The Answer Is In The Beat

Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O: UMDALI (Mushroom Hour Half Hour, 2021)

January 21, 2022 at 6:58 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

South African composer, trombonist, vocalist, pianist, and arranger Malcolm Jiyane leads an ensemble of more than three musicians with his debut album. Shaped by the deaths of his mentor and a bandmate as well as the birth of his daughter, Jiyane’s album contains five lengthy compositions which flow from solemn mourning to joyful celebration. Opener “Senso seNkosi” is somewhat funereal, but “Umkhumbi kaMa” picks up after a soft but spirited beginning, eventually howling with delight. “State Gwangwa’s Stroll” starts out calm but also has a loud squeal from a squeaky toy, and it gradually warms up to a light shuffle, then cools down again by the end, when Jiyane beams in with encouraging vocals. “Life Esidimeni” is a lengthy procession which feels like it takes time to properly mourn loss while also getting caught up in amazing memories and celebrating. “Moshe” is another bittersweet one that gets especially heavenly with the addition of Tubatsi Mpho Moloi’s vocals.

Amanda Chaudhary: Meow Meow Band (CatSynth Records, 2021)

January 20, 2022 at 7:49 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

There’s no way I can resist strange music that’s cat-themed. Chaudhary is a member of bands such as Reconnaissance Fly and Surplus 1980, and she also runs a blog called CatSynth which focuses on both of those things. Her mini-album Meow Meow Band starts with a spacey invocation filled with mutated meowing. The rest of the songs are colorful jazz-funk-fusion jams filled with adventurous time signatures, synths that beam out like holograms, and plush, squishy basslines. There’s a perky theme for public transit (“North Berkeley BART”) and a second song with cat vocals (the new wave disco-funk trip “Donershtik”). Also, the personnel includes Philly bass legend Jamaaladeen Tacuma, composer/vocalist Amy X Neuburg, Rova Saxophone Quartet member Steve Adams, and several others. More than just a funny cat album, there’s some first class musicianship here, and an adventurous spirit which is both infectious and inspiring.

Wheez-ie: Horizons Remixes (Evar Records, 2022)

January 14, 2022 at 5:55 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This remix EP of tracks by Los Angeles’ Wheez-ie starts off with a characteristically brilliant jungle mix by Tim Reaper, followed by a clanking bit of sideways electro from Detroit’s venerable DJ Stingray. I expected those to be the highlights, but then the mix by Aura T-09 (the label’s co-founder, along with Trickfinger, aka John Frusciante) and Cardopusher came on. Cardopusher came up as a breakcore producer during the 2000s, and he produced some of the most off-the-wall material I’ve ever heard, throwing hooks from ’90s alt-rock radio hits into sliced-and-diced ragga-core anthems. He then moved on from fast, frantic music, drifting into dubstep, then house and garage, then somehow ending up at acid house and finally EBM/industrial. This mix is the first thing I’ve heard by him in ages that flashes back to jungle and rave music, with absolutely vicious breaks and Hoover-like synths, as well as shades of operatic vocals and hard trance energy. It goes on for eight epic minutes, gradually becoming improbably dense until it cools off at the end. Quite frankly astonishing, I was not expecting this at all. Finally, VTSS concludes the set with a crunchy industrial techno surge, which teases a catchy “The Bells”-reminiscent melody without wearing it out. I guess I should finally listen to the original EP now.

Matt Robidoux: At Dust (Already Dead, 2021)

January 13, 2022 at 6:27 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Matt Robidoux’s newest album is a suite of deconstructed art-pop pieces, melting from songs into audio portraits. There’s a wealth of acoustic instruments played here, from brass and woodwinds to gamelan percussion, as well as field recordings, but the sounds and voices are often electronically warped, resembling a classic American landscape where half the objects are blurry, flickering, pixelated, or morphing into something else. There’s some vocal melodies that linger with you, like the part on opener “The Bouquet” when he sings about flowers, but other times you’re more likely to be entranced by the detailed layering, the digitally shredded vocals, and just the general surrealness of it all. “Interstitial” is a bit more of a string-based neo-classical piece, while “Sea Wall” is much more of a smeared drift. “So Long” trudges on the bottom of the ocean floor before heavy psych guitar lifts it up closer to the surface. The album seems like it’s wandering in several directions at the same time, yet it’s all clearly mapped out and considered, with a surplus of ideas stuffed into concise running time of just under half an hour.

Collin Sherman: Suitable Benchmarks of Reform (Ex-Tol Recordings, 2022)

January 12, 2022 at 6:49 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

On his 13th album, New York’s Collin Sherman continues performing as a virtual band, layering synths, horns, guitars, and drums played entirely by himself. Making more usage of modular synths than was noticeable on his previous album, opener “Phalanx Strictures” rolls along with a melodic sequence set in 15/4 time, providing a framework for Sherman’s freewheeling solos. “Rival Machinations” is entirely improvised, however, and sounds totally unhinged, with drums flailing and alto sax careening outward rather than focusing on a recognizable melody. Additionally, the piece incorporates MIDI prepared piano, which sounds stark and percussive. “Worthless Objects and Photographs Thereof” feels more stripped-down and acoustic, consisting mostly of hand percussion and woodwinds, although a glowing synth bassline glues the song together; altogether, it feels like music fit for a thorough investigation scene. The remainder of the album is given over to the four-part “Rumination Suite”, which takes its time to gradually develop, intriguingly built on slow beats on a MIDI tongue drum, resembling an electronic stone object. There’s surf/western-style guitar riffs on “Faults and Missteps”, while “Things Turn Around” is sparse and suspenseful, with some strange resonations. Finally, “Foundations of Serenity” is a piano-driven processional with an erupting sax solo near the end.

Nanoray: Digimaiden (self-released, 2022)

January 11, 2022 at 7:44 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Nanoray’s discography of neon-streaked ravecore releases has been rapidly expanding the past few years, and Digimaiden is possibly their most exciting album yet. Neither sticking to breakbeats or 4/4 kicks, the tracks are inevitably reminiscent of classic rave but more accurately recall ’00s U.K. hardcore and donk (!), yet with more twisted time signatures and breakcore edits. Some moments are sparkly enough to soundtrack some sort of Christmas-themed cartoon (“Myztic Stage 🜂 Frost & Fire”), yet others have a strangely mystical aura to them (“Inner ⊛ Core”). It’s all massively fun and well produced, and the brief track at the end makes it seem like the journey is far from over.

Alex Albrecht: Resolve (Constellation Tatsu, 2022)

January 9, 2022 at 12:43 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Alex Albrecht’s newest album mixes refined instrumentation and field recordings, presenting a series of memories from hotel lobbies, from childhood, from dreams, from the future. A continuous suite rather than a collection of tracks, it flows smoothly with graceful transitions, so that you hardly notice when you’re whisked away into a different scene. Still, there’s moments that stand out, like the jazzy, atmospheric guitars and pianos of “Twilight Humidity” and the cool brittleness of “The Chamber”.