The Capsule Garden returns! Apologies for the extended absence, but life has just gone in all kinds of directions in the last month and, as ever, something had to give. I think it’s settling down a bit (or, more accurately, I’m getting a better handle on all the things), so I’m excited to share a host of music that’s been keeping me company in recent weeks. To be fair, this is only a small snippet.
Quick note – Debacle Records released a new Charlatan CD called Vapor Tides that I am immensely proud of. I hope you’ll check it out.
NKISI The Altar (cortizona)
Serrated sound waves keep our focus on the corrosive edges bleeding through each electronic atmosphere on The Altar. Propulsive beats spell out sacred codes, etched into slow-moving synthetic soundscapes that defy our imaginations. NKISI combines disparate elements into cohesive soundworlds. Energetic movements scatter in all directions, leaving silver traces in an unknown, ancient language. Her deft sense of jilted melody melts into each fragmented framework. Skeletal ideas are honed into glossy paeans where grime is a virtue and we find emotional celebration within the rhythmic pummeling. The Altar is relentless and immersive, a potent combination of intricate programming fused with an air of magic and mysticism. It pulls us under and leaves our corporeal spirit encased in glass so that our unembodied consciousness drifts beyond the ether. Absolutely stellar.
Pat Keen I Saw a Bug (Island House)
A light breeze permeates every nook of Pat Keen’s delightful I Saw a Bug. Guitar serenades snake through sunkissed avenues, pulling a wagon full of laid-back, joyous melodies tinged with an ageless veneer. Keyboard leads shine on like a beacon we can follow in the distance. Keen spells out a lifetime in these vignettes, lazing on pedal steel rivers buoyed by bouncing rhythms and basslines that aren’t interested in the destination, only the forward path. This music spreads across a shaded horizon with the promise of one more sunrise and one more unforgettable moment. By the time we’re whisked away on woozy brass fields, we’ve heard it all, we’ve seen it all, and we’re more than content with what we’ve done. I Saw a Bug is an absolute joy of a record.
Volodja Brodsky Whispering Ln. (Hidden Harmony)
Ethereal whispers converted into floating electronic programs. Yesterday is captured in synthetic glass, shattered, and reconfigured as time-lapsed melodies. Inside gilded arpeggios, imaginary worlds blossom like fractal dreams dancing on perfect neon steps. Underwater movements permeate the gossamer sine waves, enhancing the delicacy and whimsy throughout each aural pathway. Darker, more contemplative moments emerge, especially in the longer pieces where time slows and there is more resonant space to drift. Brodsky blends each layer into shapeshifting holistic landscapes. We want to explore. We want to get lost. Whispering Ln. is enticing at every step, always inviting us deeper into its world. Great album art, too – I imagine it looks incredible at LP-size.
MAbH Wolves, Windows, and Curtains (Cruel Nature)
Charred sonic husks swirl in the background, moving through the remains of a life told through ash. MAbH’s Peter Taylor steps out from behind the cacophony with a series of spoken word pieces that scrape the bottom for the roots of pulled teeth left behind. His words, crystal clear and focused, are a scalpel cutting trying to cut out the root while strings bleed horror amongst chirping birds. This should be offputting, but there’s a beguiling realism carved into each aural bone. Wolves, Windows, and Curtains is what it sounds like to have cracked ribs piercing skin and exposed to the caustic mess surrounding us. But it’s also a naked catharsis with nothing left to imagination. Drones find thick clouds in search of heaven before MAbH falls back to Earth to once again celebrate the ringing in our ears. It’s a heady listen, but well worth the trip.
Loula Yorke speak, thou vast and venerable head (quiet details)
Sometimes when I get especially lost in the electronic maze of speak, thou vast and venerable head, I imagine this music as a series of microscopic machines moving through my bloodstream. Rhythmic blips fire like synapses in between molded, mutating tonal progressions. Yorke sprinkles magic dust across this sonic map. Her use of melodic shapes and complex structures sings in the hollows between our heartbeats. Synth waves morph tiny particles into full-fledged aural landscapes accented with lilting birdsong and textural scrapes. Whether expansive or looking inward, Yorke leads a journey through spectral, synthetic heavens. She’s incredible as ever.
Ryan Seward weathering (Sawyer Editions)
Tactile sound explorations emerge from decayed expanses to take form in captivating dronescapes on weathering. Seward rehabbed a broken-down old reed organ that had been found in a wood pile to get it making sound again. weathering documents the instrument as is, the odd tunings and physical limitations adding a special, almost enchanting weariness to each reflection. Throughout these three pieces, it’s like we’re in the room. Tangible vibrations move heavily through the air. Each timbre holds its own gravity as notes extend in unknown intervals, held long enough for the impact to be felt, long enough to get lost in the warm tones. Seward’s approach shows a real connection to the instrument. His minimal touch lets the organ sing so that he can guide the sound forward, wrapping each extended phrase around us like a blanket. Another crucial listen from Sawyer Editions.
Ted Byrnes & Michael Foster Solfege (Torn Light)
A series of short bursts interconnected by complex percussive catharsis cast Solfege in a silver sheen. Foster and Byrnes wind yarn through chaos to build frenetic and beguiling sound structures. Dichotomies emerge as Foster bends his sax exultations into slow mantras while Byrnes wilds through textural gardens beneath. These variable pacings are stellar, dizzying in the best possible way. Quieter stretches build resonant spaces to float methodically. Byrnes keeps searching, moving at light speed, but in these moments, there’s a muted quality that gives the horn an added warmth. Solfege has a simple setup, but the result is anything but. The connection Byrnes and Foster share gives this music an emotive richness that spreads into every tonic granule and every lilting phrase. It’s a ride from start to finish, with almost tranquil inward spells spilling into fervent sonic blasts. Foster shows incredible range and Byrnes reaffirms he’s one of my favorite drummers on the planet. Highest recommendation.
Hadley Roe All That’s Left (Self-Released)
Changing light filters through the emotive meanderings of All That’s Left, Hadley Roe’s debut album. Moments trickle into days into years into lifetimes. Throughout these gentle reflections, melodies sparkle before dissipating into the ether. Melancholic progressions draw us inward toward spaces where this music glows. There’s an underlying feeling of loneliness and longing adrift like speculative ghosts sending out tendrils in search of permanence. So much of All That’s Left is awash in this sense of abandoning what is known while not knowing if it will lead to something better. Yet, a hopeful undercurrent finds its way into these drawn-out expressions. Piano melodies paint stars in darkening skies. Bright resonance emerges from overcast tonescapes. At all times, All That’s Left is beautiful and inviting, an aural landscape that becomes what we need it to be in the moment.
Quick Hits:
smr.tni “unrelieving” (himukalt)
Torn to shreds, buried in dead leaves, and left for the Earth to hold once more, “unrelieving” is a relentless force. Grating rhythms black out fraut basslines to create dense spaces for smr.tni to spit fire.
Innovative Landscapes Laboratory “Spontaneous Dimensions” (Sublime Retreat)
Immersive sound design cascades through fields of cinematic whimsy. Blooping electronics, hollow breaths, sharp cuts, and a host of organic sound sources combine to create a series of playful vignettes. So much to explore here.
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