A CLOSER LISTEN weekly #50

Winter Music Preview

Dear Listeners, Happy New Year! Joseph here, but I’ll keep my preamble short. My next newsletter, #50.5 to be sent later this week, will feature my Sound Propositions 2023 recap, including my recount of the 2024 New Ears Festival at NY’s Fridman Gallery. But this installment is jam packed with Richard Allen’s 2024 Winter Music Previews, so let’s get into it.

Table of contents:
Winter Music Preview: Ambient
Winter Music Preview: Drone
Winter Music Preview: Electronic
Winter Music Preview: Experimental
Winter Music Preview: Modern Composition
Winter Music Preview: Rock, Post-Rock, Folk & Jazz
Upcoming Releases

2024 WINTER MUSIC PREVIEWS

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Ambient

A new year, a fresh start, a clean slate: as we turn the page of the new year, we look forward to what it has to offer.  We hope it will bring health and happiness, prosperity and peace; but we know it will bring new music.  We’ve already heard hundreds of albums set for winter release, and now we’re pleased to be able to preview many of them for you!

When the leaves are off the trees, one is able to see farther and clearer.  A certain clarity emerges.  The winter release slate looks a lot different from that of fall: full, yet pared down, like the January landscape. The field is crisp and concise, rather than blurry and overcrowded.  The splashes of color stand out against the white.  We hope you enjoy our week-long Winter Music Preview, starting with the ambient slate!

Hands down, the release of the season is also its most massive.  Time Released Sound: A Decade of Handmade Music Packaging is a celebration of the label, available in regular (but still special!) and deluxe editions.  The book bundle includes a two-disc collection of new music from TRS artists, including Olga Wojciechowska, Francesco Giannico and our very own Dalot.  As packaging of any kind grows increasingly rare, this release is a reminder of the value of the tactile.  The music was made available in December, but the full release will arrive early this year.

Another split-year release is Meg Mulhearn‘s Let It Burn Through the Night, the seventh album from Ceremony of Seasons.  The twist this time: the 2021 Nebbiolo wine, Unravel the Mystery, was uncorked on the winter solstice, while the album will follow on February 2.  This is a particularly expressive release, with immediate ambience chased by strong undercurrents of drone, modern composition and experimentalism.  As always, we’re looking forward to the dual experience of drinking and reviewing, waiting for the perfect combination of winter light and snow.

Our cover image comes from Manu Delano‘s Snow From Yesterday, a more vocal album than we usually feature.  The handpan maestro collaborates with Mad About Lemon to produce a concept album about snow in both physical and metaphorical senses.  The music is full and rich, the timbres soft and deep (One Little Independent, February 2).  Another winter-themed release this season is Arin Akberg‘s Nordic Patterns, which uses piano and stripped-down ambience to paint a sonic landscape of northern climes, especially the artist’s native Finnmark (Projekt, January 19).  The cover image of zakè‘s Lapis, pictured above, will remind many of winter, while the expansive music is a perfect match for the Quiet Details imprint.  The composer is purposefully patient, inspired by words from Ram Dass: “The quieter you become, the more you will hear” (January 17).  David Cordero‘s Restless Nature is similarly wintry, a minimalist synth excursion, its reverberations amplified like the the echoes of winter woods (Whitelabrecs, January 20).

As is often the case, releases from Room40 will be listed in different categories this season.  One of the loveliest is Panghalina‘s Lava, which we recommend to fans of Hollie Kenniff.  The all-female trio makes a beautiful sound that references the album’s title but is warm rather than scalding, and inviting to the ears (February 2).  Celer lands on the label with a pair of reissues: the sedate Cursory Asperses, which embeds watery field recordings in a web of synth (or the other way around), and Gems I, an “ice cold,” single track release (March 1 and January 12).  Prolific artist øjeRum continues in the vein of Your Soft Absence with Softer Than Before, offering sine waves, wind instruments and a sense of drift (February 2).  David Shea‘s The Ship shimmers and swoons, reflecting its genesis as the soundtrack to a VR game (March 2, pictured above).  More releases will follow in our Drone and Experimental previews, or you can find them now by following the link above.

When releases cross genres, it’s always helpful to have a little hint in the title, so Nick Schofield‘s Ambient Ensemble lands here.  Piano is the main instrument, surrounded by a support cast of synth, clarinet, double bass and violin, producing a relaxing sheen (Backward Music, February 9).  Field recordings decorate Kernow, a synth-based set from David Pedrick.  The Penwith Peninsula is brought to life as instrumental serenades smooth the changing of the seasons (January 12).  Billow Observatory is offering the Soliton EP separately, as well as together with 2022’s Calque EP on vinyl.  The two pair well together, so we recommend the latter.  The new EP is peacefully exploratory, like visiting a new town with plenty of time on one’s hands (felte, January 19).  Linnea Hjertén follows in the vein of Lisa Gerrard and Cruel Diagonals with Nio systrar (Nine sisters), a ritualistic set of Swedish folk melodies and wordless vocals.  The album reflects spiritual cycles of life and death, making it a perfect spin at the turning of the year (Nordvis, January 12). In a related manner, Allison Burik calls upon ancient traditions, as Realm is inspired by folk tale and Nordic myth, showcasing alto saxophone, clarinet, flute and sacred voice (February 2).

Normally when storm systems meet, people run for cover, in later years speaking only of the devastation they did or didn’t cause.  MINING is different.  Using data from Hurricane Ophelia (also known as Hurricane Brian in the U.K.), they transposed readings from Chimet into notes, charting the vagaries of the system.  The album art follows the same path, with each individual copy containing a unique time-stamped sleeve (Leaf, February 23).  James Island and Andrew Heath‘s Elysian Fields is described as both fog-like and cloud-like, and there’s rain in the early track, cementing the association.  This is the latest release to receive the generous Fluid Audio treatment, which includes vintage bookbinding, a 35mm slide, photo, celluloid negative and so much more (January 12)!

