April 6, 2021 at 8:13 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
The Cyclist: Weather Underground
from one of the originals of the 2010s “outsider house” scene is another six tracks of lo-fi but high impact club tracks. The tape-saturated throb of his earlier work is still here, but it’s a little shinier overall, and there’s a bubbly, summery feeling to highlights like “Junglo”. “Weather Underground” mixes Afropop with acid and just seems like a really good summer festival house track. “Dubby Shanks” begins and ends with reggae samples, and “Crying for Sleep” has sort of broken beat rhythms, plus ethereal French vocals.
April 5, 2021 at 7:44 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Deniz Cuylan: No Such Thing as Free Will
Turkish musician Deniz Cuylan’s
first solo album is a set of six delicate compositions for classical guitar, with subtle electronic enhancements and sparingly used cello and woodwind textures. While opener “Clearing” is sort of unassuming and drifts by softly, “Purple Plains of Utopia” is truly vivid, with beautiful interlocked guitar patterns and the other instruments rising up underneath at regular intervals. “She Was Always Here” breathes in a similar way, and switches to more of a gently dancing rhythm halfway through, with bowed strings rocking back and forth underneath the spiraling guitar sequence. “Flaneurs in Hakone” stunningly weaves a web of hypnotic patterns, rewarding close attention with its multi-layered details but also soothing and caressing. “Object of Desire” is a bit chilly and autumnal, with its triplets plucked rapidly like he’s trying to stay warm. The closing title track is slow and stately, with strings calmly rushing in, then gradually whittling away by the end. The album is short but heartfelt, and feels like a gentle, loving embrace while it’s playing.
April 4, 2021 at 12:49 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Kalbells: Max Heart
Rubblebucket’s Kalmia Traver returns as Kalbells, following an intriguing 2017 debut album and an EP from last year. The project has expanded with the addition of Angelica Bess (of Body Language and NNA Tapes-signed Erica Eso, and guest vocalist with Chrome Sparks, Giraffage, and others), Sarah Pedinotti, and drummer Zoë Brecher, plus a host of guest artists, including Luke Temple and rapper Miss Eaves (on “Pickles”). The group’s sound is sleek, a bit trippy, a bit wobbly, and even celebratory, with all of these characteristics coming together on tracks like “Hump the Beach”. These are all compact pop songs, but they squirm in several different directions during their three or four minutes, with surreal lyrics and obtuse melodies which all make their own sort of sense in the end. “Max Heart” sums up the album well, with a spoken narration of a dream-like scene, followed by a break of la-la’ed vocals and a twinkling piano solo, all over a slow, woozy, carefree rhythm.
April 3, 2021 at 5:29 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment
Rudy Adrian: As Dusk Becomes Night
Space ambient master Rudy Adrian’s
latest album has a pretty specific vision, capturing the feeling of being alone in a picturesque nature scene right as the sun has set and the night has fallen, and the sky has turned various shades of purple. There’s something very sweet about this album; even though it’s painting aural pictures of nighttime, it’s focusing more on the magical feelings and spirits rather than the darkness. Several tracks have sounds similar to chirping insects, and “Moa Caves” starts with trickling water, so it all feels very in tune with nature. Some of the later tracks like “Western Wind” get spacier, but not necessarily darker. By “Sunny Day”, we’ve made it to dawn, and everything is clear, crisp, and rejuvenating.
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The Answer Is In The Beat 