife musician Joe King Kologbo. When Kologbo was a teenager, he began performing with the revolutionary Afrobeat master Fela Kuti. Kologbo went on to record more than 50 sides with Africa 70. He played the hypnotic tenor guitar lines, but often recorded bass and rhythm guitar too. Kologbo was Fela’s personal assistant and «tape recorder». That is, it was his job to remember the melodies Fela would sing to him late at night, then teach them to the band at rehearsal the next day. In 1978, after a show at the Berlin Jazz Festival, Kologbo left the band (along with Tony Allen and a few others) and stayed in Berlin. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kologbo worked with the legendary but short-lived Roots Anabo. He also toured and recorded with King Sunny Ade, Tony Allen, and Brenda Fosse, among others. In 2005, Kologbo began working with the Afrobeat Academy, Berlin’s heaviest afrobeat ensemble — which later on morphed into Ebo Taylor’s and then Pat Thomas’ backing bands — and released together in 2007 the album «Remember Fela Kuti». In 2008 he moved to France to join Tony Allen’s on tenor guitar. After nearly a year playing and teaching Afrobeat in Brazil, Kologbo came back to France to work on his new record, «Africa is the Future», produced by Loik Dury and Grant Phabao from the Paris DJs label/mediae.
The White Buffalo – Darkest Darks, Lightest Lights (Earache Records, 2017) — The White Buffalo (a.k.a. Jake Smith) is back with his sixth full-length album and sees Jake explore more into the country & blues territory. Don’t worry White Buffalo fans, the signature sounds are still here. For those that don’t know who The White Buffalo is. He’s a singer-songwriter that plays a mixture of Americana, “outlaw” country, rock and even has a bit of a punk influence thrown in there as well. His vocals are incredible and always compare them as a hodge podge of Eddie Vedder, Mike Ness, Tom Waits and Richie Havens. The opening track “Hide and Seek” sounds a little different than what he has does in the past. It’s more honky tonk/blues kind of country, especially with the way he’s singing the song. The next track, “Avalon,” is more in line with why love White Buffalo’s music. Fast, catchy, Americana rock tune that showcases his excellences as a storyteller and his vocals just fit this style more. The Tom Waits influence shows up in “Robbery,” where I can just picture Jake singing the song in a dark, smokey jazz lounge. Stray Cats pop in my head for that song as well.
King Krule – The Ooz (True Panther Sounds, 2017) — врунете пишут: «Кing Кrulе представляет свой третий студийный альбом, получивший название «Тhе Ооz» и выпущенный в пятницу 13 октября на Тruе Раnthеr Sоunds. Арчи Маршалл (Аrсhу Маrshаll) — британский певец, автор песен, музыкант. Начинал карьеру под псевдонимом Zоо Кid, впоследствии изменил его на Кing Кrulе. В журнале «Афиша» он был отмечен среди главных музыкальных дебютантов 2012 года. Отец Маршалла занимал должность художественного руководителя телепрограмм в «Би-би-си»; его мать, поклонница хип-хопа старой школы, устраивала вечеринки, на которых звучал даб и гэридж; оба родителя также играли на музыкальных инструментах. В возрасте восьми лет Маршалл начал петь, вдохновляясь голосами Чета Бейкера, Иэна Дьюри, Джо Страммера, и тогда же записал первый трек. В течение 2010 года Маршалл под именем Zоо Кid размещал в интернете отдельные композиции, записанные с помощью ноутбука и сочетавшие элементы джаза, рокабилли, даба, хип-хопа и соула. Его дебютный сингл «Оut Gеtting Ribs» был выпущен 6 декабря 2010 года. В следующем году музыкант взял новое сценическое имя — Кing Кrulе.»
Chantal Acda — Live In Ghent At Handelsbeurs (Glitterhouse Records, 2017) — Chantal Acda
Warhaus — Warhaus (Play It Again Sam, 2017) — новый релиз Maarten Devoldere — who (along with Jinte Deprez) fronts the urbanely soulful Belgian rock band Balthazar.
36 (Dennis Huddleston) — Black Soma (3six Recordings, 2017) — «Black Soma concludes my space-inspired series of releases, following the ‘Sine Dust’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Explorers’ EP’s. Whereas those records were often romantic and other-worldly sounding, I wanted ‘Black Soma’ to be more grounded in the realities and struggles of people living on our own planet, today. Tracks like ‘Black Soma’ and ‘Black Halcyon’ see a return to the emotionally-charged choral sound of classic 36 tunes like ‘Reunion’, whereas, the synth-dominated ‘Black Sun’ and ‘Black Future’ radiate with the kind of mechanical warmth I just love. For me, the most memorable music skirts the line between sadness and exhilaration, and I feel this has always been at the core of my music, just like it’s at the heart of all people. It’s been ten years since I first started the 36 project. Here’s to the next ten.» — 36
Sean Nicholas Savage – Yummycoma (Arbutus Records, 2017) — is a nostalgic voyage.
The Midnight — Nocturnal EP (Self-Released, 2017) — Music & Lyrics: Tim McEwan & Tyler Lyle. Except «Light Years» (written by Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle & Nikki Flores) and «River of Darkness» (written by Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle & Jordy Leenaerts). Produced & mixed by Tim McEwan. Mastered by Anders Schumann.
Andrew Weatherall – Qualia (2017 Höga Nord Rekords) — #alternative_dance #disco #techno #dub #funk #2017_releases
yellow6 — About The Journey [sound in silence] (Norman Records, 2017) — You’ve got to like a bit of Yellow6. The Leicestershire based guitarist has created a large back catalogue of swelling ambience that never fails to bring to mind the haunted atmospheres of the likes of La Bradford, Roy Montgomery and Windy and Carl. This latest 75 minute opus comes in two distinct styles of packaging and with Sound in Silence’s record of making things look nice they are both bound to be gorgeous.
Karl Zéro — Songs for Moonlight Swim and Otros Tipos de Ocupaciones (Frémeaux & Associés, 2017) — Мир Карла Зеро — смесь юмора, поэзии и нежности в мирах латинской музыки, мамбо, Бразилии и джаза (оркестровка в большой группе), восхитительно устаревшая и старинная. Он взял «бразильскую версию» «воды в конце 1940-х годов», «новой волны» (Kraftwerk, Mikado.), Electro-rap (Stupéflip) рот «Gainsbourg). Он поет на французском, русском или арабском языках и окружил себя Абд Аль Малик, Ариэль Домбасле или Дейзи д’Аррата, которые оказываются в роли борьбы с занятостью. Карл Зеро объединил прекрасный цветок парижского джаза с легендарной студией Фербер и доверил роскошные аранжировки и оркестровые выступления большой группы Рафаэлю Леммонье (Китай Моисей). (Music-Street)
Radius — Interpolation Tapes [Restoration Two] (echospace [detroit], 2017) — бесконечные тейпы радиуса. Radius’s «Interpolation Tapes» (Restoration Two) is the second part in a series of three releases featuring unreleased material culled from the vault of the long out of print Radius project, an ageless analog tapestry of sound. This release features 8 tracks, revisited and restored from analog cassette tapes with recordings conducted from 1994-2001 with nothing but analog/digital hardware. The original source tapes had aged, warped and degraded and as a result we’ve preserved the best segments, sampled and reprocessed them into an entirely new sonic spectrum. It’s been a truly nostalgic experience re-visiting and re-arranging these masters, regardless of the time passed, there’s so much depth and organic movement, it nearly breathes in slow motion. When considering the limitations of hardware in the era these were recorded, they’ve truly aged like a fine wine.
Carlos Bica & Azul Feat. Frank Möbus And Jim Black — More Than This (Clean Feed, 2017) — All compositions by Carlos Bica except “A Lã e a Neve“ by Carlos Bica and João Paulo Esteves da Silva, “Whale Rider“ by Carlos Bica and Carsten Daerr, “Patchwork“ by Carlos Bica, Frank Möbus, Filipe Bica, “Na Rama do Alecrim“ (Cante Alentejano, tradicional portuguese music from Alentejo, arrangement by C.B.), “Silver Dagger“ (american folk song), “Skeleton Dance“ by Andi Haberl.
DeepChord (Rod Modell) — Auratones (Soma Records, 2017) — Rod Modell returns to Soma with a slow-baked batch of rolling dub techno in Auratone some two years since Ultraviolet Music and reissues of myriad, related projects over the interim. This is full fat DeepChord, swollen with bass and bristling with combustible, oxidising textures that their legion disciples will relish. Includes some sweeter highlights in the roving subs and dancing melodies of Wind In Trees and the insistent mesh of ghostly, pealing partials with pneumatic bass in Point Reyes.