Dean McPhee offers space-themed guitar ambience on Astral Gold, a cosmic journey that spins slowly past Neptune, weightless and serene.   (Bass Ritual, February 16).  Moolakii Club Audio Interface will soon unveil Bird of Passage, from Cabbaggage.  The album shifts effortlessly from ambient to drone, with pit stops in film noir and a few dialogue samples for atmosphere.  A remix and solo keyboard versions are also included (January).  Nicol Eltzroth Rosendorf‘s 2023 album Internal Return is now being released as a remix disc, with stellar reinterpretations coming from Siavash Amini, Rafael Anton Irisarri and more.  Check out the original glacial-tinted vinyl above, a perfect match for the season (January 4).

Yes, there are dancers in the video above, although finding and identifying them is often akin to Magic Eye.  nubo‘s music is also a synthesis, smoothly integrating ambience with electronic elements.  Planetary Vision is out March 1 on Western Vinyl.  Sedibus, an Alex Paterson project, returns with Seti, which integrates classic broadcasting samples into a web of electronic textures.  The spirit of The Orb is alive and well, although we also recommend the set to fans of Public Service Broadcasting (Cooking Vinyl, January 22).  Wil Bolton shifts gears a bit on Null Point, moving further into the electronic realm than ever before, while retaining a coat of ambience.  “A vintage 7″ record of heart sounds” lies at its base, a human element at the center of the machine (The Slow Music Movement Label, February 8).

Scorpion Deathlock is perhaps not the best name for an ambient electronic album, although it does fit the name of the artist, The Golden Age of Wrestling.  The album dances between genres, or perhaps bobs and weaves; it’s incredibly hard to pin down (INTRASET, January 19).  We love the label description of IKSRE (I Keep Seeing Rainbows Everywhere) as “positive and elevating.”  The artist, also known as Phoebe Dubar, flirts with club sensibilities while keeping the mood calm and chill.  Abundance is out February 2 on Constellation Tatsu.  Also included in the label’s Winter Batch is Wenge, a jazz-tinged experience featuring a wide array of instrumentation.  Randal Fisher & Dexter Story‘s expressive set is inspired by the score to the PBS Series 10 Days in Watts.  For those who are wondering, wenge is the wood from which the instruments are made (February 2, pictured above).  Also in the field of ambient jazz, we find the more sedate Små Vågor 6, a piano-led journey by Henrik von Euler, released on Sweden’s Flora & Fauna label (January 25).

We began this section of our preview with one major compilation and end with two more.  Hylé Tapes’ Connection: sculpting silence gathers ambient composers from around the world for a 27-track set with a dual concentration: the connections between notes and the connections between us all.  There’s a great deal of variety in the pieces, which include contributions from Frederic D. Oberland and Igor Yalivec (January 12).  And Whitelabrecs will release sleeplaboratory4.0 on January 20, the latest in a series that seeks to induce sleep, or at the very least, calm.  This year’s edition includes Wil Bolton, Glacis, The Inventors of Aircraft and more.

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Drone

If ambient music reflects the light of gently falling snow, drone represents the shift from gorgeous to dangerous: white-out conditions, howling winds, frigid temperatures, rattling pipes and overworked heaters.  Not that beauty is lacking from drone; the genre finds beauty in darkness, in the midst of the tempest and in its aftermath.

We love the cover of Kali Malone‘s All Life Long so much that we’ve used it as our featured image, even though we could only fit one white word on it.  A similar principle holds true for the album; after a lovely choral introduction, Malone dives into pipe organ and brass quartet, scoring the season’s cool expanses (Ideologic Organ, February 9).

Also delving into sacred music, we find Maria W Horn entering the Panoptikon.  The music began as an installation in the discontinued White Dove Prison of Luleå, Sweden, where until 1979 prisoners (which included women who miscarried) were monitored, isolated and tortured.  This makes Horn’s music especially harrowing, even when the choir takes control (XKatedral, February 2).  Unglee Izi‘s oeuvre displays an incredible range of dynamic contrast, from pure pipe organ to wide swaths of abrasive noise.  The Wall of the Altar Star is a single 68-minute piece, composed in church and studio, so we expect it to split the difference (Mirae Arts, January 12).  Sarah Belle Reid is set to make a big splash with the expanded version of MASS, which incorporates trumpet, flugelhorn, household objects and toys, but amasses an impressive density as it develops.  The human element is never lost, but the body seems to be at war with the machine, reflecting the dual definition of the title (March 1).

Where does the artist end and the A.I. begin?  We’ll be asking this question with increasing frequency in the coming years.  Mexico’s Hexorcismos is ahead of the curve, having “built a tool called SEMILLA.AI based on neural audio synthesis that could not only mimic his sonic fingerprint but transform it into another.”  On MUTUALISMX, he invites Ale Hop, KMRU and others to experiment with the A.I. as collaborator or tool, and to join forces with other collaborators if so inspired.  The results are fascinating in their diversity (Other People, February 15).  Another Mexican artist, Concepción Huerta, takes listeners on a journey to the center of the earth.  On The Earth Has Memory.  Buchla, Nord and tape manipulation operate as the igneous and metamorphic forces.  The cover photo was taken in an obsidian mine; more images can be found within, a keen attention to detail (Elevator Bath, February 2).

