British pianist, composer and keyboardist Greg Foat assembles a richly rewarding, subtly constructed and sterling musical hybrid from a conveyor belt of cosmic, modal and pastoral influences; Symphonie Pacifique is a lush and forward-thinking release that will appeal to open ears from beyond the world of jazz. The Isle of Wight-born, London-based jazz musician Greg Foat has … [Read more...] about Greg Foat: Symphonie Pacifique – Review
James Blake: Are You Even Real? – Single Review
Sadcore singer-songwriter James Blake shares the string swells of Are You Even Real?, another one-off single following last year’s Assume Form album. The English producer James Blake has returned to satiate the desires of devotees of his swooning machine soul by unveiling a brand new song today. The Are You Even Real? single is a delicious ballad co-written by industry … [Read more...] about James Blake: Are You Even Real? – Single Review
Ennio Morricone: A Tribute To An Illustrious Career
Michael Sumsion pays tribute to Ennio Morricone, the king of spaghetti western scores and a pioneer who transformed the sound of cinema. The death of the Italian composer, conductor, orchestrator and trumpeter Ennio Morricone at the age of ninety-one calls time on one of the great, innovative and versatile careers in music. Though he became world-famous for his evocative and … [Read more...] about Ennio Morricone: A Tribute To An Illustrious Career
Sufjan Stevens: America – Single Review
The whisper-voiced, folk-strumming chronicler of the human condition, Sufjan Stevens dangles the opulent, twelve-minute unburdening of America as the first weighty taster of his forthcoming The Ascension album. The singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens once famously joshed about making an album for each of the USA’s states, but he remains preoccupied by the health of the Union. … [Read more...] about Sufjan Stevens: America – Single Review
Dirty Projectors: Flight Tower – Review
Dave Longstreth's expansive Brooklyn experimentalists Dirty Projectors regroup for a new, pocket-sized four-tracker that reinvigorates and recalibrates their blissful art-pop. Flight Tower is the second in a planned run of five EP releases for Dave Longstreth’s Brooklyn-based glitch-art-rock collective. Now bolstered by the presence of Maia Friedman, Felicia Douglass and … [Read more...] about Dirty Projectors: Flight Tower – Review
James Krivchenia: A New Found Relaxation – Review
James Krivchenia, The Big Thief drummer's second ambient album, ploughs the internet for an assured antidote to anxious and turbulent times that subverts the tropes of New Age. James Krivchenia’s second solo outing, A New Found Relaxation, continues and re-affirms the Big Thief drummer’s predilection for melding samples from the internet with field recordings and ambient … [Read more...] about James Krivchenia: A New Found Relaxation – Review