ambient
Album Review: Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – ‘Tragic Magic’: A compelling, emotional electro-acoustic collaboration which haunts and hopes.
Some collaborations are just meant to be and this is one of those. Composer, vocalist and electronic musician Julianna Barwick and experimental harpist Mary Lattimore have been more than crossing paths within the ambient/neo-classical world over the years. Both moved to LA at around the same time and built a friendship from playing live shows …
Album Review: Nigh/T\mare – Through
Nigh/T\mare is the brainchild of Italian artist and producer Giuseppe Sciretti, who sets out to channel a unique blend of dark aesthetics, lush atmospherics, and techno beats, making for a distinct, direct, and forward-thinking feel. His music is deeply intertwined with his personal feelings and experiences, as he often uses his tracks as a way to …
Album Review: All India Radio etch beautiful contrails of sound across the skies in new album ‘The Unified Field’.
After a long absence, the ethereal All India Radio triumphantly return with the exquisite ‘The Unified Field’ – astonishingly their 21st album. Their absence has much to do with member Marin Kennedy’s prolific creativity – witness in just the past couple of years the release of three albums with The Church’s Steve Kilbey (‘Jupiter 13’, …
Album Review: Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins – ‘In A Fugue State’: A contemplative dreamscape of pedal steel and tape loop alchemy.
Joe Harvey-Whyte may be a go-to pedal steel player (Liam Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Josephine Foster, Nilüfer Yanya and more) but as a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist he’s been calmly extending the cosmic-country boundaries beyond its imagined cosmos for a while now. Working with Sheffield based guitarist Bobby Lee, he’s helped conjure up two mind-stretching kosmiche-americana …
Album Review: Snakeskin –‘We Live In Sand’: Enlightening, intense dream pop from the ever impressive Beirut duo.
Lebanese, electronic dream pop duo Snakeskin don’t so much shed layers from release to release, they harden their resolve, reinforcing their messaging into songs which are even more powerful and defining. Formed by singer-songwriter Julia Sabra, of alt-rock/experimental scene stalwarts Postcards, and Fadi Tabbal, founder/producer at Beirut’s irreplaceable Tunefork studios, Snakeskin’s soundscape first emerged in …
Album Review: Yara Asmar – ‘everyone I love is sleeping and i love them so so much’ : Extraordinary electro-acoustic stories crafted from simple things.
Tinkering, testing, tuning and transforming, Yara Asmar is a restlessly inquisitive multi-instrumentalist. Since her debut release on Hive Mind, ‘Home Recordings 2018-2021’ the Beirut- based musician has used music boxes and metallophones, accordion and toy pianos to sculpt her sonic narrative. It’s not Art Ensemble avant or Cage-ist experimentalism powering her practice though, the pull …
Track: All India Radio entice us into ‘The Red Room’ – a spectacular universe of mystery and enigma – as pre-sales for the new album become available.
All India Radio have already signalled their much welcomed return to the airwaves with the single ‘Catch The Breeze’ released earlier this year (see my review here) and have just released another single ‘The Red Room’ ahead of the the new album ‘The Unified Field’. As usual, the sound and visuals of All India Radio are …
Track/Video: RAKEL, an emerging new voice from Reykjavík announces her debut album with the softly powerful ‘Rescue Remedy’.
Pianist/composer Ólafur Arnalds forward thinking OPIA project, part performance festival, part label, part community builder, is making a habit of bringing illusive talents out into the wider spotlight. You might remember the exquisite Costa Rican pianist/composer Sofi Paez and pedal-steel soundscaper Davidsson from last year, well here’s a new name to add to your ‘listen …
Album Review: Charbel Haber, Nicolás Jaar and Sary Moussa- ‘Crashing waves…’: A breath-taking electro-acoustic journey which reaches beyond the moment.
Disseminating experimental/alternative music from the myriad of vibrant scenes across the SWANA region to the wider world has been Ruptured Music’s generous undertaking for over fifteen years. Its creative source keeps giving and its curational insight keeps providing. Enter amongst the label’s significant June releases, the poignantly titled ‘Crashing waves dance to the rhythm set …
Album Review: Universal Affirmation Ensemble – ‘Unconditional Propositions’: Daring experimental rock inspired by Gamelan’s rich intensity.
The second release of the venerable Katuktu Collective’s spring offering sees the Californian label open our ears to some new sonic adventures with drummer and composer Justin Devries. For his solo debut ‘Unconditional Propositions’ the Vancouver-based musician has gathered together the Universal Affirmation Ensemble, a group of players from across Canada, like-minded in their boundary …