Photo by Ivan Mani Kurt Leege – A Cephalopod Rebellion ambient Guitarist Kurt Leege has a storied past. From studying jazz at Swarthmore, populating New York’s thriving indie scene in the bands Curdlefur and Noxes Pond, to starting a family and relocating to the island of Ireland, we find himContinue Reading
Photo by Sasha Matveeva Antoine Loemba – Montparnasse jazz Montparnasse is a neighborhood in Paris known for its rich cultural history. It is also the title of the first track from French jazz drummer Antoine Loemba’s upcoming EP, Quartet. Like that area of the City of Lights, “Montparnasse” has anContinue Reading
Photo by Ivan Mani Hannah Lev – Palm to Palm experimental London-based electronic producer Hannah Lev casts a woozy spell on “Palm to Palm,” a consummate single full of anxious synth swells, sharp hip-hop beats, and angelic vocals. Scratch that. The vocals are angelic, but like an angel that fellContinue Reading
“Bifurcate” is a word that means to divide into two branches or forks, like a river splitting and flowing in different directions. Separation is a theme that resonates with New Jersey prog artist Nat Rusciani, who experienced the dissolution of her band shortly before starting The War Yaks with co-writerContinue Reading
Leixlip-based musician Ogenblik’s experiments in retrofuturistic production culminate in his debut album This Used To Be The Sound of The Future. Employing a range of outdated recording techniques, from dictaphones to the ill-fated MiniDisc, Ogenblik splices everything together with environmental acuteness, Frankensteining innocuous acoustic guitar melodies into more pressing statementsContinue Reading
Photo by Junpire Nguyen AM sin – Silver Lining electronic London-based duo AM sin crafts a meticulously roaming synthetic piece with “Silver Lining.” Soft sounds turn to harder territory across the six minutes of this track, but the sense of melody is never lost, even if it’s never explicitly expressed.Continue Reading
Photo by Krišjānis Kazaks Why England Slept – House of Pizza jazz If you’ve ever thought that you might benefit from more jauntiness, then look no further than “House of Pizza” the jovial title track an album by the US alternative group Why England Slept. The Salem duo, who areContinue Reading
Photo by Memories on 35mm Recalculating – Candide Says post-punk Packed around a sunny riff, New York three-piece Recalculating delivers snarling observations with deliberate aberrance on “Candide Says,” an ultimately optimistic missive made unique by bassist and vocalist Sean Wiederkehr’s menacing bursts of Sprechgesang that touch on everything from improperContinue Reading
Photo by Aysegul Alp sparring – In The Fish Tank experimental There’s a supernatural quality to “In The Fish Tank”, the debut single from obscure Mexican artist sparring. It seems to float in the air and bend a finger towards some stellular realm, though often veers towards somewhere closerContinue Reading
Photo by Cody Whear Tez – Feathers indie rock Canterbury four-piece Tez makes a compelling case for emotional vulnerability in their recent single “Feathers”. Touching on themes of “the recognition of spirits, good karma, and appreciation” the self-aware single sees frontman Owen Mellett wear his heart on his sleeve whileContinue Reading