Foxy Digitalis
Narrative vignettes are tied together in the inward-flowing expanses of Brian McBride’s “Far From Home” rework. Glassine drones turn to vapor, swelling beyond borders and into the night. A sense of dread lurks within resonant hollows, twisted into pensive melodies that disappear in the seconds before taking hold. McBride continues to turn the screws, building […]
Reality is a shifting plane through the emotive crystalscapes of Belgian duo ZONDERWERK’s “DreamArp4Kort4.” Their upcoming debut album, babel, was initially conceived as a soundtrack for a stage play. Filled with movement and wonder colored with a harsh, delicate edge, find “DreamArp4Kort4” scaling aural imagery into the distance while the emotive melodies pull us inward. This […]
Among the gentle acoustic guitar plucks and lilting vocal melodies, “New Skin” reflects on change and stagnation. Scott Matthews’s voice pierces through the soft sonic clouds to scatter light into unknown corners, to illuminate the unfamiliar pathways so that the uncharted distance isn’t so daunting. “Before I’m fully aware of it, a change has taken […]
Beyond the veil of our perceptions lies a world of infinite possibility. London and Taipei-based artist a wave, a mouth; crafts a captivating narrative on their upcoming album, King Lee. The shimmering sonic passages that open “She Wears the Crown” bridges the distance between that reality and our imaginations, flickering in magical patterns. Languid piano arrangements […]
To call Sacratávica special does a disservice to just how vital this first-ever collection of Guatemalan composer and interdisciplinary artist Joaquin Orellana’s work is. As the central figure in the Guatemalan avant garde, his work spans decades and mediums. On the collection’s title track, Orellana’s ambition comes to life. Cloud-like choral arrangements encircle resonant percussive elements from […]
A beguiling combination of blown-out, stochastic rhythms and traditional folk-infused strings pulls back a mythical curtain on “Guidance.” Ruah (aka Benjamin Schurr) takes the opening and drives it into the outer sonic reaches, with globular basslines hypnotizing us while he paints affecting, soaring melodies with his voice. The production and songwriting have an epic quality, […]
Harsh frequencies meddle with an otherwise stoic atmosphere, putting a disorienting sheen into the air. Crackling oscillations turn the page just as “Spiral VI” feels like too much. Pé’s Spiral: A Continuation picks up the still-dangling threads from his last Dragon’s Eye release, Spiral. Everything here – each tone, each arrangement – is stripped to […]
Of the many things about “Souna” that sticks with me, the visceral power of Namian Sidibé’s voice rises above. Borne from the sumu (or praise singer) tradition and imbued with an earthy timbre, the Malian artist sparks melodies to life and turns them into an eternal ether. Her cousin, Jules Diabaté, accompanies on acoustic guitar, […]
When an artist can take an already-memorable piece of music and rework it, it completely rewires how our brains think about the track. worriedaboutsatan’s (aka Gavin Miller) “Orbain Irekiak” remix is one such track. “I did the remix just as I was finishing up my next satan record, The Pivot, so was in a weird in-between […]