Ninja Episkopat Shows What Else New Fusion Can Be
On their debut album, Polish trio Ninja Episkopat surprise with references to industrial rock, hip-hop, and ambient within their free improvisation.
experimental
Throbbing Gristle: Nothing Short of Total War
Throbbing Gristle’s dedication to nothing short of total war was not so much a declaration of war but a warning that endless war could become a state of being.
Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann Create a Stunning Experimental Soundscape
The sophomore collaboration from experimental musicians Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann comes four years after their debut, and builds on it.
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The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2023
The best experimental albums of the year highlight the breadth of human expression and take listeners to heretofore unknown realms in music, pushing boundaries.
Samuel Goff’s ‘Diminished Borders’ Is a Manic, Introspective Free Jazz Trip
Drums and dual saxophones create an atmosphere that invites frenetic pacing and meditative peace on Samuel Goff, Camila Nebbia, and Patrick Shiroishi’s Diminished Borders.
Yuko Araki’s ‘IV’: Torn Between Voice and Noise
Experimentalist Yuko Araki highlights her vision’s first new element: the human voice, which was either absent or lost beneath the layers of havoc in the past.
Grails’ ‘Anches en Maat’ Takes a Cinematic Turn
Grails’ new LP is like listening to the soundtrack for an existential cosmic Western, Andrei Tarkovsky taking a stab at some Werner Herzog Mesoamerican mythologizing.
Mukqs Shatters Electronic Music Conventions on ‘Stonewasher’
Chicago-based weirdo pioneer Mukqs returns with one of the best electronic albums of 2023. Enter the dizzyingly immersive world of Stonewasher.
Gnaw Their Tongues – ‘The Cessation of Suffering’ (album premiere)
Gnaw Their Tongues: “We live in difficult times. This album needed to sound this way. I programmed and mangled sounds until they sounded harsh enough.”
Animal Hospital’s ‘Shelf Life’ Is Intense, Layered Maximalism
Under the moniker Animal Hospital, Kevin Micka unspools a potent mix of instrumental tension and experimentalism on his first full-length album in three years.
Past and Future Clash in Gazelle Twin’s ‘Black Dog’
Black Dog is reminiscent of Gazelle Twin’s past but also forges a new path. One that’s able not only to merge these disparate aspects but also to surpass them.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Two Virgins’ at 55: Still Telling Naked Truths
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Two Virgins inspired so much ire and distaste back in the day that we can take this opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.