Thomas Koener – Novaya Zemlya


Novaya Zemlya

It starts with a deep trembling sound. It’s not thunder, but it does not exactly sound mechanical or man-made either. It may come from somewhere deep inside the earth…a strange kind of sound to break the vast silence.

With sounds like these, it’s not difficult to imagine you are witnessing the birth of New Land – which is in fact the translation of “Novaya Zemlya” (or Nova Zembla in dutch, known for the famous Willem Barentsz expedition in 1594). 

The name also refers to the archipelago in the north of Russia, extensively used for nuclear testing during the Cold War – which creates an entirely different context for the sounds on this album.

Flowers and Bones (Mix)

image by Lidija Hauck

“We were playing Hide and Seek on a Cemetery Hill…
…quiet hiding in the flowers…among the Flowers and Bones…”

Atmospheric drones slowly unfold into childhood memories …
Peaceful melancholic romanticism, but gradually overshadowed by fear of something out of control? 
Remember: all’s well that ends well….

Helios, Porzellan, North Atlantic Drift, Retina.it, Stefan Paulus

In the Shortlist sections, I will mention some of the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I think they deserve your attention: use the links to find more info and hear previews.

Moiety

Helios – Moiety
I don’t think I can add much to the near-legendary status that Helios, a.k.a.Keith Kenniff, a.k.a.Goldmund has already earned – apart from the fact that this Godfather of Cinematic Romanticism offers this album as a free download to all his fans. In FLAC as well as MP3 format. I can only suggest a donation, because this album (and his overall work) deserves it.

Lost Library

Porzellan – The Lost Library
Francis Cazal is a baroque violinist and composer, but – in his own words: “who cares”.
The sounds on this album are definitely more electronic than you might expect from that description.
“This is a bit more than music, but a bit less than something else.”
 Anyway, this album clearly shows the work of a creator. 25 Minutes definitely worth investigating!

Dentistry – Vardogr


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I don’t particularly have very pleasant auditive associations when thinking about my dentist.
Fascinating as  they may be, the high-pitched sound of the dentist drill resonating in my skull, the gurgling drain, and the dentist telling me to relax my muscles – while all of my body tells otherwise….not very reassuring.

So what to expect from an electronic music trio called Dentistry?

Various Artists – Loud Listening


Loud Listening

A lot ambient-electronic have a distinct industrial feel: the hum of giant machines and installations, soothing at some times, ominous – or even threatening – at other. Quiet and reassuring when distant, but loud and agressive when close. 

Though this may not be exactly what you expect of “ambient music”, it definitely is part of the sounds of our surroundings. Until the crisis may stop them, at least.

“Loud Listening” is a free (!) compilation from the Crónica label, based on the environmental recording of four Italian soundscape artists: Allesio Ballerini, Enrico Coniglio, Giuseppe Cordaro and Attilio Novellino. 

Kyle Bobby Dunn – Bring Me The Head of KBD

Like his previous release on the same Low Point label (“A Young Persons Guide to KBD“ from 2010), Kyle Bobby Dunn‘s latest release is a 2 hour double album set with a title suggesting a somewhat bombastic “grandeur”.

But the sound on “Bring Me The Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn“ offers the opposite of what the title suggests.  “Drawing upon a love for emotional detailing and cinematically charged grandeur, these suites offer an apex in romantic, haunting and lonely bliss”. 

Hildur Gudnadottir – Leyfdu Ljosinu

Hildur Gudnadóttir ‘s latest release on the Touch label features two tracks:  the 4 minute introduction (“Prelude”) and the 35 minute title track: “Leyfdu Ljósinu” . 

The track division seems is somewhat artificial, since the “Prelude“ closing chord seamlessly introduces the start of the main title track. 
This recording is in fact a “live” recording (with no audience present. which means no distractive audience sounds).
It’s “just” Hildur performing over her multi-track recordings – no “post tampering” was applied afterwards.

Leonardo Rosado – The Blue Nature of Everyday

Blue Nature

Misfortune struck last week when Heart and Soul and Feedbackloop label curator Leonardo Rosado got robbed and found that the burglars took his laptop and SLR camera.

Though he was wise enough to have his files backed up elsewhere (be honest: do you store your important personal files in a location outside your house? Please do so!) – for a label owner in this digital age this is a downright disaster. 

Leonardo had just finished his own solo album “The Blue Nature of Everyday”  (which sounds like an appropriate title now).
So, unintended, this album is now also his own charity release to help fund his new laptop and camera.

Peter James, Wil Bolton, Tomoko Sauvage, Five Pieces, Elements 01

In the Shortlist sections, I will mention some of the albums that I enjoyed listening to, but couldn’t find the time (or the right words) for a “full” review for. Still, I think they deserve your attention: use the links to find more info and hear previews.

Landfall

Peter James – Landfall
Well-balanced, deep and extremely relaxing drones on this 25th Relaxed Machinery release.
“I’ve always considered landfall to be a part of a journey, not the final part, or the start, just a part of it …. Not now. Not then. Just sometime, somewhere, someplace. “

Under a Name...

Wil Bolton – Under A Name That Hides Her
Combining drone backgrounds with environmental sounds and sparkling guitar themens, Wil Bolton manages to create music that sounds every bit as fresh as the cover image indicates.
“He wanted to create something that sonically presents his nostalgia, sounding submerged or decaying, as if heard through a veil the way memories and images become distorted over time. The album title ‘Under A Name That Hides Her’ is a quote from ‘The Space of Literature’ by Maurice Blanchot and is a reference to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.”
(Vinyl album; release date May 16)