Drowse & Amulets | Split | Whited Sepulchre Records (CS/DL) These two Portland artists share more than just a city they live in. Randall Taylor, probably better known as AMULETS has already been featured on these pages with his quite exquisite sonic excursions of tape loops and ambient guitar. Nothing much changes in that respect […]
Aidan Baker | The Forever Tapes Broken Spine Productions (CS/DL) Guitarist and composer Aidan Baker has one of those discographies that make you feel tired when you examine the sheer girth of it. Known primarily for his work with ambient doom duo Nadja, Baker has traversed just about every cranny of the experimental and ambient […]
Swans Leaving Meaning Young God Records (LP/CD/DL) Few bands have successfully navigated through such a long history of stylistic changes, personnel upheavals and emotional shifts as Swans. It helps that now after so many eras and bands and genres head Swan boss Michael Gira is officially christening what we have known for decades. That Swans […]
Pan American | A SonKranky (CD/LP/DL) Those familiar with some former work of Mark Nelson, often better known for his moniker Pan American or for his work with Labradford might have expected at least a dash of electronics on A Son, his latest effort (ninth in over 20 years). Not that they don’t get it, […]
Three releases that can loosely, and very loosely at that, be said to have ‘a folky’ touch. But, if you expect an all-acoustic affair, or something that is veering towards sad-eyed singer/songwriters, you should probably look for something else than the three albums reviewed here. But then, you’d probably be cutting yourself short because you’d […]
Ghost in the Clocks | AnoiceRicco (LP, CD, DL) From Anoice (care of Ricco Records – Tokyo) comes the 5th installment of a cinematic instrumental post-rock saga of their own creation. Members of this super-group have since made worlds of their own as solo artists but ‘Ghost in the Clocks’ is announced as a follow-up […]
Daniel W J Mackenzie & Richard A Ingram | Half Death Midira Records (CD/DL) Half Death is at its most impressive when it’s at its quietest. The album feels to be an exploration of the quieter side of melodic composition, with pianos and synths and fizzing arpeggios accompanying the sort of reverberant scapes that seems […]
Todas Las Anteriores | Mis ojos arden en el espacio ciego Pan y Rosas Discos (DL) Chicago-based netlabel Pan y Rosas Discos once again releases a really nice surprise from Todas Las Anteriores (Piaka Roela & Libertad Figueroa) described as a “Mexican ensemble of sound improvisation and experimentation with electronic media. A conversation between live […]
The Brussels-based duo present their new LP on the KrysaliSound label, and it’s a perfect home for their fusion of guitar drones, field recordings and hushed vocals. Since 2011 Tropic of Coldness have pursued a blissed-out take on harmonic ambience that folds ethereal elements into their compositions. There are rarely any sharp edges on their […]
Piloot | Gyre Mascarpone Discos (CS/DL) The Brussels-based trio Piloot has rolled out its Gyre (on Spanish imprint, Mascarpone Discos) for the rest of the world to absorb its current. These are improvisations that they term “instant compositions” and being one who loves exploring Dada, Fluxus and the like, this makes a whole lot of […]
My Disco | Environment Downwards Records (LP/DL) The Australian trio My Disco (Rohan Rebeiro, Benjamin Andrews, and Liam Andrews) begin their new record with An Intimate Conflict, pretty much as it says, in the form of a continuous soft revving motor. It’s a bit unnerving, and a bit suspect, but serves as an industrial overture […]
Thighpaulsandra | Practical Electronics with… Editions Mego (LP/DL) I’m unsure exactly how “practical” anything about the work of Cymry original Thighpaulsandra is, quite the opposite. His collaborative work over the last three decades has been impressive to say the very least. That said, even though it’s been since 2005’s excellent Double Vulgar II (2005, Beta-lactam […]
Attilio Novellino | A Conscious Effort Midira Records (LP/DL) Attilio Novellino is a sound artist from Italy who returns with a full length solo album after a whole six years. We can’t say he has been totally silent in this time span, his numerous collaboration works show quite intense activity and a certain attitude to […]
Amp | Entangled Time Ampbase /Sound in Silence (10″/DL/CDR) Besides a couple of live recordings, this is the first full album by Amp in about seven years, and it’s a relief to know that they are still active. Amp hail from a very British tradition of post-rock, one that distills shoe gaze with electronics, psychedelic […]
Mako Sica & Hamid Drake Ronda (Feeding Tube Records/Astral Spirits; 2xLP/CS/DL) Released tomorrow on double vinyl (via Feeding Tube) and out now on cassette (via Astral Spirits) is the latest by duo Mako Sica & Hamid Drake (and co.), entitled Ronda. Consisting of five tracks running at just over an hour in total, this collaboration […]
From Budapest comes Gosheven (Bálint Szabó) and his second full release, Bivaq (Opal Tapes; CD/DL). In these dozen tracks the Hungarian sound bender brings a fresh perspective to electronic music. Do You Think We Can Escape starts with a breathy spoken word, a man talking aloud about the possibilities of escaping over a light drone […]
Cologne-based producer/musician Olivier Haas, otherwise known as APORIE, recently stepped into Pink Unicorn Studios and laid down his debut record, Control. Previously he conjured up sound effects for video games, but has developed a somewhat apocalyptic, post-rock meets drone vibe here. He describes his self-release as a “diverse blend of genres such as ambient, drone, […]
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