Nobukazu Takemura "knot of meanings"
Nobukazu Takemura’s music is singular in its ability to create a musical sense of childlike wonder and curiosity with gracefully executed yet complex compositions. His pieces embody an innocence and the intricacies of self-discovery that every human is faced with as their worlds become more complex. An acclaimed artist and composer, Takemura is known for his idiosyncratic music and video artistry as well as his prolific collaborations including those with Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, DJ Spooky and Steve Reich. knot of meanings, Takemura’s first proper album in a decade, finds the Japanese artist wrestling with the rise of technological influence on art and culture in the modern era, in tandem with his own relationship to religion, and where those struggles meet. Like the colorful, irregularly shaped glasses on the cover, the album is a mosaic of technicolor elements that come together to form a complete picture, a dense portrait of interconnected struggles and triumphs.
For Takemura, the knot of meanings explores a universal and yet deeply personal and complicated knot, a metaphor for defining spirituality’s role in life. “Personally, I see this knot as an opportunity to rebuild my relationship with God,” says Takemura. “I feel that the meaning of life is to find and rediscover this connection every day.” The knot acts as a further metaphor for the barriers between people, their connectivity tangled by developments in technology that drive division rather than create community. “Much of technology has unfortunately developed in a way that pursues convenience and promotes egoism,” Takemura continues. “The world has lost its center, people have become scattered, and culture has stagnated by repeating the same things.” Takemura’s search for meaning across the record is less in search of some preconceived idea of piety or heavenly ascension, but instead focuses on an optimism of originality.
Animal, Surrender! "A Boot For Every Bane"
Back in 2023, bassist Peter Kerlin (Sunwatchers, Chris Forsyth Solar Motel Band, Bent Arcana, Everloving) and drummer Rob Smith (Gray/Smith, Rhyton, Pigeons) ritualistically burnt their passports, ate the ashes, and began conspiring together under the guise of Animal, Surrender!
Kerlin’s spidery and melodious 8-string electric bass pushes the expected language of that instrument into terrain more often inhabited by lutes or pianos, and begs to interweave with a drummer like Smith who slyly punctuates, hisses, and propels against the grain. The duo’s often wordless music is spun from threads of lost folksongs and polyrhythms into hypnotic, latticework compositions whose melodies and beats shift like cat’s-cradles strung between their constantly moving hands.
Their eponymous debut on Ernest Jennings Record Co. in 2024 found haunting covers of Nick Drake and Mike Wexler lurking amongst a tangle of lean, progressive originals, all crafted with the terse economy of post-rock, but reflecting a kaleidoscopic, pastoral vision in its eyes.
Their forthcoming album, A Boot for Every Bane (2025 EJRC), builds upon the incantatory language of the first while inviting the talents and mercurial instincts of pipe organist Curt Sydnor (Greg Saunier, Yonatan Gat, Peni Candra Rini) into the magick circle.
Laveda "Love, Darla"
With Love, Darla, Laveda creates visceral sounds that mirror the harsh noise and static of the sprawling cityscape. Genevich’s lyrics reflect chaotic nights stumbling through the city in a drunken fog, confronting the anxieties of a conflicted and incongruent world, and the struggle to find and hold onto things worth loving and living for. The record begins with a minute of guitar feedback building into the driving No Wave-esque song, “Care”, which sounds like a lost track from Sonic Youth’s Sister. Songs like “Cellphone” and “I Wish” are motorik, muscling forward with spoken, prosaic lyrics that read like abstract poems. “Dig Me Out”, on the other hand, is a more heartbroken effort with a soft gravity that pulls you into its calm undertow- a likely favorite for fans of bands like Blonde Redhead. Wholly, the record is familiar yet fresh, harnessing the power and aesthetic of 80’s punk and 90’s grunge- filtering them through a fresh and original contemporary lens. Love, Darla is a masterful exercise in fusing memorable ear worms and frantic, eruptive energy- an active volcano.
Now with the support of Bar None Records and their dense and legendary catalogue of artists behind them, Laveda continue their prolific journey. With Love, Darla, Laveda’s listeners will ride through the dark undercurrents with them- feeling the packed heat of the cluttered subway car and hearing the steel and concrete grinding together as sparks ignite in flashes of light. They will also ride the line as it emerges into the light of day, moving across open water- the world opening up to see the clouds busting in the sky like dying stars exploding in an unimaginably beautiful, exciting, and endless universe. description
El Michels Affair "24 Hr Sports"
Leon Michels has quietly become one of the most sought-after producers in music. His signature sound has caught the attention of the mainstream while continuing to inspire the underground. Since 2023’s El Michels Affair & Black Thought album Glorious Game, Michels has been busy producing records for other artists; Norah Jones’ Grammy winning Visions, Clairo’s Grammy nominated Charm, Kali Uchis’ “Moonlight”, as well as albums for labelmates Brainstory, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, Thee Heart Tones, and Liam Bailey. His new album 24 Hr Sports marks the highly anticipated return to recording under his own moniker, El Michels Affair
24 Hr Sports was inspired by the fashion and graphic design of ‘80s & ‘90s Sports Illustrated magazines, MF DOOM’s Special Herbs albums, the sample sources used on them, and gospel music a la Pastor T.L. Barrett. The sum of those influences with Michels’ impeccable creative touch prove to be the recipe for an instant classic that will surely be one of the most heralded releases of 2025.