Good morning, Midweek. Spring is officially here. I've opened the windows.  First thing I checked out today was the title track of the upcoming new collaboration between Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA , Scaring The Hoes .  The distinct and character-rich voices of each artist aside, the snare beat sounds like it was mic'd in a crawlspace, scratchy tenor sax scribbles across the track like a kindergartner enthusiastically dragging a marker across paper with a tight fist. Add a simple bass groove and claps.  I love it.  When thinking about minimalism in terms of production, the tinniness and sonic anemia of trap/drill beats and the ubiquity that this sound has had over the last decade or more across a multitude of artists hasn't had consistent appeal for me. That said, I get it: soundtracking a club, the bass drops are effective and the vibe is the draw.  But, "Scaring The Hoes" is minimalism done well. Looking forward to this album. __________ The Laurie Anderson all...

Lori Goldston & Greg Kelley All Points Leaning In Broken Clover Records Released: 1/19/23 On November 18th, 1993, cellist Lori Goldston performed with Nirvana for MTV's Unplugged .  When I found out about All Points Leaning In , which is Goldston's new album with trumpet player Greg Kelley, a "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" level of familiarity hit me as I thought to myself, "Where have I seen that name before?"  Oh, I know that name from when I was 17 years old and listening intently to Unplugged In New York on CD, scanning the liner notes and song credits while Kurt Cobain strummed a live rendition of "Something In The Way", Goldston's beautiful bowed embellishments stretching beneath the acoustic melancholia. That's why I know that name.  A lot of you may remember Goldston the same way. However, for All Points Leaning In , consider this album the aural purge you were looking for, a cathartic noise project rife with deep, droning, textura...

To whom it may interest, In the wake of late night neighborhood demonstrations of amateur fireworks displays and cork-ejaculated ribbons of bubbly champagne, the first full calendar week of 2023 has been officially Xd out. Time to take the Christmas trees down and bundle up for the next couple months. For last week's rounds of browser tabs, I've heard the following: ____________________________ Endorphins Lost:  "Regulation Area Bombing" (from Night People  releasing 2/1/23 by  To Live A Lie  / Rotten to the Core ) This one will beat you up pretty good: A little over a minute and thirty of throat scraping crust punk/power violence replete with excessive head-knock and a writhing breakdown for its second act.   Night People by Endorphins Lost Courtesy of Earsplit PR. Atsuko Chiba:  "Link" (from  Water, It Feels Like It's Growing  releases 1/20/23 by  Mothland ) The synth ride overtop some elaborate prog-level guitar noodling is worth explorati...

Papa M performing at Underground Arts, 4/24/19 Pre-pandemic Philly, April 24th, 2019: I had the pleasure of seeing David Pajo (likely best known for his work with Slint) under his Papa M handle open for Sunn O))) at Underground Arts. Sat alone on a stool and hunched over his guitar, Pajo offered an understated and relatively quiet solo performance which at the time seemed adverse to the ensuing intensity of the Stephen O'Malley/Greg Anderson dronequake. I'd seen Sunn O))) a couple times by this point preceded by loud-as-fuck performances by Eagle Twin and Dead In The Dirt, so I was intrigued that they decided to not double-down on the loud, but instead offer sonic respite before the crowd even knew they'd need it.  Considering, though, how open to collaboration Sunn O))) has been over the years, incorporating both the expected metal alum (Attila Csihar, Wrest, Scott Conner, Ulver, Boris) with creative partnerships based outside the genre (Julian Cope, Scott Walker, Hildur ...

So, that's another November billed and submitted for review. It's early 12/1 and I'm an hour into the workday, taking healthy swigs from a lukewarm large cup of 7-11's finest blend and struggling to stay focused on any task that needs to be handled and completed today. Focus has been a problem, something I mean to fix this coming year. Due to the frequent interruptions and fire drills I'll experience over the course of a day, the need for me to pivot at a moment's notice often leaves me unable to keep track of my prior tasks. I'll repeat steps and miss others. It's yet another boundary that I need to be able to set and communicate to workplace peers: "Yes, I'll take care of that in a minute, but please let me finish what I'm working on."  I'm turning 46 in 20 days. You'd think I'd have my shit together at this point. In line with getting ones shit together, "Best Of"s and "Favorites Of"s lists are being c...

Album Artwork | Photo By Craig Mulcahy At the expense of objectivity, I'll just state for the record that I enjoy the music of Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou and that their collaboration, which has resulted in a new album called May Our Chambers Be Full , sounds very promising thanks to this lead single, "Ancestral Recall." Stylistically, Rundle's lush vocal works very well with the scream-prone Thou, her emotive delivery well entwined with the already affecting guitar phrasing at work. The sound is gratifyingly huge and, based on the strength of this single, I would call this pairing kindred, comparable to Jarboe's partnership with Neurosis , or Cult Of Luna's work with Julie Christmas , both of which produced excellent albums. But, again, this is a fan typing. May Our Chambers Be Full is due to release on 10/30. You can pre-order the record at Sacred Bones . (Sadly, I missed out on the "Diehard" LP. Congratulations and "eat a dick; I hate you...

To whom it may interest, Collecting sounds over the past couple weeks for a new entry for my  2020 Playlist . I'd been largely absent for most of July thanks to the demands of my day job, the high doses of pain killers I had to ingest thanks to a severe back issue, and other distractions and otherwise tiring things that required attention and focus. I'm hoping to have more to say in the coming months, (though I've made THAT promise before). If you've hung in there, thank you. If you haven't, maybe I can win back your approval. Hope you're all well and staying safe. Please wear your masks. Enjoy. _________________________________________ numün :  "voyage au soleli" (via Clandestine Label Services / Musique Impossible / YouTube) Album Pre-Order https://music.joelmellin.com/album/voyage-au-soleil via Clandestine Label Services Numün is a trio of New York City soundscape designers who combine a wide range of music ...

As one looks for comparisons when attempting to explain a musical arrangement as gratifying and cinematic as "Heron" by JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland , I immediately went to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Magma and Kōenjikyakkei and Alain Goraguer . The vocal passages are lovely and the composition itself wasn't what I expected from the guy from Foetus . Granted the mood conveyance of "Heron" isn't particularly uplifting, but the overall tone shifts greatly from some of those early Foetus tracks, (thought the immense, ensemble feel is intact), and benefits from lush melodies and moments of respite.  That said, "Heron" is the first peek at a new album from the Thirlwell/Steensland combo called Oscillospira. As an early intro to this album, I am looking forward to this one. It's out via Ipecac — a true mark of quality — on 4/24.  All info on the release has been provided by Rarely Unable. JG THIRLWELL & SIMON STEENSLAND ANNOUNC...

New year, new singles. While mostly resistant to the "playlist," I'm also aware that singles are consumed this way and that mixes, though crafted and superior in every way, are a thing of the past. This is partly because I no longer curate and develop a year end mix. Inasmuch as I enjoyed making them for friends and family for many years, and disclosing details for reader enjoyment, it's expensive and impractical. So, I'm buying in and I've rethought the "New Selections" tag for single entries. Enjoy some new tunes and be sure and give a look to my expanding 2020 playlist on Apple Music, the simply titled 2020 Playlist , because playlists require no thought, cohesion, or imagination. But, at least the music's good. _________________________________________ Sightless Pit : "Kingscorpse" (via Thrill Jockey / Bandcamp) Album Preorder http://thrilljockey.com/products/grave-of-a-dog Grave of a Dog by Sightless Pit Sight...