Review: Golden Ivy's new transcendent single marks a celebrated return to the label after time spent with other imprints. Rooted in a sample from Sinnenas Dans by Scanian folk legend Ale Moller, the track evolves into a fourth-world masterpiece that layers in flute melodies with synthesised explorations and rather industrial leaning motorik rhythms. With Moller's blessing, the result is both meditative and grand and on the flip, you will find Philipp Otterbach's post-punk dub reinterpretation. it's rich in deep, sculptural and contrasting soundscapes and invites mindful, low-tempo dances that will resonate on all manner of diverse 'floors.
Review: Joe Hisaishi's latest release offers a compelling fusion of classical and cinematic music. The compositions, originally crafted for film soundtracks, are reimagined with orchestral arrangements that breathe new life into the pieces. The album showcases Hisaishi's signature style, blending emotive melodies with intricate orchestration. Listeners are treated to a rich auditory experience that highlights the depth and versatility of Hisaishi's work.
Review: On the centenary of the birth of Luigi Nono, the Maurice Quartet - Georgia Privitera (violin), Laura Bertolino (violin), Francesco Vernero (viola) and Aline Privitera (cello) - reinterprets the composition for string quartet by the Venetian composer on the occasion of the 30th Beethovenfest in Bonn, in 1980. This limited edition (300) record hammers home the pensive, minimalistic innovations of Nono, considered a radical innovator in the classical music of his time.
Review: Wasia Project are a South Croydon-raised sibling duo - Olivia Hardy (vocals, guitar) and William Gao (keyboards, piano, vocals) - who strike a nice balance in sharing the limelight. This is only their second EP but you can tell they're going to be massive. They've already toured in support of Tom Odell and Laufey and they clearly have the quality to go the distance. 'Somebody Come Through' is as good as anything Sharon Van Etten has released. 'Track 6' brings back memories of listening to Beach House and 'To Get Better' is reminiscent of Matt Maltese. Underneath all the indie references there's a really strong classical training and we hear that on the closing track, with a masterful piano crescendo dimming the lights, but leaving us wanting for more.
Review: For the first time, the soundtrack to Giuliano Carnimeo's 1974 erotic comedy film, La Signora Gioca Bene a Scopa? (released under the international title Poker In Bed), gets a vinyl release through BTF Italiy. Set in Parma, Italy, the film follows Michele, a penniless poker player, whose rock-bottom recourse, born of gambling debts, is to become a prostitute. Scored by Italian erotic film greats Gianfranco Plenizio and Alessandro Alessandroni - two virtuosi of great late 60s and early 70s eminence - we hear a teasing, undying vibe of irreverence here, with tempt-estuous vocals and pizzicato string tickles making light of the lurid relational meeting of minds and bodies that drives the film's action.
Review: Storied German ambient, microsound and electronica musician Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) shares the fifth volume of his intentionally indefinite Xerrox series, Xerrox Vol. 5. First begun in 2007, after envisaging a series of albums released in chronic sequence, the Xerrox series expressly aims to prove that the continued copying and replication of recorded sound will produce an indefinite variation, each copy infinitely more interesting than the last. With every edition of Xerrox using the same album cover, the sonic contents of the Xerrox albums similarly mimic each other's movements, through a process of making minuscule changes that go onto produce cascading, domino-effecting results. The palette is expansive and cinematic as ever, though it is striking to know that these suites were achieved solely through the manipulation of recordings made and subsequently timestretched from scratch.
Awakened Souls - "Yet Today Is All We Have" (1:04)
Benoit Pioulard - "A Heart Mirrored" (3:50)
Benoit Pioulard - "Our Era" (3:58)
Zake - "I Saw An Angel" (5:29)
Zake - "She Walks In The Sun To Me" (3:22)
Review: Zake's Drone Recordings label offers up this heartfelt collection in celebration of the label head's wife on a milestone birthday. Next to the man himself, awakened souls and Benoît Pioulard also feature with the former offering 'Valleys and Peaks' from Julia's poem which blends Cynthia's ethereal vocals and James Bernard's bass with swirling synths and guitar. Benoît Pioulard's lo-fi folk-pop 'A Heart Mirrored' and dreamy 'Our Era' reflect his signature style while Zake's cinematic pieces, including 'I Saw An Angel,' pay tribute to the inspiration of his wife. A lovely listen with a great concept
Review: Steve Pittis aka. Band Of Pain shares his latest album, Uncle God's Pag Pag Banquet, though he daren't mention what exactly a Pag Pag Banquet is: you'll have to listen and intuit that one for yourself. Treading new ground not only in sound but in collaborative and material form, the new record hears Pittis cycle through a bevy of brooding post-punk and avant-garde arraignments, all while tabbing collabs with Steven Stapleton and Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound) and Jean-Herve Peron and Jeanne-Marie Varain (Faust), as well as bringing the record to a cheekily compact 2xCD set, backed up by an unplayable (yes, you read that right) 12" record with exclusive etchings thereupon by Stapleton. A macabre assemblage, this is a cannibalistic sonic banquet for sure, a Burroughsian nightmare of a third album.
Study For Tape Hiss & Other Audio Artefacts (12:01)
Apparition 5 (2:14)
Review: Selected from a decade of recordings, this release showcases Bass Communion at its most experimental and texturally rich. Tracks are layered with analogue imperfectionsitape hiss, wow and flutter, static noiseithat are transformed into haunting soundscapes. The mellotron, buried beneath layers of imagined rust and dirt, adds an eerie, organic depth to the fragmented drones and spectral noise. The carefully constructed album feels like an excavation of forgotten sonic artefacts, with each piece offering a narrative rooted in decay and texture. Pressed on 2xLP, this is a striking addition to the Bass Communion catalogue, perfect for fans of sonic exploration.