EUS returns after a long hiatus with Vergel, having lost nary a step.  The mood is mournful, the music less oppressive than elegiac (BLWBCK, January 26).  The cover of Rafael Toral‘s Spectral Evolution is much more cheerful than we’re used to seeing in this genre; perhaps the artist just likes birds, or can’t help but provide a little hope in the midst of despair.  The chords are bright, and birdsong is imitated on “Intro + Changes” (Drag City, February 23).  Already having a dark 2024?  Dronny Darko & ProtoU‘s Acoustics of Shadows is released today, adrift in occluded atmospheres, like figures behind drawn curtains (Cryo Chamber, January 2).

It’s Not Quiet in the Void, declares Annie Aries, with poetic text by Mimi Kind.  The album travels into the abyss and out, patiently examining tonal clusters and galactic chords (Everest, January 26).   Point of Memory‘s Void Pusher may begin in ambient fashion, but by the album finale “Most of a Murder,” it sounds like an onslaught.  Much of the music comes from physical reactions to “super bass” being played in the room, rattling the other instruments, just as life comes at us hard and leaves us shaken (Misanthropic Agenda, January 26).

Room40 continues its hot streak with a slew of drone releases this winter.  The first album to appear will be JWPaton‘s Submerged, whose poetry-inspired titles include “Gardeners of the Apocalypse.”  The theme: civilizations built on the bones and detritus of others (January 12).  Ben Glas‘ Fugal States is more tonal, unspooling in slow deviations and developments, occasionally landing on synchronistic chords (January 30).  Yuko Araki is remixed by Lawrence English and more on IV X VI (Re:visions), with timbres that touch upon ritualistic and black metal (February 9).  David Grubbs & Liam Keenan offer sprawling guitar duets on Your Music Encountered in a Dream, billed as “the dark side of the pillow” (February 23).  For more from Room40, see yesterday’s Ambient preview!

Cyclic Law has three albums scheduled for January 12.  Grand Loge‘s Unruh is a ritualistic set conceived as the score to the book Soliloquium in Splendor, by Oksana and Gil Prou.  Dark Ages‘ Twilight of Europe is the reissuing of a classic dark ambient/doom album, while TeHôm‘s dark ambient/industrial Legacy boasts 4AD-style artwork, a guest appearance by Rob Bees Fisk and a scary reconstruction of Arvo Pärt.

Vertex Loop is as dramatic as it looks: a series of explosions sparked by modular synth and electric guitar.  These Cataclysmic Events may be as physical as the eruption of a volcano or as personal as a battle with depression; either way, the listening experience is immersive (GRAPH, January 26).  Doom drone can be found on David Wallraf‘s The Commune of Nightmares, which uses tape loops to convey a sense of descending disaster.  His hypothesis: that not only, nightmares, but their content, are universal (Karlrecords, January 26).  Fragments is a true outlier, with music by Massimo Pupillo, poems by Gabriele Tinto and spoken word by Roger Ballen.  This dark world is enhanced by equally dark photography, a nest of disturbing images (Unsound, February 15).

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Electronic

In a slight winter surprise, our largest preview is not ambient, but electronic.  Perhaps the winter release slate reflects a desire to dance the cold nights away, and to feel the warmth of summer in sweat rather than in sweaters.  Beneath the drifts and layers the beat goes on.

This season’s listings are meant to resemble a club playlist, starting with downtempo, then proceeding through synth and swirl, and ending up in industrial and hard techno.  We hope you’ll enjoy this sneak preview of the electronic winter slate!

Our cover image is taken from Pyur’s Lucid Anarchy, listed below!

Patient and measured, Trem 77‘s Vivid Vibration EP is more about the texture than the beats, creating a mood of active contemplation.  As a New Year’s Day release, it operates as a resolution. Also downtempo, but not quite chill: Nightdriver‘s Enthusiastic June may seem out of season, but serves as a reminder of the warmer months.  For those who can’t get away this winter, this EP may operate as a daydream (January 5).  Balearic sounds inhabit Pockets of Light, a double album by Leonidas & Hobbes.  One of the early singles, “Water,” remembers the destruction of Hurricane Ian (Hobbes Music, March 1).  We’ve seen an inordinate amount of spring announcements already this year; one of the finest comes from Catching Flies, who fold a warm blend of strings, keys and beats into Tides.  One of the reasons we’re listing it now is the track “Snow Day,” which is already available: a wise move, as this is the season for snow (Indigo Soul, April 5).

What is The Closest Thing to Silence?  Perhaps it’s the sound of improvisors getting together, listening to each other’s ideas, and forging a unit based on mutual respect.  Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer alternate subtly between timbres, as modern composition and jazz can each be gleaned in these grooves (International Anthem, February 2).   There’s a touch of jazz on Millsart‘s X-Ray Zulu, a dash of world beat.  The four-tracker is the fourth in the Axis Expressionist series, which populates the dance floor with an intelligence to match its energy (Axis, January 24).  Sax, guitar, cello, Wurlitzer, piano and … hoopoe?  Dynamic combinations make C. Diab‘s Imerro an adventurous excursion.  Recorded in a hot season but released in a cold one, the music sounds like a drift down an Amazon river, despite being recorded in Vancouver (Tonal Union, February 16).

Kurdish singer Hani Mojtahedy teams with Andi Toma of Mouse On Mars as HJirok, producing one of the year’s most intriguing blends.  Sufi rhythms, setar melodies and modern electronic beats mingle as Mojtahedy sings in Persian and Farsi, lamenting the strife that has affected her native land (Altin Village & Mine, March 1).  What are the chances that the season would see two Farsi-electronic releases?  As Flower Storm writes, “when it rains it pours.” Daf, Tonbak and Santoor are featured on Do, along with the leftfield surprise of a Coil cover (February 2).

