Finders Keepers have released 100 of the most brilliant reissues imaginable. Spanning from weird African tapes to Jean Rollin horror soundtracks, the lads at FK seem unstoppable at the moment. Here’s to another 100 gems, at least!
CDs
[Music] Mediterranean Deconstruction Ensemble – Day De Senar
This is a magnificent find for me. The Mediterranean Deconstruction Ensemble is a solid improvisational/experimental troupe out of Moscow led by pianist Gregory Sandomirsky.
The music is a great combination of freaky jazz, Mediterranean rhythms, and Sephardic/Ladino time shifts. A very nice effort.
[Music] On “Concrete Desert,” The Bug and Earth’s Dylan Carlson Destroy L.A.
Bandcamp Daily features The Bug vs. Earth, a powerful pairing of Kevin Martin’s Industrial/dub project, which has been around in one form or another since the late 1980s, and Dylan Carlson’s seminal drone rock project, Earth.
Dark, moody, cinematic post-rock. Perfect music for meditating over the crumbling Los Angeles skyline.
[Music] JOHN 3:16 – עשר
Our friend from Alrealon Music and JOHN 3:16 main man, Philippe Gerber, has graced us with a new, extremely powerful release.
Right from the outset, Gerber hits us with the (early) Floydian drone of The Sun Shall Be Turned Into Darkness, which is so reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s evergreen, Set The Controls For The Heart of the Sun, without the percussive elements, but focusing more on a lilting drone. As the disc progresses, you are treated to genre-splicing par excellence. Progressive rock drifts into post-rock, supported by a skeletal percussive framework and an ethereal drony element serving as ether holding everything together.
In all, this release has 29 tracks, which makes עשר such a generous offering. Philippe has much to be proud of with this release.
[Music] Kikagaku Moyo – Forest of Lost Children (2018 Reissue Pre-Order)
Japanese band Kikagaku Moyo have become my favorite modern psych band. Though this particular release came out in 2014, it has now been reissued on vinyl. The band carry the tradition of bands like Ghost and and perhaps The Flower Travellin’ Band.
[Music] Rick’s Reissue Roundup: Attack of the Spring Box Sets!
Shed a tear for the hardcore prog collector — actually, don’t. This week has been absolutely crammed with articulate announcements looking to part fans from their hard-earned cash or pull them deeper into debt. And no, I’m not talking about the upcoming Derek Smalls solo album. Check out what’s coming our way as winter (hopefully) […]
via Rick’s Reissue Roundup: Attack of the Spring Box Sets! — Progarchy
Thanks to Rick for posting this. What a good year this is going to be for prog-heads!
[Music] Gunesh – Гунеш LP/CD (1980)
Gunesh (or, more appropriately, The Gunesh Ensemble) was a jazz-prog outfit led by one of the world’s most incredible and entertaining percussionist, the late Rishad Shafi, who died in 2014.
Presch Media GmbH has done a wonderful service in reissuing their 1980 debut, which is less flashy or jazzy, but very mellow, progressive, and showing a glimpse of their future greatness.
The good news is that the band is apparently carrying on, and judging by the mp3s I’m hearing on their website, they will be in good hands for some time to come.
[Music] Karolina Ossowska & Jeff Gburek – The Falls of Hyperion
The incredibly prolific Jeff Gburek, currently based in Poland and partnering with violinist Karolina Ossowska, put together their latest labor of love, and though I don’t normally engage in Top-Ten lists for year’s end, I think it fair to say that this release is his most beautifully crafted, most thoughtful and profound releases.
The album was recorded in Romania and Poland between September 2016 and October 2017. On top of the incredible range of instrumentation, there are many field recordings which give a life to each track that one rarely finds in experimental music.
Of particular interest are the spoken word portions of Track #4, Hyperions 4 (Lift Not The Painted Veil). From the notes left by Gburek and Ossowska, the first text is a piece written by Percy Bysshe Shelley bearing the same name. The second is a work penned by Gburek himself. Both are read with a warm but darkened tone which envelops the listener as much as the instrumentation does.
Easily one of 2018’s best releases, regardless of genre.
[Music] Foa-Hoka – Nevidomist`
Believe it or not, this particular album was my introduction to Ukrainian alternative music. It has managed to stay on my CD shelf for two decades, and it’s quite nice to have this wonderfully digitized so that I can refer to it at my leisure.
Though I think Foa-Hoka are defunct, bandleader Dmytro Kurovskiy is still quite active making music.
[Music] Z’ev – Live in Iceland
We lost another legend today.
Percussionist Stefan Weisser, known to his fans and colleagues as Z’ev, passed on today at the age of 66. He left a body of work so important in experimental music that I expect tributes to pour out for days (including this one from our pals in Lithuania, Radikaliai!).
This free download is a release Z’ev did in Iceland in 2004. It gives a nice taste of what he could do with percussion.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 