Thanks to Sam at Projekt Records for advertising that Norwegian electronic music legend Erik Wøllo has a new track available.
Ambient
[Music] Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin – Live
Swiss pianinst Nik Bärtsch leads his band Ronin on a reissue of a live set released way back in 2006.
[Music] Sonologyst – Ancient Death Cults And Beliefs
Sonologyst is the main project of Unexplained Sounds impresario Raffaele Pezzella, whose work should be seen in the same vein of dark ambient as labels like Sweden’s Cold Meat Industry.
[Music] Various Artists – Superspectrum
Superspectrum is a compilation featuring some of the finest dark ambient music active today. My personal favorite from this record is a track called Oblivion by Iranian composer Xerxes The Dark.
The label which released this comp, Eighth Tower Records, is a subdivision of Unexplained Sounds Group, run by Raffaele Pezzella, well known for his work with his project Sonologyst.
This is wonderful late-night headphone music.
[Music] Steven Severin – 23 Wounds Of Julius Caesar
Seeing that today is the Ides of March, the day Julius Caesar was turned into a pin cushion by a creepy cadre of senators, it’s appropriate to celebrate the day by highlighting a recent release by former Siouxsie and The Banshees bassist Steven Severin.
[Music] James Hill + Santiago Fradejas – Requiem
The Fradejas family is no stranger to this blog. Both Santiago and A.M. have had releases featured here. This one is yet another feast for the ears.
Santiago’s guitar compositions can be explosive at times, but this more subdued, but intense performance couples beautifully with the trumpeting of James Hill, a brand new name for me to explore. ECM Records, or a label of equal quality, really ought to consider re-releasing an album like this in the future.
[Music] Verneri Pohjola – Pekka
I’m absolutely pleased to announce an upcoming album by Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, titled Pekka. For those of you whose age hovers between 45 and 70 and were card-carrying members of the magic-hat-and-bunny-slippers brigade of prog rock aficionados, you will remember the legendary bassist Pekka Pohjola, who performed with such bands as Wigwam and collaborated with Mike Oldfield, among many others.
Verneri’s album will be a tribute to his father’s memory, and judging by the quality of the track being shared at the moment, it’s quite a lovely tribute.
[Music/Film] Elektro Moskva
Elektro Moskva, directed by Elena Tikhonova & Dominik Spritzendorfer, shows the history of electronic music in Russia from the works of Léon Theremin to the ANS synthesizer used by such luminaries as Eduard Artemiev (famous for his soundtracks to the films of Andrei Tarkovsky) and beyond. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this when time permits.
[Music] The Orchestra of Mirrored Reflections – Dead Beat
This has to be the release of 2017, as least as far as March!
Our friends The Orchestra of Mirrored Reflections have graced our blog once before, in April of 2016 for a review of an incredible live performance in Odessa. The band return with a new, seven-track album which is as rich, dark and sumptuous as anything released by groups like the Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Bohren & der Club of Gore and other such acts. In fact, I’d be willing to say that the beauty of this album surpasses these stalwarts.
The album consists of smoky jazz that sits somewhere between fusion and trip-hop. The guitar playing is minimal, gentle, but totally in keeping with the darkness of the music. The drumming, however, is what makes the release for me. It is sparse, minimal, with singular beats, serving as a wonderful linchpin to the rest of the instrumentation floating above.
After such a splendid release, we wait more magic from the band
[Music] Penguin Café – Cantorum
On a label like E’G Records, which featured some of the mightiest bands of the 1980s like Killing Joke, King Crimson and Brian Eno, The Penguin Café Orchestra were something of a charming anomaly. Sitting between classical, New Age music and avant-pop, they cut a singular path and made some absolutely beautiful recordings. After the death of leader Simon Jeffes, the band floated in and out of activity for a decade. It seems that Jeffes’ son, Arthur, is leading a new incarnation of the band, and a brand new recording is due shortly. You can order the new album, The Imperfect Sea, at their Bandcamp website..
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 