Monthly Archives: May 2016
New Music with Guitar Vol. 10
Guitarist David Starobin performs both instrumental and vocal pieces, all contemporay, some by his son Michael. Play!
Rebecca Clarke–Works for Viola
Viola with piano pieces from early 1900’s. Gracious, elegant. Play!
Nino Rota–Piano Works
Modern, gracious works for piano, some Baroque elements.
Richard Crandell–Mbira Magic
Re-release. Gorgeous pieces for altered Zimbabwean instrument. Suitable for world programming. Play!
Ripples–Modern Chamber Works with Percussion
Varied, interesting pieces paired with piano, sax or ensemble. Play!
Zamiki–Music for Solo Marimba
Beautiful, contemporary works, a variety of styles, Asian, Classical, ragtime. Play!
Various Artists – Tanbou Toujou Lou (Ostinato)
Fascinating collection of Meringue, Kompa Kreyol (Creole beat), Vodou Jazz, & Electric Folklore from Haiti, 1960-1981. Vik Sohonie, fan of Afro-Atlantic sounds and founder of Ostinato Records, scoured Haitian radio stations and ran newspaper ads to find vinyl from this golden era in Haitian music. Here are his favorites. Explore! Read more about the project […]
Afro-Hatian Experimental Orchestra – A.H.E.O. (Glitterbeat)
An experiment in every sense! Afro-beat drummer Tony Allen was asked to come to Haiti and play with an assortment of leading Haitian musicians recruited by the Haitian National Bureau of Ethnology. Out of the chaos, Allen stepped up as music director, laying down beats to which were added super bass lines, voodoo rhythms, chants, […]
Sandaraa – Sandaraa (self-released)
Exotic and evocative collaboration between Pakistani composer/vocalist Zeb Bangash (trained in khayal classical singing) and Brooklyn clarinetist Michael Winograd (with a background in Jewish music), featuring music inspired by and respectfully reinvented from South Asian musical forms (e.g., Dari, Pashto, & Baluchi). Great percussion, bass, oud, accordion, violin, & guitar as well. Tunes reveal surprising […]
MAKU Soundsystem – Mezcla (Glitterbeat)
High-energy Afro-Colombian vibes with a dash of Afro-beat provide a foundation for this 8-piece NYC band. Most band members are Colombian immigrants, and the lyrics focus on their experiences as such. Easy to dance to, with strong percussion and a smokin’ brass section.
New Found Land – Lore
Good synth pop, female vocals very prominent. Some heavy bass and driving drum machines. Solid dance music, relatively catchy and interesting. Some horns and vocal effects scattered throughout the album. Give it a listen, it’s nice! Label: Fixe Play: #3, 4, 1, 2 FCC: Clean RIYL: Purity Ring, Broods, Lorde
The Panufnik Legacies II
Following the abstract scheme of Panufnik, these young composers have written intense, abstract pieces for orchestra.
Twentieth Century Duos–Korngold & Copland
Modern works for violin and piano by Korngold and Copland. Play!
Forest Paintings–20th Century Guitar Music
Modern and contemporary works for solo guitar by Henze, Haug, and others. Play!
Tomas Svoboda–Nine Etudes in the Fugue Style Vol. 1 & 2
The composer performs his modern take on the fugue style for piano. Play!
Jon Balke–Warp
Solo piano works, very abstract, with some voice murmurings, and other sounds.
Pollyn – “Distress Signals”
Pollyn have been together since roughly 1998, and “Distress Signals” is their third studio album. Compared to their previous releases, this album is a lot darker and electronic. A lot of the cuts on this album swoon over a moody, bass-charged ambient beat that amplifies the overall darkness of the record. The synths are very […]
Mutual Benefit – “Skip a Sinking Stone”
Mutual Benefit is the solo project of singer-songwriter Jordan Lee, and his latest album “Skip a Sinking Stone” is a gorgeous collection of orchestral folk songs. This album isn’t that different from Lee’s previous six albums, but on this record he really has refined his sound, and that shows in both the songwriting and the […]
Niagara – “Hyperocean”
Niagara is a duo who have been pioneering experimental pop music for a minute now, and “Hyperocean” is their third studio album. This album is easily their most experimental to date, as it combines alternative electronica, dark-tinted psych-funk, sweeping electronic arrangements, insanely sputtering rhythms, and BOOMING electronics. The track list flows between an eerie calm, […]
Mountains and Rainbows – “Particles”
With a band name like Mountains and Rainbows, you would assume that they would make some cutesy synth-pop, or maybe some piano-driven indie-rcok, but if you made that assumption without listening to this album then you would be as incredibly surprised as I was, my friend. This album takes influence of punk rock and classic […]
Misha – “All We Will Become”
Misha is the alias for multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer John Chao and he has been out of the game for a long time. His debut album was released a little over nine years ago, and his newest album is a much more refined release than his last record. This album falls into the synth-pop spectrum […]
Mike Adams at His Honest Weight – “Casino Drone”
Mike Adams has been making music for a decent amount of time now, but before he was making records he hosted a talk show in Indiana. Adams is a goofball by all means, and his humor has always been a unique aspect of his music, and this latest record is no exception. Throughout this album’s eleven […]
Middle Class Fashion – “iii”
Middle Class Fashion is a pop-rock band that hails from St. Louis, MO and “iii” is their third self-released album. On this latest release, the band expands on previous sounds from their earlier releases just with a more refined sound. Each track contains solid and catchy hooks, infectious and groovy melodies, and performances that are […]
Mayflower Madame – “Observed in a Dream”
Mayflower Madame is a band that hails from Oslo, Norway, and their sound is a dark and distinctive blend of shoe-gaze, post-punk, and psychedelic rock. Their latest album “Observed in a Dream” is no exception, as it is expanding on the sounds set in their earlier EPs. They have garnered a reputation as an exciting […]
Mariya May – “Call Me Back If You Can Dig the Music”
Mariya May is a songstress from Portland (don’t ask me which because I am not exactly sure to be honest) and her latest album “Call Me Back if You Can Dig the Music” features an amalgamation of sounds. Each track is a concoction of lush neo-soul, dub reggae, and verdant folk that tells the tales […]
WRUV Reviews 