The ritualistic drumming of Jonas Albrecht creates a trancelike energy, and SCHREI MICH NICHT SO AN ICH BIN IN TRANCE BABY is awash in nuance and mood.  The video, although tasteful, may require a parental advisory (Irascible Distribution, January 26).  Jlin, Fennesz, Loraine James and more contribute to Moments Remixes, transforming Michael Vincent Walker‘s original album into something altogether new.  The outlines remain legible, but the timbres have been transformed (play loud!, March 15).

No vocals, no drums, just pure, unadulterated synth.  This is what Loula Yorke offers on the reflective, reflexive Volta, leading off with a beautiful title: “It’s been decided that if you lay down no-one will die.”  The construction allows textural patterns to overlap and harmonize; as the artist proclaims, “Let the circle eat each other!” (Truxalis, January 23).  Exactly one month later, Maya Shenfeld‘s Under the Sun is released, a complimentary yet very different synthesized excursion.  Inspired by a passage from Ecclesiastes, partially recorded in a rock quarry, and dancing on the borders of drone, the album offers a richness of tone that mirrors the breadth of endangered creation (Thrill Jockey, February 23).

Out already on the first of the year, Build‘s Orienting Points begins with ambient glitch, but by “Run” has made a leap forward to propulsive beats.  The cover image looks like a (real) burned CD (Audiobulb).  The label will follow this with OdNu + Ümlaut‘s Abandoned Spaces, which merges the talents of the two artists to produce an ambient-electronic hybrid, with calm guitars (February 15).  Neil Cowley completes his four-year Building Blocks project with installment six, alternating between pristine piano passages and bright electronic patterns (Mote, February 23).  As The Who sings, “No one knows what it’s like to be the sad man …” except maybe for Sad Man, who doesn’t seem all that sad on Now, a popcorn bubbly synth trip bearing the rare “wonky” tag, released January 10.  Maps‘ Counter Continuo is similarly perky and poppy, with euphoric timbres and body-moving beats (Mute, January 16).

An early announcement should be rewarded: Jacob Parke‘s video game inspired Disappointingly Bassic EP is out April 1, a fine choice for a fun release.  The first single is Space Cadet 64 – World Record Nintendogs + Cats Speedrun July 2017.  E-Saggila‘s Gamma Tag comes hard and swift, a reflection of a fast-paced society.  The beats are large, occasionally fracturing into drum ‘n’ bass, like a sonic version of The Incredible Hulk (Northern Electronics, January 26).

If Pyur‘s Lucid Anarchy seems to travel a great sonic distance, it’s a reflection of the artist’s own journey, from Berlin to an Alpine village and back.  Thoughts and travels coalesce into a miasma of sound (Subtext, January 12).  Last year we covered Belka and Strelka from Brueder Selke; and now Laika gets her turn in the sun, as Julia Govor imagines traveling through the cosmos, her faithful companion at her side.  From spacious passages to wild techno workouts, Laika and Ulka Were Here exudes a sense of caffeinated adventure (Semantica, February 16).

The Errorgrid label is knee-deep in its industrial strength Raw Øblations series.  The first four installments are in the books, with sets from TL3SS and founder Nundale scheduled for January and February.  Expect dark beats, moody textures and a dance floor flair.  Jørgen Teller‘s Untitled (which IS a title!) is an experiment in percussion enhanced and abraded, an improvisation turned into a composition, a live performance sent to the studio.  Post-punk and industrial influences shine throughout (Blundar, January 19).

Guatemalan producer Fer Franco makes a big techno splash with his debut album Ritos de Paso, joined by friends from multiple genres, who make the listening experience as vibrant and colorful as the cover image (February 9).Hard beats and a shamanistic sensibility decorate CAIV‘s Dwellers, a cavernous four-track release on the renowned Tresor imprint (February 2).  bergsonist brings the beats on Avant, pulsing and pounding in the grand techno tradition (bizaarbazaar, January 5).  Searing guitars, harsh electro and screams populate Gost‘s Prophecy, whose vivid cover art is an apt reflection of the apocalyptic music within.  Not for the fainthearted! (Metal Blade, March 8).  The same might be said of Shit & Shine, who embed video game beats in the chaos of Masters Of All This Hell, as if to wink at a knowing audience (Antibody, February 15).

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Experimental

Here’s where the most unique music is found: the music that either captures the imagination or – in its use of abstraction, dissonance, atonalism and more – makes one swim back to the safety of shore.  While the outer edge of music sometimes makes it to the center, more often these artists remain relegated to the sidelines, which if asked is where many would prefer to stay.  In this preview, we celebrate the vision of composers who see beyond the veil of accessibility and venture into territories unknown.  Some operate in alternate universes; others are ahead of their time. Together, they push music forward, whether or not it wants to be nudged.  We hope you’ll enjoy this sneak peek at the winter slate in experimental music, with two more previews still to come!

Experimental Electronic

The Reaper & Me comes from a terrifying time: the beginning of the A.I.D.S. epidemic in New York.  R. Weis‘ project is unveiled on February 2, the heart of winter.  Accessible beats are paired with creative instrumentation, including table knife, takeout container, intrusive cricket and Andean flute.

Philippe Petit has been working up to the release of A Divine Comedy for years.  This ambitious project uses electronics and samples to create a sonic collage that reflects upon and enhances Alighieri’s original vision.  In effect, it operates as an alternate score to the epic poem (Cronica, February 13).  A more prominent use of poetry is present on Hourloupe‘s Opera of the War, a timely meditation on conflict and loss that imagines a composer sitting in ruins, determined to create a symphony of fragments (January 12).

The Sonic Catering band makes music with “blenders, frying pans and gurgling soup,” while their friends use slightly more conventional instrumentation.  Both meet on the OST to Flux Gourmet, which includes guest appearances from members of Broadcast, Nurse With Wound and A Hawk and a Hacksaw (Ba Da Bing, January 26).

