Yowie is one of those names that evoke wonderment, amazement, bewilderment. It all began with their 2004 debut, Cryptooology, which redefined the boundaries of the math rock genre. In truth, I believe they stand besides Hella for their contribution to the genre. Cryptooology and Hold Your Horse Is are kin, siblings of the same noospheric matrix, in my eyes. We had to wait eight years before Yowie were to release their sophomore, Damning with Faint Praise, which took the flame of its predecessor, and swallowed it.

Today, I’ll be writing my thoughts on the band’s third release, titled … Read more

Freedom, by Monas, is an experimental free jazz album from the New Yorker trio. With merely two tracks, the album culminates at almost forty minutes of musical extravaganza. In ‘Visible Spirit’, Colin Fisher leads with the guitar, and he switches to the saxophone for ‘Invisible Nature’. That gives us two complementary sides, each rife with improvisation and musical prowesses.
E Gone is an indie folk music project from Sweden, and The Third Is a Mountain Which Holds a Dagger even takes some singer-songwriter turns, but sticks for the most part with acoustic experimentation, delivered via multiple instruments. At … Read more

This is not a Valentine’s day special.
Zeitgeber‘s upcoming album, Heteronomy, has just been announced, on Art as Catharsis’ bandcamp, but I’ve been able to listen to the whole thing and… It’s fascinating beyond words! The duo manages to create an entrancing and intellectual experience through a fusion of traditional and modern instruments, merging world music with psychedelic rock and electronica. It’s something I wholeheartedly recommend, if you’re even slightly piqued by ‘Phase Responsive Curve’, the available single. The album comes out on March fourteenth, and it is absolutely fantastic!
Québec’s symphonic folk death metal act Aeternam, … Read more

British atmospheric progressive black metal trio Fen‘s fifth album, Winter, will be released on March tenth. The six parts, making up seventy-six minutes of runtime, can be thought of as one single and epic piece. Their compositions are varied and offer a real musical journey to experience. And, on top of that, the double LP and box set offer unique artworks that are totally amazing!
Benoît Lugué‘s Cycles is an outstanding experimental jazz album from the French bassist’s sextet. The thing crosses paths with the mathematically-inclined compositions and overall vibe of math rock, which is rather laid … Read more

It’s not the first time Brendon Coleman Quartet puts something out, but they might just have outdone themselves with Infinite Loop. The over fifty-minute album consists of a pretty standard quartet format with guitar and piano, but the compositions and improvisations they play are a perfect fit for it. That’s not surprising, but it still deserves recognition. Infinite Loop is just an awesome modern jazz album!
After many delays, the Greek-mythology-obsessed French band Promethean released Aloades, their debut EP, on February ninth. For once, the band describes themselves quite accurately with the term ‘symphonic blackened death metal’, although … Read more