Lean Year — Lean Year (Western Vinyl, 2017) — is the debut, self-titled record by Richmond, Virginia based singer Emilie Rex and filmmaker/musician Rick Alverson. What for Rex was a departure from the structured life of academia toward the uncertain contours of a creative field, for Alverson was a return to form. Having released 5 albums with his previous band Spokane, Alverson took a 10-year hiatus from music to write and direct feature films. These departures and approaches bring a transience and listlessness to the album, like a walk interrupted by both curiosity and caution. Equally informed by the minimalist folk music of Elizabeth Cotton, Karen Dalton, and Fred Neil; the tenuous, ambient, and orchestral works of Harold Budd, Brian Eno, and John Cale; the quietly pointed but tende songs of Nina Simone and Bessie Smith; and the baroque pop subversions of Love and The Left Banke-the inspirations for Lean Year are as varied as Rex and Alverson’s biographies. или из врунета: «- дебютный студийник одноимённого проекта из Ричмонда, Вирджиния, певицы Эмили Рекс и музыканта и режиссера Рика Альверсона. Выпустив 5 альбомов со своей предыдущей группой Sроkаnе, Альверсон взял 10-летний перерыв, чтобы писать и снимать художественные фильмы, но сейчас вернулся к музыке. Альбом очень минималистичен и кинематографичен, он строится на влияниях инди, фолка, эмбиента и альтернативы, но привязать его к какому-то стилю не получится, проще сказать, что он похож на странное, холодное и гипнотическое сновидение.»
Bill Ryder-Jones — Covers October 2017 (2017) — Bill Ryder-Jones used to play guitar for British band the Coral, but don’t expect If… to remind you of his previous outfit. Primarily piano-based, the album exists somewhere between the worlds of Erik Satie and Michael Nyman, with some interesting original touches. It was conceived as a soundtrack of sorts to Italo Calvino’s postmodernist novel, If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler. Ryder-Jones’s piano is augmented by grand, if at times histrionic, strings provided by the Liverpool Philharmonic and interwoven with various pop elements. «Enlace» has a surprisingly Beatles-esque guitar solo and several tracks on the album contain vocals. «Le Grand Desordre» stands out the most stylistically, with Ryder-Jones singing while playing a squeaky stringed acoustic, made all the more emotive for the sombre cello that enters midway through. If… is a bravely conceptual and enjoyable hybrid of pop structures and classical compositions, and, although unexceptional in the world of contemporary classical, in the realm of soundtracks, it holds up very well. (Domino)
Chrysta Bell – We Dissolve (Meta Hari, 2017) — Her new album, We Dissolve, released independently on Meta Hari Records in June 2017, is produced by John Parish, with guests including Adrian Utley, Geoff Downes and Stephen O’Malley.
Little Axe – London Blues (Echo Beach, 2017) — “The future of blue note… !” Twenty-three years ago, this quotation foretold a great career for Little Axe, aka Skip McDonald. The musician had already had a taste of fame with the Sugarhill Gang backing band / Tommy Boy Cooperations and their hip-hop masterpieces, writing music history along the way. Then he rolled out Little Axe and gave the blues a new, groovy face. Releases on legendary labels like Okeh Records, Realworld, On-U Sound, and majors like Sony, BMG, Warner, etc. followed. On-U Sound label mastermind Adrian Sherwood has always given Skip a platform to present his entrancing blend of blues, gospel, Cajun, dub, and trip hop: pioneering and authentic at the same time. His sound takes the essence and sound samples from blues legends such as Howlin’ Wolf, Leadbelly, and Son House and distils them to create musical visions that are both penetrating and highly hypnotic. Little Axe has released seven albums to date; London Blues is his eighth official album. Old mates, like Mark Stewart (Pop Group, Maffia), Doug Wimbish (bass player for Living Colour), Keith LeBlanc (drummer), Perry Melius (drummer for African Head Charge) have provided assistance — and JebLoy Nichols collaborated on writing. London Blues sticks tenaciously to tradition — to the blues — but at the same time is infused with a plethora of musical lingos. The new album is packed with songs that glitter and shine with strokes of production genius and imaginative arrangements. On London Blues, Skip McDonald’s creative team is even more sophisticated and innovative than on the predecessor albums. Amazing instrumentals (“Be Thankful”), a touch of gospel (“Deep River”), splashes of trip hop with blues harp (“Next Week Thursday”), and Delta blues meets dub (“When I Rise”) — the album meticulously follows a trail between Chicago and London, blending all the stepping stones to form a smooth, irresistible pathway.
The Deep Dark Woods – Yarrow (Six Shooter Records, 2017) — Floods and plagues, ghosts and slaughter: woe to those who populate the songs of Yarrow. A gentle summer breeze swings the gallows ropes, flowers bloom callously on lovers’ graves. These anthems are definitely not from Eden. The Deep Dark Woods’ newest album was borne in a fever – scarlet fever, to be medically specific. A disease of the last century is a fitting backdrop for songs that dig bare handed into the loam to unearth the corpses of old English folk and country blues. Yarrow is Deep Dark Woods reimagined by leadman Ryan Boldt, and accompanied by the same band that crafted prairie psychedelics and a “loose grungy folk sound” (Paste) for flannelites. For nearly ten years they developed an international following with particular success in the Americana realm, nominated alongside Alabama Shakes and Dawes for Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2012 Americana Music Awards. Now wrest out of the woods, their outlook is decidedly more macabre, tapping into a rich vein of gothic surrealism that aligns with some of the great murder balladeers of our time. With Appalachian soil under his fingernails, Boldt writes in a deep tradition of bleak and forlorn storytelling, drawing lines from Ireland to Tennessee, the Oxford Girl to Folsom Prison. In Yarrow, there’s a juicy unease to frontman Boldt’s presence, as if a new door has opened to let loose the weirdness. In place of the freewheelin’ jammy vibe there’s a darker, stranger tenor that sides with those modern mystics whose music exists in the creepier, freakier corners of existence.
Tara King Th – Stellar Fantasies (Petrol Chips, 2017) — This album has been composed, recorded and produced by Ray Borneo in Nov. 2016. Thanks to my kids for the vocals on Aia, Erik Stefanini for the lyrics of Cosmic Nap, Josselin Varengo for the drums, JM Junca & JC coco. Mastered by Olivier Depardon & Ray Borneo. Artworks & Videos Crafted by Ray Borneo. YouTube.com/tkth — Sleeve artwork is a derivative work from ‘L’encyclopedie de l’aventure’ Larousse ed. , 1962. About.me/tkth
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone — Edith Wong Versions (2017) — here are two previously unreleased versions of the same Casiotone for the Painfully Alone song. The original version of «Calloused Fingers Won’t Make You Strong, Edith Wong» can be found on Casiotone for the Painfully Alone’s 2003 album, Twinkle Echo.
Curtis Harding – Face Your Fear (Anti, 2017) — из врунета, сумбурно: «Не так давно на музыкальном Олимпе появился замечательный соул-певец Кертис Хардинг, который просто покорил сердца многих слушателей своим стильным, качественным и, что называется, «ламповым» исполнением с ретро-окрасом. Второй альбом Хардинга «Fасе Yоur Fеаr» вышел 27 октября на лейбле АNТI. Журнал «Нью-Йорк» уже назвал новый альбом одним из самых ожидаемых осенних релизов и в очередной раз похвалил вокал Хардинга и его волнующую манеру в духе 60’х годов. Rоlling Stоnе назвал Хардинга «артистом, о котором вам непременно нужно узнать». Хардинг имеет свою особую, «психоделическую» подачу соула. Песни альбома передают эклектичную смесь жанров, демонстрируя динамичные, захватывающие мелодии. Творческий почерк Кертиса родился в Мичигане когда он ребенком пел в церкви с матерью, а затем культивировалось в Атланте, превратившись в конце концов в то, что мы можем слышать сейчас.»
