A CLOSER LISTEN weekly #8
Reviews, dispatches from Ukraine, and May's New Releases
Dear Listeners! Joseph here. It’s the end of the semester, and like many I’ve been scrambling more than usual this year. The weather has finally nice enough to draw me outside, even though I’ve still got a lot of writing and grading to finish. And on top of that I’m still recovering from birthday celebrations, so apologies for the late entry. But it’s still Wednesday, so here’s you bi-weekly missive updating you on ACL’s recent highlights.
Last time I highlighted some guitar-centric music that had grabbed our attention, so it was interesting to see Richard’s review of Take Me Somewhere Nice: A Tribute to Mogwai. I first heard Mogwai around 2001 following the releases of Rock Action and EP + 6, and their music had a decisive influence on shifting my listening habits away from the hardcore punk and metal that had mostly occupied my CD player in high school. It’s then with great interest that I’ve approached listening to these cover versions, allowing for a kind of defamiliarization to hear these tunes anew decades later. As Rich writes, “while many of these versions open new windows to the originals, none replaces their quality. But that’s the beauty of tribute albums; they extend the life of tracks while reminding us why they are worth covering in the first place.”
I also want to highlight Rich’s review of Limen, the excellent collaboration between KMRU and Aho Ssan. KMRU’s Peel and Aho Ssan’s Simulacrum were each among our favorite albums of 2020.
KMRU started in the electronic field and ambled gracefully into ambient, while Aho Ssan traffics in violent electronics with beats. When paired, they produce something akin to modern composition, with grand themes and a huge cinematic sound. We’re not the first to make the Ben Frost comparison, but it’s apt; and Subtext is the perfect label for this type of production.
Don’t sleep on this one, especially drone fans. As always, new reviews continue to be published daily, so keep an eye on acloserlisten.com.
I also noted last time that Maria Chavez was featured on the most recent episode of Sound Propositions, which you can read about here. The next episode features Matmos, timed to coincide with the release of their latest album, Regards / Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer (Thrill Jockey, 20 May). If you’re feeling particularly generous and want to send me a birthday present, you can support on Patreon for as little as $1/month, or send a one-time donation via PayPal, which will help me to produce future installments. Thank you!
Another installment in Gianmarco Del Re’s dispatches from Ukraine, this time featuring interviews with S.A. Tweeman, Lostlojic, Yevhen Trachuk of KyivPride, and an update from Stanislav Bobrytsky.
The issue of equality and protection of LGBTQAI+ rights is becoming increasingly important in both the domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine, according to a report by Nash Mir (Our World) the Luhansk based Gay and Lesbian Centre, with political parties forced to articulate their views on LGBT+ issues. In its activities, the Ukrainian government seeks to promote the principles of tolerance, gender equality and respecting the interests of LGBT+ people as a vulnerable group. At the same time, such policies have met with harsh criticism and opposition from conservative religious circles, which still have a significant impact on legislators and society. Aside from looking at LGBTQAI+ issues in this new episode of Ukrainian Field Notes, we also speak to Mystictrax and Noneside Records label head Lostlojic and get an update from Stanislav Bobrytsky (brainhack_musicbox).
UPCOMING RELEASES
(complete list with Bandcamp links here)
May is a liminal month, in many locales a passage between seasons: too cold for snow, too warm for the beach. But in the music industry, the spring season is already in full bloom. Clubs are open and artists are touring. The last of the pandemic albums are making their way to the (digital) stands, while a new wave of music is being recorded. We don’t know what it will sound like, but we’re excited to hear it. Nearly every day we add new music to this page. We hope you’ll find your next favorite album right here!
