-
Ben Reddell Band – ¡LA Baby!
Texas native-turned-Angeleno Ben Reddell honors both his adopted city and his homeland of Texas on his EP, LA Baby, out today. LA has a storied history of honky tonks, but unfortunately, few of the historic ones are still operating. However, one person is responsible for keeping that outlaw spirit alive and well in California and that’s Ben who hosts and organizes the Grand Ole Echo, originally founded by Kim Grant. As well as being a community leader, promoter and preserver of Western musical ephemera, Ben has last released EP with his band in 2012 but has been plenty busy since…
-
No Kill – Gold Chorus
Gold Chorus by No Kill The opening organ notes of “Always” from No Kill’s Gold Chorus prepare you for a somewhat reverential and awe-some 37 minutes. Brooklyn’s Jamie Cogar is No Kill, and her debut record is quite a staggering feat – lush, colorful grunge-infused noise rock, walls of sound and interlaced fuzz and effects creating gorgeous sonic tapestries. Her voice is versatile enough to be scathing at times, smart and syrupy at others. “Tremolo” is cinematic and sweeping, with excellent percussion and the right amount of feedback to add dimension without using noise for noise’s sake. “Hallelujah” cements the…
-
Derek Monypeny – The Hand as Dealt
Derek Monypeny’s latest The Hand as Dealt raises many questions about the nature of desert sound. A sonic representation of the multifaceted darkness and light found within the shadows of the Mojave mountains, The Hand as Dealt, questions about traditionalism and experimentalism, the binary between the natural and the inorganic, and the duality of spirituality and chaos. Artfully recorded at Studio Pendejo and at Charlie Stavish’s Clock Tower studio, the album at times lullaby-like, at others anxiety-core at its most intriguing. Inspired by spiritual jazz greats and minimalist greats like Alice Coltrane and Terry Riley, gentle strums melt away into…
-
Muwosi – Of Compassion
Of Compassion by Muwosi A few months ago, I subscribed to Leaving Records’ Bandcamp upon realizing that a few albums I was about to buy – Green-House, Nailah Hunter – shared the label. And that shit changed my life!! I’m finding so much amazing music through the label, leaping away from my comfort zones of Americana and acoustic-driven music, headfirst into extremely synth-y pop, R&B, and… just experimental stuff that caused my dad to check in on me and say “I never thought I’d hear you listening to this kind of music.” Anyway, Muwosi is one of these amazing finds.…
-
Johanna Samuels – Excelsior!
Johanna Samuels’s latest release, Excelsior!, makes good on its promise. Johanna’s previous releases have all sparkled with her brilliant harmonies and clever lyrics, and Excelsior continues Johanna’s musical trajectory, ever upward. Samuels recorded the album at Sam Evian’s studio near Woodstock, with Evian producing; vocal contributions by Courtney Marie Andrews, Hannah Cohen, Olivia Kaplan, and more; and Samuels’s band including Harrison Whitford (guitars), Garret Lang (bass), and Sean Mullins (drums). The album exudes the warmth of a highly collaborative, friendship-inspired series of sessions, intentional on Samuels’s part. The album’s minimalistic opener, “Sonny,” showcases Johanna’s charmingly perfectly-pitched-yet-approachable vocals. “Nature’s Way” and…
-
nasimiYu – P O T I O N S
P O T I O N S by nasimiYu I’m new to nasimiYu but was immediately spellbound by her ekphratic, expressive poetry. Every single sound on this album was made by nasimiYu herself, although her unique use of forward vocals may be the standout, from the opening vocal-chords of “Watercolors,” layered with her own honeyed vocals singing melodies over doo-wop highs and lows. “Immigrant Hustle” is another stunning feat of auto-creation (as in self- there’s nothing robotic or inorganic on P O T I O N S), and the vibey “Practice” encourages the listener (or creator) to get in touch…
-
Rhiannon Giddens – They’re Calling Me Home
They're Calling Me Home (With Francesco Turrisi) by Rhiannon Giddens They’re Calling Me Home is timeless, and simultaneously very much of the times. Recorded in just six days by Rhiannon Giddens and her partner Francesco Turrisi in the midst of lockdown, the collection of originals and traditional tunes creates a beautiful impression of yearning. Themes of wistfulness and, well, being called home ring true. Perhaps most obviously on “Waterbound,” Giddens sings, “Waterbound, and I can’t get home, down to North Carolina,” driving home the difficulty the pair and their children must have felt while recording in Ireland, their adopted home.…
-
Ki Oni – Stay Indoors and Swim
Stay Indoors and Swim by Ki Oni Los Angeles ambient artist Ki Oni is here to satisfy your need for twinkling, therapeutic, synthetic-nature-vibes to quiet your incessant inner monologue. Stay Indoors and Swim was originally released as a three-song EP last year and is now expanded to an eight-track album by Ki Oni, the stage name of the artist Chuck Soo-Hoo. Reminiscent of the inside of an aquarium, it’s no surprise to find that the album was inspired by Jacques Cousteau documentaries and Soo-Hoo’s time spent in a lifeguard chair. Floating in piscean blue tranquility, with gentle winds of nostalgia,…
-
marine eyes – idyll
idyll by marine eyes idyll is the debut record from Los Angeles-based Cynthia Bernard, aka marine eyes. Cynthia is also half of the electronic ambient duo awakened souls. She worked on this album while her children were sleeping or attending virtual school to create this collection of songs that signify the coming of the spring. idyll is a collection of organic materials coming together – field recordings, synthesizers, guitars, and vocals emulating the sounds of ocean waves, wind through grass, soft rain, dew on budding flowers – intended to create a peaceful, gentle place, much like their namesake hills. Cynthia…
