David Fricke Reviews Exploratorium In Rolling Stone
Upon its initial release in 2007, Bruce Licher‘s Exploratorium was reviewed in Rolling Stone by none other than David Fricke. According to the venerable scribe, the EP presents “billowing minimalism… ‘Peak,’ ‘Going Home’ and ‘The Penstome Field’ [sic] total twenty-two minutes and are four-track home recordings from 1997 — overdubbed guitars, bass and Martian-ocean echo — that combine the industrial ghost […]
Exclaim Says Better In The Shade Offers Great Additions to Patrick Watson’s Catalog
Exclaim! has a review of the new Patrick Watson album, Better in The Shade, which opens by noting that “more than 15 years after releasing his breakthrough record Close to Paradise (2006), Watson remains an important figure in the Montreal indie scene. Like others, he has enjoyed a significant amount of international success, but it’s his ability to embody the culture […]
New Music From Mary Halvorson
Nonesuch Records presents Amaryllis, the first of two twin label debut albums (to be followed by Belladonna), from Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson. The two suites, which Halvorson describes as “modular and interlocking,” were produced and mixed by John Dieterich of Deerhoof. Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers, including Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam […]
The Guardian Profiles Tyondai Braxton’s Telekinesis
Telekinesis – Tyondai Braxton‘s epic work for an 87-piece orchestra – was just recorded in a studio in collaboration with The Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and chamber choir The Crossing conducted by Donald Nally. While this is the first studio recording of the piece, it’s not the first time it’s been heard – that […]
The Big Takeover Recommends Savage Republic and Exploratorium
The Big Takeover has reviewed both Independent Project Records releases that went for NACC Adds this week. About Savage Republic‘s Africa Corps Live at the Whisky A Go-Go 30th Dec 1981, the site says, “it’s easy to hear how songs like ‘Real Men,’ ‘Mobilization’ and ‘When All Else Fails’ would’ve blown minds and shattered eardrums back in the day… given a life-enhancing […]
Spectrum Culture Hails Tyondai Braxton’s Telekinesis As An Expertly Crafted Work Of Art
Spectrum Culture recently took readers into the world of Telekinesis, Tyondai Braxton‘s new and massive orchestral recording. The site points to the “sheer amount of sonic detail” that is immediately apparent upon hearing the record in headphones, calling it “magnificently produced and orchestrated.” According to the site, “Telekinesis feels like the culmination of [Braxton’s] entire career, his brand of […]
New Commute Embraces The Ethereality Of June McDoom
New Commute has a stream of “Stone After Stone,” one of the highlights on June McDoom‘s self-titled debut EP that’s at radio now from Temporary Residence Ltd. The site writes, “June McDoom’s folk songcraft embraces the ethereality of Sibylle Baier and melancholy of Nico for a frosty and euphotic episode.” Enjoy “Stone After Stone” right here, and get her hazy, dreamlike tunes on […]
New Music From Exploratorium
Exploratorium – the eponymous album by Bruce Licher (Savage Republic, Scenic)’s experimental solo project – was originally released as a mini-CDr mounted on a twelve-inch sheet of heavy card stock letterpress printed in seven colors as a limited edition of 300 signed and numbered copies. Now, the album’s three immersive solo recordings have been expanded with the addition […]
Tyondai Braxton’s Telekinesis Is “Ambitious and Imaginative,” Writes Sequenza 21
Sequenza 21 describes Telekinesis as “an ambitious and imaginative piece… Tyondai Braxton at his best.” The site reviews the new studio recording of the work, noting the contributions of Braxton’s many collaborators. “The performers on the Nonesuch/New Amsterdam recording are the Metropolis Ensemble, conducted by Andrew Cyr, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and The Crossing conducted by Donald Nally. The coordination between these various forces and […]
Higher Plain Music Reviews June McDoom’s Debut EP
Higher Plain Music, which previously hyped June McDoom‘s debut single “The City,” is out with a glowing review of her new EP. “Primarily a hazy, ethereal folk-driven collection of songs, one of its strengths is in how she mixes her sound palette with other genres to make music that shapeshifts carefully and thoughtfully.” According to the […]