Adrian Copeland ~ If This Were My Body (Lost Tribe Sound, 6 May)
Aidan Baker ~ Songs of Undoing (Improved Sequence, 6 May)
Andy Cartwright ~ Form Less Ness (A Quiet Room Recording, 6 May)
Ches Smith ~ Interpret It Well (Pyroclastic, 6 May)
Daou ~ Sanctuary (Ruptured, 6 May)
Erik Deerly ~ A Sense of Place (Arpaviva, 5 May)
Floating World Pictures ~ The Twenty-Three Views (Floating World Pictures, 6 May)
Henrik von Euler ~ Små Vågor 5 (Flora & Fauna, 5 May)
Iluiteq ~ The Light Inside, The Dark Outside (n5MD, 6 May)
John Natchez ~ Luzzu OST (Phantom Limb, 6 May)
Kalia Vendever ~ Regrowth (New Amsterdam, 6 May)
Kevin Drumm ~ 120121 (Vaagner, 6 May)
Laura Cannell ~ Unlocking Rituals (Brawl Records, 6 May)
Loopatronica ~ Dreams of Science: Theology and Politics Projects (6 May)
Netherworld ~ Vanishing Lands (Glacial Movements, 6 May)
Redwood Leviathan ~ Vertigo (6 May)
Reyes/Stokowy Duo ~ Northern: Ashroud Is My Country (American Dreams, 6 May)
Robert Takahashi Crouch ~ Ritual Variations (Room40, 6 May)
Rubin Henkel ~ Restless (7K!, 6 May)
Serpente ~ Dias da Aranha (Discrepant, 6 May)
Spacefood ~ Once They Get In Here (Taps Head) It’s Game Over Man (square ears, 6 May)
Stefan Goldmann ~ Vector Rituals (Macro, 6 May)
stelzer/murray ~ Commit (Helen Scarsdale Agency, 6 May)
Swansither ~ Inner Space (Subexotic, 6 May)
Tanti Aglaia ~ Ła Mer (See Blue Audio, 6 May)
Tomasso Moretti ~ Inside Out (Bace, 6 May)
TONED ~ S/T (6 May)
Zimoun ~ Guitar Studies I-III (Room40, 6 May)
Dave Hawley ~ Gift Horse (7 May)
Jakob Lindhagen ~ Ziba OST (12 May)
Manel Fortià ~ Despertar (Segell Microscopi, 12 May)
Claire Cross ~ Into Light (13 May)
The Corrupting Sea ~ Talking to Trees (Histamine Tapes, 13 May)
India Galley ~ to you through (Redshift, 13 May)
Martin Küchen ~ Utopia (Thanatosis, 13 May)
Reykjanes ~ Water Wanderings (Piano & Coffee Records, 13 May)
Spencer Zahn ~ Pale Horizon (Cascine, 13 May)
Stavroz ~ Mindibu (Moodfamily, 13 May)
V/A ~ Healing Together: A Compilation For Mental Health Recovery (Past Inside the Present, 13 May)
Adrien75 ~ World of Wonder (14 May)
Eric Copeland ~ Spiral Stairs (les albums claus, 15 May)
Послесвечение ~ Соприкосновение (15 May)
First Third ~ Salvage (Machine Records, 16 May)
Trance Farmers & Kourtney Roy ~ Queen of Nowhere (IIKKI, 19 May)
Andrew Bernstein ~ a presentation (Hausu Mountain, 20 May)
Automatisme & Stefan Paulus ~ Gap/Void (Constellation, 20 May)
Brandon Seabrook ~ In the Storm (Astral Spirits, 20 May)
Joe Rainey ~ Niineta (37d03d, 20 May)
Joel Forsberg ~ Det lilla klivet, det stora rivet (Egoljud, 20 May)
Jon Porras ~ Arroyo (Thrill Jockey, 20 May)
Koray Kantarcıoğlu ~ Loopworks 2 (Discrepant, 20 May)
Kranemann & Pharmakustik ~ Electric Fluxus (Verlag System, 20 May)
Leon den Engelsen ~ Home (Piano & Coffee Records, 20 May)
Mary Lattimore & Paul Sukeena ~ West Kensington (Three Lobed Recordings, 20 May)
Matmos ~ Regards/Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer (Thrill Jockey, 20 May)
NYIÞ ~ ᛬ᚢᛁᛋᚿᛁ•ᚼᛆᛏᛁ•ᚼᚱᛅ᛬ (Cyclic Law, 20 May)
Peter Coccoma ~ A Place to Begin (Whatever’s Clever, 20 May)
Traverse ~ Slow Moving Apocalypse (Somewherecold, 20 May)
