Author Archives: birddog

https://m.soundcloud.com/d-t-h-white/sets/it-took-this-long Genre: Hip Hop Rating: 4/5 2021 Good production. Lyrically entertaining. Good flow. If you’re looking for some new hip hop to listen to this EP is good place to go. It’s concise. No filler. No adding extra bullshit just because it’s digital and you can. Respect for the quality product and playing it smart.Continue reading “It Took This Long by Dutch”

https://altusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/pure Genre: Ambient Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp June 28, 2021 This is basic electronic sound swell soundscape ambient. It’s not pioneering but it does what it sets out to do perfectly. Superbly relaxing brain massage music.

https://flamingosis1.bandcamp.com/album/daymaker Genre: R&B Rating: 3/5 released on bandcamp June 25, 2021 This is definitely extremely well-crafted and I could see it having a strong appeal to fans of soft rock, yacht rock, smooth jazz and more, especially for people yearning for a new spin on things. The tracks with vocal hooks are top tier. Unfortunately,Continue reading “Daymaker by Flamingosis”

https://clairerousay.bandcamp.com/album/live Genre: Avant Garde Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp July 2, 2021 I guess misconceptions about avant garde music will never die. I was kind of shocked that this artist has a NYTimes write up but not shocked that the comment section is like “meh” What people don’t get is that hitting the effective sweetContinue reading “Live by Claire Rousay”

https://phagetapes.bandcamp.com/album/my-own-prison Genre: Experimental Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp July 2, 2021 I don’t know if it’s my mood or what but this hella hit the spot. My ride broke down on the freeway coming home from work putting a teardrop on my three day weekend although the tow guy was pretty cool and thankfully beatContinue reading “My Own Prison by System//Error”

https://fieldkitmusic.bandcamp.com Genre: Soft Experimental Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp June 4, 2021 The bandcamp write-up/hype is mostly what I would’ve put into this review except I’m not quite with them Iannis Xenakis name drop. But because their self-description is so apt I’m going to try to get into the weeds here a bit. One ofContinue reading “Field Kit by Field Kit”

https://ivonnevancleef.bandcamp.com/album/unleash-the-hoofs-revenge Genre: Americana Rating: 5/5 https://ivonnevancleef.bandcamp.com/album/unleash-the-hoofs-revenge If they ever make Blood Meridian into a film this should be the soundtrack.

Genre: Riot GRRRL / Neo-No Wave Unrated Review released on bandcamp April 2, 2021 Track five – the first of two songs called “Monkey Chest” is a good song with listening to. It’s the only slow song on the record. For the other stuff, it lacks the angry energy those genres demand, imo.

https://perilazone.bandcamp.com/album/how-much-time-it-is-between-you-and-me Genre: Ambient Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp June 25, 2021 If you’re only going to check out one ambient album this year you’d be making a fine choice with this one. Aleksandra Zakharenko, her real name, has a voice and a style, while quite different in terms of genre, that has an esthetic andContinue reading “How much time it is between you and me? by perila”

https://lorenconnorsnyc.bandcamp.com/album/leone-2 Genre: Ambient Rating: 5/5 Released: January 29, 2021 I deeply respect Ambarchi and I super double doggie respect Connors. I consider this an interesting and positive direction for Connors and, at least from an artistic perspective, a straight up fucking coup d’etat for Armbarchi. However, it’s almost a split LP because they only actuallyContinue reading “Leone by Loren Connors & Oren Ambarchi”

Available on Spotify Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 5/5 Released this year (2021) This is an ECM release and does kind of have THAT sound. Very reliably good-super high standards – within a predictable musical continuum – if you’re familiar you know how they roll. They’re sort of like the new Windham Hill for people whoContinue reading “Garden of Expression by Joe Lovano”

https://passepartoutduo.bandcamp.com/album/daylighting Genre: Contemporary Classical / Electronic Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp June 25, 2021 This is their second release this year that’s made its way on to my radar. Here’s my review of the other: https://birdboyblizzard.music.blog/2021/02/28/epigrams-by-passepartout-duo/ where that one seemed more aligned with Schoenberg and Cage I’m getting more of a Stockhausen Reichian vibe onContinue reading “Daylighting by Passepartout Duo”

https://forlagetkornmod.bandcamp.com/album/feedback-musik Genre: Ambient Drone Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp June 21, 2021 I was excited when I saw the mix of instruments. The title had me thinking an army of Jimi’s but fear not if you’re looking for a friendly bubble bath buddy. The simple but intensely effective piano evokes Satie and the pace ofContinue reading “Feedback Musik by Bjarke Rasmussen”

