A Closer Listen
This season’s experimental albums showcase an incredible wealth of sounds, including tap dancing, suitcases, buckets, scaffolding, woodblock, lemurs and a variety of homemade instruments. One album is based on the alphabet, while another is inspired by a series of glass negatives. Timely releases address incarceration, abortion rights and climate change. This umbrella genre is teeming with creativity and life, and those looking for something a bit out of the ordinary – in some cases, way out of the ordinary – are certain to find it here. Fasten those wireless earbuds and get ready for a wild ride!
Our cover image is taken from Caroline Davis’ Alula: Captivity, covered below.
Outsiders and Outliers
While A Closer Listen concentrates on instrumental music, it also loves avid experimentation. Over the years, Matana Roberts‘ Coin Coin series has enraptured our staff, and every new installment is seen as an event. Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden … digs into the artist’s ancestral chain to memorialize a woman who died during an illegal abortion. Given recent judicial rulings, the issue could not be more timely. A potpourri of sound is present, including roots music, blues, synth and of course, an abundance of saxophone (Constellation, September 29).
Erik Enocksson‘s Räkna evighet som intet is described as an incantation, which seems apt. The composition starts humbly before crashing headfirst into a wall of drone. Spoken word and choir serve as spiritual tethers to prevent listeners from falling into despair (IRRLICHT, September 1). Rick Reed‘s The Symmetry of Telemetry starts as drone before heading into territories unseen. Radio waves, choirs and orchestras haunt these grooves like spectral homeowners (Elevator Bath, October 6). Formerly known as S/QU/NC/R, the rebranded squncr presents … drowned out …, a study of colonialism built around samples of a Catholic mass written by a Belgian priest and sung by Congolese musicians in 1956. The effect is haunting, especially given the likelihood that many, if not all of the original musicians are gone (Elli Records, September 29).
The return of Paarvoharju has been highly anticipated, and does not disappoint. The Finnish collective has come back strong, inspired by a set of abraded glass negatives. Now revising their history, they call Yön mustia kukkia (Black Flowers of the Night) the completion of a trilogy that began with the first two albums (Fonal, September 8). With so much attention given to the movie Oppenheimer, the Japanese perspective is now addressed by Heiwa, the first taste of Meitei‘s fall album Kofu III (Kitchen Label). Madhuvanti Pal‘s The Holy Mother – Madhuvanti Pal Plays The Rudra Veena is a newsworthy release, billed as the first vinyl record to feature a woman playing the traditional Indian instrument. Ironically, many Western ears may have never heard it at all, which may result in a delightful victory: after all the prior prejudices and restrictions, a woman may be the one who introduces many to the Rudra Veena (Sublime Frequencies, October 13).
Ultra-theatrical prog is splayed across the self-titled debut from Salò, which addresses demon possession September 8 seems a little early for the release, but that gives people more time to find it by Halloween (Kuboraum). Guitar and feedback feature strongly on Gagi Petrovic‘s Unfold Yourself, which is about “an overwhelming, seemingly endless darkness.” In all this the artist has kept going, urging his others to follow suit (Moving Furniture, September 8).
Natasha Barrett provides “remixes” of sound installations on Reconfiguring the Landscape, a warm collection of field recordings that begin and end in Venice, yet seem at times otherworldly (Persistence of Sound, September 1). Recond players, percussion and sound effects I is exactly what it sounds like, an experiment in textures produced by Kjetil Brandsdal & Thore Warland (Drid Machine / Hærverk Industrier, September 15). Ten countries, ten hotels, ten radio dials: on Transmissions from the Radio Midnight, Aki Onda captures the sleepless wonder of tuning in to unfamiliar stations and languages, attempting to make sense of it all while slowly drifting off to sleep (Dinzu Artefacts, September 15).
Belgium’s B.A.A.D.M. is releasing two records on September 1. Celestial Shores is beguiling and calm, nudging at times into gentle drone, the result of a collaboration between Maria W Horn & Mats Erlandsson. The self-titled album from Continuity is called “a narrative of seven intense cityscapes,” reflecting fictional locations in East Asia. The field recording aspect makes the cities seem real, while the musical aspect lends drama. A quartet of artists converge on the Lisboa Soa festival to delve deeper into aspects of sound. Lisboa Soa, Sounds Within Sounds ranges from field recording to drone to improvisation, often within a single track (Cronica, September 26).
