Margarida Guia & Random Record, Palm, Alta forma, and Nnamdï

Margarida Guia & Random Record – Untitled (Do It Youssef!)

As a tribute to activist, actress, composer, and performer Margarida Guia, Do It Youssef! are releasing her performance with Random Record (David Bausseron & Nicolas Chichagnot), recorded in 2012 in Brussels. This fifty-minute psychedelic free rock improvisation is an absolute mind-altering experience, thanks to the wildly creative work of the three musicians involved, and the characteristic narration of Margarida Guia. Drown in the mad world of this improvisation, you won’t regret it!

Palm – Nicks and Grazes (Saddle Creek)


Palm is a band from the future, bringing us avant-garde nu…… Read more

Best of Noise Rock 2021


I want to hear crass distortion, bass-heavy songs with harsh vocals! This is noise rock!


Number Five: Изразец – Изразец


Изразец (Izrazec) is… noise jazz? This one is somewhat hard to classify, as I first put it into the jazz category, before listening to it again more closely and ranking it with noise rock. Well, one thing is for sure, that blend is rather unique, and it’s also super satisfying! One discovery for you!


Number Four: Guzzlemug – Uncarved


Guzzlemug is a strange thing, and on Uncarved we get to hear two of their long-form compositions shine their brightest. It’s … Read more

Saint Sadrill – Pierrefilant

The Music

The Words

Pierrefilant is the debut album of Lyon, France’s Saint Sadrill sextet, who plays a thoroughly interwoven mix of avant-garde prog and jazz fusion. Out on November 2 via the excellent French label Dur et Doux, the album is over an hour long and features a full-time vibraphonist. I was anticipating the album since the first single came out, and, now that it is, let me tell you about it.

I was expecting the release to be good; I mean, listen to “Corq”: it’s beautiful. Even if it’s not the most theoretically interesting track on there, it … Read more

Devin Drobka’s Bell Dance Songs – Amaranth

The Music

The Words

The mouthfully-baptised Devin Drobka’s Bell Dance Songs band is a quintet made of three woodwind players, one acoustic bass player, and a drums person that also acts as the composer: the aforementioned Devin Drobka. It is without a surprise that you will read my words telling you that this is a merciless sonic assault! Amaranth came out on 28 September through Shifting Paradigm Records. Let’s dissect the beast.

The album loses no time to show its colours. At the fluid-tempoed start of “Skip Skip” and the dialogue between the bass and the drums, it’s quite fun … Read more

Andrew Bernstein – An Exploded View of Time

The Music

The Words

Andrew Bernstein is a saxophone player and composer most recognized for his involvement in experimental band Horse Lords. He is releasing his latest album, An Exploded View of Time, through Hausu Mountain Records.

When listening to it, I can’t help but summon a comparison with saxophone virtuoso Colin Stetson. Of course, the palette of solo sax releases is pretty wide even for this relatively niche and narrow canvas, but the choice of techniques and soundscapes with which Andrew decided to paint it are remarkably similar. A short list of those include overblowing, circular … Read more