July Recommendations

monthlyrecommendationsjuly

Here’s the monthly recommendations post you’ve awaited for so long! Ah, who am I kidding? I’m the only one reading this blog! Anyways, what are the unmissable releases of July 2015, according to the three-legged raven?

First off is Ethan McKenna‘s sophomore, In Transition. It’s what I’d call an acoustic prog album. Ethan makes use of advanced techniques on his acoustic, like percussive playing, loads of harmonics, and some slap and tapping too, for good measure. Even though its main focus is on the acoustic guitar, it’s well-accompanied by the usual bass and drums, and sometimes even by … Read more

trioVD – Fill It Up With Ghosts

trioVD is an experimental jazz trio from the UK, and Fill It Up With Ghosts is their 2009 debut album. After this one, they’ve released X in 2011 and Maze in 2012.

I would readily compare trioVD with T.R.A.M., as they’re both experimental jazz trios comprised of a saxophone, a guitar, and drums. Both lacking the low end and groove provided by the bass guitar; it may be because I’m a bassist myself that I find this somewhat enraging, but it is quite upsetting that such great music goes without a bassist, it seems like such a waste! Still, trioVD, … Read more

Review: Sevish – Rhythm And Xen

Sevish has been known in the microtonal music circles for some time now, mostly due to his 2010 effort “Golden Hour”. 2015 marks the return of the man, with Rhythm And Xen, a xenharmonic effort leaning heavily on drum & bass and electronic music, as well as breakbeat and ambient music. For the uninitiated, xenharmonic is “music that does not sound like 12-tone equal temperament”, according to Ivor Darreg, who coined the term.

Therefore, the music in there might be quite hard to grasp for somebody who’s only heard 12-tone equal temperament (12-TET) all their life, taking up practically … Read more

Review: Rise – Resilience

1You, mere mortals, subordinate readers, can only listen to one of the songs from Rise‘s Resilience upcoming album, through the video above: About Duality. But trust me, your supreme guide and musical spirit, this album will be on a lot of year’s end lists, ours first! Let’s dig a bit to try and understand why.

The manifesto of Rise is all about bringing back romanticism in modern music, specifically a blend of metal, hardcore, metalcore, alternative, and other trace elements. Romance is all about evoking emotions, stimulating the imaginary, and blowing an atmosphere around itself, engulfing the beholder … Read more

Review: Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra – Ghostology

Lost between the realms of opera, jazz, and avant-garde music, Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra‘s what seems to be debut album Ghostology is a real gem of experimentation in popular music, although what’s left of pop music is so altered in the process that it can barely be called that. However, the avant-pop label seems quite fitting, even more so when followed by the ghost jazz speciality. What is ghost jazz? I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to it.

With an orchestra comprising of many instruments, from glass harp to bass clarinet, and from glockenspiel to “toys”, the … Read more