Posts Tagged ‘Thrill Jockey’
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
After a five-year absence, Norway’s Jaga Jazzist releases the symphonic prog rock of One-Armed Bandit, which immediately has become the group’s best album.
Turntablist Rob Swift, formerly of the X-ecutioners, takes a foray into the classical world with The Architect, a dynamic DJ disc; stoner-metal trio High on Fire picks up its pace and crafts an album that isn’t as outstretched.
Malian sensations Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté present another beautiful set of duets that sees a posthumous release after the passing of Farka Touré in 2006.
Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurðsson establishes a name for himself as a composer with the gentle, mini-orchestral soundtrack to Dreamland, and Greek black-metal quartet Rotting Christ puts out another striking, original album that fuses its dark style to the ethnic sounds of its ancestors. (more…)
Tags: Ali Farka Toure, Bedroom Community, Ben Frost, Bjork, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Breez Evahflowin, Cindy Blackman, Daníel Bjarnason, Eluvium, Frank Zappa, High on Fire, Ipecac, Jack Rose, Jaga Jazzist, Johnny Cash, Jono El Grande, Kill Rock Stars, Mum, Nico Muhly, Ninja Tune, Nonesuch, Quasi, Rob Swift, Rotting Christ, Sam Amidon, Season of Mist, Temporary Residence, Terry Riley, Thrill Jockey, Toumani Diabate, Tzadik, Valgeir Sigurdsson, X-ecutioners
Posted in Best Albums | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Guzheng virtuoso Bei Bei and prolific producer Shawn Lee team up to deliver what will be one of the year’s finest albums, a tour through funky down-tempo jams and Kung-Fu flavor that is driven by the tactile beauty of an ancient Chinese instrument.
With its third album, Algernon places greater emphasis on synthesizers and sprawling song structures, but at its core is the combination of accessibility and technicality that has defined bandleader Dave Miller’s style.
And in a great week for releases, the Chicago Underground Duo releases another dichotomy of avant-garde jazz, grooves, and programming, while electronic composer Noah Creshevsky crafts musical patchworks from samples of orchestras, vocalists, pop music, and much more. (more…)
Tags: 482 Music, Algernon, Bei Bei, Chicago Underground Duo, Cuneiform, Dave Miller, Domino, Exploding Star Orchestra, Four Tet, Fredrik, Harvey Milk, Hydra Head, Isotope 217, Joan of Arc, Noah Creshevsky, Rob Mazurek, Shawn Lee, Thrill Jockey, Tortoise, Tzadik, Ubiquity, Yuka Honda
Posted in Best Albums | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
In a slow month for new releases, adventurous rock cellist Alison Chesley comprises our only entry with her second solo release as Helen Money.
Containing a darker vibe, In Tune is a collection of minimalist, a-percussive creations that excel through overdubbed harmonies, dirty rock effects, and brooding melodies. (more…)
Tags: Alison Chesley, Anthrax, Beta-Lactam Ring, Broken Social Scene, Helen Money, Mi Ami, Mono, Nadja, Radium, Steve Albini, Table of the Elements, Thrill Jockey, Trans Am, Verbow, Vladimir Horowitz
Posted in Best Albums | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
It’s an outstanding week for heavy music. Unconventional Boston hardcore quartet Converge adds to its eminent catalog with a heaping dose of full-throttle thrash metal, resulting in an album that might be its best to date.
Instrumental rock trio Russian Circles showcases a maturity through complete creations — songs that equally call upon sheer beauty, ascending tension, and caustic force. And heavy-psych super group Shrinebuilder channels cyclical riffs, swirling effects, and meditative breakdowns. (more…)
Tags: Adam McGrath, Al Cisneros, Anticon, Asthmatic Kitty, ATP, Brian Cook, Cave In, Converge, Dale Crover, Epitaph, Fuck Buttons, Genghis Tron, JR Conners, Kurt Ballou, Melvins, Metallica, Mookie Singerman, Neurosis, Neurot, Om, OOIOO, Russian Circles, Saint Vitus, Scott "Wino" Weinrich, Scott Kelly, Shrinebuilder, Stephen Brodsky, Steve Von Till, Sufjan Stevens, Suicide Squeeze, Temporary Residence, The Black Heart Procession, Themselves, These Arms are Snakes, Thrill Jockey
Posted in Best Albums | No Comments »
Friday, October 2nd, 2009
I saw David Eugene Edwards perform with 16 Horsepower when I was in high school, but this was the first chance I had to see Wovenhand. Their music, a hybrid of intense rock ‘n’ roll and traditional American styles, is dark, haunting, and incredibly moving. (more…)
Tags: 16 Horsepower, David Eugene Edwards, Empty Bottle, Thrill Jockey, Wovenhand
Posted in Reviews: Concerts | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
For this limited-edition live release, eclectic IDM composer Squarepusher — a.k.a. bass guru Tom Jenkinson — displays his uncanny ability to play a six-string bass like a classical guitar.
Following a Grammy-nominated debut in 2005, the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble issues a shape-shifting big-band/classical disc with crossover appeal.
Chugging mathcore quartet Keelhaul steps ever so gently from the shadows on an aptly titled return to form.
Experimental guitarist David Daniell and pedal-steel guitarist Douglas McCombs lay tape to four long-form creations that intertwine composition and improvisation.
Gritty punk fury, driving riffs, guitar squeals, and mish-mashed time signatures again define Pissed Jeans on the band’s third full-length album.
