There are certain moments on Sally Anne Morgan’s delightful Cups where I think the whole world is about to fall apart while other sections pull at something ancient and divine. With some pieces improvised and others composed, Cups moves with grace and a touch of earthen whimsy. Morgan’s skill as a songwriter and musician is always at the center. “Pythagoras” is loose and beguiling. Tender threads are stretched, imbued … Continue reading Sally Anne Morgan “Cups”
Marisa Anderson and William Tyler as a collaborative duo simply makes sense. Their album, Lost Futures, is a heavy yet hopeful listening experience created in the ashes of yesterday. Talking to them in mid-September, their thoughtfulness and humor stand at the forefront. The idea of ‘lost futures,’ at least as written by Mark Fisher, isn’t exactly a cheerful one. Yet, when Anderson and Tyler talk … Continue reading Different Futures: A Conversation With Marisa Anderson & William Tyler
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”
On a day when one of the most blatant attacks on women’s bodily autonomy goes into effect in Texas, spending time with an album called Lost Futures feels cryptic. Guitar heroes Marisa Anderson and William Tyler have an uncanny ability to saturate their playing with an impossible range of emotions and difficult ideas. Lost Futures sits in a pocket of communal respect while imbuing the … Continue reading Marisa Anderson and William Tyler “Lost Futures”
Imperium Droop gloriously rolls off the tongue. When you bring together two artists like Mouse on Mars’ Jan St. Werner and Oneida’s Kid Millions (among so many other things – but my brain will always make that association first), something unexpected and magical is bound to happen and that’s absolutely the case with the Imperium Droop. When Werner’s rose-tinted drones calmly filter in on album opener, “Color … Continue reading Kid Millions and Jan St. Werner “Imperium Droop”
When Ripley Johnson laments, “Fever broke, I won’t hurt anymore. I come home to stay,” on the opening track, “Silver Roses,” his delivery is quiet and understated, but the impact hits hard. Inside these soft, laid-back rooms, Johnson reminds us of the weight held by simple pleasures and familiar pathways. It’s not always about the road-less-traveled, sometimes it’s about finding the shortest distance between where … Continue reading Rose City Band “Earth Trip”
James Ginzburg has been doing this for a long time. At a certain point, successes and failures blur together, becoming this formless morass that can hollow out the deepest of motivations and best of intentions. Cycling through those dark periods and finding a path to the other side is difficult in the best of times, fruitless in the worst. Yet, learning to find peace with … Continue reading The Death of Amibition: An Interview With James Ginzburg
There are moments on Sarah Louise’s spellbinding new album, Earth Bow, where she is more of a conjurer than a musician. Laraaji describes it as “pulling music from the air,” but Louise’s source is more organic than ethereal. Her work, especially on this new offering, lives and breathes. Wherever it comes from, the result is a space that fully immerses listeners and strips away the … Continue reading Floating Down the Rabbit Hole With Sarah Louise
Welcome to the weekly video recap. Well, I hope it’ll be weekly, but if not it will be close. This week there’s three fantastic videos from loscil, Rosali, and Sarah Louise. Dig in. A new record from loscil, called Clara, will be out May 28th. It’s a stunning album. This video is for the first song on the album and should get the hairs on the back of your … Continue reading Weekly Video Break – April 9
Plankton Wat’s newest album, Future Times, came out last week on Thrill Jockey so it seems like the perfect time to revisit Jordan Anderson’s interview with him from late 2011. Dewey’s music has always inspired me. He’s got an innate ability to take listeners on an aural trip and with Future Times, he finds new levels to explore. It’s a fantastically deep, rich sound world that is full of … Continue reading The Repository #7: Plankton Wat
