Shards, Fire-Toolz, Širom, Nathalie Joachim, Tjalling, and Patricia Taxxon

by Dæv Tremblay

shards fire-toolz sirom nathalie joachim tjalling patricia taxxon

Shards – Find Source (Erased Tapes)

Beauty sometimes comes from the unlikeliest of marriages. Enter the debut album of London-based vocal ensemble Shards: Find Sound. Their vision takes the shape of choir music amorously intertwined with electronic music and synthwave. Choirwave, perhaps? The staple track off this record might be the second one. “Summer Sickness” has all the nostalgia and longing it can muster in its dissonant intervals, so poignantly used it’s truly heart-wrenching. The song starts with arpeggiated chords on synth, and a lush, vibrant polyphony of voices, later joined by some percussion and bass. All this … Read more

Monthly Recommendations: August 2019

by Dæv Tremblay

inus noice ackerley fifth alliance riga

Zeitgeber – Transforming the Random Crushing Forces of the Universe into Manageable Patterns (Art as Catharsis)

I have a deep love affair with the Australian handpan-and-clarinet duo, dating back since the release of their debut, Heteronomy. On their upcoming EP, the duo expands its sonic palette by adding layers of guitars, bass, didgeridoo, viola, and more to the core instrumentation. This leads to a more lush band sound, but affects the way the material can be played live. Well, such matters matter not for now, because the recordings are as trance-inducing and enjoyable as ever. Be ready to hop … Read more

August in 147 Albums

by Dæv Tremblay

Thursday, 1 August

Dead Way Englightenment – Störung [EP] (post-black metal)

Kiev, Ukraine

פיי שפירו (Faye Shapiro) – אלף נשיקות (Elef neshikot) [EP] (experimental pop, world fusion)

Israel

Zeitgeber – Transforming the Random Crushing Forces of the Universe into Manageable Patterns [EP] (world fusion)

Sydney, Australia
On Art as Catharsis

Read our review.

Friday, 2

Aaron Myers-Brooks – Energetic Bursts (progressive metal)

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Blame God – Power and Control [EP] (grindcore)

New York

… Read more

Weekly Release Dump

by Dæv Tremblay

Friday, 23 August

Alexander Noice – Noice (experimental pop, math rock, jazz fusion)

Los Angeles, California
On Orenda

Read our review.

The Big Yes! – The Big Yes! (experimental jazz, free jazz)

Oslo, Norway
On Nakama

The Coup – Steal This Double Album [Rerelease] (hip-hop, nu-jazz)

Nesconset, New York
On Rock Francis

Emmett Elvin – The End of Music (progressive rock, jazz fusion)

London, UK
On Bad Elephant Music

Eternal Storm – Come the Tide (progressive death metal)

Madrid, Spain
On Transcending Obscurity

… Read more

Jessica Ackerley, The Side Eye, U Circle Breakers, Collector, John Zorn, and Wrvth

by Dæv Tremblay

ackerley side eye circle breakers collector zorn wrvth

Jessica Ackerley – A New Kind of Water

Canada-born, New York-based guitarist Jessica Ackerley has a harmonic language and playing style all her own. That much is evident on her new jazz album for quartet, A New Kind of Water—which sounds like the slogan for “energized” bottled water or something like that—and upcoming noise rock album with Essi. Building on her previous work, Coalesce, Ackerley offers a set of alternatively challenging and rewarding compositions, with a refined contemporary sound. Over the course of the album, Ackerley easily displays a broad range of inspirations, ideas, and proficiency, which … Read more