Review: Nearly a decade since the Swedish trio's last full-length Casino (2014), brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling, along with Tomas Hallonsten, ease back into the fold with Preludes, a five-track collection that reaffirms their mastery of delicate, genre-blurring soundscapes. Following the promising 'Refrains' 10" in 2023, this new release is a comforting reminder that Tape's signature blend of acoustic instrumentation and electronic processing remains as singular and stirring as ever, as they continue to weave hypnotic textures that feel both ethereal and earthy. 'Opener Lights Out' is a tender folk threnody where repeating guitar patterns create a meditative haze. 'Naukluft Plateau' drifts with ruminative piano over cascading tones, while the brief 'Golden Gain' mixes huffing harmonium and subtle electronic scrums. 'Tangential Thoughts' is quintessential Tape, a dreamy two-chord motif, rustling organ and delicate percussion all evoking wistful reveries. The closing track, 'On The Accordion Bus', sways with glitch-like textures and gentle rhythms, blurring the line between transit and reflection. There's a unique warmth to their balance of melody and abstraction here, reminiscent of Aphex Twin's ambient pop or Susumu Yokota's textural elegance. Praise indeed, but sometimes the quietest returns make the deepest impact.
Review: Two years on from their last outing, Tara Clerkin Trio return to World Of Echo for a new EP of distinctive leftfield meanderings somewhere between downtempo, folk, jazz and classic balladry. The Bristol band have been hotly tipped over the past couple of years as they've toured relentlessly and generally moved according to their own logic, and they remain wonderfully unique and hard to pigeon-hole. 'Marble Walls' is a gorgeous slice of sentimental balladry shot through with synth bass, while 'The Turning Ground' finds their delicate guitar lines soaring over buoyant breakbeat and dub siren splashes which call to mind the indie-rave-folk crossover charms of Ultramarine's Every Man And Woman Is A Star.
Review: The Tetine trio started writing and composing together in the lockdowns of 2020 - no doubt observing all the arcane rules about hands, face and space as they did so. They have an intuitive style that now translates to this record which was written for cello, voice, piano, organ and electronics and was born as "a respiratory, meditative, and improvisatory piece of DIY tropical-mutant-punk "chamber music". They have succeeded in their mission to subvert here with plenty of subtle background sounds bleeding in from the nearby street as themes such as hearing loss, menopause, pollution and respiration all come up.
Review: Tokyo-based post/math-rock noodlers Toe have a habit of cleansing the palette of each subsequent full-length they release with a follow up EP. Just like 2005's debut album The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety was followed up with 2006's New Sentimentality EP, the group would return three years on from their stellar 2009 sophomore effort For Long Tomorrow with 2012's The Future Is Now. From the twinkling emo-inflected shoegazing noodles of 'Run For Word' to the more acoustic-driven psych-jazz of 'Ordinary Days', the four cuts purposefully meander and fuse differing elements from the band's arsenal whilst somehow increasing the dense technicality to absurd, near impenetrable levels.
Immersion & Thor Harris - "Just Close Your Eyes" (3:08)
Immersion & Thor Harris - "Rotations" (4:03)
Immersion & Thor Harris - "The House Of Thor" (2:35)
Immersion & Thor Harris - "In Snow" (4:16)
Immersion & Thor Harris - "At The Wizard's House" (5:39)
Immersion & Cubzoa - "I'm Barely Here" (5:14)
Immersion & Cubzoa - "In The Universe" (3:32)
Immersion & Cubzoa - "Other Ways" (5:14)
Immersion & Cubzoa - "Not About Me" (6:35)
Immersion & Cubzoa - "Neptune" (7:20)
Review: Immersion is the epitome of collaboration. Comprising Colin Newman, of legendary UK post punk outfit Wire, and his life partner Malka Spigel, the two first came together in 1985, former producing the latter's band, and have since fallen in love and combined creative forces countless times. Growing out of their Immersion project, a series of pop up gigs took place at the Rosehill, Brighton, with a cast of influential and cutting edge musicians getting involved. Songs were written and rehearsed before each show, and an album, Nanocluster Vol.1, soon materialised. Now we have the follow up. Disc one is centred on Thor Harris, percussion doyen of Swans, while the second half refocuses our attention on Cubzoa, AKA Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles, with Matt Schulz (Holy Fuck) also involved. The result is a psyche-tinged ride through swaggering indie, dream pop, chill, and surreal rock, nodding to names from Beta Band to King of Woolworths and beyond.
