Category: Reviews

Reviews

Atsuko Hatano “Insulated Paradise”

Japanese composer Atsuko Hatano’s longform pieces from the past year have been a revelation. With her latest, Insulated Parade, she reaches new levels. Throughout the 37-minute release, Hatano evokes dreams of better times in imagined worlds. The way it unfolds, elegantly changing direction and shape as her aural universe grows before circling back to the beginning, replete with a fresh perspective, is emotionally captivating. Insulated Parade begins … Continue reading Atsuko Hatano “Insulated Paradise”

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Reviews

Gretchen Korsmo “Cloud Juice”

On this first solo release from Full Spectrum’s better half, Gretchen Korsmo channels the sublime. “Really Good at Digging Holes” drops to the Earth from a sacred space, finding expression in the empty spaces between dust particles held aloft by unseen spirits. Korsmo’s voice, a spectre against the wind as methodic keys wander forlornly into the night. Weightless rattles drag behind while chimes glisten like … Continue reading Gretchen Korsmo “Cloud Juice”

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Reviews

Sam Gas Can “WORM FOOD”

Ten seconds into WORM FOOD and I am completely under the spell of these aqueous arpeggios. Sam Gas Can recorded WORM FOOD during a 2019 residency at WORM Klangendum Sound Studio in Rotterdam and this short collection of pieces is the result. Throughout, electronic worlds reveal themselves, painting landscapes in neon colors against a midnight blue sky.  A lot of ground is covered on WORM FOOD, though sonically it all … Continue reading Sam Gas Can “WORM FOOD”

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Reviews

Nailah Hunter “Quietude”

Ripples in the air send cool waves across starlit skies on this hypnotic new EP of covers from the inimitable Nailah Hunter. Golden gates open as Hunter beckons the spirits on “Come Wander” from the final episode of the Twilight Zone. There’s an enchanting drift throughout, feeling as though Elven ghosts are calling their last descendants home. With Hunter’s wordless beckoning, I am utterly transfixed. … Continue reading Nailah Hunter “Quietude”

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Reviews

Marc Barreca “The Sleeper Wakes”

When I saw that fellow Tulsa label, Scissor Tail, was reissuing this classic ambient record, I was excited. Marc Barreca’s The Sleeper Wakes is delicately constructed. Using early samplers and various processing techniques, Barreca creates sparse sonic landscapes, each with only a few elemental pieces stitched together into a greater, astrally-drifting whole. The odd timbres interlock into a gentle cradle where meditation and relaxation flow. Recorded in … Continue reading Marc Barreca “The Sleeper Wakes”

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Reviews

Bredbeddle “Steps on the Turning Year”

Rebecca Lee is a storyteller. On her newest album as Bredbeddle, she weaves a sprawling, engaging narrative across four pieces in roughly two hours. Each of the four tracks on Steps on the Turning Year wind through countless sonic avenues, taking unexpected twists and turns to the point that it’s impossible to know where Lee will go from minute to minute. That unpredictability is part of Bredbeddle’s … Continue reading Bredbeddle “Steps on the Turning Year”

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Reviews

Cheryl E. Leonard “Schism”

Static electricity prickles the skin inside the ear as it crackles and ripples through the opening moments of Cheryl E. Leonard’s captivating new album on mappa, Schism. The title track continues like a tour through an alien landscape where flora and technology mix together, creating something new and unheard. Electronic rain rolls across the hum, distant birds singing a forlorn song while synthetic hollow sounds emerge … Continue reading Cheryl E. Leonard “Schism”

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Reviews

Biliana Voutchkova “Seeds of Songs”

Purchase directly from Takuroku Cafe OTO’s Takuroku label has released some of the most interesting and challenging sounds during the last year and this recent entry from Biliana Voutchkova certainly pushes listeners to focus. Seeds of Songs is a collection of disparate sounds and emotional vignettes tied together by a common desire of forbidden expression and deep emotion. Frantic moments sit next to solemn, quiet passages, each … Continue reading Biliana Voutchkova “Seeds of Songs”

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Reviews

residual energy boss “the star gazer”

I’ve been loving the pieces residual energy boss has released over the past year, starting with the lovely i talk to myself. His work is continually evolving, exploring new spaces, and building sonic worlds that take me into unexpected places. On his latest, the star gazer, the cosmos are drifting apart and the simultaneous beauty and horror of the cracks in the sky come into focus.  The … Continue reading residual energy boss “the star gazer”

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Reviews

Moor Mother “Zami”

Blown-out bass snarl burns like a massive fuse beneath Moor Mother’s new track, “Zami,” while she spits napalm-laced truths over graveyard rhythms. “Yeah, I’m being erased. And you don’t fucking care. And you was never there,” smashes through walls, the heavy distortion glowing electric. Translucent keys flicker through melancholy scales, trying like all hell to add points of light to the solid darkness, but the … Continue reading Moor Mother “Zami”

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