I wrote previously about Bahía Mansa’s fantastic new album, botánica del olvido, and how creates a lush sonic paradise. Iván Aguayo put together a video for one of the standout tracks, “amapolas,” using beautifully rendered, evolving pictures from an AI image generator. It’s a lovely accompaniment to the song, getting into similar esoteric zones as the album. Grab a copy below! If you like what … Continue reading Video Premiere: Bahía Mansa “amapolas”
It’s astounding to think that Scanner’s “Comus,” as well as the other recordings on his new release of archival work from Room 40, Earthbound Transmissions, is over 30 years old. Since his debut as Scanner in 1992 on Ash International, Robin Rimbaud’s work has explored the ideas of public and private space, surveillance, and acoustic worlds outside of everyday life. To me, his work has often touched … Continue reading Video Premiere: Scanner “Comus”
Two exciting new projects from Lawrence English are being announced today, both long in the works and finely ripe for picking. First up is A Mirror Holds the Sky, a collection culled from over 50 hours over field recordings English and his wife, Rebecca, made during a 2008 visit to the Amazon. English’s visit was facilitated by Francisco Lopez’s Mamori Artlab residency and almost 13 … Continue reading Video Premiere: Lawrence English “A Mirror Holds the Sky”
Last summer, when uncertainty reigned supreme and not only was there no light at the end of it, there wasn’t even a damn tunnel to look through, Ted Byrnes, along with Patrick Shiroishi, offered a faint glimmer of hope. The duo played an outdoor, backyard, socially distanced set in Los Angeles and the mix of glee and fear was pure catharsis. Nearly a year later and Ted … Continue reading Video Premiere: Ted Byrnes “Preparation”
Will Long’s Celer project has spanned decades even if the timelessness and scope of his work make it feel like millennia. Layers that tap into singular emotions, spread across infinite worlds of sound opening up new worlds and fresh pathways where belief and forgiveness run rampant. On “Melancholy Movement,” from his forthcoming album, In Light of Blues on Room 40, Long uses memory to transform into new forms. … Continue reading Video Premiere: Celer “Melancholy Movement”
If there was ever an album that was ripe for a stellar tribute, it was Ted Lucas’s magical self-titled record. Portland, Oregon songwriter Jeffrey Silverstein was asked by Perpetual Doom to head up the project the label couldn’t have made a better choice. Silverstein, whose own solo work is quite wonderful itself, brought together a diverse array of artists to keep the spirit of Lucas’s … Continue reading Let’s Get Stoned Together: Premiere & Interview w/ Jeffrey Silverstein
Getting lost is sometimes the best way to escape. In the opening sequence of Booker Stardrum’s beautiful lament, “Walking Through Still Air,” he cascades jewel-encrusted notes into a fuzz-laden pool, waiting for the moment to break free. Jamie Branch’s skittering trumpet lights the fuse and as soon as Stardrum layers in phased-out, raucous percussive samples it’s time for lift-off. Continue reading Video Premiere: Booker Stardrum “Walking Through Still Air”
Sally Decker’s “The Loss” lingers well beyond its runtime, a lucid memory running on a loop in your mind. Paired with Emily Chao’s haunting video (made in collaboration with Decker), the thick tension channeled through these four minutes can be felt through your entire body. It’s a stark preview of her forthcoming album, In The Tender Dream, coming soon on NNA Tapes. Opening with bleak, … Continue reading Video Premiere: Sally Decker “The Loss”
Unexpected geometry becomes an obscuring prism that shifts your perception of Robert Gerard Pietrusko’s narcotic “UTM39N.” Tranquil synth currents move across the surface, waves searching for a beach to smother, while electronic static is an aural glaze that hovers above like the sound of the summer sun. Pietrusko’s work is effortless as if it was plucked from the trees in the video, a solitary leaf floating through the grey skies to the earth below. Continue reading Video Premiere: Robert Gerard Pietrusko “UTM39N”
Yann Novak’s work exists in an ephemeral place where meaning hangs at arms’ length, quietly listening but leaving room for interpretation. For his latest album on Room 40, Lifeblood of Life and Rapture, he opens a vein and let’s the world helplessly revolve. Through gentle rolling synthesis, shards of light pierce the haze to offer an escape route. Continue reading Video Premiere: Yann Novak “Dark, Perplexing, Ruptures of Plane”