Zoh Amba feat. William Parker and Francisco Mela ~ O Life, O Light Vol. 1 (577 Records, 20 May)
Ichion ~ One (Audiobulb, 25 May)
Project Vainiola ~ Waves of Inner Peace (Slow Tone Collages, 25 May)
Barkum Deer ~ S/T (First Light, 26 May)
The Dish ~ Slaps Combo (MFZ, 27 May)
EMÆNUEL ~ SUKISTAN (sound as language, 27 May)
4T Thieves ~ Futures End (Rednetic, 27 May)
Orphax ~ Spectrum (27 May)
ragenap ~ Thriving Culture (American Dreams, 27 May)
Shiva Feshareki ~ Turning World (NMC Recordings, 27 May)
Soft Ffog ~ S/T (Is It Jazz?, 27 May)
Timothy Fairless ~ Rising Water (Flaming Pines, 27 May)
V/A ~ Perceptions Vol. 3 (Bigo & Twigetti, 27 May)
V/A ~ Spring Snow (Mirae Arts, 27 May)
Wanderwelle ~ Black Clouds Above the Bows (Important, 27 May)
FILM ~ S/T (Qilla, 28 May)
Giacomelli ~ Return of the Return (Somewherecold, 28 May)
Viktor Benev ~ Architextures (enovae, 29 May)
Gunver Ryberg/David Morley ~ Clockworks Remixes (Machineries of Joy, 30 May)
Taylor Deupree ~ Harbor (laaps, 30 May)
Spacepilot ~ Hyaena Worlds (577 Records, 31 May)
Patrick Glynn ~ Past Beginnings (1 June)
Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver ~ Welcome Adventure! Vol. 2 (577 Records, 3 June)
Jim Perkins ~ Immersed in Clouds Reworks (Bigo & Twigetti, 3 June)
Ralph Heidel ~ Modern Life (Kryptox, 3 June)
RedGreenBlue ~ The End of the Beginning (Astral Spirits, 3 June)
T. Gowdy ~ Miracles (Constellation, 3 June)
Voiski ~ The End of Fiction EP (Delsin, 3 June)
x.y.r. ~ Aquarealm (Not Not Fun, 3 June)
Mario Salvadore, Marcos Morales, Yasel Munoz ~ MASINTIN (Orbit577, 7 June)
Flavia Massimo ~ Glitch (Audiobulb, 8 June)
Osheyack ~ Intimate Politics (SVBKVLT, 8 June)
Blu Terra ~ Testo EP (Lapsus, 10 June)
Jason Del Campo ~ Sage (At Swim Music, 10 June)
Metavari ~ Soft Continuum (Studies Vol. 2) (10 June)
MimiCof ~ Distant Symphony (Karlrecords, 10 June)
µ-Ziq ~ Magic Pony Ride (Planet Mu, 10 June)
The Utopia Strong ~ International Treasure (Rocket Recordings, 10 June)
Yamila ~ Visions (Umor Rex, 10 June)
Yann Tiersen ~ 11 5 18 2 5 18 (Mute, 10 June)
Yoo Doo Right ~ A Murmur, Boundless to the East (Mothland, 10 June)
Andrew Tasselmyer ~ Music for Nonexistent Films (Somewherecold, 17 June)
Anteloper ~ Pink Dolphins (International Anthem, 17 June)
Heroes Are Gang Leaders ~ LeAutoRoiOgraphy (577 Records, 17 June)
High Castle Teleorkestra ~ The Egg That Never Opened (Art as Catharsis, 17 June)
John Stein ~ Lifeline (Whaling City Sound, 17 June)
Stereo Minus One ~ Lodestone (Machine Records, 20 June)
Ametrom ~ Club Balkan (24 June)
FFT ~ Clear (Numbers, 24 June)
Glenn Jones ~ Vade Mecum (Thrill Jockey, 24 June)
Larkhall ~ Say You’re With Me (24 June)
Tommy Crane ~ We Are All Improvisers Now (Whirlwind Recordings, 24 June)
Chloe Alexandre Thompson ~ They Can Never Burn the Stars (SIGE, 27 June)
Daniel Carter et al ~ Telepatica (577 Records, 1 July)
Catarina Barbieri ~ Spirit Exit (Warp, 8 July)
Caleb Wheeler Curtis ~ Heatmap (Imani, 15 July)
Helena Celle ~ Music for Counterflows (False Walls, 15 July)
Indian Wells ~ No One Really Listens to Oscillators (Mesh, 15 July)
Madeleine Cocolas ~ Spectral (Room40, 15 July)
Black Sky Giant ~ Falling Mothership (Made of Stone, 30 July)