Maeth – Whaling Village

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Progressive stoner metal band Maeth has already wooed us with their previous album, Shrouded Mountain, which is exactly the kind of music I wanted stoner metal to be. Out of apparently nowhere, they released what is to be their last album, due to band members moving out: Whaling Village.

Adding to their already impressive sonic quality, this newcomer brings new aspects of the band’s sound to life, while keeping the things I liked the most well anchored. For example, the use of various bell cymbals, although somewhat shier than before, is still present and … Read more

Shishko Disco, Sloth Racket, Rytmigeneraattori, Tim Garland, Echo Pearl Varsity, Mimika Orchestra, Spurv, Actias Luna, and Anicon

by Dæv Tremblay

Shishko Disco – Shishko Disco

Berlin’s Middle-Eastern funk crew Shishko Disco was a pretty and nice surprise in May. Their full-length debut combines the traditional and recognizable melodies of Arabic music with Western and modern jazz. The result is truly impressive and endlessly replayable. Listen to a few seconds of it to succumb to its charm!

Sloth Racket – A Glorious Monster

Sloth Racket is a band bringing forth a slow burn type of jazz, almost akin to doom music. The saxophonist’s compositions are complex and quite close to free jazz, which is really impressive and interesting. The four songs … Read more

Les Rugissants – D’humain et d’animal

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Les Rugissants is a nu jazz ensemble from Paris, France, and they recently released their latest album: D’humain et d’animal–Of Human and Animal, if you allow me the free translation. At the junction of progressive rock and big band jazz, Les Rugissants plays an emotive and intellectually compelling brand of jazz that I must make sure you not miss.

After the lyrical and rather romantic introduction of “Le visage”, we get to an interesting \(\frac{5}{4}\) motif in “Second hymne delphique à Apollon”, which gets expanded upon throughout the song, quite rewardingly so. At … Read more

Matt Penman – Good Question

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Modern jazz, with its emphasis on rhythm, above harmony or melody, has swiftly become one of my favourite and most sought-after subgenres of jazz music. I believe this was kickstarted in me by the amazing group Ikarus, which commonly uses various metres against one another to great effect. Today’s subject follows that train of thought on Good Question.

As a starting point, the first track starts off with what sounds like a \(\frac{13}{16}\) melody over \(\frac{13}{8}\) chords. While these two voices resolve every two measures, it’s interesting to hear and a bit jarring at … Read more

Kaguu – Wistful

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

I remember last year, when I covered Kaguu‘s debut, I was very fond of their sweet tap-and-math rock. It’s cheerful and, simply, beautiful. Well, it’s one year later, and the band’s sophomore is here!

Wistful takes the same mentality that made Hawkridge wonderful, and expands upon it. Not only is it longer than the previous EP, it’s also better in every respect; as a ripened fruit. Playful and sweet, it’s one of the finest math rock releases of the year so far. It’s not perfect, however. I like and enjoy the humanness of the … Read more