Category: Reviews

Reviews

Luke Stewart & Jarvis Earnshaw Quartet s/t

Few artists have been more central to my listening over the last few years than Luke Stewart. His work is in constant motion as he maps out a singular path, exploring an ever-expanding sonic palette. That said, some of his most engaging work has been in ensembles whether it was the all-timer Exposure Quinet release on Astral Spirits last year, all things Irreversible Entanglements, or this intriguing quartet … Continue reading Luke Stewart & Jarvis Earnshaw Quartet s/t

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Reviews

Sarah Davachi “Antiphonals”

Everything about the stunning, sprawling Antiphonals is washed in a sea of wonder; timeless, gentle, and gripping. Sarah Davachi has an exceptional ability to create immersive sonic enclosures where it feels safe to ponder the heaviest emotions and roam freely within our own minds. Her music isn’t safe, though, it’s the opposite. By creating these enveloping, aural cocoons, Davachi sends us into the darkest reaches unsuspecting. Antiphonals moves … Continue reading Sarah Davachi “Antiphonals”

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Reviews

Ensemble Interactivo de La Habana “Studio Session”

TAK editions returns with a stunning document from the nine-person Ensemble Interactivo de La Habana (EIH), the incredible debut from this Cuban group of improvisers bringing their rapturous soundworld to US audiences for the first time. Studio Session was recorded in November 2020 after months of isolation and the sonic catharsis spread across these 40 minutes is riveting. This is an ensemble at peak form. Diverse, intricate … Continue reading Ensemble Interactivo de La Habana “Studio Session”

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Reviews

Wind Tide “Saturation Dust”

Soft breezes can be deceiving, shrouding a sea of intricate shapes beneath a swirling cloud. It’s easy to get lost in the cool movements. Wind Tide, the duo of Gretchen Korsmo and Andrew Weathers, are wandering on their latest album, the weightless Saturation Dust. Eyes closed, drifting through aqueous plains, the world within Saturation Dust is lush and inviting. There’s a sense of peering into a crystal clear … Continue reading Wind Tide “Saturation Dust”

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Reviews

Perila “7.32/2.11”

The cover of 7.32/2.11 is a faded Rorschach test. The scattered and blurred greyscale image could be a million different things, but there’s a surprising amount of movement hidden in the bleakness. Ghostly figures stand in line, waiting for their chance to pass through a doorway into the mountain’s depths. Auroras dance in the sky, puppeteers pulling cosmic strings, laughing through the pain, breathing in winter’s degradation … Continue reading Perila “7.32/2.11”

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Reviews

Erin Rogers “2000 Miles”

Even if 2000 Miles is a solo saxophone record, there’s something wholly percussive about it. Erin Rogers plays with a focused force, moving deftly across the keys and finding every sonic possibility of the instrument. The lightspeed clicks as she dances lightly in the air on the opener, “Waxing (Home I)” instantly commands attention. Extended notes flutter as if manipulated by changing speed on a tape machine, … Continue reading Erin Rogers “2000 Miles”

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Reviews

The Body and BIG|BRAVE “Leaving None But Small Birds”

Leaving None But Small Birds does what a lot of collaborations between established artists are afraid to do. The Body and BIG|BRAVE both make loud, visceral music so one would reasonably expect a collaboration to be loud and visceral. Well, half that equation is correct, but where Leaving None But Small Birds absolutely triumphs is in the unexpected way both groups strip back what they do to find … Continue reading The Body and BIG|BRAVE “Leaving None But Small Birds”

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Reviews

Alister Fawnwoda, Suzanne Ciani, & Greg Leisz “Milan”

Detroit’s Alister Fawnwoda is on a roll. Coming off a handful of stellar collaborative pieces with Omar S, his gaze shifts outward and upward into the expanding universe on Milan. Joining forces with two legendary figures in Suzanne Ciani and Greg Leisz (who exclusively plays pedal steel on Milan) to create something with such meditative depth is never a bad move, but Fawnwoda guides these sessions effortlessly. … Continue reading Alister Fawnwoda, Suzanne Ciani, & Greg Leisz “Milan”

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Reviews

Nick Zanca “Cacerolazo”

Cacerolazo is a departure for Nick Zanca in many ways; from his Mister Lies moniker and especially from the sonic fields where I’m used to finding him. Built around field recordings captured in 2013 while Zanca was at a tour stop in Turkey, he turns these cathartic and, at times, ominous captured moments into an intimate self-reflection. With each subsequent listen, the breadth of emotion in … Continue reading Nick Zanca “Cacerolazo”

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Reviews

Joel St. Julien “Empathy”

There’s a certain power in confronting bleakness by turning it on its head and creating a warm, safe place beyond its reach. Haitian-American composer Joel St. Julien built his own sonic universe during the depths of early 2021 when the pandemic raged and it was hard to know what each day would bring. Empathy is lush, full of vibrant hues and beautiful vistas where possibility rings like … Continue reading Joel St. Julien “Empathy”

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