The always reliable Recital imprint is releasing two completely different recordings on September 8. Noel Meek & Mattin‘s Homage to Annea Lockwood is exactly as described, with interview snippets, burning laptop and choir, accompanied by a limited edition hardback book. Sydney Spann‘s Sending Up A Spiral Of is half-vocal, half-instrumental, an expose of “care work,” including that of female therapists, nurses and sex workers: at times uncomfortable, but unflinching.
Brachliegen Tapes is releasing two cassettes on September 1. Tom White‘s Medina Vibrations is a work of musique concréte: installation works inspired by a scaffold-covered building, gravel in motion, an inebriated football fan and much, much more. Opal X‘s Environments is more dronelike in nature, the Prophet 8 tracks recorded during a subzero stretch in London while imagining Arctic landscapes. Dub and illbient appear on Outta, the new project from the brothers Brutter. The album cover looks like a download symbol, which may soon get confusing (Susanna Sonata, September 22).
Tap dance receives a modern update on Movements for Listening, which has been released one track each month over the course of the year and is almost complete. Each piece is accompanied by a video, and showcases Janne Eraker tapping on bubble wrap and in the water, accompanied by percussion, strings and more (esc.rec., October 6). Another creative combo is woodblocks and banjo, which is offered by Poor Isa on dissolution of the other, including a foray into drone on Side B (Aspen Editions, September 1). 13 years of vocal pyrotechnics populate tuuljamuud, the debut album from eleOnora. With such distinctive music, calendars don’t count (Cruel Nature, October 4). Vocals and viola are the hallmarks of Azure, a devotional, minimalist album from Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang. At times the vocals are clear, while at other times they fall apart and double over (Ideologic Organ, October 27, pictured above). Oud is highlighted on the devotional Wishah, which incorporates Arabic syllables and is described as “a farewell to home.” Youmna Saba may have left Beirut for Paris, but her heart still aches for her former land (Touch, October 6).
Looking for real heavy metal? Válek / Merta / Tarnovsky play “kinetic sculptures, homemade synthesisers, ball bearings, kitchen utensils and suitcases” on Metal, which may inspire a whole new generation of home musicians (Flaming Pines, September 29). Various artists play everyday objects on Longform Visions for Earminded People, a 7″ souvenir from a Rotterdam event (Futura Resistenza, September 11).
Jazz and Improvisation
When it comes to advance notice, Brooklyn’s 577 Records continues to be the industry leader. Their autumn slate includes Fathom from John Butcher, Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, Steve Noble (September 15); the self-titled album from Playfield, which includes samples of cicadas and ice cream trucks (September 19); Eduardo Elia‘s piano-led Una Pregunta, Tres Respuestas (September 22); Kenneth Jimenez, Michaël Attias, Francisco Mela‘s NYC subway-linked and cross-cultural Caribú (September 29); Heikki Ruokangas‘ pensive guitar album Karu on turquoise vinyl (October 3); Daniel Carter, Patrick Holmes, Matthew Putman, Hilliard Greene, Federico Ughi‘s Electric Telepathy, Vol. 2 (October 6); Francisco Mela & Jonathan Reisin‘s saxophone-and-drums Earthquake (October 20) and Daniel Carter, Adriana Camacho, Francisco Ughi‘s Trabajadores De Energia (October 27). More are sure to follow!
Fall’s Astral Spirits slate begins with the September 8 release of Vertical Motion, by the trio Anthony Davis / Kyle Motl / Kjell Nordeson on piano, bass and drums. Weston Olencki / Anna Webber follow September 22 with Several, a sax and trombone combo with a fun opener titled “champion donut” (Yum!). On October 6, Jordan Martin presents Fogery Nagles, a quieter, even beach appropriate set for pedal steel and more. Nicole Mitchell and Alexander Hawkins are next with At Earth School, a playful album for flute, piano and voice (October 10), followed by Mike Reed‘s The Separatist Party, which includes poetry, spoken word and a clear love for the Chicago scene (October 27).
Helen Svoboda‘s The Odd River is both album and film, but it is not billed as a soundtrack. The bassist-vocalist expresses her love for “uncustomary sounds,” recruiting a variety of eclectic Australian collaborators to produce a playfully avant document (Earshift Music, September 22). Orlando Furioso‘s self-titled album is similarly populated and adventurous, the “Mad Max” reference a signal of wild abandon (September 9). The great outdoors is the star of With Weather Volume 2. Various avian, amphibian and human noises vie for sonic space along with active water and wind, while Jim Denley, billed as Jim Denley and the eternally orchestrating sonoverse, plays flute (Splitrec, September 8).