Meute — Tumult (Tumult, 2017) — на хорошо.ком написали так: «MEUTE — Techno Marching Band — дюжина перкуссионистов и латунных дел мастеров из Гамбурга, которые выполняют работу ди-джея с помощью своих акустических инструментов. Архаичный конгломерат из латуни и барабанов создает новый жанр, объединяя гипнотическую технику исполнения и выразительную музыку духового оркестра. MEUTE отделяет электронную музыку от диджейского пульта и развивает тягу энергии на сцене или прямо в толпе. Неважно, на сельской дискотеке, или в модном клубе, с электричеством или без него — MEUTE работает всегда!» конец цитаты
Brockmann // Bargmann (Ex-Camera) — Licht (Bureau B, 2017) — на http://www.neformat.com.ua написали: «Тем временем ушедший в концертный состав Михаэля Ротера Франц Баргманн (см. первый альбом), как выяснилось, про parteigenossen не забыл. В итоге всенародно любимый марсианами, мутантами, пингвинами и человеками Bureau B выпустил «сайд-проект» бывшего и нынешнего участников группы, который по сути — та же Camera, только в профиль» или «Esteemed for their improvisational audacity, hurtling forwards to a motorik beat, there is another side to the Berlin «Krautrock Guerilla» trio Camera which sees them explore landscapes of sound. This is exactly what the two founder members Franz Bargmann (guitar) and Timm Brockmann (keyboards) present to us on their purely instrumental debut album «Licht». Harmonic and melancholic, tender and tough, planar and rhythmic — yet never dull. «
нояБрь
растадабы нояБря — Junior Natural + Sly & Robbie — Militant (Taxi, 2017), Alpha Steppa — 3rd Kingdom+Dub Kingdom (Steppas Records, 2×CD, 2017),Chezidek — Irie Day (Chezi Berry Records, 2017), Sizzla — Living Without Food (Penitentiary, 2017), Gregory Isaacs — Gregory Isaacs Last One (Penitentiary, 2017), Freddy Mcgregor — More Love In The Ghetto (Penitentiary, 2017), Salim Jah Peter — Nature (Khanti Records, 2017), Tafari — Affection (RUD3 Music LLC, 2017), Pato Banton — The Words of Rastafari (Gwarn International, 2017), Danny T & Tradesman — Built For Sound (Scotch Bonnet, 2017), Sizzla – Sizzla Dub (Jamstyle Music, 2017), Ken Boothe – Inna de Yard (Wagram Music, 2017), Danakil — Danakil Meets Ondubground (Baco Records, 2017), Roots Attack & I Fi — Presenting I Fi (Patch Work Production, EP, 2017), Dub Syndicate — Displaced Masters (On-U Sound, 2017), Randy Valentine — New Narrative (Royal Order Music, 2017), Christafari – Dubs Of Fire (Lion of Zion Entertainment, 2017), Babe Roots – Babe Roots (Linear Movement, 2017), Devon Clarke — Call Me Bobo Saw (Bent Backs Records, 2017)
Allah-Las – Covers #1 [EP] (Mexican Summer, 2017) — Following their 2016 album Calico Review, Allah-Las return with Covers #1, the first in a series of EPs exploring tunes near and new to the band. For the debut EP in the series, the band offers renditions of George Harrison’s “Fish On The Sand,” Kathy Heideman’s “The Earth Won’t Hold Me”, 90s LA cult band Further’s “JO Eleven”, and Television’s “Hard On Love,” an unreleased song from the band’s Marquee Moon recording sessions. Allah-Las recorded Covers #1 at the Pump House in Topanga Canyon while working on material for their next full-length release. The selections are comprised of old faves and newly discovered tracks that became ubiquitous sounds in the studio between album takes. The EP will be released on Mexican Summer on Nov 3, 2017 as limited edition 10” encased in a high quality embossed jacket and through all digital formats.
Bibio — Phantom Brickworks (Warp Records, 2017) — Bibio returns this Autumn with a new album titled ‘Phantom Brickworks’. Preview new track ‘Phantom Brickworks III’ below. “I don’t believe in ghosts but I do believe places can be haunted by meaning. Places change, not always for the better and not always by natural, benevolent or politically sound means. A place can be charged with atmosphere because of what it has been through or what it has been. Phantom Brickworks is a collection of mostly improvised musical pieces, that for some years now, have provided me with a mental portal into places and times — some real, some imaginary, some a combination of both. Human beings are highly sensitive to the atmospheres of places, which can be enhanced or dramatically altered when you learn about the context of their history. Echoes and voices can sometimes be heard, in some way or another. Places sometimes have things to say.” — Bibio или из врунета: «Wаrр Rесоrds представляет новый альбом Вibiо, выпущенный на двойном виниле и получивший название «Рhаntоm Вriсkwоrks». Вibiо — это музыкальный проект продюсера и мультиинструменталиста Стивена Уилкинсона из Вест Мидланда, Великобритания. В бытность студентом, Уилкинсон одновременно вдохновлялся как электроникой 90-х (в частности, такими музыкантами как Арhех Тwin, Аutесhrе и Воаrds оf Саnаdа), так и фолк-музыкантами двадцатого столетия. Комбинируя два эти стиля, и прибавляя к ним различные случайно записанные звуки и полевые записи, он получил интереснейший микс из живых и электронных инструментов. Маркус Эойн из Воаrds оf Саnаdа помог отправить демо Уилкинсона на Мush Rесоrds, который и выпустил его дебютник «Fi» в 2004 году. Через два года на том же лейбле вышел второй альбом — «Наnd Сrаnkеd», а еще через два года — ЕР «Оvаls аnd Еmеrаlds», на котором Уилкинсон вместо уже привычных акустических гитар использовал орган. Еще один альбом, Vignеtting thе Соmроst, вышел в 2009, и в этом же году, отмечая переход на Wаrр, был выпущен еще один полноформатник — Аmbivаlеnсе Аvеnuе.»
S U R V I V E – RR7387 EP (Relapse Records, 2017) — Four tracks from experimental synth band S U R V I V E’s breakthrough 2016 LP RR7349, remixed and reinterpreted by an eclectic field of artists including Lena Willikens, Not Waving, Sam Haar (Blondes) and Justin K Broadrick aka JK Flesh (Godflesh, Jesu). These four renditions expertly showcase the compositional skill and rich diversity layered within each track and further encapsulate the scope of S U R V I V E’s sonic palette
The Steady Swagger — Vol III (Not On Label, 2017) — An unexpected constellation of tales ranging from the history of the 12 signs of the Zodiac to a man missing his golden hat, or the theatrical monologue of an arrogant magician awakened by his own powers, this 3rd album is by far the most accomplished of their career. Hear the growling voice of a proud Viking narrating the story of the Goddess of light, feel the charm of a storyteller bruised by the black plague and let yourself be transported into the dark and harmonious lullaby of a lone wolf. As soon as they get going, so does their hungry public. For the past six years The Steady Swagger have been crafting their unique style of folk storytelling grounded by a solid rock & roll foundation. They play a deft mélange of high octane theatrical folk music punctuated by surf rock, jazz, pirate shanties and gritty blues. Montréal’s charismatic power trio has been compared to the likes of Tom Waits, Primus and Gogol Bordello due to their baritone voices, original compositions and fevered energy, and it’s quite the spectacle. Stillness and mayhem. Waltzes and mosh pits. Roaring shouts and sing-alongs. It’s a potent mixture of festive and dark, comforting and angry, comical and dramatic. It’s rugged, charismatic, finely distilled and ferociously fun.
Cloud Tangle — Pocket EP (Valley Heat Records, 2017) — is a deeply conceptual record made up of 4 diverse tracks, each moulded together to convey the essence of dark emotions. The A-side is the feature of the EP, which creates an experience of timelessness and sonic complexity. ambient dreamscape dark ambient dream pop drone lofi sad slow core
Blitzen Trapper — Wild and Reckless (LKC Recordings, 2017) — new album Wild & Reckless is a passable collection of weathered folk- and country-rock jams. That’s the Blitzen Trapper way. It was true of their last album, 2015’s All Across This Land. And it was true of the one before that, 2013’s VII. You can say the same thing about almost all of this capable Portland band’s full-lengths, going way back to its spectacular peak, 2007’s Wild Mountain Nation and 2008’s Furr. In fact, songwriter Eric Earley and his mates are so consistent in sound, it’s hard to believe they once a spastic bunch of genre-hoppers and noise-makers. The earliest Blitzen Trapper releases, in the early 2000s, were restless and experimental, with fuzz-rock and tape warp and weird blues and lo-fi twang all coexisting in harmony. Back then, the band sounded like Wowee Zowee-era Pavement, if Pavement had gravitated more toward Neil Young than The Fall.
VA – The Original Sound of Burkina Faso (Mr Bongo, 2017) —is a collection of songs that pay tribute to a truly golden age of music; touching on folk, funk, blues, highlife, disco, psyche, latin, rock and soul. Burkina Faso may be one of the least well-known parts of West Africa but it has a deep history and musical pedigree. A few years before President Thomas Sankara changed his country’s name from Upper Volta to its current one, a new sound emerged to soundtrack a cultural revolution. Featuring music by Abdoulaye Cisse 769;, Amadou Balake 769;, Pierre Sandwidi and Super Volta, Tidiani Coulibaly and Dafra Star, Bozambo, Youssouf Diarra and more.
VA – The Original Sound of Mali (Mr Bongo, 2017) — compiled by David ‘Mr Bongo’ Buttle, Vik Sohonie (Ostinato Records) and Florent Mazzoleni. As featured as ‘Compilation of the Week’ on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show. Malian music is a deep, lyrical form of African music. Those of us deeply entranced by Malian culture, and, in particular, the immense hypnotic beauty of Malian music, have put together a selection of songs from across the country.