Review: Rhode Island post-metal avant-garde duo The Body have made a name for themselves due to their caustic maelstrom of harsh, brutalist experimentalism as well as their prolific output and collaborative nature, releasing collab albums with the likes of Full Of Hell, Thou, Uniform, and most recently, Dis Fig. Their latest endeavour sees the pair link up with another duo of musical extremity, Toronto, Canada's recently reformed industrial two-piece Intensive Care. Was I Good Enough? has been on the cards since the artists first began making plans as far back as 2018, trading, warping and ruining mutual sessions with layers of loops, distortion, samples and even dubs, constantly striving to find the ideal haunting balance between both of their sonically hideous, oppressive worlds. For all of our ears' sakes, they just might have succeeded.
Review: Alan Sparhawk isn't one for large crowds or the showy side of fame, yet over the course of his career, his influence has expanded far beyond his low-key persona. As the frontman of Low, the band he founded in the early 90s in Duluth, Minnesota, Sparhawk's distinct style has permeated not just indie rock but also the broader sphere of music that prizes depth over spectacle. The hallmark of Sparhawk's songwriting is the austere, almost minimalist beauty he coaxes from the sparsest of arrangements. His approach to music is inextricable from his sense of placeiDuluth's biting winters, its isolationieverything about the environment feeds into the slow-moving intensity of Low's sound. Musically, the album moves through a variety of textures, from the folk-tinged melodies of 'Heaven' and 'Get Still' to the raw emotional power of 'Screaming Song' and 'Don't Take Your Light.' The latter is particularly stirring, with its swelling fiddles and cello lines, embodying the depth of feeling that pours out during the recording. There's a certain urgency to the musician immediacy that comes from being in a room full of people who understand what it means to create together. The track 'Stranger' is imbued with an intimate, communal spirit, while 'Torn & in Ashes' builds on layers of banjo and mandolin, giving it a rich, earthy feel. Even as the sounds shift, there's an underlying consistency in the raw honesty of Sparhawk's voice and the way the band responds to it. Overall, the record a sense of continuity, reminding us that music, when made with those closest to you, becomes a vessel for lasting memories and support.
Review: Wilson Tanner steps on solid ground with Legends, a pastoral odyssey steeped in the rhythms of South Australia's Manon Farm. Swapping coastal breezes for the dusty toil of the vineyard, the duo channel the grit of farm life: dirt-crusted boots, crackling radios, and the far-off hum of summer crickets. Their previous works basked in suburban lethargy and nautical drift, but here, the focus is on the raw textures of agricultural labor, where ducks and dogs roam, tractors rumble past, and stainless steel tanks glint in the sun. Made entirely off-grid, the Manon sessions repurpose wind, brass, balalaika, and synth, rigged together with wire and tape. Legends distills the essence of natural winemaking into sound: feral, unfiltered, and alive with imperfections. Overflowing with rustic charm and irreverent humour, it's a heady swirl of folklore and fermentation, bottled straight from the land.
To You All Kids Will Come (Metamorphosis Complete)
Review: British conspiracy thriller Utopia follows a group of young adults who, after discovering a mysterious comic book - The Utopia Experiments - embark on a manic quest for corporate restitution and prophetic fulfilment. As a shadowy government organisation detects their plans and resolves to track their every move, we watch an empathic but deadly game of cat-and-mouse; and Cristobal Tapia de Veer's acclaimed score only heightens the tension. This new 2xLP edition includes such instantly recognisable motifs as 'Brainwave Playground', 'Satan's Waltz' and 'The Monarch's Pyramid', capturing the series' eerie and intense atmosphere. The score continues to resonate to this day, following Tapia de Veer's success with The White Lotus and Babygirl.
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