Michael Gordon, Eight Carl, John Zorn, Daxma, TISM, and Charlie Kirchen Quartet

by Dæv Tremblay

michael gordon eight carl john zorn daxma tism charlie kirchen quartet

Michael Gordon & Deborah Artman – Acquanetta (Cantaloupe Music)

Acquanetta is a short hour-long opera written by composer Michael Gordon. This piece takes its inspiration from horror movies of the forties, telling the tale of an actress that rose to fame before vanishing from the scene. The composition is far from traditional, for an operatic work. Instead, Michael’s score feels at the same time very contemporary and much like a movie soundtrack. Needless to say, this studio-recorded version of the piece is of the highest calibre, thanks to the Bang on a Can Opera Ensemble and the invaluable vocal … Read more

Weekly Release Dump

by Dæv Tremblay

Friday, 12 July

Arctic Sleep – Kindred Spirits (post-metal, doomgaze)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Auras – Binary Garden (progressive metalcore)

Ontario
On eOne Heavy

Bartłomiej Krysiuk’s Батюшка (Batjuška) / Batushka – Господи (Hospodi) (atmospheric black metal, blackened death metal)

Poland
On Metal Blade

Black to Comm – Before After (experimental electro)

Hamburg, Germany
On Thrill Jockey

Eight Carl – Carl (math rock, noise rock)

Ann Arbor, Michigan

… Read more

John Ghost, For Now, Hermann Nitsch, Vessels, and CP Unit

by Dæv Tremblay

john ghost for now hermann nitsch vessels cp unit

John Ghost – Airships Are Organisms (Sdban Ultra)

Upon first listening, Airships Are Organisms immediately made me reminisce Canadian prog act Glaswegians and the timeless Tubular Bells. This was perhaps only a temporary passage, but it was nonetheless present strongly in the opening piece, “Deconstructing Hymns”. In fact, the entirety of John Ghost‘s opus is highly diversified and masterfully crafted. As they put it, the album is “an exploratory symbiosis drawing on electronics, post-classical, cinematic atmospherics + jazz”, and I’ll have to agree with them. Airships Are Organisms draws as much from contemporary classical and jazz as it … Read more

Weekly Release Dump

by Dæv Tremblay

Friday, 5 July

Andrea Belfi – Strata [EP] (experimental electro, jazz fusion)

Berlin, Germany
On Float

Read our review.

Arkhaaik – *dʰg̑ʰm̥tós (experimental black metal)

Switzerland
On Iron Bonehead

Atrium – Synthesis (progressive metal)

Provo, Utah

Detach the Islands – The Burden to Become Fact [EP] (mathcore, powerviolence)

New Yorke

Detlef – “Where’s the Luau? Dang!” [Single] (math rock)

Atlanta, Georgia

https://detlefband.bandcamp.com/album/wheres-the-luau-dang… Read more

Sevish, Glacier, Louis-Vincent Hamel, Zeitgeber, John Zorn, and Jack Quartet

by Dæv Tremblay

Sevish – Horixens

After a series of impressive albums, the bar is high for UK microtonal electronic music artist Sevish. Horixens is set for release in July, independently. From the rhythmic experiments of Rhythm & Xen to the harmonic complexity of Harmony Hacker, what’s the next step? Well, Horixens seems to take a step down in terms of intensity, complexity, and experimentation in order to craft a more atmospheric experience. The beats and motifs therein are generally more gentle and make for a relaxed listening experience. The goal, I think, is to cater to a different crowd, one … Read more