Radius — Interpolation Tapes [Restoration Three] (echospace [detroit], 2017) — This marks the last release in the three-part edition of the Radius project, quite possibly our favorite in the series. The final installment features 3 tracks flirting with the deepest spectrum of dubbed out analog bliss, enchanting, hypnotizing but moving all at the same time. Restored and redesigned from analog cassette tapes with recordings conducted from 1994-2001 recorded exclusively with analog/digital hardware. The original source tapes had aged, warped and degraded and as a result we’ve preserved the best segments, sampled and reprocessed them into an entirely new sonic spectrum. Regardless of the time passed, there’s so much depth and organic movement, it nearly breathes in slow motion. When considering the limitations of hardware in the era these were recorded, they’ve truly aged like a fine wine. The deepest productions in the sonic world of Radius. Our best advice while exploring — prepare the flotation tank!
La Féline — Triomphe (Kwaidan Records, 2017) — «In a previous life, La Féline was a threesome. Three voices joined as one on a handful of EPs with diverse influences, trying to find their place between musical genres, languages, and experiences, guided by the writing and the luminous vocals of singer and guitarist Agnès Gayraud. Then came Adieu l’enfance in 2014, the first album for which Agnès alone carried the feline fur, and made her mark. A unique voice emerged from the album, giving free reign to obsessions that had had only been hinted at previously. As cathartic as its title implies and entirely sung in French, Adieu l’enfance was also a rebirth with hypnotic new wave sounds, urban climates and introspective lyrics, a place into which the outside world would sometimes crash, in an explosion of broken glass.
The Limiñanas – Istanbul Is Sleepy EP (BECAUSE MUSIC, 2017) — French psych duo The Limiñanas today released their new single ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ through Because Music. Featuring Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and produced at his Berlin studio, the single is taken from their ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ EP out 17th November. The band, who are set to release a new album early next year, will play their debut London show at Oslo on 5th October. Directed by Jean Luc Moly, the moody, Sixties-inspired video to ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ premiered on Brooklyn Vegan: link here Reflecting on the single and their collaboration with Newcombe, Lionel explained, «‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ is like the classic dream where you become the hero, the Captain Blood or Midnight Sultan(). The one who rescues and seduces Maureen O’Hara or Ava Gardner. Anton is singing and playing guitar on the track. He was inspired, in particular, by The Cult during their ‘Rain’ period. Last year, Mojo magazine asked us to record a cover for a special Kinks tribute. We chose ‘Two Sisters’. Marie and I were thinking for the vocal part it would be great to approach Anton Newcombe, having opened for The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Le Trianon in Paris. The work began like that. We had an album to record and we decided to finish it with him. During the Christmas week we took our demos, flew to Berlin and recorded at Anton’s studio. Six days later we had a finished album». One of France’s most beloved treasures, The Limiñanas are Marie (drums/vocals) and Lionel (guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals). Hailing from Perpignan, the duo straddles the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. With hazy, reverb-laden hooks, combined at times with noisy distortion, and fronted by effortlessly cool vocals, reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, the band is at once timeless and quintessentially French.
Dusty Stray — USA (Great Waters, Single, 2017) — A collection of contemporary protest songs written during an 18 month stay in the US. released November 7, 2017
Angel Olsen – Phases (Jagjaguwar, 2017) — Angel Olsen has announced a new collection of B-sides, demos, and previously unreleased tracks. Phases is out November 10 via Jagjaguwar. The compilation features tracks from the past several years, including never-before-heard song “Special,” which came out of the recording sessions from Olsen’s latest album My Woman.Phases also includes Olsen’s Our First 100 Days track “Fly on Your Wall” and alternate version of tracks off 2014’s Burn Your Fire For No Witness. из врунета: «новый релиз американской певицы и автора песен Эйнджел Олсен, в который вошли как новые вещи, так и би-сайды, раритеты и разные редкие версии. Для непосвященных музыка и вокал Олсен всегда звучит странно, но у неё есть целый пласт верных поклонников и почитателей. Олсен родом из в Сент-Луиса. Она не обучалась вокалу профессионально, с детства играла ска-панк-группах, затем пела в Чикаго в различных кафе. Несмотря на все её «странности», музыкальные критики всегда были к ней более чем благосклонны.«
Teen Daze — Themes For A New Earth (Flora, 2017) — is a collection of recordings that were made during the making of the most recent LP from Teen Daze (Jamison Isaak), Themes For Dying Earth. This nine track collection of instrumental, mostly ambient works, is embedded with a certain optimism that separates it from its counterpart. Themes For A New Earth will be the second release through Isaak’s own label, FLORA, and will be released both digitally, and on a limited pressing of vinyl.
David Douglas – Spectators Of The Universe (The Remixes) [Atomnation, 2017] — “Creeping, almost timid techno here, with Belfast producer LOR on the remix for David Douglas. This one has a really slow build and plays out in a measured way.” by Mixmag. “Spectators Of The Universe” is the last album from Dutch producer / artist / video director David Douglas . Following on from 2014’s “Moon Observations”, Douglas continued to perfect his interstellar sound, taking the listener on a polyrhythmic, technicolour journey through melodic, sun kissed disco and electronic music. We’re happy to see the LP get a few stellar remixes now by LOR, Alex Smoke, Kauf, Polynation and Handbook.
Tunnelvisions (Raynor de Groot and Emiel van den Dungen) — Midnight Voyage [Atomnation, 2017] — Tunnelvisions (Raynor de Groot and Emiel van den Dungen) originated from a shared vision of contemporary club music. They believe that the club scene that is often focusing on a colder, abstract high-tempo sound needs to go back to a more organic approach. It’s one of the goals of their newly created Tunnelvisions project: “We aim to bring back the fun to the dance floor again”. This vision brought the two musicians together. Through hypnotic, exotic and grooving productions they tend to offer something new. In the studio, Tunnelvisions combines elements from South American, Caribbean and African sounds. With a background in house, techno and pop, they created a nine track LP that takes you to different places in the world. Each track title is based on a river or desert. ‘Guava’, for example, is a Jamaican river: “This song is a sort of naive interpretation of reggae, pop and club music”. Tunnelvisions already performed at the legendary Melt Festival, Georgie’s Wundergarten and various festivals in the southern parts of The Netherlands, the place where Emiel and Raynor are currently based. November sees the release of their debut LP ‘Midnight Voyage’ through Atomnation, an album that already found support by tastemakers such Aera, &Me, John Digweed and Anthony Fantao.
Moriarty — Echoes from the Borderline (Air Rytmo, 2017) — Ten years ago – October 2007 – we released our debut album, “Gee Whiz But This Is A Lonesome Town”. We didn’t know it then, but it was the start of a never-ending tour that would take us some 514’000km around the planet, through 800 concerts and 25 countries… A wild ride across space and time, a decade of musical journeys and human encounters, that left our minds bedazzled, exhausted, blissful and (happily) insane. Now, to celebrate this 10th anniversary, we’ve decided to embark, for the first time, on a live album project: “Echoes From The Borderline”. A collection of 24 songs recorded during all these gigs, by the band and their faithful sound engineers: wild live versions featuring guest musicians, unreleased songs, primitive acoustic performances, electric experiments…
Alkabaya — La tête dans les nuages (Association Bouge ton Crassier, 2017) — La tête dans les nuages — Le nouvel album d’Alkabaya sort après deux années de rencontre, d’échange et de créations musicales. Dans ses textes, le groupe à senti le besoin de s’exprimer face à l’actualité et à la bêtise humaine, dans une langue toujours poétique et affuté. La musique d’Alkabaya a gagné en puissance et en maturité avec l’arrivée de florian à la batterie. Le style reste festive et dynamique et chaque chanson fait apparaitre un tableau singulier. Le groupe a travaillé ses arrangements musicaux pour illustrer au mieux chaque croquis, chaque histoire, et inviter le publique au voyage. Afin de garder l’âme du groupe, ainsi que sa sincérité, l’enregistrement a été réalisé en studio dans les conditions du live.
Dusty Santamaria & Moira Ichiban — Love Under Will (Voodoo It Yourself, 2017) — Songwriter & poet Dusty Santamaria met multi media artist Moira Ichiban on a full moon night in their home city of Portland Oregon. They quickly fell in love, bowed out of their urban lifestyles, and ran away to form an art focused rock n roll band in the California desert. Together, the two delve deep into recesses of the rock n roll psyche. Drawing influence from mid-century R&B, gospel, Doo Wop, country, and punk to create minimalist dream songs ablaze with shouts, shudders and hiccups. Primal drum beats and swamp water guitars serve as a consciously constructed backdrop for vivid impressionistic lyrics. Dusty Santamaria has been described by Portland’s Willamette Week magazine as “The greatest enigma Portland never knew it had.” The duo have cut their teeth with DIY tours up and down the west coast and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana. Their debut album “Love Under Will” was released in 2017 on their own Voodoo It Yourself label.
