‘Cosmologica’ is the First Great Prog Album of the Century
If post-1978 prog-rock resembles a parched desert, Circe Link and Christian Nesmith represent our binary Moses: desperately awaited and here to lead us out of the wilderness.
experimental
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Brian Chase Joins Pianist/Composer Anthony Coleman for ‘Arcades’
Anthony Coleman and Brian Chase’s Arcades is a celebration of sound, sound reacting to sound, and the effect of two musicians constantly upping the ante.
The Weather Station Silently Grapple with the End on Their Devastating New Record
On the companion piece to last year’s Ignorance, the Weather Station creates a piano-based record just as existentially anxious but anchored by quietude.
Saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin Is Forging a New Sound on ‘Invite Your Eye’
For Invite Your Eye jazz saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin finds two sympathetic musicians in Dave Harrington and Kenny Wollesen to jam new music into existence
Matchess Creates Ambient Landscapes from Meditation and Memory on ‘Sonescent’
Experimental musician and composer Whitney Johnson (aka Matchess) builds long-form musical pieces inspired by a meditation session on Sonescent.
Pan American’s ‘The Patience Fader’ Is Mesmerizing
Pan American’s The Patience Fader mesmerizes with icy takes on pedal steel and glassy guitar, where notes flood and flicker deep into the horizon.
Perennial’s ‘In the Midnight Hour’ Is the First Great Punk LP of 2022
Perennial’s In the Midnight Hour is what you dial up on your car stereo when you’re looking to cruise with the windows down and scare your fellow drivers into a bit of submission.
Siavash Amini and Saffronkeira’s ‘The Faded Orbit’ Is the Music of Sound
The Faded Orbit is the music of sound, a storm of possibilities curated by Siavash Amini and Saffronkeira. Eerie sounds that move in an intoxicatingly musical way.
Ricardo Donoso’s ‘Progress Trap’ Finds Disquiet Through Stealth
Ricardo Donoso’s Progress Trap is cold. It sends chills, causes dark, abstract thoughts, and seems perpetually set in a futuristic noir.
It’s All About the Mood on Birds of Passage’s ‘The Last Garden’
Electronic minimalist music comes in many forms, but Birds of Passage’s The Last Garden could be the most minimal electronic music I’ve encountered so far.
The Lovecraft Sextet Tell a Horror Story on ‘In Memoriam’
Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble’s Jason Köhnen wears his horror heart on his sleeve in the mixed media venture that is the Lovecraft Sextet’s debut In Memoriam.
Alex Albrecht’s ‘Resolve’ Is a Moody and Atmospheric Journey
Ambient composer Alex Albrecht combines field recordings with low-key instrumental backdrops on his gorgeous new album, Resolve.