Brunhild Ferrari returns with Extérieur-jour, a pair of extended electro-acoustic pieces, one billed as “a movie for the ears” and the other “a meditation on the loss and reappearance of memory and silence” (Drag City, January 26).  Francisco Meirino‘s fascination with magnetic frequencies and dying devices becomes A Perpetual Host, an electro-acoustic set that bears a wide range of dynamic contrast, both between and within tracks (Misanthropic Agenda, January 26).

Turntables, metal pipes and other objects factor into Split Series Vol. 2, which pairs Aviva Endean and Henrik Olsson for a series of sonic adventures.  If listeners need grounding, they may gravitate to the flute, although even its use is unconventional (FRIM, February 23).  Pierre Bastien and Mike Cooper join forces on Aquapelagos Vol. 2: Indico, folding birds and rain into settings including both melody and feedback, an imitation of the wild (Keroxen, January 26).  Roman Rofalski‘s music borrows equally from modern composition and jazz: decidedly non-linear, though grounded by electronic backdrops.  Fractal is released January 19 on Oscillations.

Dissonance, abrasion and high pitches make blackmagix.asd our least accessible release of the season, but that may be the point; Bios Contrast & Nilotpal Das investigate levels of discomfort by using patterns found in everyday use (Brahmancore, February 16).  Gameboys & Pedals is exactly what it sounds like, although less melodic than one might imagine; Kenn Hartwig‘s GameBoy is far removed from its designers’ original intentions (February 9).  Semiotic Ghosts‘ No. 5 seeks to find “meaning in abstraction,” with tones that border on the foreboding and apprehensive, track title “The She-Wolf” a dead giveaway (January 5).

Jazz and Improvisation

We say this every season: 577 Records really has their advance promotion down.  One release is already out, while five are in pre-order.  With trumpet and double bass, Benjamín Vergara & Amanda Irarrazabal translate the landscapes of Chile into sound on Último Sosiego (January 3).  Daniel Carter’s Playfield octet finds its Magic Heart through wild improvisation and field recordings (January 19); Francesco Mela and Zoh Amba make a joyful noise with sax, flute, drums and voice on Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2 (February 2).  The intriguingly-titled [ism] offers Maua, a set of live recordings from Berlin’s Au Topsi Pohl (February 16).  Pianist Eva Novoa expands to a trio on Novoa / Gress / Fray Trio, Vol. 1, with subtle use of soft electronics (February 21).  And exposing the label’s predilection for series, Infinite Cosmos Calling You You You Vol. 1 is the latest collaboration from Federico Ughi feat. Leo Genovese and Brandon Lopez (March 9).

Sawyer Editions has five releases scheduled for January 5 (5 for 5!).  We love the name Germaine Sijstermans And The Prague Quiet Music Collective, whose music does just what it says; always audible, but notably restrained.  Matt Sargent‘s series of “Illuminations” use mallet instruments and chimes to create a holy atmosphere.  On Snow, Kory Reeder provides two quarter-hour pieces whose notes fall softly like flurries, accumulating but never threatening.  Noah Jenkins continues to play through every kind of weather, a duet of water and brass; while Ben Zucker experiments with tone and duration.

Piano – whether solo or ensemble – features strongly in many of this season’s releases.  On Ogura Plays Ogura, Miharu Ogura‘s keys are often silent, as she delves into silence and decay (thanatosis, February 16). Lisa Ullén‘s style of play is unconventional, often atonal; on Heirloom, the solo pianist investigates all facets of the “in-between” (fonstret, February 12). Yu-Hui Chang is similarly thoughtful, her compositions augmented by cello, string quartet and ensemble.  Mind Like Water is released on New Focus January 19.  Piano and guitar are the instruments on Reinhold Friedl / Martin Siewert‘s Lichtung, but none of the timbres are expected.  Instead, the album offers an investigation of frequency and tone (Karlrecords, January 12).

Pianist Amaro Frietas pays tribute to the planet and the indigenous community of Sateré Mawé, with flute and drums offering a majestic regional vibe.  Y’Y is out March 1 on Psychic Hotline.  Swing and Latin jazz meet on On Different Paths, from trumpeter Marlon Simon and friends.  The album is heavy on groove, performed with The Naguel Spirits (Truth Revolution, January 26).  Mike Cooper And Friends offer a loving tribute on Soprano – An Homage to Lol Coxhill.  The album is a saxophone elegy, a statement of friendship and respect (Room40, February 2).

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Modern Composition

A change of direction, an anticipated collection and a slew of soundtracks mark the winter slate of releases in Modern Composition.  This music may be elegant, but it’s not just for highbrow audiences; a few of the albums below have crossover potential, and we may even see them chart; nothing would please us more! As many of the composers we cover have broken into the world of film scoring, we’ve seen their popularity increase, benefitting the entire instrumental music industry.  The next renaissance may be right around the corner!  In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy this sneak preview of the winter slate, starting with solo piano and proceeding to full orchestra.  Today’s cover art comes from Leslee Smucker’s Breathing Landscape; look closely and you can see the title!

But before we get to 2024’s music, we’d like to set the mood with a gorgeous winter video, released on the winter solstice.  “Winter” combines time-lapse photography by Jamie Scott with a gorgeous piece from Bigo &Twigetti head Jim Perkins.

Those of a certain age will remember Air, the French duo that captured the hearts of the world with a distinctive brand of electronica back in the late 90s.  Now solo, JB Dunckel offers a very different sort of music, albeit still sedate.  Paranormal Musicality is set of piano improvisations, sensitive and chilled (Warner Classics, January 19).  Romantic pianist Olivia Belli is set to unveil the expressive Intermundia, enhanced with strings.  The album builds to a high point in “Sybil” before a gentle denouement (Sony XXIM, February 23).

