Monthly Recommendations: June 2019

by Dæv Tremblay

Andys Skordis – In… Se… (Insitu)

The contemporary Gamelan scene is undergoing a surprising flourishing, thanks in no small part to Insitu Recordings, which have been promoting and releasing many artists from many styles, from the more traditional to the more experimental. Andys Skordis‘s Gamelan opera In… Se… is definitely of the latter. The Cypriot composer’s newest work clocks in at almost two hours, and it’s a complete operatic composition with libretto and performance that is totally immersed in Gamelan and Western traditions. If you’re looking for something completely different, this is right there for you.

Read more.

… Read more

June in 130 Albums

by Dæv Tremblay

Saturday, 1 June

The Air of Hiroshima – Китч (Kitč) [EP] (post-hardcore)

Yekaterinburg, Russia
On Sadday Agency

Feat. Esserelà – Disco Dooro (progressive rock, avant-prog)

Bologna, Italy
On Lizard

Fools and Foes – Fools and Foes (alternative rock)

Manila, Philippines
On A Spur of the Moment Project

Garden Quartet – Garden Quartet (world fusion)

Melbourne, Australia
On Bleeemo Music

Hell Is Other People and My Lonely Sea [Split] (post-black metal)

Ontario / Russia

… Read more

Some Became Hollow Tubes, Nick Mazzarella Trio, A Half with Tinnitus, Makeunder, Tiger Swallow Tail, and Present/Whereas

by Dæv Tremblay

Some Became Hollow Tubes – Keep It in the Ground (Gizeh)

Nothing seems better fitting than Gizeh’s own slogan flying above this album on Bandcamp: “The Noise of Harmony & the Harmony of Noise”. Indeed, Some Became Hollow Tubes‘s music feels at time like background noise—droning sounds for extended periods of time with few if any change with each successive repetition—yet it does so harmoniously (that term is used in its literal definition: there is harmony, but few would consider it qualitatively harmonious). The guitar-effects-synths and drums duo builds up immense atmospheres eerier than post-rock’s more massive examples … Read more

Weekly Release Dump

by Dæv Tremblay

Friday, 21 June

Abyssal – A Beacon in the Husk (blackened death metal)

UK
On Profound Lore

高瀬アキ (Aki Takase) – 北斎 (Hokusai) (modern jazz, free jazz)

Berlin, Germany
On Intakt

Bedouine – Bird Songs of a Killjoy (indie folk)

Los Angeles, California
On Spacebomb LLC

Black Midi – Schlagenheim (experimental rock, noise rock)

London, UK
On Rough Trade

Read our review.

Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze – Offerings of Flesh and Gold (atmospheric black metal, post-metal)

Colorado

… Read more

Bonniesongs, Black Midi, Ensamble Peripecia, Broken Fall, Alexander Noice, and Dreare

by Dæv Tremblay

Bonniesongs – Energetic Mind (Small Pond)

Bonniesongs already released some hot fire in the past, but her latest effort, Energetic Mind comes on top of it all. The Sydney-based singer and multi-instrumentalist showcases her newest compositions, and they are truly fabulous. The style she’s working in I would describe as “indie folk”, but it has more depth than a mere two words, and ties you into venomous pop melodies, complex layered instrumentation, and a whole lot of atmosphere. Just listen to the single “Barbara” for a prime example of what I’m trying to convey, here. The album comes out in … Read more