https://redhookrecords.bandcamp.com/album/two-centuries Genre: Ambient Jazz Rating: 5/5 Stars Highest Rating released August 17, 2022 (Bandcamp) This deserves the same type of love Space 1.8 and Promises received but honest recognition is hard to come by even among jazz fans. Wadada Leo Smith is in the discussion as the greatest jazz musician still on the planet. TheContinue reading “Two Centuries by Qasim Naqvi / Wadada Leo Smith / Andrew Cyrille”
Author Archives: birddog
Sentrifuge by Pjusk
https://pjuskswc.bandcamp.com/album/sentrifuge Genre: Ambient Rating: Recommended, especially for fans of the genre released March 18, 2022 (BandCamp) Right from the start I want to say I really like this album. It clearly separates itself from the very crowded field of ambient music. Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik, whose name is spelled with an extra i in his BandCampContinue reading “Sentrifuge by Pjusk”
Tonkori in the moonlight by OKI
https://oki-tonkori.bandcamp.com/album/tonkori-in-the-moonlight Genre: World (Ainu Folk) Rating: Definitely Worth Checking Out Released February 4, 2022 (BandCamp) I lived in Japan for around a decade, including about three years in Aomori, in the northern most region Honshu, Japan’s central island. I also visited Hokkaido. Despite my apparent proximity, I never knowingly encountered an Ainu person. I takeContinue reading “Tonkori in the moonlight by OKI”
Stefano Gervasoni: Gramigna Divertimento Ensemble
Genre: Contemporary Rating: 5/5 stars Release Date: 13th May 2022 Gervasoni is an Italian composer who studied under Brian Ferneyhough and György Ligeti back in the 1990’s. Ferneyhough is the top dog of the New Complexity movement which takes more is more to probably the most extreme heights it has ever reached. If you’ve neverContinue reading “Stefano Gervasoni: Gramigna Divertimento Ensemble”
Editor’s Pick Autumn 2022
These are my faves from stuff I’ve reviewed from 2022 ANTIDAWN EP by Burial https://burial.bandcamp.com/album/antidawn-ep SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt creeksoft by GMRadioX https://fileunder-gmradiox.bandcamp.com/album/creeksoft W by Boris https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/w 零花 -Absolute Flower- by 剤電 https://disciplineproduction.bandcamp.com Cyberpunk 2022: Alive by Fentanyl Embrace https://dreamcatalogue.bandcamp.com/album/cyberpunk-2022-alive A BOY NAMED HEXD by 999 HEARTAKE SABILEYE https://999heartakesabileye.bandcamp.com/album/a-boy-named-hexd The Winter Concert by Chloe Jackson-Reynolds https://sr3323.bandcamp.com/album/the-winter-concert MassesContinue reading “Editor’s Pick Autumn 2022”
Feel safe by Alba Liv
https://forlagetkornmod.bandcamp.com/album/feel-safe Genre: Folk Rating: ☁️ ⛅️ 🌧 ✨ ⛈ 5/5 highest released November 27, 2022 Feel Safe is folk music broke down to its purest essence building on the relatively recent traditions of shoe gaze and ambient. More wistful and ethereal than Grouper but the comparison comes to mind as do the tenderest moments fromContinue reading “Feel safe by Alba Liv”
I Am the Spirit of the Earth by Igor Lumpert’s Innertextures
https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-the-spirit-of-the-earth genre: contemporary jazz released November 18, 2022 rating: highly recommended Clean Feed has clearly become the leader at regularly and reliably releasing very high quality jazz records. They’re also generous on BandCamp and keep excellent curated playlists available on Spotify. Everyone who plays on this record is intensely talented and they all have fantasticContinue reading “I Am the Spirit of the Earth by Igor Lumpert’s Innertextures”
Still Life by Ortooeen Waves
https://humanhoodrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/still-life Genre: Experimental Rating: Recommended released November 21, 2022 First off, there’s a long very informative article on this artist here: https://desertmountaindust.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/paul-harrison-avant-garde-optics/ Secondly, I love this album cover. Definitely frame worthy art. Third, the music. Falls into the camp of serious experimental music that isn’t gimmicky, generic, or obnoxiously in your face. It borrows fromContinue reading “Still Life by Ortooeen Waves”
Greaser in the Ghost Home by Das Synthetische Mischgewebe
https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/album/greaser-in-the-ghost-home Genre: Electroacoustic Rating: Recommended released November 18, 2022 At this point electroacoustic music pretty much boils down to one thing: Are the sounds interesting enough to hold your attention? Or even more simply: Does it sound cool? Yes and yes. I’m long time fan of the genre. Every since I discovered Wednesday nights onContinue reading “Greaser in the Ghost Home by Das Synthetische Mischgewebe”
Clear water: No front / No back by Ada Rave solo
https://doekraw.bandcamp.com/album/clear-water-no-front-no-back Genre: Free Jazz Rating: Recommended released November 14, 2022 A woman alone with her saxophone. Her tenor calling out to the universe. Rave is an Argentine out of Buenos Aires. The music here isn’t flashy or showy. It’s calm contemplative avant-garde free jazz. Usually, anstract music like this strikes me as emotionally ambiguous butContinue reading “Clear water: No front / No back by Ada Rave solo”
Chopped & Screwed Trippy Bangers from YouTube
Nymph by Shygirl
https://0800shygirl.bandcamp.com/album/nymph Genre: Pop Rating: Mostly Awful released September 30, 2022 The most overrated bullshit since The Weeknd’s horrible disappointment Dawn FM. The critics who lavish praise on this need to stop with the bandwagon bullshit and start actually using their ears. Not all British rappers suck but most are really awful and this is definitiveContinue reading “Nymph by Shygirl”
A Thousand Butterflies by Aftab Darvishi