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein — Stranger Things 2 (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack) [Lakeshore Records, Deluxe Edition, 2017] — Dixon and Stein will perform the music of “Stranger Things” live at the Ace Hotel Theatre in Los Angeles on Nov. 8. They will exclusively play music from the show (not the music of Survive), but not in the order one might expect. They say they will spice up the show with some improv and visuals, too. The “Stranger Things 2” soundtrack deluxe edition, which includes the Halloween bonus album, is available now on Apple Music. Below, view the tour schedule for Dixon and Stein’s live performances of the music of “Stranger Things.”
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest (Because Music, 2017) — Charlotte Gainsbourg’s first proper album since 2010, the upcoming Rest, doesn’t actually represent her first new music in that time—her 2011 set Stage Whisper included unreleased studio material from her sessions with Beck—but its first single builds enigmatically and beguilingly on the way her previous album, IRM, found romance in the void. “Rest” is also, fittingly, the first new Gainsbourg music since she starred in Lars Von Trier’s sensation-causing, sex-depicting 2013 film Nymphomaniac, for which she, with Beck again, breathily covered “Hey Joe.” There were hints of dance-tinged electro-pop on Stage Whisper numbers like “Terrible Angels” and “Paradisco,” so it makes sense that for this song she worked with Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.
Mista Savona — Havana Meets Kingston (Baco Records, 2017) — It comes as a slight surprise that this is the first time a collaborative album between Cuban and Jamaican musicians has been created. The islands share so much similar heritage where migration, cultural diversity and a rebel spirit are at their very core. Created by Australian producer Jake Savona aka Mista Savona who was inspired by Juan de Marcos González and Ry Cooder’s Buena Vista Social Club project and featuring a feast of highly regarded musicians (Sly & Robbie, Bongo Herman, ‘Bopee’ Anderson, Ernest Ranglin, Rolando Luna and Barbarito Torres from Buena Vista Social Club and Los Van Van) Havana Meets Kingston is a glorious celebration of the islands rich cultural heritage which manages to meld tradition with new fusions in impeccable style.
Chico Buarque – Caravanas (Biscoito Fino, 2017) — é o 38º álbum de estúdio do músico brasileiro Chico Buarque, lançado pela gravadora Biscoito Fino em 25 de agosto de 2017. из врунета: «Шику Буарки (порт. Сhiсо Вuаrquе, собственное имя — Frаnсisсо Вuаrquе dе Ноllаndа, 19 июня 1944, Рио-де-Жанейро) — бразильский композитор, певец, актер, поэт и прозаик, крупнейшая фигура культурной жизни современной Бразилии. Согласно одному из опросов, бразильцы считают его самым выдающимся бразильским музыкантом ХХ века, хотя выбор был среди таких грандиозных имен, как А.К. Жобим, Милтон Нашименту, Жоао Жилберту, Ноел Роза, Пишингинья, Каэтану Велозу, Жилберту Жил и других. Сын известного бразильского историка. Изучал архитектуру в университете Сан-Паулу, но ушёл с пятого курса, увлекшись музыкой и мечтая петь, как Жуан Жилберту, сочинять музыку, как Том Жобим, а стихи — как Винисиуш де Мораиш. В 1965 записал первый сингл. С конца 1960-х годов — один из инициаторов движения «Бразильская народная музыка» (МРВ), синтезировавшего босса-нову и самбу с интернациональным джазом и роком. Стихи и проза Шику Буарки переведены на многие языки.»
Federico Durand & Hofli (Takashi Tsuda) — Niebla Y Jardines Tomados Por Las Planta (Spekk, 2017) — アルゼンチンと日本の夢のような素晴らしいコラボレーション作。大人気のフェ デリコ・デュランドとstilllifeなどで大活躍のhofliこと津田貴司による数奇な夢 をベースにした「夜霧と、生い茂った植物の庭」の音楽。まるで掴むと消えてし まいそうな微かな眩い光の中で、時折小鳥がさえずり、アコギや子供の声がした かと思えば、さまざまな残響音が降り注ぎ、全ては夢の中。1+1= 0になったかの ような、初のコラボとは思えない究極な自然のかたち。本当に凄い作品です。◎ hofli(津田貴司)氏による作品概要
Woodpigeon — Devastating (b-sides, demos, remixes, 2017) — A collection of b-sides, demos, and remixes from the 2016 album ‘T R O U B L E’
Wake Owl — Kaleidoscopes (2017) и What i remember in 1-12 (2017) — This album was made between summer 2015 and spring 2016. It was recorded in a barn in the Oregon countryside, and then finished it in various cubicles in Vancouver, BC. For a whole year it was unknown what would happen with it, and then i decided to release it independently online. Id rather you be listening to it than not at all. \\\\\\ и demos, b-sides, oddities, UFO’s
Fujiya And Miyagi – Different Blades From The Same Pair Of Scissors (Impossible Objects Of Desire, 2017) — English band Fujiya & Miyagi are making a quick turnaround with the follow-up to their album Ventriloquizzing, which came out in January of this year. Different Blades From The Same Pair Of Scissors clocks in at 37 minutes and is now available through Strange Tongues, the band’s own label.
Lau Nau — Poseidon (Fonal, 2017) — Finnish artist Laura Naukkarinen returns with her fourth album as Lau Nau and her first for Beacon Sound. Poseidon is a suite of delicate, wise songs that exist in a world all their own, treading the line between chamber folk and experimental pop with a distinctly Scandinavian melancholy. Centered around Laura’s beautiful voice and piano (with lyrics sung entirely in Finnish), the album also includes a small cast of guest musicians on electronics, cello, bowed lyre, clarinet, harmonium, and more. Each song is a gem of its own, with lustrous melodies spun from the web of seasons, by turns ghostly and earthy. In Laura’s own words: “I was playing with my grandmother’s piano and shortly realized that I was composing songs are beginning for a new Lau Nau album instead of the film music that I was working on. The songs wanted to be performed on stage by a character called Lau Nau. It’s the melancholic, always dreaming part of me that stands on the stage and shares these fragile moments with the audience. The songs on Poseidon are small secular prayers and messages of love, sorrow and care. Poseidon is a god of the sea but also the name of a certain bar… He veils us in the fog when the night falls.” RIYL: Múm, El Perro Del Mar, Bjork, Efterklang. Design by Bijan Berahimi and Christine Shen for FISK. Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll.
VA — Pop Ambient 2018 (Kompakt, 2017) — Our POP AMBIENT compilation series returns for its 2018 instalment, with series curator Wolfgang Voigt presenting another batch of hand-picked recordings from genre veterans and newcomers alike. The more seasoned among this year’s contributors are easily identified by their individual artistic sensibilities, ranging from the morphing, organic rhythms of THE ORB’s sample collages (on SKY’S FALLING) to KAITO’s ethereal, trance-infused soundscapes (TRAVELLED BETWEEN SOULS) and MIKKEL METAL’s intimate ambient songwriting (SHAME).
Sufjan Stevens – The Greatest Gift (Asthmatic Kitty Records, 2017) — a collection of outtakes, remixes and demos from Carrie & Lowell.The Greatest Gift unveils new remixes by several longstanding collaborators: Roberto C. Lange (a.k.a. Helado Negro) remixes both “Death With Dignity” and “All Of Me Wants All Of You;” Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman) remixes “Exploding Whale,” a song previously only available as a 7-inch single; and James McAlister (a.k.a. 900X) remixes “Fourth of July.” The album features Stevens’ own remix of “Drawn to the Blood” and includes alternate and/or demo versions of songs from the original album, including a fingerpicking version of “Drawn to the Blood,” and iPhone-recorded demo versions of “John My Beloved” and “Carrie & Lowell.” Finally, the mixtape features four previously unreleased new songs recorded at the same time as the Carrie & Lowell. These include “Wallowa Lake Monster” as well as “The Hidden River of My Life,” “City of Roses” and “The Greatest Gift.” The new collection serves as a companion piece to the original album, alongside the Carrie & Lowell Live album released earlier this year.
