Tim Reynolds & Michael Sokolowski: Soul Pilgrimage
Yes, that is the same Tim Reynolds who plays lead guitar in Dave Matthews Band. Regardless of how that sentence (or this video) makes you feel, this is a decent album of spacey electronic pieces recorded with collaborator Michael Sokolowski via filesharing rather than together in a studio. Reynolds plays guitar and effects, and Sokolowski helms an extensive arsenal of hardware and software synths. It starts off in a space ambient vein, but soon adds different elements and textures. The three-part “Soul Pilgrimage” suite takes up a huge chunk of the running time, and first part “The Itinerant Mind” has a few unexpected beat drops and synth diversions, as well as some cavernous vocals. Nothing here moves at a fast pace, but it doesn’t follow any predictable structure, and it’s full of surprising moments. “Freighter Hop” has a babbling-brook synth rhythm and super plush guitars, and a delicate melody that could’ve easily come from a 2000-era Morr Music record briefly pops up. Reynolds generally plays cosmic, exploratory tones, but there’s some more melodic flashes as well. The last four tracks are shorter pieces, with the brief “Aerotrain” coming close to the indie electronic vibe again, but with more twisted guitars, and “Homunculus” hinting at synth-funk. I’m not sure how different the album would’ve sounded if the two musicians were recording everything together in the same room, but there’s a sort of disconnect that also contributes to the spaciousness of the album. It sounds like spontaneous jams, yet there’s also parts that seem to cut in suddenly that might not have been there during real-time performances. Even as background music, it kept me guessing.
Atlanta’s x.nte has released material on Never Normal, Sonicterror, Cock Rock Disco, and several other labels, and his newest is on Kitty On Fire, easily one of the better sources for new school ravey breakcore these days. HYPER BEAM is scattered and manic, yet there’s a strange sense of grace to it, with layers of atmospheric pianos or harps underneath the compressed, static-scorched noises and combusting breaks. The sample at the beginning of “keepyourmouthshut” about teaching kids not to trust cops is both playful and serious, and “sweet memories” is like a deep drill at the dentist’s office that’s somehow made soothing through lots of drugs and relaxing background music. “vendetta3” is a plunge into slower tempos and more gaseous textures, providing a more pillowy comedown. “radio warped” stretches out into a sort of erratic electro cruncher with junglist interjections. “rollout70s” is similar to the type of hyper-scattered, rambunctious, off-the-grid breakcore people like Duran Duran Duran were starting to make 20 years ago (jeeeeeez) but with a vaguely atmospheric footwork bent at the end. “backpacking” starts out sounding like hard, rolling drum’n’bass, then it quickly devolves into chaos. “deep dark sleep” seems like one of the more structured tracks here, building up to smashing breaks and gabber kicks but also leaving room for a sort of mystical breakdown. Really outstanding productions that play well with contrasts, but also have a raw, DIY feel to them.
6-19-21
Mdou Moctar ~ Taliat
Material Girl feat. NAPPYNAPPA & Lord Glacier ~ Material Girl Meets the Devil Pt. 3
Jonathan Snipes, TALsounds & Fire-Toolz ~ Red Dwarf Flower Bed
Tim Walters ~ Arcadia
Otomo Yoshihide ~ Anode (Part 1)
Wolff Parkinson White and Hayden Chisholm ~ Leaving Her Presence
God Pussy ~ Hoje Notícia-Amanhã Estatística
The Hal Galper Quintet ~ This Is the Thing
The Marcia Blaine School for Girls ~ Sometimes My Arms Bend Back
Syd Barrett ~ Waving My Arms in the Air
Anna Webber’s jaw-dropping double CD Idiom showcases her different approaches to improvisation and composition, in an attempt to bring the two together. The first disc, recorded at New Haven’s infamously intimate Firehouse 12, is performed by a “simple trio” consisting of Webber on tenor saxophone and flure, pianist Matt Mitchell, and drummer John Hollenbeck, while the Brooklyn-recorded second disc contains “large ensemble” pieces by a different group of musicians, conducted by Eric Wubbels. Most of the album consists of numerically titled “Idiom” pieces, which focus on a specific woodwind extended technique, which Webber explains are based on natural sounds the instruments make rather than anything out of its league. I listened to the entire album without reading the notes first, and for all of its hour and 45 minutes, I just kept wondering how these musicians were keeping everything in sync. “Idiom I” is filled with lots of short, repetitive phrases that gradually twist in a minimalist way, later building up to more of a chaotic climax at the end. “Idiom IV” begins with sparse pianos, but an ultra-precise drum solo appears midway, and then the trio launches into an ultra-knotty rhythm which still somehow kind of grooves. “Forgotten Best”, the album’s one non-“Idiom” piece, seems more melodic and I guess jazzier than the others, with Webber playing saxophone rather than flute, although the rhythms are still a bit tricky. “Idiom V” seems to flail around and repeatedly run into a wall, never really taking off or hitting a stride, but “Idiom III” is a much more engaging exploration of stop-start rhythms and bewildering saxophone patterns. The “large ensemble” disc is taken up by the hour-long “Idiom VI”, which consists of six movements and four interludes, with over a dozen solos total. The interludes are generally slow-motion glacial drones, but the movements are wild, multi-limbed creatures moving in several directions. The full arrangements feature multiple horns, woodwinds, strings, drums, and synthesizer, and the sound is monstrous when it needs to be, coming alive when the volume is turned up, but also miniscule and honed-in at times (mostly the interludes). “Movement IV” is a bit eerie due to its screeching violins and horror effects synth. The final “Movement VI” ends with a giant pile-up which basically sounds like a musical food fight involving the entire ensemble.