Experimental violinist Hsinwei Chiang will complete his seasonal quartet on September 29 with the release of Black Spring: Autumn, just in time for the falling of the first leaves. Jessica Pavone‘s Clamor is written for string sextet and soloists, and addresses “women’s work,” in particular global restrictions in clothing and travel (Out of Your Head, October 6).
Free jazz pianist Matthew Shipp celebrates 35 years of recording with a new solo album, The Intrinsic Nature of Shipp. At the same time, Mahakala Music will begin to issue seminal works from his oeuvre, beginning with Circular Temple (September 15).
Saxophonist Caroline Davis assembles a variety of collaborators on turntable, bass, drums and more to shine a spotlight on the injustices of incarceration and the prison system. Alula: Captivity is released October 13 on Ropeadope, and hopes to raise awareness of an underreported issue. An unusual setup of turntable, cello and percussion animates Glossolalia, an album from Hearsay that holds as much DJ culture as jazz (Amalgam, September 29). Keyboardist Kris Davis unveils Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard on September 1, another fall release to showcase turntable to indelible effect (Pyroclastic Records). Eric Hofbauer / The Five Agents offer a musical transcription of Greta Thunberg’s “How Dare You” speech, beginning with moody abstraction and moving toward be-bop. Waking Up is the follow-up to Book of Water, another environmentally conscious release (CNM, September 15).
The sax-led trio of Jessica Ackerley, Yuma Uesaka, Colin Hinton invites listeners to a Petting Zoo in which the animals are wild without being dangerous. The playful set contains a track titled “Bear, Penguin, Horse” ~ we’re pretty sure two of these should not be petted, but it’s all hypothetical (Waveform Alphabet, September 23). The ambient jazz of Piotr Kurek is fleshed out by guest stars on harp, clarinet, sax, flute and bass. Smartwoods is colorful and alluring, a benign fantasy into which it is easy to sink (Unsound, September 15). Nick Dunston‘s Skultura is wild and wooly, a free jazz excursion too large to restrict to a single label. The album is co-released by Tripticks Tapes and Fun in the Church September 29. On the same day, Tripticks Tapes will also release Daniel Fishkin‘s Dark Listening, which features homebuilt “The Lady’s Harp,” 20 feet of piano strings activated by mixer feedback; and Hollow Deck‘s Over East, a unique duo of voice/violin and woodwinds/tapes. O//F‘s REV is quieter than one might expect, but it still has some rough edges; the combination of sax and voice is an exploration of breath in all its guises (Caterpillar, September 1).
When saxophonist Alexander DePlume says, Come With Fierce Grace, he gets a great response: twenty additional singers and instrumentalists appear on the album. The preview tracks all include vocalists, but the majority of the album is instrumentally centered (International Anthem, September 8). Rintaro Mikami‘s First Fish is a collaborative album inspired by the sea. The lead track includes vocals, setting the stage for an instrumental journey (September 15).
Trombone is the featured instrument in Homegrown, but the focus of Andrew Danforth‘s album is the city of Indianapolis. The album is a love letter to the city, although it doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of its history, including the circumstances that led to the decline of a once-vibrant jazz scene (September 8). Malagasy Breath is likely the only jazz album this semester to feature lemurs. The animals flolic obliviously while Rajesh Mehta Sky Cage Quartet plays trumpet and other instruments, opening the bars of the zoo (Subcontinental, September 5). Trumpeter Eddie Henderson celebrates the 50th anniversary of his debut album with a new set titled Witness to History. A documentary about the musician’s life is slated for release in 2024 (Smoke Sessions, September 15). Clarinetist Joris Rühl presents the slow, studied Feuilles, which unfolds in increments and features restrained work on accordion and percussion (Umlaut, September 30).
The All Sky label makes its debut on September 1 with a pair of experimental releases, each accompanied by a healthy-sized booklet of photos and ephemera. Label boss Noah Ophoven-Baldwin offers 0 Oktas for field recordings and cornet, with photos of clouds and sky, while Luke Martin‘s by our faint shadows going before us includes soft meditations for quartet, dedicated to Dorothy Wordsworth. Solo double bass rules the roost on Moonutatud Muundused / Distorted Conversions, an album that probably doesn’t sound like what most people would expect from the instrument. Kris Kuldkepp mingles bass and electronics and stretches the timbres as far as they can push them (zeromoon, September 7). Sara Serpa and André Matos present the languid and lovely Night Birds, showcasing guitar and wordless voice with drums (September 28). Raucous drums and guitar make Embrace a bracing listen. Dogs of Pleasure‘s album is packed with unbridled energy, unbelievable the work of only two performers (Isthmus, September 15).
