In Light Of That Learnt Later (Purelink remix) (7:04)
In The Dust And The Haze (4:44)
Review: The fables around this one are strong. To say the least. Corker & Conboy's album, In Leith of that Learnt Later was apparently recorded in a converted carpark in Battersea. Melding together cinematic post-rock, adult lullabies, dub-by folk, and new age, it's a marvel of escapist listening that transports you far from the brutality of the concrete London it was born into, out to some field in England or other, and then onwards to plains we are yet to become familiar with. On this two-tracker that sense of adventure remains very much in tact. Purelink steps up with a remix that could be the soundtrack to your next sensory depravation tank prep or cacao ceremony. All earthy bubbles and light, loose, tribalistic percussion. On the flip, find one of the originals from the LP - the lackadaisical guitar motifs of 'On The Dust and The Haze'.
Review: Michael Grigoni and Pan•American's latest collaboration is a series of contemplative reflections on the isolation, fractures and uncertainties that define today's world. The album delves into the emotional landscape shaped by political divisions, personal solitude, and the lingering aftereffects of the pandemic. Through its fusion of folk, country, bluegrass, and blues elements, paired with a modern, ambient atmosphere, the sound is both rooted in tradition and forward-looking. Tracks like 'Sun Morning Sun' and 'Silver Streams' carry a sense of quiet introspection, while 'Black River Song' and 'Mirage/Afternoon' showcase the duo's ability to merge organic instrumentation with spacious, textured soundscapes. The album's exploration of personal and collective experience creates a reflective space, asking listeners to pause and engage with the complexities of modern life. A musical journey that speaks to the heart of the American experience, offering an emotional response to an uncertain future.
Review: Estonia's capital, Tallinn, is close enough to Finland to have received FM radio waves, even when the city and state were trapped behind the Iron Curtain, meaning kids of the 1970s and 1980s grew up exposed to Western decadence, and more significantly in this context, pop music, while also being immersed in Communist culture. This might explain why Estonia is such a hotbed for unique talent - it's a place and people very much unto themselves. Misha Panfilov fits into that description nicely. Across Frutaria Electronica she deftly weaves these beautiful post rock melodic tapestries, at once lo-fi and yet subtly complex. Warm, inviting, life affirming and utterly absorbing. Chances are you won't hear much like this for the rest of the week, month, year.... Point made, grab a copy while you can.
Review: French jazz quartet Parasite Jazz plays improvised music with a heavily effected, crazed bent, justifying their addition to the catalogue of Lyon's ultra-cool ephemera label Groovedge for their self-titled debut. Following up an initial cassette release, this oppressive, impressive masterwork now comes to obi-stripped vinyl via Disques De La Spirale. Said to have been fashioned out of many-a-trinket (drums, violin, springs, samples, reiterations, overdubs, trumpets, synths, distortions...) the likes of 'Damn Spring', 'Glissement De Terrain' and 'Alarm Twist' pay nods from every facet from dub to spiritual to impressionism, confounding and fascinating in equal measure.
Review: Ultra-vintage reissued psych-pop from Parsley Sound, whose self-titled debut for Mo Wax was one of the label's most prized releases, and yet ended up massively inflated in price due to early sellouts and low pressing numbers. The duo / band made up of Danny Sargassa and Preston Mead are deft emulators of full-band sonics, producing the illusion of a wider ensemble; Parsley Sounds followed the early EPs 'Ease Yourself And Glide' and 'Twilight Mushrooms', but was comparatively much softer on the ears, charming the listener with its herbal pan flutes, downtempo era string segments, and not-too-heavy 70s throwback haunto-pysch cult propulsions. Clearly an early influence of now colossal cognates of the sound like Caribou and Four Tet, Parsley Sounds is essential heads' listening for those who wish to lead a certain uncanny, chintzy still life, yet who also know something of the restless beauty of said life. A5er 'Ocean House' is the expansive ballad that proves this, finding a lo-fi yet cavernous vocal opportunity in an otherwise claustrophobic cranny of sound.
Bottoms (Watashitachi No Okina Yume) (Zoo Station remix) (4:09)
Review: Celebrating its 30th anniversary this Record Store Day, 'Original Soundtracks 1' is a bold, imaginative collaboration between British ambient pioneer Brian Eno and Irish band U2 under the moniker Passengers. Blurring the line between ambient experimentation and cinematic storytelling, the album features 15 tracks that were all conceived as soundtracks for fictional films. Highlights include the haunting 'Miss Sarajevo' with Luciano Pavarotti and contributions from Howie B and Holi and this remastered anniversary edition comes on recycled black vinyl. An adventurous 1995 release that stands up now as an atmospheric, genre-blurring work and a rare and inspired detour in U2's discography.
Review: Hayden Pedigo has always defied expectations and conventions. In a world of instant gratification, his music is both immediately enthralling but only truly rewarding for the more patient and deep listener. He's fused to the very core of the instrumental acoustic guitar canon, and yet seems hellbent on putting out record after record of, frankly, incomparable music. In his own words, I'll Be Waving As You Walk Away is "a micro-dose psychedelic album. I wanted it to be this tangible feeling, as if somebody had cut up a tab of LSD and put on a Fahey record." The trip itself is largely thanks to the technical genius at work here, with six strings manipulated in such ways as you often feel entire chasms of melody are opening up for you to fall into, Alice style.
Review: Perila returns with a reflective spiritual successor to her 2022 album that comes on Vaagner's sister label A Sunken Mall. The album takes in eight tracks produced between 2021 and 2023 and they all do a fine job of conveying a serene vulnerability with its drifting, ethereal soundscapes smeared with echoing voices, droning guitars and resonant textures. It's like a whispered conversation during quiet moments and once again makes for a world that doesn't need to be understood, only felt. The Air Outside Feels Crazy Right Now reminds us that finding inner peace through music can counter the chaos of the external world and help turn fragility into strength.
Review: This Swedish post-rock troupe have surpassed themselves with 'Versus' in terms of creating a strident and richly atmospheric panorama of sound that marries crushing intensity with emotional resonance. This overwhelming, orchestral sweep of sound wraps a soundtrack-like sense of awe around richly arranged guitar textures, while dynamic interplay locks horns with electronic experimentation. Fans of Cult Of Luna, Explosions In The Sky and Caspian will find much to lose themselves in via this meld of drama and melancholia. Epic in the truest sense of the word.
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