Lyndsie Alguire – Clair Obscur

Most of the time I try to review albums as if they were a debut release, without historical context about the artists involved, and presented without packaging.
It’s arguable, I know, but this way I try to let the music do all the work and listen to it as unbiased as possible.

This is why I wish I had NOT seen the package images for this release of Lyndsie Alguire‘s “Clair Obscur” .
For now I somehow feel like the guy that keeps arguing he ónly reads Playboy Magazine because of its interviews…

Ian Hawgood & Friends – Wolven (A Modern Reinterpretation)


Wolven

In its relatively short existence (almost 4 years), the Hibernate label has presented us with many beautiful releases and positioned themselves as one of the most important independent labels at the very centre of the ‘ambient’ music scene. Or – since it’s increasingly difficult to use the word ‘ambient’ as a genre definition: music “both abstract and melodic but always with a hint of melancholy.”

The Hibernate label kicked off in 2009 with a release that set a high standard immediately: “Wolfskin“, by Ian Hawgood – well-known for his own music as well as from the labels he curates: Home Normal and Koen Music.

Hibernate and Koen Music (KoMu) now present a 2-CD set revisiting the original “Wolfskin” release, called “Wolven – A Modern Reinterpretation”.

Greg Haines – Where We Were


Where We Were

His past catalogue and  (maybe even more) his live performances have shown that Greg Haines manages to combine artistic consistency with surprising changes of directions.

One never knows what to expect, but one can always rest assured it will be good..

On a first listen, “Where We Were“, Haines’ new release on Denovali Records, sounds surprisingly different from what he has done before.

Machinefabriek – Machine Rooms

Lóng before I ever related the sounds to a musical context, I was fascinated by industrial environmental drone hums.
I clearly remember staying with my grandparents as a child during school holidays, fascinated by the steady hum of giant propeller ventilators from a nearby storage building.
This impression has never left me, and I fondly think back to these summer holidays as the fundament of a lifelong addiction to drones of industrial (as well as any other) nature.

Knowing this background, it’s probably not hard to understand why a new release by Machinefabriek, called “Machine Rooms“, released on the Keshhhh label (curated by Simon Scott, and mastered by Rafael Anton Irissari) got my immediate and full attention!

But that is simply not enough to introduce this incredible album.

These are not ‘just’ industrial drones – these are delicate homages to machines that are supporting our everyday life. And continue to do so, even when they are hidden away, put out of use and slowly deteriorating….

Linear Bells, Cass., Lainhart-Menegon, Sun Hammer, Digitalsimplyworld

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 or without extra words! 

Winter Haze

LINEAR BELLS – WINTER HAZE
So this is what happens when I’m way too much behind reviewing albums: currently we are preparing for summer and trying to forget about winter, ánd the limited physical CD edition is already sold out by the time you read this…
Still, no problem: another winter will arrive sooner than you think, and there’s still the digital download version to enjoy!

Jeremy Keenan, Stefan Funck, Franck Condon, Glittering Hand, Kissy Suzuki

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 or without extra words!

Jeremy Keenan

JEREMY KEENAN – IMMATERIAL
“Created largely from recordings of two journeys by boat, on the River Lee Navigation in London and the North Sea ferry to the Netherlands, Immaterial explores the abstraction of emotional and perceptual traces in sound relating to journeys. The title track utilises sound garnered from the Institute of Making in London, with direct recordings of engineered materials exposing the raw process of extracting the composition from recorded sound.

Michel Banabila – 47 Voice Loops + Gardening (Extended)

Two surprising new albums by Michel Banabila, both based on some of his earlier work yet remarkably different from most albums in his extensive catalogue.

47 VOICE LOOPS

The original basic track for “47 Voice Loops“ can be found on the free (!) download album “In Other Words“ (track called “MltVz8”.)
In reaction to some listeners comments, Banabila decided to create longer versions of this track. The result is now available as a separate album which clearly demonstrates these listeners were right!

Various Artists – Earthtones


EarthTones

Tessellate Recordings is a new label started by Harry Towell, well-known for curating tons of fine music for the Audio Gourmet netlabel, ánd of course for his own music as Spheruleus.

“Earthtones” is a massive compilation (26 tracks, over 2 hours) of well- and lesser known artists that all contributed a track to this album which is intended to raise funds for the next CD-releases.

Just picking a few names from the contributor list: Caught in the Wake Forever, Wil Bolton, Maps and Diagrams, Savaran, Ekca Liena, Bartosz Dziadosz (Pleq), James Murray, Damian Valles, Monolyth & Cobalt, Lauki, Offthesky, Radere, The Inventors of Aircraft. – I guess that’s enough to get you interested….

Stephan Mathieu – Un Coeur Simple


Mathieu-Coeur

Shortly after reworking David Sylvian’s “Blemish” on “Wandermüde“, Stephan Mathieu presents another impressive work.

“Un Coeur Simple” (“A Simple Heart”) is the soundtrack of a play based on Gustave Flaubert’s novel, which was published in 1877 as the first of three tales.

In creating his personal soundscapes, Mathieu has always preferred using old source materials, things of the past, like wax-cylinders and 78 rpm records, as his source material….“a fascination for the past expressed through cutting-edge tools”.