Tag Archives: classical

Flora – Flora

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

From Berlin, Germany, Flora is a duo comprised of singer Flora Dekkers and pianist Benjamin Geyer. This is a very simple foundation, and, accordingly, it leads up to quite a minimalistic building, but the beauty and grace of it all entirely fills the remaining space.

At first, Flora’s voice reminded me of Lauren Kinsella’s, in Snowpoet and Blue-Eyed Hawk, but Flora’s singer has her own intonation, inflections, and timbre after the initial impression.

Flora is a simple and concise EP. It’s made of four songs, plus an introduction that is more than only a filler … Read more

Cosmo Sheldrake – The Much Much How How and I

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

London multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake released his debut full-length album earlier this month: The Much Much How How and I. The album shows the strong hand that Cosmo has on pop composition. Each of the fourteen songs on display are, in their own way, interesting, emotive, and full of ear hooks. I say “pop”, but the reality is deeper than that. Although many songs would definitely qualify as such, they are conveyed through a lush orchestration and a firm indie folk vibe; in the end, they are more than the sum of their … Read more

Panu-Pekka Rauhala – 60 Songs in 60 Minutes

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Please don’t skip this because of the cover art shown above. I know it’s probably the worst album cover you’ve seen recently – or, ever! –, but the music it forbids is worth your time, I swear! Honestly, I debated whether or not I should include the “artwork” in this review… But out of respect for Panu-Pekka Rauhala‘s artistic choices, I decided to keep it, at the cost of this very warning. Ugh, it’s such an ugly cover for such a good album… It could win many art anti-awards, of that I’m sure! Well… enough … Read more

Brandon Seabrook – Needle Driver

by Dæv Tremblay

Needle Driver is the latest experiment of Brooklyn musician Brandon Seabrook. The hard-to-describe EP seamlessly bridges contemporary classical music, experimental jazz, and mathcore into a nasty instrumental tapestry. The trio even includes some microtonal intervals, spotted in the song “Venwhorerisin'”. The five compositions are too quickly gone, but they provide an endless amount of entertainment while they last: uncommon time signatures, odd harmonies, complex and exhausting melodies, as well as a knack for deranged structures that somehow hold themselves together. Needle Driver goes left and right, up and down, forwards and backwards, and I’m sure it also goes wild … Read more

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra – Vula

by Dæv Tremblay

The massive eighteen-piece big band, or small ensemble, from Germany Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra released, in early July, their latest album in Vula. The hourlong release, which features seven tracks, is very eclectic and dense. Their music has a sometimes retro quality to it, which takes you back to the music of the thirties or forties, but retain an undeniably modern aspect. The vast array of musicians play demanding compositions, like the fast-paced and hectic ‘In Light of Turmoil’, blaring almost relentlessly for more than thirteen minutes. I can only imagine how the drummer’s right arm feels after this… … Read more