The Music

The Words

You like Chapman stick, right? Who doesn’t? This simple apparatus akin to a wooden plank fitted with too many metal transverses and strings made primarily for tapping gives a nice, airy tone, and is perfect for self-accompaniment, thanks for its huge tessitura. Many artists have put this device to good use, but I recall none using two of them at once!

Enters Boston’s Geph—the pronunciation of which is an extension of the /dʒɪf/-/ɡɪf/ debate—, which is made up of two stickists and a drummer. The instrumental trio plays a modern brand of progressive rock highly … Read more

The Music

The Words

Jptr—disemvoweled “Jupiter”—is a Swiss avant-pop duo. Consisting of Ramón Oliveras, of modern jazz band Ikarus fame, and Andrina Bollinger, who is part of another art pop duo: Eclecta, Jptr boasts one of the most impressive, and, perhaps, surprising lineups.

After catching up with the project’s self-titled 2,017 release—with which I immediately fell in love—, I gave a shot at The Absence Of…, which is coming out on 13 July. While their debut, Jptr, is rhythmic and upbeat and energetic, its follow-up veers in an entirely new direction. Atmospheric, contemplative, and minimalist, The … Read more

The Music

The Words

Once in a while, you stumble across an album that really clicks with you; and, once in a blue moon or so, you find one that does so while remaining criminally in darkness. One such album is Pete Lee‘s The Velvet Rage, out on June 29, after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The London-based pianist here plays original compositions in a quintet formula, with drums, electric guitar and bass, and saxophone. Amika Strings, a quartet, also makes an appearance.

The seven tracks make up for an eventful fifty minutes, with variegated moods and atmospheres, from … Read more

Book of Sand – Postmodern Witchcraft

Book of Sand is no different to strange, unsettling experiments [1] [2], and Postmodern Witchcraft continues to defy expectations. The album is blackened post-punk for satanic surfers, which opens a new branch in the vast tree of music, and that is always cause for celebration. It’s strange, and it’s probable that you will be offset by it, but it’s something much worth listening to.

Virgil – The Pacer

Prog fusion is hardly a rarity, these days, but good bands keep pouring out, warranting a listen! Today’s subject is Los Angeles’ Virgil, with … Read more

The Music

The Words

Charlie Looker, of Psalm Zero and Zs renown, just unleashed a new amalgamative full-length under his own name, titled Simple Answers. The album stems from taking a deep look at oneself in a context where far-right extremism and fascism are ideologies on the rise. “Am I a fascist?” All of this process is recorded and expressed through an amazing musical journey.

The record is very “modern classical”, in essence, and takes many influences from industrial music, post-punk, and metal music. The orchestra-electronic ambivalence of Simple Answers reflects well the left-right divide of the world’s … Read more