Cascades of flowing notes mark the return of Dutch pianist Doeke, whose Voor Aarde is preceded by the single Kosmos.  Inspired by nature, the composer serenades rain and sea, moon and stars (Nettwerk, January 5).  Peter Klanac offers minimalist piano pieces in both original versions and variations on the double album Sept cordes, a tonal experiment that works (February 22).

Sonic Pieces celebrates its 15th anniversary with a double release from Sylvain Chauveau: a reissue of the artist’s debut album Le livre noir du capitalisme and a new live set, ultra-minimal, recorded one instrument at a time: piano, harmonium, melodica, guitar.  Those familiar with the color coding may refer to these as “the orange and black ones” (February 2).  Ben Connolly teams with Echo Collective for Phaethon, Becalmed, a meditation on the climate crisis as seen through the lens of mythology (Neue Meister, January 19).  Ben Harnetty‘s The Workbench is a meditation on time, objects and a grandfather’s love, available in both instrumental and voice mail versions.  We recommend the latter, as it yields the full emotional impact (Winesap Records, January 19).

We are super-happy about the release of Strings and Tins’ The Stills Series, because we’ve already reviewed the whole thing (save for the exceptional bonus remix).  The series offers composers the opportunity to choose a piece from London’s Tate Britain Gallery, to imagine it as a still shot, and to provide it with a score.  We may be reading too much into the press release, but the words “the first three EPs” lead us to believe that there will be more (January 26).

Leslee Smucker‘s expansive violin pieces occasionally border on drone, with dark timbres suitable to the season.  Breathing Landscape was recorded in an abandoned water tank; the reverb within and the wind without both feature strongly (Beacon Sound, January 26). The title says it all: Music for Sixth-tone Harmonium.  Ian Mikyska & Fredrik Rasten explore the wide possibilities of the instrument, performed here by Miroslav Beinhauer.  Electronics and unusual percussion alter the timbres: rain, chimes, closing doors.  Could the instrument be making a comeback?  (Warm Winters Ltd., January 19).

Henning Fuchs combines vocal and instrumental pieces on COCOON, an album with great crossover potential.  Lost at Sea is the first instrumental single, although we believe “Love Is” (featuring Lisa Lambe) will be the breakout hit (Neue Meister, February 23, pictured right).  In like fashion, the all-female trio Toechter seems primed to break through with Epic Wonder, which straddles the line between modern composition, electronic and avant pop.  The theme is the power of kinship, the connections between genres mirroring those we might locate in each other.  Might this vision become a reality?  If so, it would truly be celebrated as an epic wonder (Morr Music, February 2).

We think it’s fair to say that harp music is associated with the colder months, and Lavinia Meijer cements the association with the seasonal-based Winter.  It’s also a a safe bet to proclaim that this album – which includes original pieces, as well as interpretations of pieces from Max Richter and Nils Frahm – will likely land on our chart of The Year’s Best Winter Music in eleven months (Sony Classical, January 12). Gidon Kremer includes a healthy amount of premieres on Songs of Fate, which includes multigenerational pieces by Lithuanian and Polish composers and is a mixture of instrumentals and vocal pieces, performed by the Kremerata Baltica chamber ensemble and soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė (ECM, January 19).

Rone offers variations on a theme on the OST to the Canal + series D’Argent et De Sang.  While the central theme arrives in multiple versions, there’s plenty of new music to satisfy (InFiné, January 12). Michael Armendariz, Nick Reinhart, & Jay Gambit‘s OST to Grieve starts with somber piano, but it doesn’t end there, as tipped in the end of the trailer.  Already Dead Tapes will be offering both film (on VHS!) and cassette for a truly retro experience (January 19).  And Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk offers a new score to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, transforming the viewing experience; a film tour will follow the February 9 release.

ACL 2024 ~ Winter Music Preview: Rock, Post-Rock, Folk & Jazz

We conclude our six-part Winter Music Preview with a slew of genres: not only those mentioned above, but doom, dub, raga, Afrobeat and more.  During this trip around the world, we’ll meet performers who operate as sonic chefs, spicing their music with international flavors and inventing new hybrids along the way.

150 previews in the course of a week is only the tip of the iceberg.  We invite you to check out our Upcoming Releases page, which is updated daily, and our More Music Sites page, which includes links to more retail and review sites.  There’s always something new on the horizon.  A happy 2024 to all of our readers!

Our cover image is a classic Earth from Above shot, as shared by Artnet!

A-Sun Amissa returns in a big way with Ruins Era, preceded by a 22-minute single that defies the classic definition of the word.  “A New Precipice” is a cry into the void, a distillation of modern anxiety and a warning of things to come.  But wait, there’s more!  The full album tops out at 70 minutes and greets the new year with thick, immersive doom.  The massive sound is slightly softened by Claire Knox on clarinet, but there’s no muting these dangerous timbres (Gizeh, February 9).  The Southern gothic vibe of Dead Bandit recalls smoke-filled rooms, femme fatales and film noir.  Memory Thirteen is dense, measured, and immersive, sounding more like the work of a small band than a determined duo (Quindi, February 9).

We love the phrase “brass-fueled euphoria,” which is used to describe the upcoming album from A Burial at Sea.  On Close to Home, the Irish post-rockers have composed a love letter to the people and towns that shaped them.  While this is only their second album, A Burial at Sea already sounds like a veteran band (Pelagic, February 23).  On the other end of the sonic spectrum, “minimalist post-rock” is a rare tag, but one rightfully applied to Antistatic on its debut disc.  The Copenhagen band incorporates jazz, world and freeform influences on Relics, out January 26 on Cuneiform, a label now celebrating its 40th birthday.

