Temple Mist – Ye Invocatioun of Hys Kynge

Just like a haunting soundtrack, Ye Invocatioun of Hys Kynge leaves you battered and confused. For this record, the mysterious entity Temple Mist improvised eerie soundscapes outside the realms of conventional harmony, even throwing away core concepts such as tempo out the window. The result is a thirty-five minute album that makes you question everything, and made people who overheard it playing at my place very uncomfortable.

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Jacob Collier – Djesse, Volume 3 (Decca (UMO))

ⅩⅪ century musical genius Jacob Collier is back with the third instalment of his Djesse suite. On Volume 3, Jacob explores contemporary, so-called urban, music—whereas 1 was a foray in jazz fusion, and 2 had stronger folk music vibes—with pop, R&B, rap, and funk heavily represented. In this new turn of events, there are a lot of influences crisscrossed all throughout each composition, which usually have unusual song structures, which often include very short passages of other genres, making them almost seem like a musical collage or mosaic (listen to “In My Bones” for a good example of what I’m talking about here). The result is an engrossing and utterly venomous record that will get stuck in your head for a while.

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Sam Weinberg, Nicola L Hein, and Jason Nazary – Nihilartikels

The improvisations of saxophonist Sam Weinberg don’t need to be proven. Here, accompanied by guitarist Nicola L Hein and drummer Jason Nazary, the trio accomplishes some of the most restless and hectic improvisations out there. Nihilartikels—or Nihilartikles, depending on where you look—consists of three improvisations, recorded last July, that add up to just under fifty minutes of material. It’s wild.

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Leviathan Owl – Would You Kindly

The project of Andrew Scott Leviathan Owl previously garnered a lot of praise from my part, so I will be quick here because I’ll just repeat myself. Would You Kindly is the third album released under the moniker, and with each iteration comes its minor improvements. If you’re not sold already, prepare yourself for usually soft and always carefully written progressive metal that draws some inspiration from jazz harmony. The songs are full of atmosphere and hit just the right notes every time.

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서수진 [Seo Sujin / Soojin Suh] Coloris Trio – Colorist

서수진—hereafter Soojin Suh—is a Korean jazz drummer and composer and her Coloris trio is the realization of modern jazz with a uniquely Korean approach. With the help of bassist 김영후 (Young Hoo Kim) and pianist 강재훈 (Jae Hun Kang), Soojin Suh crafts beautiful melodies and arrangements that leave room for improvisation and feeling. Colorist is a beautiful album with unique colours.

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Titan to Tachyons – Cactides (Nefarious Industries)

It’s no debate, Titan to Tachyons is an underground supergroup. Consisting of guitarist Sally Gates (Orbweaver, Gigan), bassist Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn, Infinien), and drummer Kenny Grohowski (Imperial Triumphant, John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3, Thoren), Titan to Tachyons aims to position itself as a new player in the avant-garde metal scene. With Cactides, I must admit that that goal is easily attained. Thoroughly out of the ordinary, bewildering, and discombobulating, the band’s debut cements their worth and relevance amidst giants.