Deepchord — Northern Shores EP (Soma Quality Recordings, 2017) — Yet more blissful listening comes your way courtesy of the impeccably talented Deepchord. As we prepare for the release Auratones, the Detroit natives 5th LP for Soma, Rod delivers the calming Northern Shores EP. Epic aural formations are always at the forefront of Deepchord productions, every minute detail is constructed perfectly as each track gives off subtle nuances that nod to each aspect of Modells sound designer skills. The crystalline sonic formations in Cirriforms blend together effortlessly allowing you to drift beyond while the ethereal pads of Sky Maps guide you through each unending swathe of reverb, each track bonded by subtle rhythms. Crystal Horizons sees Modell delve even deeper, working more with percussive elements as his quintessential synth work seems to sit just beyond perspective, gliding in gently to remind you of an ever reaching presence. Sand And Shore has Deepchord near strip the track of any clear rhythmic structure, with only faint sub bass allowing his uniquely processed field recordings and tranquil yet fluctuating synths to enhance the flow of the track. A producer like no other, Deepchord creates new sonic realms with each release. o the Soma roster
Dictaphone — APR 70 (Denovali Records, 2017) — Finally a sign of life and a new full length of the German cult trio after five years of silence. Already formed in the late nineties in Berlin, Dictaphone was born by Brussels-bred multi-instrumentalist Oliver Doerell. In 2000 Oliver Doerell found a partner in Berlin’s Roger Döring, who shares Doerell’s love for the Brussels-based music of the eighties. In the following years the duo and several guest musicians (e.g. Stephan Wöhrmann (SWOD) , Malka Spigel (Minimal Compact) & more) released the critically highly acclaimed «m.= addiction» (2002), the «Nacht» EP (2004) and «Vertigo II» (2006) via the City Centres Offices label of Thaddeus Herrmann and Shlom Sviri (Boomkat, Modern Love). In 2009 the violin player Alex Stolze joined the band. During their two decades of existence Dictaphone played shows in more than 20 countries with festival appearances at Mutek, Transmediale, Unsound, Benicassim & more. Their latest release «Poems from a rooftop» from 2012 came as a very limited edition through the Berlin-based boutique label Sonic Pieces. The new album «APR 70» is the first Denovali release of Dictaphone. The label will also reissue the past repertoire of the trio.
Rod Modell – Dawn, Dusk, And Darkness (13, 2017) — The first book of photography by Rod Modell, a collection of over 100 personal photographs made during an 8 week stay in Barcelona during April-June 2016. A CD of Barcelona field-recordings and emotional atmospheric sounds by Rod Modell (that were influenced by the images) is also be included. These unique images and musical textures emphasize the darker, nocturnal side of Barcelona, and capture fleeting seconds that occurred between the moments that others noticed.
Burnt Friedman & Mohammad Reza Mortazavi — Yek [Nonplace, EP, 2017] — There is no such thing at too much Burnt Friedman. With the release of his Dead Saint Chronicles EP on Marionette earlier this year, the composer is back with a release on his own Nonplace label, this time collaborating with Tombak master Mohammad Reza Mortazavi. A transcendental rush from beginning to end, the four-tracker ‘Yek’ EP is an exuberant trip between polyrhythms and momentarily melodic flourishes, resulting in a euphoric listening experience that is familiar yet far-gone as well. Touching on timeless percussive sounds and mixing it with precarious electronic bits, the release finds its apex with “Yek 132-11” – a track that starts off soothing but then barrels into something that’s cryptic and evocative at once. Never hindering its progression while inviting questions to surround it. Such is the mystery that Friedman employs with his music time and time again. YEK EP is out now, order a copy from Bandcamp.
Hot Damn Scandal — The Gods are Made of Mud (Self-Released, 2017) — will be Hot Damn Scandal’s second full length studio album. The result will be 13 songs ranging from sentimental blues to carnal tangos to heretical jazz operas. Many of the songs on this album will be recognizable to those who have seen our live show, and many of them have been written for years but have never been fully realized outside of the imagination of lead singer/composer Pete Irving. While Hot Damn Scandal is most definitely a performing band there are some things that the stage does not allow (without a 60s stadium rock budget) that the studio does.
Krikor Kouchian — Pacific Alley (L.I.E.S, 2017) — Krikor Kouchian has lived many lives in electronic music since first emerging in the late ’90s, having skirted around French touch, microhouse and indie-dance styles. His rowdy productions align with the flamboyance of fellow Parisians such as Mr. Oizo, Ark and I:Cube. That hard to define but quintessentially French approach is less apparent on his new album, Pacific Alley, which finds Kouchian teaming up with L.I.E.S. following a 7” single, Promo 45, for the label earlier this year. The concept of the album is not hard to surmise. As someone raised on grainy VHS depictions of Los Angeles through classic Hollywood cinema of the ’80s and ’90s, Kouchian channeled his youthful celluloid dreams into a focused studio set-up comprised of old, crunchy drum machines and wobbly synths. The resulting album plays out like a fantasy montage of the city.
Dreyma — Dreyma (Magnolinadamasco, EP, 2017) — Дебютный мини-альбом дуэта из Малаги, Испания. Alternative, Electronic, Experimental, Dream Pop. Written and composed by Dreyma. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Fran Corpas. Edited by © Ondas del Espacio. 22th September 2017
DeepChord & Fluxion presents Transformations — Accumulate (Vibrant Music, 2017) — Accumulate is the first ep in a series of releases from the projects duo. Electronic techno music that shift shapes and maneuvers in uncharted sonic territories, by two known figures in the electronic music scene.
декаБрь
растадабыдекабря — High Tone — High Tone Remixed — Dub To Dub (ODGPROD, 2017), Ukulele Dub Society — Uke Pot, Vol. 1 (phazz-a-delic, 2017), Tribal Seeds — Roots Party (Tribal Seeds Music, 2017), Alborosie — Soul Pirate (Acoustic) (Geejam Music, 2017), Exco Levi – Narrative (Silly Walks Discotheque, 2017), Tena Stelin & King Alpha — Rasta Mission \ Animal Right (12″, 2017), Ethiopian & His All Stars — The Return of Jack Sparrow (Omnivore Recordings, 2017), VA — Redman International Dancehall 1985-1989 (Dub Store Records, 2017), Umberto Echo — Oneness in Dub (Oneness Records, 2017), Errol Brown — Dubb Everlasting & Dub Expression (Doctor Bird, 2017), Jah Child Rising Sun — Give Me Mine (Jah Child Records, 2017), Foshan Roots — Sky Warrior Dub (Dub-O-Phonic, 2017), Alpha & Omega — One by One (Steppas Records, 2017), Pablo Anthony — New Day (Sweet Waters Records, 2017), Strawl — A Luta Continua (Pacha Mama Music, 2017), Che Sudaka — Almas Rebeldes (Maldito Records, 2017)
Howe Gelb And Lonna Kelley – Further Standards (Fire Records\Cargo Records, 2017) — Last year’s Future Standards saw Howe Gelb crafting twinkling, roguish takes on classic US songwriting. Think Harold Arlen after a lost year being dragged around jazz-fuelled speakeasies by Dr John… without the voodoo. Apparently Gelb’s itch wasn’t quite scratched and so we have Further Standards – a companion piece that brings us up to speed with how the songs are shaping up. The first half sees Gelb lay a few new ones on us and update Future Standards to give touring vocalist and old Giant Sand pal Lonna Kelley more prominence. Of the fresh standards, “Presumptuous” hands Kelley the spotlight for a song that musically evokes melancholy Gershwin, with Kelley’s understated vocal complementing the song beautifully. The other newie, ”All You Need to Know”, is one of the best things the whole project has offered – a hard-to-second-guess odd couple duet that wriggles between sounding as if it belongs in Ronnie Scotts and on the silver screen. The other “recycled” stuff on offer suggests a confidence in the material and Kelley’s presence have combined to allow Gelb to take things slower – it’s in everybody’s best interests. The second side captures Gelb and co in concert, where the tunes really breathe. A song like Clear’s snappy swing turns into a more conversational, sauntering vogue. The sense of freedom is heightened by Gelb’s loose piano playing – a fruity vamp is usually never far away – and the juiced-up flights of delightful fancy cooked up whenever Naim Amor takes a guitar solo. Delightful stuff all round.
первый релиз 2018 года в сети со 2 декабря 2017 года Death and Vanilla — The Tenant (Fire Records, 2018) — “The retro leaning Scandi duo fire up their Moogs and mellotrons, sonic archaeologists with a hauntological bent.. there is an alluring sexiness to their avant-Kraut Moog-pop excursions.” Uncut \ “Recalling the eerie, haunted ambience of Angelo Badalamenti/Julee Cruise’s Twin Peaks soundtrack, Stereolab/Broadcast’s experimental vision of ‘50s lounge muzak/exotica and French ‘60s pop, or the narcotic country-noir of Mazzy Star.” The Guardian \\ Following on from the deluxe reissue ‘Vampyr’ last year, comes Death And Vanilla’s unreleased live score of ‘The Tenant’ on limited edition magenta vinyl. \\ Originally scored by Philippe Sarde, this release sees Death And Vanilla reimagine the film’s soundtrack four decades on for a new audience. The haunting instrumental is a foreboding piece of dark and cinematic avant-garde music that’s alienated, lonely and melancholic. Moments of hallucination and delusion mirror the lead character Trelovsky. Recorded in 2015 at Cinemascore festival in Spain alongside a two-hour performance and screening of psychological thriller ‘The Tenant’ (1976). With the band at their most minimal, the accomplished musicians once again bring the dark narrative to life with their expansive and ethereal noir sound. The recording features them as a trio — Marleen Nilsson (Farfisa Compact), Anders Hansson (Hagstrom Kent, Roland SP-404 and Technics SL-1200) and Magnus Bodin (Moog Prodigy and Musser M55). Directed by Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski and based on the novel Le Locataire by Roland Topor, ‘The Tenant’ is the finale in his acclaimed apartment triology which included “Repulsion” (1965) and “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968).
