Songs of Our Lives
On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Kee Avil! I really love the novel approach she took to writing, recording, and releasing her new album, “Vapor,” and was excited to talk to her about it and learn about its pros and cons. We get through all of that before diving into This Heat, […]
Interviews
Sometimes a small moment will leave the darkest mark. With landtitles, those snippets get etched into my brain. Two recent releases, complete jazz box set on Home Normal and geographic beings, phosphorous mountains on Whitelabrecs, build intricate, fluid realms from these tiny sonic slivers. Old machines glean melodic detritus from the magic hour on the […]
Interviews
I first knew Brandon Locher as a visual artist, constantly floored by his drawings and the depth and detail he created with colored pencils. I don’t remember how we first connected, but earlier this year I was excited to take part in his Ongoing Solos project. When he shared his album, Rahu Ketu, over the […]
Songs of Our Lives
On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Julia Sabra! She is a singular force in Beirut, one of the cornerstones of their incredible music scene. We talk about her solo work, her groups Snakeskin and Postcards, and the former’s recent collaboration with Felisha Ledesma, among many other things. Then, we chat about Sufjan […]
Moving from Chicago to Asheville recently, Brett Naucke has big dreams for his garden. There’s a lot that can be done with houseplants and growing in containers, but wide-open spaces are the stuff dreams are made of. When I expressed interest in a series of interviews focusing less on artists’ music and more on, specifically, […]
Astral Editions continues spreading its wings in bizarre, wonderful directions. Orquesta del Tiempo Perdido, the sprawling, large-scale project from Jeroen Kimman, fuses countless styles and ideas into a sound that is unrecognizable in many ways, but familiar at its core. Elements of free jazz and improvisation certainly creep in, but the abundant influence of ‘60s […]
Robert Takahashi Crouch’s new album, Jubilee, is a crucible. Buried deep within its molten confines are remnants of an existential crisis and conflict, melted into a simmering sonic narrative. First offering, “Reconciliation,” shifts the viewpoint, rising slowly and purposefully from the fire. Modulating drones grow and contract, building up the nerve to plunge into the […]
There was a great thread on twitter this week about west coast psych/drone zoners and M. Geddes Gengras mentioned Starving Weirdos. I’ve been down the rabbit hole again ever since. Brian Pyle was a real kindred spirit back in the day (and I believe, fellow Arsenal fan so probably not feeling great about that this […]
Neil Lord’s Future Museums has been a mainstay in my headphones over the last few years. As he prepares to release his first LP on the excellent Aural Canyon label called Harpoon of Sunlight on September 17th, Neil created this beautiful mix to get lost in. He’s turned me onto some great music this year […]
Dax Pierson first turned up on my radar because of his collaborative album with Robert Horton. I worked a lot with Horton during the Digitalis years, but remember being bowled over by Pierson’s approach and contributions on those recordings. I sadly lost track of his work shortly after, but when his official debut record, Nerve Bumps (A Queer […]
Cody Yantis’s work is always purposefully reserved, revealing only the moments that need to be heard. On “Invisible Damage,” from his forthcoming full-length, Physical Silence, acoustic guitar, banjo, and piano cautiously stick a toe into the ice-cold water. Ready for the moment where the figure in the distance comes into focus, Yantis’s contemplative sojourn builds to […]
These past couple of weeks have been rough, and in times like these, I am ever thankful for sound practitioners like Andrea Cortez. Her music is healing and transcendent, grounded by the circles of nature and adrift within an inspiring cosmic flow. Cortez uses a bright palette of harp, singing bowls, and chimes along with […]
In Derek Monypeny, I’ve found a kindred spirit. We talk a bit about this in the interview, but when I saw him dedicate his incredible opus, The Hand as Dealt, to Alice Coltrane, Terry Riley, and Don Cherry, I knew I’d love it. (I mean, I figured I’d be into it considering how much his second […]
Interviews
Sometimes a small moment will leave the darkest mark. With landtitles, those snippets get etched into my brain. Two recent releases, complete jazz box set on Home Normal and geographic beings, phosphorous mountains on Whitelabrecs, build intricate, fluid realms from these tiny sonic slivers. Old machines glean melodic detritus from the magic hour on the […]
Interviews
I first knew Brandon Locher as a visual artist, constantly floored by his drawings and the depth and detail he created with colored pencils. I don’t remember how we first connected, but earlier this year I was excited to take part in his Ongoing Solos project. When he shared his album, Rahu Ketu, over the […]
Interviews
I love the Allotment Tapes. Perhaps that’s a bit simple, but Ben McElroy’s ongoing project to document, collaborate with, and share the world of St. Ann’s allotments in Nottingham is a small slice of magic. This is quietly important work. The size and maze-like quality to St. Ann’s are like a kind of score, each […]
Interviews
I love hearing an artist’s practice expand and evolve (and sometimes fold back in on itself) over long periods of time, and I’ve been lucky to have that experience with New Zealand composer Pat Kraus. His singular path continued with last month’s stellar Water Music on Artsy. Synths and electronics bleep out globular melodies as […]
Interviews
Music can be a conduit for time travel. Andy Aquarius’s new album, Vale of Tears, feels far removed from the present. Across 12 harp songs, he reflects in the quiet of a retired Church of the Holy Cross nestled in the Croatian mountains. Spacious synths and textured aural environments support harp and voice, which remain […]
