Oh, Art as Catharsis, it’s not the first time we praise you and undress our hearts to your fascinating gift for finding jaw-dropping new music from the island-continent of Australia. We can continue to deny we are total fanboys by arguing that it’s the first time we do so this month, but we know everybody sees through us and the lies we tell ourselves. Well, until Lachlan and AAC starts to disappoint us, we will continue to praise the label’s merits and its amazing roster. This time, it’s an Australian-American band: Sydney’s and New York’s Ground … Read more
Daily Archives: November 1, 2017
EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Patrick Shiroishi – “The Screams of a Father’s Tears”
Japanese-American saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi, whom we’ve come to spect and respect for his involvement with some of the best and craziest music acts out there – like Upsilon Acrux, Corima, Sewing Circle, and Nakata, to name a few –, is going to release new music under a his solo moniker with the album Tulean Dispatch. The project deals with the Tule Lake internment camp, where his Japanese grandparents were placed during World War II. The album not only reflects on these past events but draws parallels to what is happening today in the world and the USA. It’s a … Read more
Monthly Recommendations – October 2017
Coma Cluster Void – Thoughts from a Stone
Thoughts from a Stone is a praise-worthy successor to the band’s debut album, and expands many ideas that were expressed there further. For example, what I like to call the “chromatic neighbourhood” – many consecutive chromatic notes – in chords and scales. Its traditional use is to bridge the perfect fourth and fifth with a tritone, especially in blues, but it can sound very unsettling when using it around the tonal centre and with more than three neighbouring notes.
Ariadne – Stabat Mater
… Read moreOn Stabat Mater, however, Christine and Benjamin take