I love when albums like this show up in my inbox. Molly Germer is a composer and violinist from Philadelphia who has played with a wide range of artists from Japanese Breakfast and Tomberlin to The Who and Rhiannon Giddens. She’s got incredible range and it’s on display throughout her first solo release, Remedy. While it’s Germer’s incredible violin skill that immediately stands out, the way … Continue reading Molly Germer “Remedy”
Ashes, the new album from Field of Fear, takes a heavy concept and transforms it into something dark and beautiful with an overwhelming power at its core. The pieces on Ashes were composed by processing pixel data from photographs taken of the aftermath of the CZU Lightning Complex fires in California last year. That data was then converted into frequencies that act “both a lament for and … Continue reading Track Premiere: Field of Fear “Fallen Branch”
On the inaugural episode of Foxy Digitalis Radio on Radio Coyote, I focused on the work of Washington D.C. artist, Imka, and his plant-based music. His full-length, Manyara, used an incredible array of plants to collect the bio-electrical signals that his compositions are built around. Imka’s work continues to evolve with his monthly HEALTH live series. In this episode, I play a variety of Imka’s … Continue reading Foxy Digitalis Radio #1: Imka
Peter Tran’s Curved Light project’s new album, Spirit Echo, is a surprise. Taking a more beat-driven, direct approach, Tran has crafted an apprehensive collection of songs where life and death is at the center. Trepidation flows like sonic currents throughout Spirit Echo, only finding a sense of solace and closure at the very end. “Perfect Blue” closes the album, almost as a coda, with layers of spiraling, … Continue reading Video Premiere: Curved Light “Perfect Blue”
Nasturtium is an edible flower, but my first time seeing the word (which was when I got an email about this album) made me think it was a black metal band. That dichotomy is an excellent metaphor for the compositional qualities of Please Us. In this case, Nasturtium is the duo of Erin Dawson and Geneva Skeen, two artists with disparate approaches that combine to create … Continue reading Nasturtium “Please Us”
There’s different air about William Selman’s latest album, Saccades. Mystery unfolds within each self-contained sonic universe, the crevices teeming with life, the empty space an instrument of its own. While Selman’s work often challenges listeners, there’s always an engaging undercurrent to it. Saccades continues this exploratory practice but shifts the viewpoint causing adding a cinematic scope to these pieces that are a fantastic surprise. Opening with the title … Continue reading William Selman “Saccades”
The pandemic has wreaked havoc on so many artists the past 18 months, but when everything began shutting down, Thollem McDonas was at the front of my mind. McDonas is the traveling musician, having crossed the country (and world!) countless times to perform, speak, record, collaborate, and everything else in between. Sidelined since March 2020, Thollem and his wife, Angela, headed back out on the … Continue reading Thollem Gets Back on Stage
In the opening moments of Whose Echoes Live In Memory, swirling drones emerge from a blanket of fog as the dawn breaks on “Shadows Wake.” Corben’s music is slow and considered, never changing directions on a whim or venturing too far from the morning light. Intricate washes breathe in the cool air on “Isolation Kites,” sanguine tones swimming under a blanket of delicate hiss inviting … Continue reading Corben “Whose Echoes Live In Memory”
CD edition available from Mondoj While I continue dreaming of a new more eaze solo album, I’m thankful she keeps releasing these stunning collaborations. —__–___ finds her joining forces with the inimitable Seth Graham and their debut, The Heart Pumps Kool-Aid, is a lush landscape littered with hope, heartbreak, and the emotional detritus we hang onto while being crushed under the weight of simply surviving in … Continue reading –___–__ “The Heart Pumps Kool-Aid”
Norah Lorway composes music in ways that are totally foreign and completely fascinating to me. She’s equal parts artist, architect, and coder, using different applications and languages to build soundworlds from scratch. She regularly participates in live coding shows and algoraves, two events I was unfamiliar with before digging into her work and her label, Xylem. Her most recent album, Another World, uses these skills and approaches … Continue reading Worlds Within the Code: An Interview With Norah Lorway
