If old songs are given new life, will they find new audiences?  And if so, will they reach mass appeal (Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven) or at least critical acclaim (Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed)?  How modern can a new take be while still honoring the vision of the original composer?  Shards (led by Kieren Brunt) wades into the discussion with Byrd Song, a stunningly modern take on the work of Renaissance composer William Byrd. While Byrd is considered one of the most influential composers of his time, in the 17th century he had to “compose illegally and per ..read more

We dare any post-metal-loving listener to resist the power of The Lumberjack Feedback after viewing the video for “Failing to Witness His Mighty Work.”  This French quintet is very into its music, and after hearing an album with two drummers, it will be hard to adjust to one drummer again.  The video highlights this by showing only one at first, then flashing to the second, to the full quintet and back again.  Then the monster riffs arrive, and the energy level flies straight through the roof.  A (very) brief acoustic guitar break (from 1:52-1:57) provides dynamic cont ..read more

Our first taste of OOOTOKO was last year’s striking video for “Elvas,” which features choreographer and dancer Laura Guessan struggling with an impossible rope.  The Middle East timbres and Dune aesthetics are indicative of the cinematic tone of this nineteen-member international band, led by Belgian violinist Damien Chierici. But as the tempo changes, harmonic vocals and vast instrumentation of follow-up “Theme Of Parallax” indicate, there’s far more to the collective than this.  Chierici’s ensemble crosses boundaries like borders, creating an alternate sci-fi universe in whic ..read more

We’ve reached a tipping point in the appreciation of retro sci-fi music.  Most of the original composers are gone (Bebe and Louis Barron’s Forbidden Planet, released in 1956, is cited by The Galaxy Electric & Droog Mulholland as an influence).  Original fans, who received the music as futuristic, are dying off, while younger fans, who regard the same music as nostalgic, are replacing them like pod people.  Only for the next decade will the two groups coexist, after which the first wave of fans will all be gone. The Galaxy Electric (Jacqueline & Joshua Mikszan) sunk ..read more

The refugee crisis continues to rage around the world, sparking a dual backlash of racism and xenophobia. The focus may have shifted from the southern border of the U.S. to the demolished camps of Gaza, but the story remains the same: millions are fleeing violence and persecution: tired, poor, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. I am the grandson of immigrants; composer Mary Kouyoumdjian is the daughter of immigrants.  Often lost in the debate are the contributions that enrich a multi-cultural nation: not simply an enlarged work force, but a treasure chest of ideas, inspirations and ..read more

Holland Andrews has released four EPs over the last three years, a quartet that deserves to be heard as a whole.  Each pair is available on vinyl, and together they may be viewed as an album, yielding a defined trajectory with a sense of completeness.  Placing the titles end-to-end, one may glean the arc of the tale: Wordless, Forgettings, Doubtless, Answers. Less apparent from the eye alone is that Andrews is a multi-faceted performer, whose compositions range from ambient to electronic, all with an experimental sheen; and that instrumental tracks are balanced by samplings of t ..read more

After spending her early years in an indie alternative rock band, Jen K. Wilson struck out on her own as Buildings and Food.  The traces of her history can be read in the name, which references a 1978 album by Talking Heads.  Only occasionally can one hear the influence of the band, as Wilson’s primary timbres are ambient and electronic in the Morr Music vein.  Yet even this is deceptive, as other timbres sneak in, from early experiments with glitch and vocals to shoegaze and field recordings on 2023’s Infinity Plus One.  The sky-d EP, released earlier this y ..read more

Founding our own Glorious Chapels is a collective in the true sense of the word, shifting not only members, but monikers.  Founded in 2016 when the bands Stems and Anathème joined forces as The Chapel of Exquises Ardents Pears, the project then continued as the solo project Notre Dame de la Colline before entering its current incarnation as Musala nan Elian.  Each release, or Chapel, is a part of the whole.  This makes the title of the latest project, Glossolalia, particularly appropriate, as the term not only means “speaking in tongues” but the ability to understand each o ..read more

Happy admission: I still have a CD player in my car. My prior car had a tape player, and for those who are wondering, Chrysler once made cars with turntables. I still burn CD-Rs, and tailor the selection to the length of my trip: 20 minutes to the bookstore, 45 to sports, 70 to the beach.  A perfectly-timed trip has the disc starting when I leave the driveway and ending when I arrive at my destination.  fever dreams is just over 18 minutes long, perfect for those shorter trips.  Even better, it has the feel of a mixtape from that era: hip-hop instrumentals flavored with hin ..read more

Harpist Mary Lattimore has been popping up all over the place this season, from Montgomery and Turner’s Spring Became Silent to Moor Mother’s GUILTY.  An Adult Swim collaboration with Juliana Barwick just became available as well.  Few artists have a scope this diverse.  This month she’s teamed up with Walt McClements to produce a gorgeous suite of edited improvisations for harp and accordion ~ although curiously it begins with a creak and a bell. The extra elements suggest deeper themes.  The opening of “Stolen Bells” implies the passage of measured tim ..read more