Simon Fisher Turner and Edmund de Waa "A Quiet Corner In Time (Mute)"
From Mute Records:
A Quiet Corner In Time is a meditative drama, poised between action and stasis, mischief and grace. Some sounds are drawn out, combed into finely textured drones, while others remain starkly literal. We hear the creaks of rattling doors slamming shut; echoing steps of people moving through long corridors; cups and chatter in Viennese tearooms. The trapped harmonics in a vocal loop fall in, but lift before landing, and the small melodic chiming of porcelain shards resist syncing with the sounds of horses hooves, made percussive like castanets. Wooden coat hangers collide in the cloakroom of the Secession Building and a stolen glimpse of Rossini from the Opera House foyer appears, as does Ryuichi Sakamoto’s recordings of Mr Raku’s fine coffee and tea ceramics. In the background the house’s scent of soil and foliage is represented in recordings of bamboo from the house’s garden, while crashes of unprepared piano punctuate the work. Porcelain objects click and rattle throughout, in rhythms that accelerate as they come to rest. “I wanted it to be beautiful,” says Fisher Turner, who has vivid memories of the intensity of scent and light in the house.
Check out “Breaking Emptiness.”
Cable Ties "Far Enough (Merge)"
From Merge Records:
The second album from Melbourne, Australia’s Cable Ties brings a towering wall of ’70s hard rock and proto-punk to songs that explore hope, despair, and anger but offer no easy answers. Cable Ties’ fundamental elements—a driving rhythm section, anxious and emotive guitar playing, defiant, passionate songwriting, and Jenny McKechnie’s earthshaking voice—are complicated on Far Enough by nuance and ambivalence.
Check out “Sandcastles.”
Arbouretum "Let It All In (Thrill Jockey)"
From Thrill Jockey:
Arbouretum’s mystic folk-rock collapses a continuum of 20th century music into decidedly classic song structures. English folk, country blues, Americana and 70s psychedelia all serve as touchpoints in their singular and distinctive sound. The Baltimore-based band have perfected the craft of storytelling using the delicate interplay of melodies and prosaic lyrics to tell vivid stories that engage the listener and transport them the way an immersive novel would. Let It All In stands as their most accomplished and evocative album to date. Guitarist and vocalist Dave Heumann’s melodies and solos still remain a central focus bolstered by the hypnotic rhythms of bassist Corey Allender and drummer Brian Carey and enhanced by Matthew Pierce’s substantial yet understated keyboard figures. Each song is a vivid scene or tale; meticulously detailed and crafted, transporting the listener to another world and time.
Check out “A Prism In Reverse.”
Helen Money "Atomic (Thrill Jockey)"
From Thrill Jockey:
Helen Money stands as one of the most unique and versatile cellists working today. Composer Alison Chesley uses the instrument to access and channel the extremities of human emotion, employing extensive sonic manipulation and an array of plucking and bowing techniques to summon an astonishing breadth and depth of sound. A prolific collaborator, Chesley is equally at home in both New Music and Metal circles. Past albums saw her collaborate with Jason Roeder (Sleep/Neurosis) and Rachel Grimes (Rachel’s), and she has toured extensively with Shellac, Russian Circles, Earth, Bob Mould and MONO. On her new album Atomic, Chesley pushes even further out towards the extremes of her output with a daring leap forward in her songwriting through minimalist arrangements that stand as her most intimate, direct, and emotionally bare work to date.
Check out “Midnight.”