Review: After five years apart, Italian composer Eraldo Bernochi and Japanese violinist, electronica producer and current Tangerine Dream member Hoshiko Yamana return with a sequel to their much-loved 2020 album Mujo. Described by the pair's label, Denovali, as "a deeply cinematic experience", Sabi cannily combines the slow-burn, trance-inducing synthesizer sequences of Tangerine Dream, the intergalactic electronic expressiveness of ambient techno, the thematic movements of modern classical, Yamana's emotive violin motifs and the spaced-out ambient iciness often associated with Geir Jensson's Biosphere project. It's a genuinely brilliant album all told, with the pair smartly sashaying between hazy melancholia, string-laden creepiness and picturesque aural colour.
Review: Bersarin Quartett is the work of Thomas Bucker, who since 2012 has released his flagship ambient project via Denovali. The Munster-based artist employs a grandiose orchestral lilt to the compositions on Systeme, threading considered sound design touches in amongst the sweep and swell of strings that rise from his imaginary quartet of players. It's neo-classical with a plaintive, soundtrack-ready quality, but as ever Bucker weaves tension, dissonance and texture in amongst the foreground melodic content to make for a richly compelling listen.
Review: Way back in 2006, when for various reasons they were suffering with insomnia, the Black Dog began making music when sleep deprived - a process the Sheffield trio say made their material more emotive and vulnerable. At various times since, they've returned to the idea, resulting in this album - a collection of immersive musical movements that frequently blur the boundaries between the enveloping ambience the IDM pioneers have become famous for in recent years, and (synth) string-laden neo-classical compositions. Of course, it's not all picturesque sonic beauty, with the paranoia and slow-thinking darkness sometimes associated with periods of sleep deprivation being translated into trippy, melancholic or sonically intense soundscapes rooted in drone and dark ambient. Throughout, it remains surprisingly emotive and - for the most part - pleasingly meditative.
Review: After a small 2022 self-release, experimental guitarist Guy Blakeslee's therapeutic and musico-psychonautic journey is re-released here by Leaving Records in their "all genre" series. The album serves as a balm, offering a refreshing sense of space, calm and possibility like a breath of fresh air on a stifling day. It also chronicles a musician's quest for meaning and healing in the aftermath of personal and collective upheaval that captures an emotional journey with transformative resonance. Extravision is a deeply reflective work that invites listeners to explore its meditative landscapes and experience its profound sense of hope and renewal.
Review: Munich-based classical guitarist and composer Jonathan Bockelmann made his mark in 2023 with his debut album Childish Mind. His journey into composition began with arrangements of pieces by Japanese maestro Ryuichi Sakamoto. These arrangements, which have previously been released digitally in three editions, are now available on vinyl for the first time. The record, presented in premium packaging with an embossed art print, showcases Sakamoto's diverse repertoire. It includes both lesser-known works like Suite for Krug and iconic masterpieces such as Bibo No Aozora. This release beautifully celebrates the timeless artistry of Sakamoto as reimagined through Bockelmann's exquisite guitar interpretations.
Review: Den Helder is the northernmost city in Holland, is surrounded by water and borders the North Sea. With a military history dating back to the 16th century, it is also the most bombed city in the Netherlands and was nearly destroyed during World War II. The Third of May was written and recorded in 2020 over six days in an old pumping station located in the dunes of Huisduinen near Den Helder. The story behind the album is set in this historic city, weaving its tumultuous past into a vivid, imagined narrative inspired by the area's rich and tragic history. It's as much of an emotional rollercoaster as you would expect given the concept.
Your Absence, Like Rain, Opens The Light: Infinite (4:05)
Review: Jump Ship, Sit Lean, Be Still, Stand Tall is an expansive sonic project from BZDB, combining Duncan Bellamy's atmospheric compositions with Belinda Zhawi's layered poetry. This release navigates everything from ambient soundscapes to raw vocal textures, blurring the line between contemporary classical and experimental spoken word. Each trackilike the haunting 'Dancesing' and contemplative 'Dream Sequence'iechoes with a melancholic intensity, turning introspection into musical storytelling. It's a release that feels both intimate and boundless, crafted for those who appreciate art that pushes past conventional forms and dives into the unknown.
Early WB Scores: The Depression Era (1936-1941) (6:01)
The Good Egg (1939) - A Vintage Merrie Melodie (4:37)
Various Cues From Bugs Bunny Films (1943-1956) (4:54)
There They Go Go Go (1956) - A Complete Road Runner (1:31)
Stalling Self Parody: Music From Porky's Preview - Preceded By The Introduction From You Ought To Be In Pictures (3:00)
Anxiety Montage (1952-1955) (0:45)
Stalling: The War Years (1942-1946) (15:41)
Medley - Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals (1941-1950) (5:01)
Carl Stalling With Milt Franklyn In Session (1956) (5:32)
Speedy Gonzalez (1955) Meets Two Crows From Tacos (1956) (7:13)
Powerhouse And Other Cuts From The Early 50's (5:59)
Porky In Wackyland (1938) / Dough For The Do Do (1949) (5:38)
To Itch His Own (1958) - Stalling's Last Score (6:14)
Review: This is a delightful celebration of classic cartoon scores that arrives for a special Black Friday 2024 release. The collection showcases the genius of composers like Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, whose music defined the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies era. Orchestral brilliance and playful synchronisation bring timeless characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to life. With all new remastered tracks, the album highlights intricate arrangements and whimsical motifs that revolutionised animation scoring. Perfect for collectors and nostalgia enthusiasts alike, this one honours the artistry behind some of the most iconic and enduring cartoon soundtracks in entertainment history.
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