Reviews
-
Colin Stetson ~ New History of Warfare Vol. 1
Originally published at The Silent Ballet. In the years since his debut, Colin Stetson has gone on to critical acclaim that I would have found hard to anticipate for such a singular style of solo saxophone. He’s collaborated with Laurie Anderson and Bon Iver, with his wife Sarah Neufeld, and in recent years done an…
-
Old Bicycle Records ~ Sparkle in Grey, Nuno Moita/Matteo Uggeri, Stefano De Ponti, and Tape Crash # 6 & #7
This is a compendium gathering posts originally published at A CLOSER LISTEN Old Bicycle Records ceased operations in 2016 (with the exception of a joint-released split digital release which was delayed until 2018). From 2011-2016, label boss Vasco Viviani released some truly excellent and eclectic music from Sparkle in Grey, Harshcore, Futeisha, Stefano de Ponti,…
-
Richard Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi ~ Tikkun / Richard Pinhas and Yoshida Tatsuya ~ Welcome in the Void
Richard Pinhas and Oren Ambarchi ~ Tikkun / Richard Pinhas and Yoshida Tatsuya ~ Welcome in the Void Throughout his 40+ year career, French guitarist Richard Pinhas has studied philosophy with Gilles Deleuze (having the foresight to tape his lectures), has written extensively about Nietzsche, collaborated with sci-fi writers Maurice G. Dantec and…
-
Andrea Valle ~ Acta GeoGraphica (2001-2007)
Originally published by A CLOSER LISTEN Etymologically, Geography comes from the ancient Greek geographia; literally to describe or write about the Earth. In Andrea Valle’s usage he is conjuring up his own worlds as much as describing our own. Acta GeoGraphica, released on the Ripples label, is therefore a record of world-creation, so this writing takes…
-
C. Spencer Yeh ~ 1975
Originally published by A CLOSER LISTEN After releasing dozens of records as Burning Star Core, it seems odd to describe 1975 as C. Spencer Yeh‘s debut. And yet… I can’t quite say why C. Spencer Yeh does anything, yet it’s not hard to see that this isn’t a BxC record. But why, after all this time,…
-
The Fountain
A version of this article was originally published by The Silent Ballet, 23 February 2007. ———————————— When one thinks of the greatest composers ever to score film, one thinks of greats such as Toru Takemitsu, Philip Glass, Bernard Herrmann, and even John Williams. (I mean, really, who doesn’t know the music from Star Wars?) The…
-
Emiliano Romanelli ~ 333 Loops (Volume 1)
Originally published at http://www.acloserlisten.com Emiliano Romanelli (b. 1979) is well-known amongst the Italian scene for his work in the multimedia duo Tu m’. Back at The Site Before we were pretty fond of their record Monochromes, which made our Best of 2009 list. Released on the 12k imprint LINE, the four numbered tracks were stark…
-
Sound Propositions 016: Félicia Atkinson
It is an honor to present this extended conversation with Félicia Atkinson, whose latest record, The Flower and The Vessel, has just been released on Shelter Press. We discuss her multifaceted art practices, her musical formation, the importance of running an independent press, and the power inherent in stones. Sound Propositions is an ongoing, semi-regular…
-
Tim Hecker ~ Anoyo
Anoyo, which means “the world over there,” is the counterpart to last year’s glorious Konoyo, or “the world over here.” While the two are certainly closely related, both built around the prominent contributions of members of Tokyo Gakuso, it would be reductive to see Anoyo as merely a third disc of Konoyo. Tim Hecker has released…
-
Sound Propositions: Rutger Zuydervelt
Machinefabriek ~ Sahara Mixtape Machinefabriek ~ With Voices Rutger Zuydervelt / Gareth Davis ~ Sileen II These three new works from Rutger Zuydervelt (better known as Machinefabriek) are each so singular, so utterly distinct from one another while retaining the artist’s signature, that I was inspired to catch up with him regarding his current work.…
-
Mark Templeton + Kyle Armstrong ~ Extensions
Originally published at ACL “Rapidly we approach the final phase of the EXTENSIONS of man- the technological simulation of consciousness.” -Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media (1964) After a bit of a delay, Mark Templeton inaugurates his new label Graphical Recordings with the release of Extensions, an audio-visual collaboration with filmmaker Kyle Armstrong. A 12” LP…
-
On the Tenzier Label
Tenzier is a Montreal-based label that releases LPs of archival recordings significant to the history of late 20th century Quebecois experimental, electronic, and improvised musics. In their own words: Tenzier is a nonprofit organization which has as its mandate to preserve, celebrate and disseminate archival recordings by Quebec avant-garde artists. Since its founding in 2010,…
Sound Propositions 