Train breakdown Feldman epiphanies, radical flatness in the primeval forest, the Gary Numan barracks theft. The New York-based composer discusses three important albums. Kenneth's picks: Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle Morton Feldman (Kronos Quartet with Aki Takahashi) – Piano And String Quartet Glenn Gould – Bach: The Goldberg Variations (1955) Kenneth's new album, Three Cellos, is the first instalment in Greyfade's FOLIO series: a hardcover book and a high resolution download. Check it out here or over on Bandcamp. Kenneth's website is over here. Donate ..read more

Aggressive pianos, bursting arpeggios, music for the cool kids. The Australian composer and producer discusses three important albums. Madeleine's picks: Philip Glass – Glassworks Dirty Three – Whatever You Love, You Are Tim Hecker – Virgins Madeleine's new album, Bodies, is out now on Room40. Check it out on her Bandcamp. Her website is here and she's also Instagram. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening Crucial Listening is also available as a podcast ..read more

Affirmative Action by ZACHARY JAMES WATKINS RELEASED ON SIGE. During the first moments of Affirmative Action's opener “Black Love”, Watkins’ effects rig sounds as though it’s on the blink. Distortion comes in little intermittent pips as if sputtering through an onsetting power cut. During the gaps, one can hear the unamplified plucking of strings, which is the only time that the album offers a glimpse of an unadorned single source. Soon enough it's gone, and we witness the enlivening of Watkins’ processing chain: his unmistakable distorted lead sound, then an overhead gush of high harmonics ..read more

Black metal for midwest drives, post-apocalyptic collage, ragas for John. The Manchester, UK-based ambient folk artist discusses three important albums. Ethan's picks: Wolves In The Throne Room – Two Hunters Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F# A# ∞ Pelt – Ayahuasca The new Black Brunswicker EP, A Moment Of Clarity, is out April 26th on Nettwerk. You can hear several tracks over on the Black Brunswicker bandcamp, and also see a couple of official videos over on Youtube. Ethan is also on Instagram. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruci ..read more

Cathartic tragedies, dog-eating opera, guitar improviser spirit animals. The vocalist, lyricist and composer from 9T Antiope discusses three important albums. Sara and Nima's picks: Scott Walker & Sunn O))) – Soused Ben Frost – The Wasp Factory Sidsel Endresen & Stian Westerhus – Bonita The new 9T Antiope album, Horror Vacui, is out 12th April on American Dreams. Check it out here. 9T Antiope is on Twitter. Sara is on Twitter and Instagram. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening Crucial Listening is also availab ..read more

Voice drips like milk, rays of soprano sunlight, filthy metal bass face. Producer, vocalist and DJ Felicia Chen discusses three important albums. Felicia's picks:   Arvo Pärt – Te Deum Portishead – Dummy Goth-Trad – Psionics The collaborative record between Dis Fig and The Body is out now via Thrill Jockey. Check it out here. Dis Fig is on Instagram and Soundcloud. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening Crucial Listening is also available as a podcast ..read more

Driving in fury, letting the endings be real, slow and lonely. The free improvisation percussionist discusses three important albums. Mark's picks: Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell – Old And New Dreams (1979) Evan Parker – Monoceros Rebecca Saunders – Fury II As always, Mark has a bunch of upcoming live dates. These include Evan Parker's 80th birthday residency at Cafe Oto, for which Mark has prepared a four-part percussion group. Mark's website is here. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening Crucial Listening is also a ..read more

Ashes and Dust, Earth and Sky (Lludw a llwch, daear a nef) by Rachel Musson Musson isn’t mimicking the birds. Her flute sings with them in simultaneity. On the album's first track, the instrument is set back inside the field recording, tucked behind the trickle of liquid (presumably the “Meltwater” of the track’s title) and joining the birds in descendent trills and swoops. Clearly she has been here before. Perhaps she’s played this field recording over and over, learning it in the manner that one might learn a score. Or perhaps she’s learned the daily rituals of the place itself, entwining h ..read more

Caught by howling, three people at the 2pm concert, vivid colour changes. The Berlin-based singer and artist discusses three important albums. Rosa's picks: Julia Shortreed – Violet Sun Low – Double Negative The Tear Garden – To Be An Angel Blind, The Cripple Soul Divide Rosa's new album Interior is out 23rd February on KLANGBAD. Check out her music on Bandcamp. Rosa's website is here, and she's also on Instagram. Donate to Crucial Listening on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/cruciallistening Crucial Listening is also available as a podcast ..read more

RELEASED ON GIZEH. Ruins Era by A-Sun Amissa Ruins Era is a weary migration between the bleak and the bleaker. The album title points to a state of ruin that has become, well, just that – a state, prolonged until it adopts an identity of its own, no longer defined as the aftermath of a before-time, but enduring until memories of the era prior have perished. All sounds resides somewhere upon the spectrum of decay; guitars crumble into distortion, clarinets vaporise into smoke. The last remaining pillars of structure, as rendered in lurching emergences of doom-paced rhythm, seem helplessly unst ..read more