[Music] Сезон Дождей ‎/ Rainy Season – Возвращение / Return

Сезон Дождей ‎(Rainy Season) were a Lithuanian avant-progressive band from around 1992. The first time I had come across their music was while working at Aron’s Records in Los Angeles. It came in as a promo, but as I had no Internet access, I was unable to find any information on the band. Thankfully, through the wonders of Youtube, we have information on this album at least:

Artist: Сезон Дождей ‎/ Rainy Season

Album: Возвращение / Return

Year: 1992

Genre: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Ambient

Country: Lithuania

Label / Catalogue: Lituanus / RGM 7006

Line-up:

Максим Пшеничный / Maxim Pshenichny – guitar, bass, voice, Yamaha DX100 & Korg M1 synthesizers
Алексей Петров / Alexei Petrov – percussion, drums, wood box, glockenspiel, triangle
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Алексей Зубарев / Alexei Zubarev – flute (A1), slide guitar (A2), pizzicato (track B1a), rhythm guitar (A1, A2 & B1b)
Максим Кузнецов / Maxim Kuznetsov – lead guitar (B1b)
Ринальда / Rinalda – voice (B1a)

Tracklist:

A1 Запахи Леcа / Scents Of A Forest 0:00
A2 К чиcтой воде / Towards A Clear Water 7:00
B1 Красная ночь / Red Night 21:19
– a) Часть 1 / Part 1
– b) Часть 2 / Part 2

[Music] diNMachine News: ‘The Opposites of Unity’ Vinyl @RoughTrade, @RecordGrouch

From our friends at diNMachine Records:

The Opposites of Unity VINYL is now shipping

 

Shortly available at Record GrouchRough Trade Records etc.

“…takes listeners on what at first appears to be a disjointed exploration of noise. But with a little deeper effort, the complexities of sound clearly come together…” Indieminded

Pressed at Gotta Groove Records

Mastered at Saff Mastering

Produced by Greedy Dilettante Records

 

The song “Fawcett” is a welcome addition to the small field of danceable experimental jams. If you don’t start dancing along with its tribal rhythm, I’d be very surprised. It has a samba feel paired with strings and piano that not only work together but work hand in hand. Still – there are jolts here and there of unconventional additions (is that a bike tire sound? A whirring paint shaker? What is the break sound?). –Huffington Post

The collagist tendencies are on full display in “Jabbr Wawky,” which invokes the ethos of the nonsense poem of the (nearly) same name. Atop a classic hip-hop rhythm, diNMachine churn out air horns, wonky instrumental blips, and a bunch of vocal samples. Later, in the track “Brisé,” dissonant piano flourishes, ghostly electronic pads, obscure warbles, and mosquito-like buzzing offer a crash course in what psychosis might feel like. –AXS

“The pop music envelopes continue to be pushed by diNMachine on ‘The Opposites of Unity’ where composition minded creations roll forth into new forms & self-styled structures that defy convention and pigeon holing.“ –IMPOSE Magazine

The music of New York City-based outfit diNMachine isn’t easily characterized or deconstructed—their dance rock/electronic hybrid concoctions are built upon unexpected rhythms and a need to confound assumptions. By drawing influence from across the musical spectrum, they force their listeners to meet them halfway, to give just as much in the observation and experience of the music as the band does in creating it. –Nooga

“Imaginative, full of surprises and anything but bland and stale.” –Brooklyn Rail

“Schumacher…allows sounds rather than their source to hold the attention, and his results are outstanding.” –The Wire

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:

dinmachine.bandcamp.com

https://soundcloud.com/dinmachineband

https://www.facebook.com/diNMachineband

[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

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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] Troum – Acouasme

Stefan Knappe is a man who wears many hats. He runs Drone Records, which releases some of the best in dark ambient and experimental music, and serves as both a mailorder and distributor of music not directly found on his label as well.

The talent we wish to concentrate on is as a composer with his project TROUM. In this release from 2015, Knappe unleashes a cascade of some of the darkest experimental music I’ve heard in some time. It is dark, however, in a way that is not vulgar or cheap, as too so-called ‘noise’ bands are wont to be. You won’t hear any children with vile fetishes for rapists or serial killers who turn on their vacuum cleaners and try to sell this as ‘music’. No, in this case, Knappe actually goes through the process of crafting something worthy of being a soundtrack to a very intense film. There is a lot of sub-bass throbbing and pulsating, but all of it done with the precision of a master surgeon who knows how to weild his scalpel. TROUM is always releasing music of note, or collaborating with others to do the same.

If you have a Bandcamp account, follow his work. You will find no disappointments there.

[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.