Matthew Higgs of The Guardian bears the bad news that Joy Division, whose music, as he says, ‘was cold and detached’, were actually a fun lot.
Music Magazines
[Music] Three Interesting Articles from Bandcamp
“Batsumi” Is A South African Gem Made In The Face of Oppression
A classic jazz album from South Africa is highlighted.
Ken Vandermark’s Indefatigable Drive and Avant-Garde Vision
The leading light of American free jazz speaks.
The New Wave of East African Sound
A good primer on what new music is popping up in the region.
[Music] At The Dawn Of Recorded Sound, No One Cared
What a disheartening thought…
Thanks to my Galician brother, Andres, for sending me this link from NPR.
[Music] Olan Mill – Orient
A dream-touched record, Orient‘s music continues to linger long after the Eastern-flavored tones have faded. An unexpected confusion of static opens the record, but a flowing drone soon straightens everything out, ebbing and flowing with its mystical practices and ancient atmospheres. Orient both trembles and echoes. The dreamy notes are always falling, like a loose scattering of cherry blossom dispersed by April winds. […]
[Music] Nyege Nyege Tapes Spotlight Uganda’s Burgeoning Electronic Music Scene
Uganda isn’t the first place one thinks about regarding electronic music, but thanks to the Internet, boundless curiosity and many visits by those promoting the genre (such as C-Drik of Syrphe Records), the scene is growing into something rather healthy and strong.
More on the scene courtesy of Bandcamp.
[Music] Libertad Jazzera #59 – Especial Allan Holdsworth – La Montaña Rusa Radio Jazz
My friends and colleagues from Spain’s finest jazz radio program, La Montaña Rusa, dedicate a program to the work of guitarist Allan Holdsworth, who passed away this week.
Click on Allan’s picture or here to listen to the podcast.
[Music] The Mariachi Men of Yugoslavia
Jonny Wrate of Roads and Kingdoms Magazine writes the article for the year for me!
Many years ago, while living in Macedonia, my friends and I would discuss music, and two, Igor and Goran, turned me on to the fact that Mexican music was actually a big deal in the former Yugoslavia. It was the most amusing thing I had ever heard, as I grew up with a lot of boleros in my house (Los Panchos, Los Tres Ases, and others, for example). It blew my mind that such a scene would exist, but they were emphatic in telling me that such a creature DID indeed exist. They even showed me record covers like the one above, recorded by the ever-tacky, ever awesome Ljubomir Milić.
Wrate’s back story really does a nice job of filling in the history of a very unique time in my beloved Balkans which ties into the music I loved as a child.
soundstreamsunday: “Waltz of the New Moon” by The Incredible String Band — Progarchy
Although there is the potential today for historically reconstructing The Incredible String Band as a folksy psychedelic sideshow, the core group of Mike Heron and Robin Williamson were among the most imaginative and deeply schooled of the musicians emerging out of Britain’s folk revival in the late 1960s. Succored by Joe Boyd and Elektra records, the band […]
via soundstreamsunday: “Waltz of the New Moon” by The Incredible String Band — Progarchy
This Week’s Six Pillars – Outside the Turner Prize — Six Pillars
The Turner Prize (est. 1984) is awarded annually to an artist born, living or working in Britain, for an outstanding exhibition presentation of their work anywhere in the world the previous year. However the jury is specifically composed of national and international curators, writers and even musicians. What does this self-consciously British show look like […]
via This Week’s Six Pillars – Outside the Turner Prize — Six Pillars
The blog is absolutely one of the best culture blogs going today. It’s worth following, and will turn you on to bands, events and projects you won’t get much exposure to elsewhere.
Album Review: Body/Head No Waves — Consequence of Sound
After the dissolution of Sonic Youth, the various members kept just as busy as they had in between full band records, branching out into various solo and side projects. It was a fun puzzle to map out just what each person had brought to the band, what direction they’d contributed, where they were heading and…
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 