Many thanks to Rafał Kopeć who advised me of this video. Hoarfrost’s newest release on Reverse Alignment, Anima Mundi, came out on my birthday (August 17), and I’m looking forward to picking it up. This is their official video, and the images go well with these bleakest of sounds.
New Releases
[Music] Sauce Llorón – Sauce Llorón EP
This charming EP by Sauce Llorón came during a late night stumble on Tumblr. It seems like it’s a combination of Mexican folk music and something that Yann Tiersen might come up with.
[Music] diNMachine News: ‘The Opposites of Unity’ Vinyl @RoughTrade, @RecordGrouch
From our friends at diNMachine Records:
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[Music] Santiago Fradejas – Sketches For Sarah, Vol. 2
I had the pleasure of reviewing Mrs. Fradejas a couple of days ago, and now it’s time to review Mr. Fradejas! Santiago’s new release sits in an equally unique point on the music reference chart. One can find something akin to post-Industrial noise, a brutalist interpretation of contemporary classical music, improvisation in the fine European-American free jazz tradition, and avant-progressive rock which labels like Cuneiform Records champion. Another masterpiece by one of the best young composers operating in Europe today.
[Music] Shoom – Tried To Sing But Couldn’t
Thirteen years ago, I was given an opportunity to work with Shoom, an Israeli band whose sound nestles comfortably within the realm of Mediterranean ethnocore, avant-rock and ethno-rock, a term I’ve not heard in quite some time, but which seems appropriate for this band.
Lots of percussion and guitars flow quite nicely with a duduk making melodies on top. Definitely worth a listen to this album, as well as their back catalog.
[Music] Tomáš Kočko & Orchestr – Velesu
Tomáš Kočko and his orchestra hail from the Czech Republic, and have been storming their way up World Music Charts Europe recently. It’s pretty easy to see why. The music mixes Moravian music elements in an updated framework, adding touches of progressive rock, neo-folk, and even trends in electronic music. Ancient Great Moravia comes to life in this album, and its sound is breathtaking.
Here’s a taste from the upcoming album:
[Music] A.M Ferrari Fradejas – Dominique Worships The Sun
A.M Ferrari Fradejas is a composer based in France who also happens to be the wife of noted guitarist and composer Santiago Frajedas, whose amazing work has graced these pages in the past. Ferreri Frajedas’ new release is an absolute delight to listen to, and it came as a shock to my ears.
I was expecting progressive rock, and I was rewarded with that in spades. What I didn’t expect to find was a deep thread of ethereal music, some of which reminded me of past bands like Chandeen or Love Is Colder Than Death. There is also a touch of cabaret music here, as well as reminisces of groups like Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Dagmar Krause’s solo work. Fans of Laurie Anderson might find something familiar here as well.
It was weird, hazy, and utterly fun listening for me.
[Music] The Wedding Present – Going, Going…
The Wedding Present have a brand new album out! This one is very strange, as the first half has more of a weird ambient or even post-rock-ish feel to it, nothing like what one would expect. From Track 5 onward, despite David Gedge’s voice thinning out a touch, it’s the great guitar playing one expects from the Weddoes.
[Music] Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack to banned masterpiece Teorema reissued on vinyl
Vinyl Factory Blog reports the wonderful news that Ennio Morricone will receive the vinyl reissue treatment for the soundtrack to one of Italy’s most notorious directors, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and his banned cult hit, Teorema.
Easy/cheesy/sleazy listening for all! A slice of the soundtrack is provided below:
[Music] The Odd Gifts – Migrant Songs
Indies Scope Records out of Prague publish another gem! The Odd Gifts are a Czech band who dedicate this album to the migrant situation occurring throughout Europe.
While the view of the artists and this blog would be at loggerheads as to the causes and effects of the migrant situation, it is still a good gesture on their part to work with musicians who themselves are coming from outside the country, practicing what they preach (a rare thing these days).
The name of the album has two possible meanings/inspirations:
It wasn’t easy to choose the title Migrant Songs, because this topic was so omnipresent already a year ago. But I could not turn back, as the songs really started to work and communicate under this overarching title. They became truly Migrating Songs, producing ever new analogies, meanings, exchanging sounds, themes, guest musicians, and even authors. (Three of the songs are to a different extent remixes of other songs.) For me, looking for analogies is a way to a more complex perspective. I enjoy moments when what at first looks like a comical parallel yields the possibility of a new point of view, a new encounter.
Ondřej Galuška has done quite a job synthesizing post-punk, a touch of ska, new folk, jazz, and good songwriting. Particularly engaging was the song “So Divine.”
Click on the picture if you would like to purchase the album directly from Indies Scope Records.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 