Psych trio mega cat meows with a funky accent and revels in sci-fi themes.  “Worm Rider” and the two-part “Ballad of Sarah Connor” reference famous productions with playfulness and verve (Share It Music, February 16).  Funk, dub and improv mingle across Rainbow, conceived by The Comet Is Coming drummer Maxwell Hallett as Champagne Dub.  Not content with a new band name alone, Hallett is now calling himself mr. noodles (On the Corner, February 8).  SabaSaba shares similar influences, but exudes a completely different vibe.  The dub of Unknown City is dark and foreboding, like a slow walk through post-apocalyptic streets.  Inspired by China Miéville’s novel The City And The City, the album reflects the mood of an oppressed society, offering scarce glimmers of hope (Maple Death, February 9).  Stoner psych trio Tropic Santos has no shortage of energy, infusing Jaguar Mamas with funk and verve.  The single is the first taste of Caccia Grossa, out January 19 on Argonauta Records.

Folk, psych and raga become friends on Adshusheer, the new album from post-folk trio The River Otters.  The release is preceded by Lyra’s Mad Dance, a live version of an album track.  The album cover is so elaborate that even at full size, it begs to be expanded fuller; hints of the track titles are embedded in the artwork (January 12).  Raoul Eden‘s Anima is awash in warm, fingerstyle guitar. The addition of occasional chimes lends the release a ritualistic, even spiritual vibe (Scissor Tail, February 15).  Tyler McDermott‘s Light the Way is an EP of short pieces centered on acoustic guitar, purple and positive, closing on a vocal track (January 15).

All About That Jazz

Peter Jonatan and Metropole Orkest present the expansive, cinematic Psalms Symphony, which shares elements of both modern composition and jazz, especially in its final movement, as it sways from church choir to big band concert hall to intimate jazz club, opening itself to multiple concert settings (January 29).  Trombonist Marshall Gilkes teams with The WDR Big Band on LifeSongs, which includes a piece that address gun violence, balanced by a lullaby: an example of dynamic diversity (Alternate Side Records, January 26).

Does it really take 10,000 Hours of practice to become a master of the craft?  Saxophonist Hiruy Tirfe explores Malcolm Gladwell’s statement on an album that blends vocal, instrumental and spoken word, and operates as a paean to Philadelphia, replete with a post-Super Bowl speech.  Patriots fans might not like this album (January 26).  DB & the Soho Nine-Six break out the jazz-funk jams on their self-titled album, which includes a reflective tribute to San Francisco.  Eagles fans might not like this one (January 26).

Here’s a fun offering: the French-Polish quartet Lumpeks fuse Polish folk songs and jazz on Polonez, playing instruments as diverse as bębenek obręczowy and drone box.  Bird calls and vocals are mixed in as well, making the experience a party on a disc (Umlaut, January 26).  Danish quartet Kalaha returns with the jazz/world vibes of Nord Ham, borrowing from samba, Afrobeat and other disparate genres.  All are welcome (April Records, January 26).

Abdullah Ibrahim‘s two-volume 3 provides a showcase for the 89-year-old South African pianist, representing two live sets, one solo and one as part of a trio.  In cases like this, age really is just a number (Gearbox, January 26).  Have you ever imagined what your favorite video game scores might sound like if rearranged for jazz orchestra?  Wonder no more!  Flipping the script, Myles Wright‘s Gamer tackles themes from Castlevania, Prince of Persia, Super Mario World and more, with a few additional tracks streaming on YouTube (January 26).

UPCOMING RELEASES

(complete list with Bandcamp links here)

As we put the old year to bed, a new year awakens. The future is unwritten, as clean as a field of newly-fallen snow.  January brings a feeling of hope, a time to catch one’s breath as we anticipate the next round of blessings.  Among them is the winter music slate, a segment of which is already streaming below.  Even more is covered in our Winter Music Preview.  New previews are added to this page daily; we hope that you’ll find your next favorite album right here!  We wish all of our readers a happy new year, filled with inspiration, friendship and amazing music!

Sad Man ~ Now (10 January)

Gollen & Willows8ng ~ Bathe in Colour (Imaginary North, 12 January)

Hourloupe ~ Opera of the War (12 January)

Koenraad Ecker ~ Raw Materials (LINE, 12 January)

Linnea Hjertén ~ Nio systrar (Nordvis, 12 January)

Pyur ~ Lucid Anarchy (Subtext, 12 January)

Reinhold Friedl / Martin Stewart ~ Gestade (Karlrecords, 12 January)

Rone ~ D’Argent et De Sang (Original Series Soundtrack) (InFine, 12 January)

Various Artists ~ Connection: sculpting silence (Hylé Tapes, 12 January)

Tyler McDermott ~ Light the Way (15 January)

Atrium Carceri & Kammarheit ~ Apparatus (Cryo Chamber, 16 January)

Billow Observatory ~ Soliton (Felte, 19 January)

Funken, Chergui et Hateau ~ Daniel dans la nuit (unjenesaisquoi, 19 January)

The Golden Age of Wrestling ~ Scorpion Deathlok (Intranet, 19 January)

Ian Mikyska & Fredrik Rasten ~ Music for Sixth-tone Harmonium (Warm Winters Ltd., 19 January)

Kerrith Livengood ~ In the Name of the MOON (Neuma, 19 January)

MC Maguire ~ Dystophilia (Neuma, 19 January)

Oliver Patrice Weder ~ The Shoe Factory (Moderna, 19 January)

Playfield ~ Magic Heart (577 Records, 19 January)

Yu-Hui Chang ~ Mind Like Water (New Focus, 19 January)

David Cordero ~ Restless Nature (Whitelabrecs, 20 January)

Various Artists ~ sleeplaboratory4.0 (Whitelabrecs, 20 January)

Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky ~ Sunder (LAAPS, 22 January)