RIFF Says It’s Great To Hear From Alex Lilly
RIFF Magazine says, “it’s great to hear from Alex Lilly again!” The site references her excellent 2019 LP 2% Milk, “a gem,” while sharing the track “Frank” from Lilly’s even-more-excellent new album Repetition Is A Sin. According to RIFF, the song “is most welcome. On ‘Frank,’ Lilly wonders over space-age synths and stuttering drum loops if she’ll still […]
New Music From Savage Republic
Independent Project Records just unleashed the previously-unreleased archival concert set by Savage Republic, Africa Corps Live at the Whisky A Go Go 30th December 1981. Clocking in at 37 minutes, befitting the band’s opening slot on the bill that night, the ten tracks include early and notably different versions of songs that six months later would appear on […]
The Skinny Says Tyondai Braxton’s New Work Is “Mind-Bending”
The Skinny writes that Tyondai Braxton‘s new release Telekinesis “cranks up the weirdness for a mind-bending orchestral adventure.” The review calls the project “an expertly-crafted fusion of familiar Braxton-like electronic and organic textures, but is complete dream fodder for vintage horror/sci-fi soundtrack fanatics. Its exceptional use of Radio Serial-like synth wobbles and pulses paint a vivid vision of mind-bending […]
Wildfire Music Shares A Stripped-Down Julia Bhatt
Wildfire Music has a feature on Julia Bhatt, and it includes video of a stripped-down performance of her song “On My Shoulder” that she recorded for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. Bhatt explains, “’On My Shoulder’ is about two halves constantly battling about what could have been. One is ambitious and strict, while the other is carefree and relaxed. […]
At The Barrier Digs Gus Englehorn’s New LP
At The Barrier has a nice review of Dungeon Master, Gus Englehorn‘s GAMIQ-Award nominated new LP that’s at radio now from Secret City Records. The site says the record consists of “ten songs that King Crimson would probably call observations, which is probably a more apt description for the general air of hysteria and dementedness that lives within. Once you hear the Tenacious […]
Ear To The Ground Compares Jason Bajada To Brian Wilson
Ear To The Ground recently shared “Walt Disney,” one of the singles from Jason Bajada‘s excellent new album Crushed Grapes. “There’s an understated folk energy to this track’s opening…, but once the piano enters the track it feels a dash more pop… I appreciate the chord progressions and changes in the song. The ‘drive down Sunset Boulevard under […]
SongBar Spotlights June McDoom’s “Intense” Sound
SongBar has featured June McDoom, telling readers that her tunes are “smoky, intense, ghostly and emotional… decorated with guitar, piano, birdsong, and especially her beautiful, breathy voice. Her influences include the folk of Joan Baez, and Judee Sill, soul from The Delfonics and The Supremes, and old reggae artists such as Alton Ellis and Phyllis Dillon. The site has embeds of “Stone By Stone,” from […]
Mxdwn Describes Alex Lilly’s “Pure Drivel” As “Anthemic” – Is It On Your Playlist Yet?
Mxdwn has coverage of Alex Lilly‘s “Pure Drivel,” which it describes as nothing more than “anthemic.” In the site’s words, “the song begins with a robotic cadence that is delivered in a thoughtful, measured manner. Its lyricism is an ode to banned books whose themes are often challenged in schools and other public spaces such as libraries […]
Nagamag Reviews The “Expansive” And “Euphoric” Creature Canyon
Nagamag has a review of Creature Canyon‘s Remarks. “Building upon their prior EPs,” the site writes, “the band has made a considerable leap forward in their songwriting journey, seeking to tackle themes that deal with the emotional conflicts of love and loss through a journey of self-discovery.” Using adjectives like “expansive” and “euphoric,” the glowing review captures a […]
New Music From Tyondai Braxton
Tyondai Braxton releases Telekinesis—an eighty-seven-piece work for electric guitars, orchestra, choir and electronics—on November 11, 2022, via New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. Featuring the Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and chamber choir The Crossing conducted by Donald Nally, Telekinesis is the first studio recording of the work. Telekinesis is the result of a co-commission by the Southbank Centre London and Musica Nova, Helsinki Festival. The world premiere took […]