https://aftabdarvishi.bandcamp.com/album/a-thousand-butterflies Genre: Classical Rating: Very highly recommended Released in 2022 Davishi’s debut includes five beautifully haunting lyrical compositions. Her style is restrained and confident, feeling no need to lean too heavily into one tradition or another. The music feels to be uniquely hers and very honest. I believe this music expresses exactly what she wantedContinue reading “A Thousand Butterflies by Aftab Darvishi”
Heart Of The Ghost – Summons
https://heartoftheghost.bandcamp.com/album/summons Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 🎷 🎷 🎷 🎷 🎷 5/5 Released in July 2022 I think if all the jazz gods in the late sixties could hear what we got going on today it would blow their minds. I know as a “critc” (although I like to point out I’m really just fan) there’sContinue reading “Heart Of The Ghost – Summons”
A Muted Reality by Angles
https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-muted-reality Genre: Free Jazz Rating: Highly Recommended Released June 2022 This band’s 2008 release Every Woman Is A Tree is a big favorite of mine. It’s been in rotation since it came out and might be the first record to make me realize how fantastic Clean Feed is. There’s nothing better than Liberation Music OrchestraContinue reading “A Muted Reality by Angles”
No. 1 by 100-nka Gralak
Genre: Free Jazz Rating: Very Highly Recommended released July 30, 2022 Everyone and everything about this record is powerful and effective. My heart is warmed by this continuation of the greatest musical tradition ever. Honestly, I just want to say thank you for being so fucking awesome. The tracks range from mournful and spiritual toContinue reading “No. 1 by 100-nka Gralak”
Teufelskeller by Teufelskeller
https://wvsorcerer.bandcamp.com/album/teufelskeller Genre: Free Jazz Rating: 🎷 🎷 🎷 🎷 🎷 5/5 Highest Recommendations Released Oct 7 2022 This harkens back the early days of Russian and other Eastern Europe free jazz (not that it went anywhere). I don’t know if this is really a problem or not but I worry that Russian artists are sufferingContinue reading “Teufelskeller by Teufelskeller”
Wilds by The Soundcarriers
https://the-soundcarriers.bandcamp.com/album/wilds Genre: Indie Pop Rating: Recommended 2022 If you’ve never heard this band before I recommend starting with their earlier material. They took quite a while since their previous release and while the song writing and vocals are both extremely strong I like the way the older stuff is recorded better. This album has aContinue reading “Wilds by The Soundcarriers”
Corpses As Bedmates – Babaa & Scheibel = 69
https://youtu.be/Ed-vurfExxo Genre: Freak Folk Rating: ☠️ ☠️☠️☠️☠️ 5/5 highest rating 1984 You can find different information about who made this and what they went on to do elsewhere. I just want to write about the music and my relationship with it. Two of my closest friends were really into it at first. We all livedContinue reading “Corpses As Bedmates – Babaa & Scheibel = 69”
Infinite Winter by Tears ov Blood
https://gondolinrecords.bandcamp.com/album/infinite-winter Genre: Dungeon Synth Rating: 🪦 🪦🪦 🪦 Recorded in 1994; Released 2022 No other genre brings home how talented a person can be and still go unrecognized. Nerd creates a brilliant album in his bedroom and no one cares. Then bandcamp comes along and a few people care. A community forms on social media.Continue reading “Infinite Winter by Tears ov Blood”
The Whitey Album by Ciccone Youth (Sonic Youth)
https://sonicyouth.bandcamp.com/album/the-whitey-album 1989 Genre: Post Punk Rating: World Treasure This is better than Daydream Nation so we can start right fucking there. Besides the SYR stuff this is the last perfect Sonic Youth release. How the fuck people get this band so goddamn twisted is beyond me. It’s astonishing that something so seemingly out of theirContinue reading “The Whitey Album by Ciccone Youth (Sonic Youth)”
Getaway by orion sun
https://orionsun.bandcamp.com/album/getaway Genre: Philadelphia Soul Rating: Very Highly Recommended released March 11, 2022 There’s music you want to fuck to and there’s music you just want fuck. This is luscious like long delicious sex. Gorgeous voice. Gorgeous production. Fantastic song writing. Goddamn if this doesn’t top off the glass. I’m glad it’s catching on. This isContinue reading “Getaway by orion sun”
Blackland Radio 666 Pt. 2 by SpaceGhostPurrp
https://dismissyourself.bandcamp.com/album/blackland-radio-666-pt-2 Genre: Horror Core Rating: 🎃🎃🎃🎃 Released on Halloween 2022 SpaceGhostPurrp doubles down on his image as a creepy weirdo. The lyrics sound like they come from Jason Voorhees stuck in PornHub. He’s killing and fucking. Sonically SGP lays out some weird production. At first I was thinking this might be exaggerated for Halloween butContinue reading “Blackland Radio 666 Pt. 2 by SpaceGhostPurrp”
This by Crash Worship
https://youtu.be/TA2P4HEGZJ8 Rating: World Treasure Crash Worship are widely known for their live shows and I had the good fortune to see four times that I can remember. The best was in an art house theater. They somehow got all the lighs turned off, even the exit signs. Pitch black. They went from the sound ofContinue reading “This by Crash Worship”
Cataclysmic System Binding Loss by Carbon In Prose
https://carboninprose.bandcamp.com/album/cataclysmic-system-binding-loss Genre: Experimental Rating: Highly Recommended released October 24, 2022 Unlike a lot of the ambient drone releases this one offers different moods and approaches. CIP doesn’t limit the sound sticking with a uniform format. There’s nothing remotely mainstream about it, and ultimately the feeling is sad. The music doesn’t always explicitly sound melancholy butContinue reading “Cataclysmic System Binding Loss by Carbon In Prose”
Warmth Highest 