For the love of music
Spring has come late to Britain this year. As the last of the unseasonal snow thaws and flower buds reluctantly open Matthew Shaw’s Lamorna seems a fitting soundtrack. Minimalist sounds stir behind tentative birdsong as spring makes its slow arrival. In fact, the album was recorded last summer at the pretty fishing village and cove in Cornwall … [Read more...]
In C is not so much a concept album as it is a concept piece. Originally composed by Terry Riley in 1964, it is arguably the first minimalist composition. It consists of 53 short, musical phrases lasting from ½ beat to 32 beats played by an ensemble of any size and instrumental combination. Each performer begins on the first phrase and works … [Read more...]
Stripping away the superfluous excesses of music, (overly busy drums, bass work that never finds a solid groove, guitar licks just overburdened with too many notes), leaves one with the bare bones, a skeletal framework if you will, in which there is ample space to explore tone, harmonic textures and slowly expressed melodic forms. This is something … [Read more...]
In 2000, singer-songwriter Amelia Curran moved to Nova Scotia and debuted her musical career with the well-received album, Barricade. Now, a decade later, Curran’s sound is that much better, backed by a wealth of experience gained after writing and producing four albums. She earned two nominations from the East Coast Music Awards (Folk Recording … [Read more...]
The early 21st century post-punk revival, spearheaded by the sinewy jams of bands like The Strokes and The Libertines, is showing more age than its 10 years would suggest. For a movement that was so focused on rock’s most primal and threadbare essentials, it’s sort of confounding to hear so many 2010 acts employing not only the basic … [Read more...]
Kyle Bobby Dunn is a 24 year old Canadian born minimalist, ambient-classical composer who lives in Brooklyn, NY. Over the past ten years (since he was 14 or 15 it seems) he has been presenting his compositions in live settings, including exclusive outdoor and site specific environments, throughout North America. Having reviewed his catalog, it is … [Read more...]
More of a single than a proper extended player, I Am the Dot’s latest release – which just eclipses the twelve minute mark with its three tracks – is the latest in a series of transient yet prolific recordings from Denver’s Zach Tipton. The Young Coyotes member has been releasing small batches of new material at a practically monthly … [Read more...]
The extensiveness of modern groups is generally constrained to that of one instrument per member. True musical versatility is something rarely seen by today’s standards which is why The Black Atlantic are so graceful and appealing. Their debut album, Reverence For Fallen Trees, is a wonderful blend of acoustic, classical and minimalist … [Read more...]
The Bird Ensemble manage to separate Evensong from other post-rock albums. Their plush songs dilate simple themes rather than emphasize dramatic arcs in song structure and movement. Their sound can still be dramatic, but are so in the way that a flower blooming is dramatic. A 5-piece band from Nashville, Tennessee, The Bird Ensemble's songs … [Read more...]
Smitten with those downbeat melodies, slow tempos, and minimalist arrangements, Spanish band Belmez give their version of American slowcore on the new album, Apariciones. This LP is full of misfires, but the band’s sound shows a real appreciation for the genre as well as a willingness to step outside of it. When this appreciation comes through, … [Read more...]