Ambient

[Music] Christopher Bissonnette – The Wine Dark Sea — music won’t save you

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Italy’s finest post-rock and ambient music blog brings us an album I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Read the review of Christopher Bissonnette’s new opus below:

CHRISTOPHER BISSONNETTE – The Wine Dark Sea (Dronarivm, 2020) Il quinto lavoro sulla lunga distanza di Christopher Bissonnette, che giunge a cinque anni di distanza dal precedente “Pitch, Paper & Foil”, ne prosegue l’evoluzione del profilo in quello di compositore ambientale a tutto tondo. Sfumando ulteriormente le residue irregolarità che ne caratterizzavano l’espressione originaria, l’artista […]

via — music won’t save you

[Music] Drew Schlesinger & David Torn – Summer Synthesis 1978

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Considering this release, featuring guitarist David Torn and synthesizer player Drew Schlesinger, was made in 1978, I’m astounded as to how fresh it sounds.  There are a few spots where the recording might be a touch thin (I’m playing this album on the speakers of a relatively new iMac), but overall, this is very solid, rather beautiful looping and synth programming.  If you are a fan of Brian Eno’s and Robert Fripp’s collaborations, or are simply curious about Torn’s early works, this album is a must.  It is also a fine introduction to Schlesinger, whom I knew nothing about before being pointed to this release.

[Music] Horror Italiani – Torso

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As someone who appreciates Italian horror, giallo and other such film genres, receiving an email from this band made me excited to hear what they have to offer.  They did not disappoint.  From the band themselves:

Horror Italiani is a new project between swiss dronoise explorer BRTHRM and Brazilian dark ambienoise master Silvio Novelletto, their shared love towards classic giallo cvlt movies has brought them to start Horror Italiani with a goal in mind: rescoring their favourite movies with dark ambient tones, in between careful composition and free improvisational approaches, Torso is the first release and it’s brought to you by Antistandard Records, a label from Milan, Italy.

Torso is an erotic slasher movie directed by Sergio Martino, this tribute by Horror Italiani follows its full length with black ambient tones stained by glitchy noise and an overall feeling of unsettledness.

I am pleased to see someone referencing Italian horror movies and producing bleak, black ambient inspired by such things.

[Music] Vainoras and the altar of the drill – Life​,​Love​,​Doomjazz

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The more I hear doomjazz artists, the more enthralled I become with the genre.  It sounds as though jazz-noir combines well with a nearly ambient aesthetic.  Our latest case-in-point are the Australian group Vainoras and the altar of the drill.  This release appeared out of nowhere last night, and it has had my ears perked up ever since.

There is a mellow, spacious, yet creepy vibe flowing throughout the album.  It’s not unnecessarily noisy at all, which makes the experience much more pleasant.  This is music to think and fume to.

[Music] Mikhail Chekalin – Symphony​-​Phonogram

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Mikhail Chekalin deserves at least as credit for being a leading light in electronic music and New Age music as artists like Klaus Schulze, Peter Frohmader or Vangelis.  That might be a provocative statement to some who enjoy this kind of music, but I think the comparison stands, as Mikhail has been releasing quality music consistently for so long that a new album is simply expected to be solid now.  He’s never let me down yet.

[Music] Various Artists – Witchcraft & Black Magic In The United Kingdom

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Our friend and compatriot Raffaele Pezzalla (the legend behind Sonologyst, Unexplained Sounds Group and Eighth Tower Records) has made yet another masterful compilation, bringing together such acts as Rapoon, Michael Bonaventure and Daniel Williams to pay tribute to one of England’s quirkier periods – that of witchcraft in the British Isles.

I see the history of witchcraft from both a Christian and historical point of view which differs from what the liner notes say, but be that as it may, the compilation is solid, and I only regret I didn’t review this about two weeks ago, as it makes for great Halloween / All Souls’ Day listening.

[Music] Various Artists – A Last Sunset, A Celebration of Candy Lozier, Volume 1

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There is a group of wonderful ambient musicians on Facebook who constantly release music of stunningly good quality.  Names like Cousin Silas, Martin Neuwirth, Glen Sogge and Scott Lawlor among others are among the great names working in this field.  Another was Candy Lozier, a fine composer who passed away in September of this year.  She collaborated with so many wonderful musicians, ran a label, and contributed mightily to the spread of ambient and electronic music.  This compilation is a great memorial to all she did for the scene.