All credit goes to Vyacheslav Lunarin for introducing me to Disen Gage, a Russian progressive rock group whose album reminds me of a lot of the classic Rock-In-Opposition groups of the past.
New Releases
[Music] Jeffrey Roden – Threads Of A Prayer: Volume 1
A Miscellany of Tasteful… is proud to announce the release today of a record I’ve been waiting to hear for months now. Jeffrey Roden is an old friend from my days working at Aron’s Records and Lumpy Gravy, a restaurant and record shop located in Hollywood, and owned by animator Gábor Csupó. Today is the official release of his latest album, Threads Of A Prayer: Volume 1.
More about the album. Solaire Records out of Germany collaborated with Jeffrey, and the first thing I noticed was the tastefully minimalistic artwork and packaging, which reminded me of something ECM Records would have been proud to release. The notes on the music are copious, but the compositions themselves are the stars of the day.
There is a slow, gently plodding pace to the first disc of this album. Sandro Ivo Bartoli performs the pieces with an understated gentleness that would be comparable to the best of Harold Budd and his collaborations with Brian Eno. I have been fortunate to review a series of truly enveloping music the past few weeks, and this one is the best of the lot.
Disc two is remarkable in a different way. There are elements of the compositions of Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki. This isn’t Holy Minimalism, but it is something akin to it. The music is calming, expertly composed, and is perfect for deep listening and thinking the day away.
If this is only Volume 1, I await Volume 2 with a happy anticipation.
[Music] Andrew Rubin and Jon Anderson – Guitar Concerto
This gem came as a surprise in my email box. Andrew Rubin is a classical guitarist based in Central California. He was apparently discovered by Jon Anderson of yes, and they collaborated on this suite, influenced in part by the work of Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo.
He’s 21 years old, making some of the most joyous music I’ve heard in some time. Imagine what he’s going to be capable of at 40. Andrew is going to be one worth following closely.
[Music] Penza Penza – Donald Trump
Technology…
It used to take a bit of time for a novelty record like this to come out. Estonian band Penza Penza cuts that time to almost instantaneous. The track is instrumental, so if you’re pro- or contra the POTUS, make your own lyrics if that makes you feel better.
[Music] Jeff Gburek – Sound in the Soluble State
I think Jeff Gburek’s music will merit its own genre. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing too many people who could blend experimental music, ambient and some indescribably primal music together so seamlessly
I took two deep listens to the album. The first allowed me to listen to the structure of the music as is, and the compositions are sublime. The second listen I did while I finished up a couple of projects, and the sounds felt as though they were perfectly composed for my working space.
[Music] Akute – Płastyka
Though it’s listed as post-rock on their Bandcamp page, Akute would probably fit rather well in the indie and shoegazer music genres as well.
[Music/Film] Two LPs from erotic horror flick Vampyros Lesbos reissued by Wah Wah
Oh, happy day! Though I always enjoyed the Crippled Dick reissue of said soundtrack, it seems too truncated. Wah Wah Records has rectified the problem. The soundtrack to Vampyros Lesbos can now be heard in fuller glory, with beautiful repackaging.
Read more about it from The Vinyl Factory here.
[Music] The lost pre-Smiths track : Pre-Morrissey? A funky jam!
The members of The Smiths has mentioned that they loved Parliament and Funkadelic, but I had no idea that they started jamming to those tunes. Former drummer Si Wolstencroft found this ancient demo, and it will be released shortly.
[Music] Joanna Gemma Auguri – Green Water
Here’s some dark, folky accordion music by Joanna Gemma Auguri, who describes the sounds she makes as ‘music from the bottom of the sea’.
[Music] Karolina Ossowska/Jeff Gburek – Visitations
The best composers make you forget they’re composing music. They offer something like a cinéma pour l’oreille, or a cinema for the ear, to their listeners. In an age before music videos blighted the listening experience, a great composition would allow you to submerge yourself into a piece and envision a world the composer may be trying to create for you.
This is the experience I’ve had in listening to Jeff Gburek, a true citizen of the world and one of the most interesting experimental composers active today. He and his parter Karolina Ossowska cover a great deal of ground on this release. There are elements of soundtrack music (think 60’s futurist films), contemporary classical music (some pieces reminded me of the legendary Egyptian-Greek composer Jani Christou) and there were even touches of progressive rock and improvisational music which came to mind.
This is easily among the top five releases of the year for these ears. Jeff’s work is worth hunting for, and you can find a good deal of it here on his Bandcamp site.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 