Bedouine – Bedouine [Deluxe Edition] (Spacebomb, 2017) — Azniv Korkejian is literally a world-traveling musician. The singer/songwriter was born in Syria, moved to Saudi Arabia as a child, and later moved to America, where she lived in Boston and Houston before settling in LA. For her self-titled debut album as Bedouine, she’s joined by a very impressive cast. The album was produced by Gus Seyffert and features guitarist Smokey Hormel (who are both known for working with Beck and Norah Jones), it was mixed by Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Devendra Banhart), and Matthew E White is releasing it on his Spacebomb label. It’s got gorgeous string arrangements by Spacebomb’s co-owner and in-house arranger Trey Pollard, who also lent his talents to Matthew, Natalie Prass, Foxygen, and more. As you may expect from a team like that, the album hearkens back to ’60s and ’70s songwriting, and has a real smooth, calm feel to it. Though she’s lived everywhere, it’s appropriate that she ended up in LA, a breeding ground for a lot of music like this in the ’60s (The Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, John Phillips, Tim Buckley, etc). If you like that stuff, you’ll probably find that Azniv does a lot of justice to that sound. Early highlight “One of These Days” is so instantly familiar and instantly pleasing, that you’ll be checking to make sure it’s not a cover from that era. (It’s not.) Some of the album is really smooth (a lot of Spacebomb stuff is), but my favorite songs are the ones where she lets her freak flag fly a bit. “Solitary Daughter” has a spoken word/poetry feel to it, like Leonard Cohen or the trippier side of Paul Simon. “Summer Cold” embraces dark, queasy melodies, almost sounding like a psych-folk singer covering Billie Holiday. Songs like that prove that Bedouine is anything but a one-trick pony.
Heligoland — Coriallo (Soleil Apres Minuit, EP, 2017) — is the third (and final?) in the series of EP’s that we’ve been recording at secluded locations around France. For this new EP we spent a week working at a former semaphore station in Normandy. It was unrelentingly windy, but the view was amazing!
Abschaum – Moon Tango (Macadam Mambo, 2017) — Ринат Хазин написал так: «работа от трио из Лиона со звучным названием Abschaum. Небольшой по времени альбом «Moon Tango» — это реминисценция психоделик и краут канонов с изрядной долей пост-панк шарма.»
Marissa Nadler — covers (Self-Released, 2017) — This is a selection of some of the covers that I’ve done over the years. Many of them were online at some point or another or sold as unofficial covers cdrs.
Imre Lodbrog et sa Petite Amie — Imre Lodbrog Et Sa Petite Amie (Hueso Records, 7″, EP, 2017) — This is Imre Lodbrog’s EP with back-up from his “little friend”: six duets, and the bonus stalker track that launched their collaboration. Somebody said, “Imre Lodbrog is like Serge Gainsbourg on ‘shrooms.” That’s about right, and maybe the same could be said of his poor man’s Jane Birkin. Their sound is oddball rock in Franglais – an eclectic mix of rhythms, from carousel waltz to Imre’s smoking slide-laced blues. The lyrics are all works of uncanny poignance and humor.
Belle And Sebastian – How To Solve Our Human Problems (Part 1) [EP] (Matador Records, 2017) — A new Belle and Sebastian release is always something to cheer. So three new releases leads to the inevitable conclusion: three cheers! Here is the latest installment in a career that has always pursued a singular and delightful vision of what pop represents and what it can achieve, a career that has seen them triumph against the odds to win a Brit award, be one of the first bands to curate their own festival, and play at the official London residence of the US ambassador (the last president’s ambassador, not the current one’s). Murdoch, as ever, is not the only writer. Sarah Martin (violin/ vocals) brought in the delicious ‘The Same Star’, which marries Belle and Sebastian’s melodiousness to a pounding Motown backbeat, and was produced by Leo Abrahams (Ghostpoet, Wild Beasts, Regina Spektor). “We’d met Leo in February of 2016, and I’d say that meeting and the recording of ‘I’ll Be Your Pilot’ were the first tangible steps of this EP project,” Martin says. “We didn’t have a stack of songs to play him, but we liked him and he became a part of the plan from that point — and when I’d got to a point with ‘The Same Star’ where it just needed to be recorded, I thought it could benefit from having a producer to steer things, and fortunately we had a slot in the diary marked ‘Leo’ coming up. It’s not a song we’d laboured over playing for months — it fell together quite quickly thanks in large part to Bob’s [Bobby Kildea, guitarist] enthusiasm and Stuart’s willingness to dismember an old song and repurpose the break, so that it wasn’t just the same three chords over and over and over.” There’s one big reason why 15 songs are coming out on three EPs, rather than one album. “We’d made a couple of LPs, Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister, within the space of six months,” Murdoch says, remembering the early days of the band’s career, and how that fed into their decision-making this time. Part 2 will be released January 19th, 2018. Part 3 & a gorgeous box set + CD encompassing all three EPs will be available February 16, 2018.
Sufjan Stevens – Tonya Harding [Single] (Asthmatic Kitty Records, 2017) — Sufjan has just released two versions of “Tonya Harding.”Stephen Halker illustrated the cover art, and Helado Negro and Doveman helped out in production. The songs are available now on Bandcamp/Spotify/Apple Music. A limited edition blue cassette single ships from our store next week, and we are taking preorders for a limited edition 7 inch on blue marbled vinyl, which will ship early 2018.
Jim James – Tribute To 2 (ATO Records, 2017) — After releasing the politically charged solo album Eternally Even in 2016, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James returns with Tribute To 2, a collection of cover songs that reverberate with fresh meaning. Blurring the boundaries of time and genre, James interprets songs made famous by a wide variety of artists – ranging from early 20th century standards by Ray Noble and Al Bowlly (“Midnight, the Stars and You,” “Love is the Sweetest Thing”) and 1960’s songs by Willie Nelson and Sonny & Cher to Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s 1970 breakthrough hit “Lucky Man” and 1990’s releases by Abbey Lincoln and Diane Izzo. Tribute To 2 will be released on December 8 via ATO Records. See below for track listing.
Jip Less — Scintigraphie (Jip Less, 2017) — Paroles et musique : Jip Less. Enregistré à Ulverton au mois de février 2017. Prises de son additionnelles au studio du conservatoire. St-Christophe par Tonio Morin-Vargas.
Dan Michaelson – First Light (The state51 Conspiracy, 2017) — Dan Michaelson will release his new solo album First Light through The state51 Conspiracy on 8th December. Michaelson’s first album away from his band The Coastguards since 2011, First Light has been described by Uncut as ‘a fully realized collection of beautiful songs’, drawing comparisons to Bill Callahan, Leonard Cohen and Richard Hawley. Working closely with orchestral arranger Arnulf Lindner, aka Skeleton Key, the new album focuses on the every day first moment of consciousness before past, future, cynicism and memory come into focus. Though considered by Michaelson to be “the most unpleasant moment of any day” the opportunity to write at this time became the working practice for the record and, as the writing progressed, reflection on those moments informed the songs further. As well as soundtracking the third season of the BAFTA-winning BBC series Detectorists, starring Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones, Michaelson is currently scoring Stephanie Wang-Breal’s feature length documentary Blowin’ Up, the story of an innovative human trafficking court in Queens, N.Y, the film follows the compassionate judge who runs it and the women who pass through its doors every day.
Marvin Pontiac — Marvin Pontiac: The Asylum Tapes (Strange & Beautiful, 2017) — новый альбом Джона, спустя 17 лет. Говорит что все сделал сам, б.. — без своего прежнего ансамбля. Похоже на то.
J-Walk — Limelight Nights (Wonderfulsound, 2017) — Serving as a precursor to J-Walk’s debut LP A Night On The Rocks, which captured the feel of anighttime world, Limelight Nights is inspired by what happens prior to that. The moment whentwilight descends, the sun sets, the stars begin to sparkle and all the wild and wonderfulanticipation, expectations and excitement it brings.
Fink – Fink’s Sunday Night Blues Dubs [EP] (Ninja Tune, 2017) — Digital only Blues companion EP, Fink’s Sunday Night Blues Dubs featuring reworks of five tracks from Fink’s Sunday Night Blues Club, Vol. 1.