The Waitiki 7 balances a thematic tribute to Martin Denny and musical stars of yore with piano-driven Latin sounds, modern jazz, lounge, and film motifs. (more…)
Tags: Claudia Quartet, David Daniell, David Yow, Doug McCombs, Frank Rosaly, Hydra Head, John Herndon, John Hollenbeck, Keelhaul, Martin Denny, Pass Out, Pissed Jean, Squarepusher, Steven Hess, Sub Pop, Sunnyside, The Jesus Lizard, The Waitiki 7, Theo Bleckmann, Thrill Jockey, Tom Jenkinson, Tortoise, Warp
Posted in Best Albums | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
With its first disc of new tunes in five years, Tortoise shifts to a synth-heavy sound that may be its most diverse to date.
Serengeti & Polyphonic: Terradactyl
Serengeti & Polyphonic release their second disc — one that should announce them on the national indie-rap scene — and The Mars Volta maintains its rabid pace, this time scaling back to an accessible album of balladry.
The Mars Volta: Octahedron
(more…)
Tags: Adam Drucker, Anticon, Buck 65, Cedric Bixler Zavala, Doseone, Jeff Parker, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Polyphonic, Renee-Louise Carafice, Serengeti, The Mars Volta, Thrill Jockey, Tortoise, Warner Bros.
Posted in Best Albums | No Comments »
Monday, June 8th, 2009
With influences ranging from African music to dub, Pit er Pat creates a sound marked by its starkness. ALARM contributor Jeff Terich speaks with the Chicago trio about its newest album, High Time. (more…)
Tags: Pit er Pat, Thrill Jockey
Posted in Music Features | No Comments »
Friday, April 10th, 2009
Last summer, The Fiery Furnaces, an oft-difficult sibling duo, released Remember, a live album mixed so well that it brings the live show to the listener. Taken from a dizzying number of performances, the album presents an “in the corner, jacket in hand” experience that seeing live music really is. (more…)
Tags: eleanor friedberger, matthew friedberger, The Fiery furnaces, Thrill Jockey
Posted in Music Reviews | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 27th, 2009
Over the past week, we caught news of a mini Soundgarden/TAD live jam, a new Kayo Dot album, a new/streaming Trash Talk EP, another Mars Volta album, another Zach Hill project, and a release date for the new Tortoise album. Read about this and more after the jump. (more…)
Tags: Ben Shepherd, Busdriver, Chll Pll, Dinosaur Jr., Faith No More, Grails, Greenleaf, Jagjaguwar, Jon Theodore, Kayo Dot, Kid Koala, Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, One Day as a Lion, Porter, Randall Dunn, Secret Chiefs 3, Soundgarden, TAD, Tad Doyle, Terence Bernardo, The Bronx, The Mars Volta, Thrill Jockey, Tim Fite, Tom Morello, tool, Tortoise, Trash Talk, Yoshida Brothers, Zac Nelson, Zach de la Rocha, Zach Hill
Posted in Music News | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
Extra Golden: Thank You Very Quickly
Thankfully, Extra Golden’s cross-continental sound remains buoyant following Kenya’s turmoil.
This week, we also enjoy the outstretched instrumentation of folk singer/songwriter Mirah, the multifaceted, theatrical adventure of Norwegian art-rock composer/guitarist Jono El Grande, the political hardcore/punk of Propagandhi, and the unreleased gems of golden-age-inspired rapper Brother Ali. (more…)
Tags: Brother Ali, Captain Beefheart, Extra Golden, Frank Zappa, G7 Welcoming Committee, Igor Stravinsky, Jono El Grande, K, King Crimson, Mirah, Propagandhi, Rhymesayers, Rune Grammofon, Thrill Jockey
Posted in Music Reviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
John Zorn: Film Works XXIII: El General
In a slow week for tunes, our favorites of the week include John Zorn’s Mexican melodies, Mountains‘ electro-acoustic serenity, Rob Mazurek’s new quintet, and Steven Wilson’s solo debut. (more…)
Tags: Black Earth Ensemble, Delmark, Exploding Star Orchestra, Isotope 217, Jason Adasiewicz, John Herndon, John Zorn, Josh Abrams, Kscope, Matthew Lux, Mountains, Porcupine Tree, Rob Mazurek, Rolldown, Sao Paulo Underground, Steven Wilson, Thom Yorke, Thrill Jockey, Tortoise, Tzadik
Posted in Music Reviews | No Comments »
Friday, February 13th, 2009
Dysrhythmia begins recording its new album; Tinariwen announces UK dates with Tunng; Prefuse 73 has a new album and a project with Zach Hill; Lifetime reissues a pair of albums; Pelican signs to Southern Lord. Read about this and more in our weekly roundup. (more…)
Tags: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dysrhythmia, Eddy Grant, Extra Golden, Firehouse 12, Jade Tree, Kevin Hufnagel, Lifetime, Mary Halvorson, No Idea, Paper Bag, Pelican, Relapse, Southern Lord, Thrill Jockey, Tinariwen, Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant, Tunng, Woodhands
Posted in Music News | No Comments »
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
This weekend, our plans include catching Tortoise and its sneak preview of new material, attending a “going to press” party for the Thought You Knew pinup calendar, and seeing a pair of widely influenced, experimental groups (Mi Ami, onYou) at The Hideout. (more…)
Tags: Mi Ami, Michelle Nolan, onYou, Thought You Knew, Thrill Jockey, Tortoise, Touch and Go
Posted in Music News | No Comments »
