JEFRE CANTU-LEDESMA – GIFT SONG II

Posted on 2024-12-23

Giving thanks to the gift of music, one of our favourite contemporary multi-instrumentalist composers Jefre Cantu-Ledesma continues to build upon the vein of sprawling and shimmering ambient works that he struck with previous Mexican Summer album 2019’s Tracing Back The Radiance. Where that album fades slowly in, gingerly eking out its melodic offerings, his latest record Gift Songs is immediately generous with its texture and beauty. The timbres are sharper, more pronounced, yet still wading sweetly through the ceaseless deluge of sound, flowing from the fingers of a grand cast of musicians

jefrecantu-ledesma.bandcamp.com

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DARKSIDE – SLAU

Posted on 2024-12-16

Taken from DARKSIDE’s new album ‘Nothing,’ out now on Matador Records.

DARKSIDE are the combined talents of Nicolás Jaar and Dave Harrington – are back with their third album on Matador Records following the genius of 2013’s Psychic and their debut Spiral of 2021.

Created from ‘elliptical studio jams, fragments of melody and scattered ideas’, the album also sees the band recruiting the drummer and instrument designer Tlacael Esparza into the fold to become a full time member. Melding acoustic percussion with the unique studio wizardry of Jaar and Harrington to form some of their most impressive work to date.

darkside.bandcamp.com

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FACTORY FLOOR – BETWEEN YOU

Posted on 2024-12-09

London post-industrial techno band Factory Floor make a surprise return after a long absence with a new 12” single entitled Between You. Their debut on Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound label continues their rich history with Stephen Morris as drum tracks from Joe Ward were cut at the New Order man’s home studio. In fact, ‘Between You’ bares some resemblance to New Order’s late 80s material, albeit darker, colder, and altogether more rugged. The B side’s extended mix nudges the BPMs a bit higher while adding enough auxiliary percussion and extended synth lines for the floor.

phantasysound.co.uk

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YANN TIERSEN – NINNOG

Posted on 2024-12-02

Taken from the Tathlin from a Distance side of Yann Tiersen’s new album Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour.

French composer Yann Tiersen returns to Mute Records for a new double LP entitled The Liquid Hour | Rathlin from a Distance. Composed of two distinct yet holistically interconnected collections of sound, The Liquid Hour (which comprises the first disk) is built from analog synths and other digital tools, while Rathlin from a Distance by contrast is a suite of reflective and restrained solo piano. While musically contemplative in nature, Rathlin is nevertheless named after a landmark or place Tiersen visited on a 2023 sailing trip, while the title comes from an island in Northern Ireland. Liquid Hour then is sort of like Tiersen’s reversal of concept: music that’s instead outwardly focused with the tracks hemmed into the recording space as he explores everything from ambient to chirping synth pop.

www.yanntiersen.com

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BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD – ‘BESTIES’

Posted on 2024-11-25

Black Country, New Road are back on Ninja Tune for their third LP entitled Forever Howlong. Their first release since the sudden departure of frontman/ringleader Isaac Wood, the Cambridge six-piece soldiers on admirably, matching the kitchen-sink baroque onslaught of their prior efforts with a more streamlined, but no less-affecting blend of the ornate and the intimate. With vocals now split between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery (also of Jockstrap), and May Kershaw, the group seems to rally around each one’s vocal quirks, making for a record-as-survey that winds up far more cohesive and surprisingly tender than expected.

bodysync.bandcamp.com

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