Over, under, and through Terry Riley’s undeniable influence and worth, lies his whimsy. Some of his pieces make heavier use of humour than others, but a lighthearted view of the multiverse and a reverence for mutability has marked his style over more than forty years of prominence as a composer. Audiodreamographical Tales, consists of twoContinue reading “Terry Riley. Autodreamographical Tales.”
Genre Archives
Tim Olive. The Specialist.
There are noise albums that attempt to make the biggest racket out of the most number of accessories possible and then there are those that rely on a sparse economy, choosing to pull gnarled sounds out of the smallest of setups. Tim Olive’s The Specialist is in the latter camp. Performed in real time, theContinue reading “Tim Olive. The Specialist.”
Thomas, Farah, and D’Eon
I’m sitting with Thom Gill and we’re talking about his most recent EP Such Is Your Triumph, arguably his most intimate and personal set of recordings to date. In addition to his beautifully hushed and harmonically inventive takes on two gospel songs made famous by the Clark Sisters, the EP also contains several original pieces,Continue reading “Thomas, Farah, and D’Eon”
New Age Music—The Second Wave
I’m lying on the living-room floor. I’ve been like this for two hours, on my back, in the dark, headphones on. The record on the turntable is literally locked in its groove and producing a low-note drone that at times sounds like a whale’s moan or some sort of detuned, prepared trombone, if such aContinue reading “New Age Music—The Second Wave”
Tim Lawrence. Hold On To Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973–1992.
As the result of a string of reissues at the beginning of 2004, Arthur Russell has risen to posthumous prominence as a ravenous pluralist and unsung innovator who did not achieve due recognition prior to his untimely death from AIDS in 1992. With each re-pressing or unreleased gem it becomes increasingly clear how intriguing, enduringlyContinue reading “Tim Lawrence. Hold On To Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973–1992.”
Robert Adlington, editor. Sound Commitments: Avant-Garde Music and the Sixties.
“If you remember the ’60s, it means you weren’t there” is a cliché with a kernel of truth in it—especially the insistence that rock sounds then subsumed other music. Yet the ’60s also saw mass acceptance of new and electronic music, while jazz’s most radical sounds divorced it from its role as entertainment. Sound CommitmentsContinue reading “Robert Adlington, editor. Sound Commitments: Avant-Garde Music and the Sixties.”
Olga Neuwirth and the ICI Ensemble. Who am I? No More.
Animated with sonic jump-cuts and unexpected timbral juxtapositions, these compositions—described as two audio films—by Austrian Olga Neuwirth, demonstrate that she is young enough to be influenced by John Zorn-styled musical pastiches, as well as by conventional music. That the results are congenial is a tribute both to her and to the versatility of the twelve-piece,Continue reading “Olga Neuwirth and the ICI Ensemble. Who am I? No More.”
Fast ’n’ Bulbous. Waxed Oop.
Few artists have ever merged and transformed genres with the raw energy and freedom of Don Van Vliet, who under the alter ego of Captain Beefheart (and his Magic Band) merged Chicago blues, backbeats, free-jazz reeds, and lyrics that mingled science fiction, news stories, memoir, surreal folk humour, and free association. Fast ’n’ Bulbous isContinue reading “Fast ’n’ Bulbous. Waxed Oop.”
John Butcher. Resonant Spaces.
Accepting the challenge of solo improvising in selected parts of northern Scotland and the Orkney Islands, British saxophonist John Butcher evolves specific strategies that transform these sites into resonating showplaces. The result is as spectacular as it is unique. Using either soprano or tenor saxophone acoustically, amplified, or with feedback, Butcher takes into consideration theContinue reading “John Butcher. Resonant Spaces.”