Category Archives: Mini-Review
Var – “Moments” [Single] (post-rock)
Ben Norton – “Un automne allemand” [Single] (jazz)
Epochate – Chronicles of a New Era (symphonic metal, darkwave)
Oak Pantheon & Amiensus – Gathering Ⅱ [Split] (atmospheric black metal, folk metal)
… Read more Cécile Cappozzo Trio, Piah Mater, Josh Sinton’s Predicate Trio, Benjamin Schaefer, Thoren, Bak, Noise Trail Immersion, Frank Macchia & Brock Avery, and Sunless Dawn
Cécile Cappozzo Trio – Sub rosa
I’ve mentioned it before, but jazz labels need to become modern and stop being so hostile to their customers. In a practice that harms everyone involved—the customer, the label, and the musicians—it’s impossible to listen to the entirety of Sub rosa, in order to make an informed decision before buying it. That being said, Cécile Cappozzo‘s Trio crafted an astonishing album, here. Comprised of the thirty-seven-minute, four-part monster “Chaos” and the relatively short title track, Sub rosa is an incredible free jazz record. Seldom has a title been so descriptive. Dive … 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
Ellen Kirkwood and Sirens Big Band, Permanent Tension, Philip Zoubek Trio, Big Lad, Esperanza Spalding, Voragine of Autumn, Bluelight, Julia Holter, and Amira Kheir
Ellen Kirkwood and Sirens Big Band – [A]part
From Earshift Music, we get this monstrous work of art: Ellen Kirkwood‘s tetraptych “[A]part” suite, played by herself and Sirens Big Band, with additional soloists. The album is lyriclessly about many contemporary social issues, and uses similarly modern jazz to convey them. This is an album that not only needs to be listened carefully, but also read into. This is an absolute must!
Permanent Tension – Dedicated to the Guilt That Should Have Been but Never Was
Technical and emotive, Permanent Tension‘s newest release is chaotic yet relatable. Dedicated … Read more
Blast – Drifting
The Music
The Words
Blast is the newest project involving French pianist Anne Quillier, who seems to be unable to do anything bad, as our previous reviews of Watchdog, Asylon Terra, and her own sextet can attest. This new moniker is basically the aforementioned Watchdog duo with Pierre Horckmans with an added drummer: Guillaume Bertrand. Percussions were one thing I would have liked to hear on Watchdog’s album, so this should be perfect!
On Rhodes and Moogs, Anne’s parts are rhythmically interesting and lay down the complex harmonic framework of the compositions, mostly hers and Guillaume’s. Sometimes distorted, … Read more