https://ichikoaoba.bandcamp.com/album/windswept-adan Genre: Ambient Folk Rating: 5/5 This is so beautiful and so good I really want to be careful I get my point across about how beautiful and good this music is. This is the first I’ve heard of her and I cannot wait to hear the rest if her discography and I fully expectContinue reading “Windswept Adan by Ichiko Aoba”

https://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/canticles-of-bliss Genre: Ambient Drone Rating: 4/5 releases June 25, 2021 The Past Inside the Present label ensures a level of quality and this record has earned that seal. Ten years ago this would’ve been a clean 5/5 but the field has become so crowded. With a deep listen it becomes clear this is toward theContinue reading “Canticles of Bliss by Wayne Robert Thomas”

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/abhorrent-rapture Genre: Death Metal Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp June 18, 2021 Honestly, there’s no shortage of extremely competent death metal to choose from. In all certainty, I’m going to metal out at least once a month and sometimes I gotta try new stuff. Exploration is in my blood. If there’s two comparable bands andContinue reading “Abhorrent Rapture by Witch Vomit”

https://stillheatrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/all-houses-are-haunted Genre: Soft Experimental Rating: 4/5 released on bandcamp June 17, 2021 Historically, out of all the genres this borrows from, industrial and musique concrete have been my favorite, but that’s more through the course of my entire life not recently and even less so on recent releases. However, it’s the subdued industrial beats thatContinue reading “All Houses Are Haunted by BEACHERS”

https://bloxhamtapes.bandcamp.com/album/i-saw-water Genre: Experimental Ambient Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp June 18, 2021 Yeah you know ambient music is seriously ready for a makeover and this is a damn good way to go about it. Vagenas makes it weirder but manages to avoid the everyday is Halloween spooky trap of DARK ambient. Actually, there’s nothing wrongContinue reading “I Saw Water by Alex Vagenas”

https://solborg.bandcamp.com/album/tungem-l-iii Genre: Free Improvisational Jazz Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp June 11, 2021 It’s hard for me to imagine giving anything involving Susana Santos Silva less that a highest possible rating. I couldn’t stand not having her complete discography so while I was unemployed during covid I begged her and she sent me 4 CDsContinue reading “TUNGEMÅL III by Mark Solborg”

Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 5/5 Released: Jan 2021 It has been said that art comes from fermentation. It has been said that in the water of purity we melt like salt. The song titles all pay homage to Rumi. I will quote Anaïs Nin: What I have loved in music is not its austerity butContinue reading “Ivo Perelman – The Purity of Desire (Ivo Perelman – tenor sax Gordon Grdina – oud Hamin Honari – tombak, daf, percussion)”

Genre: Avant-garde jazz Rating: 5/5 Release date: 19.03.2021. Closest relative I can think of is Julius Eastman. Raw solo piano. Dissonant minimalism. Perhaps this is the sound of the victim of a serious crime half-heartedly pleading because she knows no one can hear. The Braxtonesque titles give us no clues. The sound of a dyingContinue reading “Entendre by Nik Bärtsch”

https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lockdown Genre: Third Stream Contemporary Rating: 5/5 (see below) released on bandcamp April 19, 2021 Functioning as a democracy instead of a dictatorship served these three well on this outstanding Clean Feed release very generously available for free listening on bandcamp. The musicians lean heavily into the 20th century tradition of Arnold Schoenberg by wayContinue reading “Lockdown by Courvoisier | Rothenberg | Sartorius”

https://debaclerecords.bandcamp.com/album/big-tex-here-we-come Genre: New Age Rating: 5/5 released on bandcamp March 5, 2021 Found this little gem on Bandcamp today. Two musicians who can really play taking some time to really play. Apparently heavily inspired by William Ackerman, the music comes across as very sincere but the song titles feel like they’re poking a little funContinue reading “Big Tex, Here We Come by Andrew Weathers & Hayden Pedig”

Genre: Spiritual Free Jazz Rating: Transcends Ratings – World Treasure 1971 Universal Consciousness is a special and rare work of art that’s impossibly ambitious and ultimately accomplishes everything the artists intended at the highest level. There’s no higher praise than to say it successfully continues the trajectory set by John Coltrane. And it does andContinue reading “Universal Consciousness by Alice Coltrane”