Soldat Hans – Es taut

by Matt Matheson

The Words

Soldat Hans is an outlier in their musical setting, lilting tranquilly somewhere in a liminal dimension between post-rock and post-metal. They are an outlier because they do not demand your attention in an immediate way, as most bands in the modern era of streaming and accessibility have to do. If a listener is bored of your track within fifteen seconds, they’re not coming back, so you have to compose songs that hook people with a certain urgency. Soldat Hans are not interested in appealing to those casual listeners; their songs are enormous, expansive, patient meditations on minimal themes. … Read more

Turbamulta – Turbamulta

by Dæv Tremblay

The Words

The minimalistic contemporary classical quintet Turbamulta released their self-titled album via Clean Feed Records on 16 March. The near-fifty-minute album is made of three main tracks, two of which are divided into smaller pieces, and a shorter interlude. The composition-improvisation process of the chamber ensemble seems quite unique and somewhat convoluted. From what I can gather, it seems like they reiterate upon previous improvised sessions, in a sort of musical feedback loop. I’d like to know more about it, but the words of the label itself seem shrouded in lyrical musings.

Nevertheless, the end product is pure joy … Read more

Moteur! – En traits libres

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Moteur! is a French avant-prog band who released its debut self-titled album almost exactly a year ago. En traits libres is their most recent output, and it makes some changes on the basic formula. First of all, the band is now totally instrumental, and I can’t say I miss the vocals of their first opus; moving them out was a wise move. Secondly, the then-trio welcomes Yacine Rabia on bass guitar and becomes a full-fledged quartet! That adds a layer of sound, something that wasn’t really lacking, but that is nonetheless appreciated.

The band favours completely … Read more