Sedibus ~ SETI (Cooking Vinyl, 22 January)

Loula Yorke ~ Volta (Truxalis, 23 January)

Pat Thrasher ~ The Country of Ourselves (23 January)

Zakhme ~ Kula (23 January)

Henrik von Euler ~ Små Vågor 6 (Flora & Fauna, 25 January)

Abdullah Ibrahim ~ 3 (Gearbox, 26 January)

Annie Aries ~ It’s Not Quiet in the Void (Everest, 26 January)

David Wallraf ~ The Commune of Nightmares (Karlrecords, 26 January)

DB & the Soho Nine-Six ~ S/T (Mariposa Groove, 26 January)

E-Saggila ~ Gamma Tag (Northern Electronics, 26 January)

EUS ~ Vergel (BLWBCK, 26 January)

Francesco Meirino ~ A Perpetual Host (Misanthropic Agenda, 26 January)

Jonas Albrecht ~ Schrei Mich Nicht So An Ich Bin In Trance Baby (Irascible Distribution, 26 January)

Jzovce ~ Une nuit qui ne cesse de tomber (BLWBCK, 26 January)

Kalaha ~ Nord Havn (April Records, 26 January)

Leslee Smucker ~ Breathing Landscape (Beacon Sound, 26 January)

Lumpeks ~ Polonez (Umlaut, 26 January)

Point of Memory ~ Void Pusher (Misanthropic Agenda, 26 January)

Salvatore Mercatante ~ Ø (A Strangely Isolated Place, 26 January)

Shelf Nunny ~ Pronoia (26 January)

Various Artists ~ Flux Gourmet OST (Ba Da Bing, 26 January)

Various Artists ~ The Stills Series (String and Tins Recordings, 26 January)

Vertex Loop ~ Cataclysmic Events (GRAPH, 26 January)

Ben Glas ~ Fugal States (Room40, 30 January)

Humming & Stone ~ Imago (1 February)

Poppy H ~ Grave Era (Cruel Nature, 1 February)

Allison Burik ~ Realm (2 February)

CAIV ~ Dwellers (Tresor, 2 February)

Concepción Huerta ~ The Earth Has Memory (Elevator Bath, 2 February)

CURA MACHINES ~ NEURO (Bedouin, 2 February)

Francisco Mela & Zoh Amba ~ Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2 (577 Records, 2 February)

IKSRE ~ Abundance (Constellation Tatsu, 2 February)

kmodp ~ Crimée No. 7 (2 February)

Manu Delago ~ Snow from Yesterday (One Little Independent, 2 February)

Meg Mulhearn ~ Let It Burn Through the Night (Ceremony of Seasons, 2 February)

Mike Cooper And Friends ~ Soprano – An Homage to Lol Coxhill (Room40, 2 February)

Panghalina ~ Lava (Room40, 2 February)

Randal Fisher & Dexter Story ~ Wenge (Constellation Tatsu, 2 February)

R. Weis ~ The Reaper & Me (2 February)

Sascha Muhr ~ Keiko (2 February)

toechter ~ Epic Wonder (Morr Music, 2 February)

Champagne Dub ~ Rainbow (On the Corner, 8 February)

Wil Bolton ~ Null Point (The Slow Music Movement Label, 8 February)

A-Sun Amissa ~ Ruins Era (Gizeh, 9 February)

C. Diab ~ Imerro (Tonal Union, 9 February)

Fer Franco ~ Ritos de Peso (9 February)

Kenn Hartwig ~ Gameboys & Pedals (Anunaki Tabla, 9 February)

Orphax ~ Structure (9 February)

SabaSaba ~ Unknown City (Hands in the Dark, 9 February)

Lisa Ullén ~ Heirloom (fonstret, 12 February)

Philippe Petit ~ A Divine Comedy (Cronica, 13 February)

Hexorcismos ~ MUTUALISMX (Other People, 15 February)

OdNu + Ümlaut ~ Abandoned Spaces (Audiobulb, 15 February)

Raoul Eden ~ Amina (Scissor Tail, 15 February)

Bios Contrast & Nilotpal Das ~ blackmagix.asd (16 February)

C. Diab ~ Imerro (Tonal Union, 16 February)

Iñaki García ~ Rainbow (Bigo & Twigetti, 16 February)

ism ~ Maua (577 Records, 16 February)

Julia Govor ~ Laika and Ulka Were Here (Semantica, 16 February)

mega cat ~ S/T (Share It Music, 16 February)

Miharu Ogura ~ Ogura Plays Ogura (thanatosis, 16 February)

Petar Klanac ~ Sept cordes (22 February)

Aviva Endean | Henrik Olsson ~ Split Series Vol. 2 (FRIM, 23 February)

David Grubbs & Liam Keenan ~ Your Music Encountered in a Dream (Room40, 23 February)

Drifting in Silence ~ Winters Past (Labile, 23 February)

Maya Shenfeld ~ Under the Sun (Thrill Jockey, 23 February)

MINING ~ Chimet (Leaf, 23 February)

Amaro Freitas ~ Y’Y (Psychic Hotline, 1 March)

Eva Novoa ~ Novoa / Gress / Gray Trio, Vol. 1 (577 Records, 1 March)

Leonidas & Hobbes ~ Pockets of Light (Hobbes Music, 1 March)

nubo ~ Planetary Vision (Western Vinyl, 1 March)

Sarah Belle Reid ~ MASS (Extended + Remastered) (1 March)

David Shea ~ The Ship (Room40, 2 March)

Kane Pour ~ The Last Wave (sound as language, 15 March)

Michael Vincent Waller ~ Moments Remixes (Play Loud, 15 March)

Jacob Parke ~ Space Cadet 64 – World Record Nintendogs + Cats Speedrun July 17 (1 April)