March 28, 2024

Gabriel Vicéns: Mural

Gabriel Vicéns

New York based composer and guitarist Gabriel Vicéns has mastered the art of less-is-more on his new album Mural, a collection of modern chamber music meets jazz pieces wherein the spaces between the notes are as important as the music itself. He plays a game of hide and seek with his audience, that will likely induce quite a bit of head-scratching, before giving way to being in awe for his bravado. Vicéns always seems to be one of two steps ahead as he urges his musicians to step on the tightrope and follow him to the other end, where - after a short stop on a platform - the next challenge is already waiting.

Vicéns avoided to use of any percussion instrument in his compositions, so there is no common ground for the orchestra to fall back on. By doing so, he created a tapestry of sounds without a safety net that can be as unpredictable as a bunch of leaves in the Autumn. Hanging onto a particular instrument may offer some kind of comfort, but it is the dance of all the players that makes Mural a mesmerizing work of art.

Dez Dare: "Josephine Says Explode" video

Darren Smallman has posted a no-frills video for Josephine Says Explode, a track by his one-man garage-punk band Dez Dare that can be found his Billion Goats. A Billion Sparks. Fin album: "a rollercoaster ride without any of the nasty side-effects (nauseau, dizziness and the like). He is shouting at the heavens, calling in physics as well as science-fiction to make sense of it all. It is an album that is bursting at the seems with fuzz and reverb, and it sounds like it might fall apart at any second. Smallman is walking the thin line between structured mayhem and chaos, but it is worth the risk. The best art offers a challenge for both the artist and the public".

Jeffrey Silverstein: The Lagniappe Sessions @ Aquarium Drunkard

Country musician Jeffrey Silverstein recorded four covers for Aquarium Drunkard's The Lagniappe Sessions: Chip Taylor's (I Want)The Real Thing (MP3), Steely Dan's Do It Again (MP3), Jim Ford's I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind (Jim Ford) ( (MP3), and Tom T. Hall's That’s How I Got to Memphis (MP3). About the latter:

We’ve been covering “Memphis” for the past year and change. Figured it was time to have a go at recording it. Natural Child put me onto this song around 2012 via For Love of The Game. Been obsessed ever since. Lots of great memories associated with one. A damn near perfect song and one I never tire of hearing or playing.

» jeffreylewissilverstein.com

March 27, 2024

Native Sun: Too Late

NYC rockers Native Sun keep it simple on their new single Too Late, taking cues from the classic punk playbook to unleash their frustration about the downtrodden, who can't get a break. So they gave them a voice instead. The video was made by Tim Nagle & Conor Cunningham.

Too Late is released via Grand Jury.

STÄSJ: Building A Cathedral

STÄSJ

Dutch electro-pop artist STÄSJ,, nom-de-plume of multi-instrumentalist and singer Stefanie Janssen, mixes avant-garde, post-rock, synth-driven New Wave, and vocal pyrotechnics on Building A Cathedral, an album about human condition. That is big subject to cover, but she pulled it off by going all out within self-proclaimed boundaries: being adventurous like Kate Bush and catchy a la Depeche Mode.

The cathedral is not an actual building, but a metaphor for the human body and mind. She tries to make sense of her surroundings and thoughts by going in at the deep end to find out what is all about and how to connect or get away from the hustle and bustle, when it all becomes a bit too much. Grief and joy are equal partners. Janssen pull it foff with poetic lyrical imagery, draped as an extra layer upon the meandering soundscapes and crunchy beats.