Between 2013 and 2017, Moiré released an exceptional run of records for labels like Werkdiscs, Ghostly, Rush Hour, and R&S which were among the best of that healthy era for scuffed-up house. He’s returned after a 4-year absence, not largely altering his sound, but continuing to do what he does best. The title Good Times seems partially in jest — it’s not as tense and paranoid as 2017’s No Future, which was partially a reaction to the closure of several prominent London clubs (certainly something still relevant now), but there’s still some venting here. Guest vocalist Demigosh plays a similar role to DRS on the last album, especially on the opener “Know Me”, although his lyrics are more soul searching. Moiré’s productions are still vivid and slightly cracked, with soothing but not too slick pads and a comforting aura of tape hiss. Sometimes he treats the human voice as an instrument, as on “Low Works”, or “R1” where he turns vocals into arpeggiated waves. “Ghana” feels like it’s heading towards being an ecstatic jungle track, but it ends up with fast, grubby kick drums rather than breaks. “Vertigo” is a slower, more reflective cut bathed in a thick wash of static. “Lost in Pacific” is a stirring conclusion, expressing a deep, joyous feeling of anticipation, while also feeling like it’s basking in an amazing sunset.
The third release on Thomas Xu’s Steady Flight Circle spotlights several of his close associates and inspirations. Terri Whodat starts the record off with long hallway kicks, eventually joined by a piano loop that seems to stumble its way onto the track at first, but as the beat comes back, it all makes sense together and rides smoothly. Poseidon Neptune’s “Saht Nam” has more intricate beats and bass patterns, under a canopy of synth pads which cool everything down, instead of making it more tense. Meftah’s “Ur Utility” has both analog ambiance and a low-slung, gritty push, having sort of a similar cratedigger feel as his hip-hop productions but in a house mindstate. Finally, “9th Creation (Short Mix)” by John Silas has soothing keyboard melodies and a sneaky John Barera bassline, which all seem to dance gleefully with each other, and it does seem to end abruptly before everything feels worn out.
6-12-21
The Breeders ~ The Dirt Eaters
We Are KING ~ Space Oddity
Dead Can Dance ~ Flowers of the Sea
Gilberto Gil ~ Pega a Voga, Cabeludo
Link Wray & the Wraymen ~ Big City After Dark
Ichiko Aoba ~ ohayashi
Hailu Mergia & the Walias Band ~ Tezeta
James Francies ~ Levitate
Thelonious Monk ~ Epistrophy
India Jordan ~ Watch Out!
møziz ~ War (emo – edit)
hyacinth. ~ casper.
Passarani 2099 ~ Ixora
Pixelord ~ Drumvox
T. Griffin’s score to Jill Magid’s documentary about the protected legacy of Mexican architect Luis Barragán is a raw set of evocative pieces mainly recorded in a living room in Long Island. Its players include alto saxophonist Matana Roberts (composer of the Constellation-issued Coin Coin series), drummer Jim White (of Dirty Three), and Godspeed You! Black Emperor members Sophie Trudeau and Timothy Herzog. Griffin plays banjo, guitars, keyboards, percussion, and other instruments, as well as field recordings. The music often seems more like a haunting performance by a chamber music group or a dark jazz ensemble than a typical soundtrack. “Manufacture” is a delicate, floating synth-driven piece, and “Copyright Implications” is a more sinister scene with voices spilling over from a distant room. Banjo and violin give “Void Room and Reliquary” a much less alienated and more direct feeling. Several other tracks are similarly both spacious and intimate, and most of them are brief moments that slip away just as quickly as they appear. “The Nun With a Chipped Tooth” is allowed to play out as a slightly longer scene, and nothing interrupts the simply gorgeous “As Ever” as it gracefully glides.
Tim Walters has released a few stellar albums of deep-fried noise using analog synths and SuperCollider coding. His newest one doesn’t come with too much info, but I’m assuming it’s along the same lines. The 7 tracks unpredictably dart between various scenes and settings, from construction-like industriousness to weird bongwater splattering. “Expired! Perfect.” isn’t as explosive as the first track, but the strained, spy-like voices keep it on edge. “Taking the Skins for a Spin” is by turns rubbery, static-riddled, and bitcrushed, with a few moments where it seems like a code is cracked and everything abruptly bursts open. “Flusterville” is both swampy and electrically charged, and “Patience Practice” has a similar mood but feels like it’s aiming skyward.