The Chi Factory — Red Lantern at the Kallikatsou (Astral Industries, 2017) — The fruitful relationship between Rod Modell (DeepChord), Hanyo Van Oosterom (Chi) and Astral Industries continues to yield new beauties with Red Lantern At The Kallikatsou, as Van Oosterom rework Modell’s first release for Astral Industries with lovely, low-key ambient results making for a great package clad in the label’s signature, absorbing artwork. Over two seamlessly sequenced sides the founding member of Dutch new age experimenters Chi reenvisions Rod Modell’s ‘Lanterns’ thru the prism of modern software, sieving their spectral airs for etheric loops and vibes which he layers into a cats cradle of soothing, tranquil atmospheres, but reserving some surprise twists to points when soothed heads may least expect it. «I’ve never met Rod Modell (Deepchord) in person, but we have met through music. He found an obscure cassette of Chi music (from ’86), sent it to Astral Industries and paved the way for the release (30 years later) of ‘The Original Recordings’ in 2016. Since then, we’ve exchanged ideas and good music. I sent Rod a preview of ‘The Kallikatsou Recordings’ — he really liked it — and here came the idea for a remix of ‘Lanterns’. I started working on some random, lo-fi samples from Youtube, using Audacity, perhaps the simplest way of producing loops and samples. It’s the only computer based system that feels like the tape recorders I used to work with. I sent the first sketches to Rod on Facebook, but they ended up in the wrong inbox. I forgot about them, but months later he came back saying he loved them. I decided to go back to working on them, maintaining the lo-fi approach. I began manipulating the samples: time-stretching, tempo and pitch-shifting, mixing different layers and adding old-school monophonic “old speaker” effects, delays and loops. I used a few field recordings, voices and samples from my early ambient cassettes, and they matched. Ario from Astral Industries got involved and the experiment turned into a plan — a vinyl release — ‘Red Lantern at the Kallkatsou’”.
Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald Present Borderland — Transport (Remixed) (Tresor Records, 2017) — Carl Craig casually whips out one of the best remixes you’ll hear in 2017 with his deeply dynamic rework of Juan Atkins & Moritz Von Oswald present Borderland / Transport. On the A-side the master sets to work on a delirious, psychoacoustic diffusion of Transport (12” Edit) where he spends the first few minutes reducing the original to a stereo-strafing helix of intersecting vortices, before dispensing a super wide, swanging bassline that carries the cut to giddy heights without a single daft trick, just oodles of precision-tooled suss. Flipside, DJ Deep and Roman Poncet join the party, but the results are much straighter and pale in comparison to the hi-tek studio jazz of Carl Craig’s A-side.
Mopac — Kayfabe (Mopac, 2017) — Простейшая, трёхкопеечная, но мелодичная и наполненная позитивом получасовая пластинка от молодого квартета из Остина. Нумизматы проворной руки отшвырнут монету подальше, я подберу и положу во внутренний карман Личных предпочтений;) — пишет мноюуважаемый Семён Небаба. Produced and Mixed by McKenzie Smith at Redwood Studios, Denton, TX. Mastered by Randy Merrill. Artwork by Christin Monts.
VA — Duomo Sounds Ltd. — Nigerian 80’s Disco Music To Move Your Soul (Odion Livingstone, 2017) — «The late 70s, the thrust of mainstream music had changed from the indigenous highlife to a more international funky disco sound. Keyboards and drum machines were the key components of the new sound, and this shift in style saw Bunny Mack, Chris Okotie, Christy Essien and Jide Obi replace Osita Osadebe and the Oriental Brothers on the charts. It was in this effervescent climate that Duomo Sounds Ltd was established by Mr Humphrey Aniakor, a business man with no prior investment in the industry. It was simply the in-thing for a young monied businessman at the time. The name suggested European sophistication, modernity and a little abstraction. D U O M O Sounds, the kids loved it. The first release was Bassey Black’s “Someone to love” (DSL 001) which sold over a 100,000 copies, a big hit at the time. The success of the album attracted several artists the most influential of which was Mike Umoh. He aimed for the pop market with accessible, funky arrangements, however his affinity for funk and disco has made him a reference for collectors worldwide. His LP entitled, “Honey, Honey” (DSL 002) was the label’s second release and his most successful album and he also produced the labels 19th release, Bindiga’s, “No More Starvation” (DSL 019), an afro-boogie funk masterpiece. The album in its original format is very sought after by collectors and djs and changes hands for huge sums. Its been described by many as cosmic funk at its finest. Christy Ogbah´s disco soul/highlife records on Duomo are also very highly sought after. This new Livingstone Studio release presents the best of Duomo Sounds Ltd. for the first time.” или из врунета Feed Your Head: «Запущенный в 2016 году легендарным нигерийским продюсером Odion Iruoje и коллекционером редкой африканской музыки Temi Kogbe, Odion Livingstone это лейбл, который при поддержке английской студии звукозаписи Strut Records оперирует напрямую из Лагоса и переиздает потерянные и забытые африканские записи. В этом году лейбл представил отличную сборку афродиско 80’х из каталога нигерийского издательства Duomo Music Ltd.«
The Midnight — Nocturnal — The Instrumentals (Self-Released, 2017) — Тим и Тайлер из The Midnight сделал инструментальную версию своего недавнего хита Nocturnal. Music & Lyrics: Tim McEwan & Tyler Lyle. Except «Light Years» (written by Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle & Nikki Flores) and «River of Darkness» (written by Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle & Jordy Leenaerts).
Rodney DeCroo — Old Tenement Man (Tonic Records, 2017) — After returning from a five-year sabbatical from music in 2015 with the intimate collection ‘Campfires On The Moon’, Vancouver singer/songwriter, poet and playwright Rodney DeCroo’s musical evolution continues with his seventh full-length album, ‘Old Tenement Man’, a sprawling work of unflinching lyric-driven rock and roll, infused with the legacies of Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen.
nearr — 624 (Driben Records, 2017) — Первый за два года альбом лоу-фай-психоделик-поп проекта nearr из Харькова, образованного в 2012 году. На счету у nearr несколько альбомов и сборников, выпущенных на различных европейских и американских лейблах.
The Caretaker — Take Care, It’s a Desert Out There… (HAFTW024 , 2017) — In memory of and for Mark Fisher. A gratis memento of The Caretaker, Ivan Seal and Weirdcore.tv performance reimagined at The Barbican in London for Unsound Dislocation on December the 8th, 2017. If you find this work to be of value please consider making a donation to MIND or a similar mental health charity in the name of Mark Fisher [avant-garde, music impressionism, ambient, experimental, hauntology, musique concrète, drone, electro-acoustic, ballroom, piano, easy listening, library music]
Chromatics — Nite (Italians Do It Better, EP, 2017) , Chromatics — Kill For Love (Italians Do It Better, Deluxe Edition, 2017), Chromatics – Cherry (Italians Do It Better, Deluxe Edition, 2017) — портлендские электронщики (Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, Nat Walker, and Johnny Jewel) с новым экстендед плеем и делюксами прежних лет.
Jérémie Kiefer — Manifeste (Lacouveuse, 2017) — A ce jour il reste un peu plus d’un mois pour soutenir la sortie de Manifeste, par Jérémie Kiefer. C’est par le biais de Microcultures que le label Les Imprudences réalise ce nouvel album de “chansons acides”. Jérémie Kiefer s’inscrit dans une belle famille de chanteurs français dont il ne sert à rien de citer les noms. Il faut simplement écouter sa musique et ses paroles. Noires, électrifiées, violentes et sensibles.
Stranger The Horse — Play It On The Tannoys (Celebration Records DK, 2017) — Stranger The Horse is ready with the long awaited follow-up to Exit: Cantina. This time they have added more layers and shades to their homegrown roots music. Play It On The Tannoys has been recorded in their own studio during 2016 and has evolved over long recording sessions with the band continuing to add new dogmas to the process. Both in order to challenge themselves but also in order to keep a certain balance on the album. Every song is recorded with the same instrumentation and the basic idea that every song should increase in tempo.
Che Aimee Dorval — Between The Walls And The Window (Not On Label, 2017) — A vein of hard-won wisdom runs through the music of Che Aimee Dorval, giving her work an uncommon depth and passion. There’s an unflinching honesty to her songwriting that can be entrancing, disturbing and liberating – sometime simultaneously. Framing her words with swirling, evocative melodies, Che beckons listeners in and holds them close. Drawing upon her own experiences, she offers the hope of renewal and freedom in her songs. As part of Casualties of Cool (her collaboration with the renowned Devin Townsend), Che has earned a growing international following. In 2017, she resumes her solo career with Between the Walls and the Window, a haunting finely wrought album that features her most revealing songs to date.
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см. : 2017 albums и 2017 in music
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