Sometimes, from the first opening seconds of an album it can be immediately clear that this one is different…
“This one is different…” was what I felt immediately after hearing the first notes of Nicolas Bernier‘s new album “Frequencies (a / Fragments)“.
A seemingly random collection of albums with the piano as the main instrument…
OTTO A. TOTLAND – PINÔ
Half of Deaf Center. Also half of Nest. More introduction to the intricate piano sounds of Otto A. Totland should hardly be needed.
“Pinô” is his first full featured solo-album, packed in a beautiful gold-embossed hardcover sleeve that perfectly matches the music it contains: atmospheric, calm, intimate.
The music was recorded in Nils Frahm’s (Durton) studio on a squeaky piano with a soft, velvety sound. The intimacy is enhanced by bringing the environmental sounds up front in the recording.
Since it was founded in 2005, the Denovali label has grown into one of the most important European independent labels, exploring different (mostly experimental) genres.
Apart from releasing new music, they also have a fine taste in finding albums worth re-releasing. Often, the re-releases are paired to the release of a new album by the same artist.
In the case of Origamibiro (an audio-visual collective consisting of Tom Hill, Andy Tytherleigh and visual artist Jim Boxall aka The Joy of Box), the new album “Odham’s Standard” is accompanied by the release of a 3CD/4LP package called“Collection“, presenting their previous albums “Cracked Mirrors and Stopped Clocks“ (2007), “Shakkei“ (2011), and “Shakkei Remixed“ (2012).
With “The Latest Research from the Department of Electrical Engineering“ (2011), Michel Banabila dived deeper into more experimental electronic territory he started exploring on releases like “Spherics” (2001, 2003) and “Signals from Krakrot” (2008).
The sounds on this album are radically different from his more romantic, more acoustic ethno-jazz releases, but they never lost the characteristic ‘human touch’.
On “More Research from the Same Department“, Banabila is vigorously searching for the heart and soul of electrical machinery, like an explorer presenting his discoveries.
In the Shortlist sections, I will mention the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I definitely think they deserve your attention, with ór without extra words!
AUTISTICI – ATTACHING SOFTNESS
A collection of detailed microsound pieces including collaborative works with Calika and Henry Duclos. It includes the original full-length version of Attaching Softness to a Shell. About half of the (50 minute) album is reserved for the centerpiece “Attaching Softness to a Shell” (a track that also briefly appeared in the “Dream Calibration“ mix from 2009).
Had this not been a release by Francisco López (who has been creating sound art and electronic music for over 30 years, continuously building on a massive catalogue of music and sound) on the Line Imprint label (“exploring the aesthetics of contemporary and digital minimalism” since 2000) – then I probably would have thought “Presque Tout“ was a conceptual joke.
But it isn’t.
It’s perhaps the most radical release in ambient sound recording – its extreme minimalism perhaps only surpassed by the well-known ‘4’33″‘ by John Cage.
If one of the criteria for ‘ambient’ music is that you can comfortably fall asleep to it, I guess you’d better skip this particular mix. Although it starts quiet and reassuring with soothing vocal chords from Silvestrov’s “The Lord’s Prayer”, the mood disintegrates and sometimes can become rather unsettling – depending on your own personal ‘incidental memories’, of course.
For reasons I can’t really explain, this mix works better if you listen on speakers instead of headphones – just let the airwaves flow for maximum immersion.
In the Shortlist sections, I will mention the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I definitely think they deserve your attention, with ór without extra words!
STEINER – AT OR FROM A DISTANCE
A remarkable cover that includes a remarkable album. Steiner (Stijn Hüwels from Belgium) has previously self-released a few albums, but this is his first for a ‘real’ label. Seven tracks blend in to one continuous, cinematic 35 minute mix.
In March 2013 and the months following, Benoit Pioulard (Thomas Meluch) caused quite a stir with “Hymnal“, his fourth release for the Kranky label. Inspired by ‘the ubiquity of religious iconography and grandiose cathedrals’ he had encountered throughout a year spent in southeastern England and on the European mainland, he presented a unique mix of hazy psych-folk songs and ambient instrumental tracks, with the aid of labelmates Felix (Lucinda Chua and Chris Summerlin) and Kyle Bobby Dunn.
Almost one full year later, the 12 tracks from ‘Hymnal’ get extensive re-workings on “Hymnal Remixed“ – a 19-track double album released on the Lost Tribe Sound label.