Sam Gendel and Marcella Cytrynowicz pair up for AUDIOBOOK, an instantly appealing project that combines Gendel’s synthesizer and electronics with Cytrynowicz’ colorful art. Each piece is based on two letters of the alphabet and accompanied by a playful illustration. Thankfully, an artbook option is available so the illustrations can be seen large (Psychic Hotline, October 6). Catherine Christer Hennix makes her own keyboard interfaces and shows them off on Solo for Tamburium, which uses 88 tambura recordings and occasionally ventures into drone (Blank Forms, September 8). The tonal experiments of Martina Berther and Philipp Schlotter also venture into drone. On Matt, a Swiss church is the home for bass, synth and organ (Hallow Ground, September 29).
Drummer Tomas Fujiwara adds a cellist and a vibraphonist on Pith, but names them the 7 Poets Trio. The timbres are warm and welcoming, although we do miss the felt sculptures of the last two covers (Out of Your Head, September 15). Spinet and Drums is a series of “pitch collections” that makes great use of silence and interval. The Christoph Schiller & Carlo Costa collaboration is out September 7 on Neither/Nor. Tina Raymond plays the drums on Divinations, leading a tight trio while looking very much like an earth mother in the cover illustration (Imani, October 6). Double bass and drums make a fun racket on Uxorious, a untied effort from veterans Marco Serrato & Borja Díaz (Sentencia, September 1).
Percussionist Valentina Magaletti returns with La Tempesta Colorata, a live solo album recorded at Cafe Oto (A Colorful Storm, September 29). Pidgins “speaks percussive languages” on Refrains of the Day, with a bit of vocoder. Each video is comprised of stock image collages (October 27). fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred) is the latest percussive effort from Darius Jones. First single Zubot is accompanied by an animated score (Northern Spy, September 29). IThinkIMEmpty|D4D is a pair of improvised duets on pots and pans, buckets and cans (which sounds like a Dr. Suess rhyme), with a few traditional instruments thrown in for good measure. moody alien & co.‘s album is out September 1 on Thirsty Leaves. Nate Wooley‘s ambitious four-disc set Four Experiments is designed for “any number of players with any level of background,” and as a result the tonal variety is wide. Originally inspired by a book of poetry, it has become a tone poem (Pleasure of the Text, September 26).
Folk, classical and jazz meet on Dance of the Elders, a richly-hued set from guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel on ECM. While most of the album is original, Bach and Joni Mitchell each find space (September 29). Also on ECM: saxophonist Maciej Obara Quartet‘s Frozen Silence, an exercise in rainy day jazz (September 8). NMC is releasing two experimental classical album on September. Thomas Simaku: Solo highlights the virtuosity of the clarinet, while Zubin Kanga‘s Cyborg Pianist imagines the future of the instrument through a septet of creative composers.
skvíry&spoje is a pair of improvising duos who get together to jam and play each other’s instruments. Hotel Spojár looks back on their career and offers highlights (September 1). Triio‘s Magnetic Dreaming often veers into abstract, even psychedelic territory, an apt reflection of its trippy cover art (September 26). Jazz rock is represented by bassist Eric Nachtrab, who leads a quartet on Bastard Ideals, containing a fun track titled “Valentine for a Goth Girl” (Spiritual Slop, September 29). The 13-piece Swedish jazz rock ensemble led by Vilhelm Bromander is releasing the energetic, raga-dipped In this forever unfolding moment on Thanatos September 29, with dhrupad vocals by Marianne Svašek.
Dirty Electronics and Oliver Torr delve into abstract electronics and noise on piu hiway (Mille Plateaux, September 2). The improvisational thrashings of international trio Sult are meant to evoke “landslides, lightning and tectonic friction.” Always I Gnaw is an album of extreme sound, with screaming, grinding, howling, sawing and all manner of dissonance: not for all tastes, but a great representation of the deep end (Thin Wrist, September 1), while THSHLT‘s IN THE OFFING sounds like an electrical storm frying all circuits while a hornet’s nest falls from the trees (peig, September 15).
Richard Allen
Wed Sep 06 00:01:46 GMT 2023