Wanted to feature more non-western music this month, so here’s the final piece from The Rain, a euphoric, improvised live album featuring kamancheh (Iranian bowed string instrument) player Kayhan Kalhor, sitar player Shujaat Husain Khan and tabla player Sandeep Das, all masters of their art. This is a truly special collaboration.
I can’t quite remember how this record came into my hands, but I’m thankful for whoever recommended it to me. It’s refreshing to hear musicians with such skill working in tandem with one another, especially when the results are this brilliant. The performers know how to tell a story and weave their narratives in amongst the other voices beautifully. There are some great call and response sections in this track, which is one of the reasons I wanted to focus on this one.
Forget all this chill electronic playlist nonsense: this is the perfect type of music to get lost in. To submit yourself to. To bow out of life for a fleeting moment and enter the world that these skilled storytellers have created, all on the fly.
Diving into some jazz here, we find Dorothy Ashby – a Detroit-born jazz harpist. I came across this album through the YT sidebar (per usual) and really liked what I heard. I’m a massive fan of every indie person’s fav harpist, Joanna Newsom, and am slowly diving into the fantastic works of experimental harpist Mary Lattimore. This seemed like an easy choice to post, since it’s not often you come across jazz tunes through harp. I still have the rest of her discography to go through, but I’m happy I started with this one.
Also that cover – DAMN! It’s great and reminded me of the Midori Takada album.
Earlier this year, I made a 50-song mix of Japanese pop and rock music from the 70s and 80s and sent it to a few friends. The first track that almost all of them brought up first as their overwhelming favorite was this one, “いつか王子様が” / “Someday My Prince Will Come” [google translation] off of Akiko Yano’s 1981 album Tadaima. The only negative reaction I got was from a friend that actually had lived in Japan for a bit and found the chanting vocals in the chorus to be intolerable. He was later shut down by other mutual friends who said the track was actually fire and that he’s mad wrong.
Truth be told, this is one of the tamer songs on the record. It’s rather straightforward and doesn’t have any bonkers synth romps like many of the other tracks do. It doesn’t sacrifice any of this brilliant weirdness for anything, though. It’s just really catchy synth pop that’ll get you singing along with little effort. I can see a lot of inspiration for the work of current artists Kate NV in this track, which I respect her madly for. I highly recommend finding the rest of this album (Tadaima) and experiencing it. I know I say this a lot, but it’s very likely you’ve heard nothing like it.
The third year of Warm Visions’ Recommended Albums has commenced! I’m still having fun making these, so I see no reason to stop. 2018 started off alright for the most part. Lots of album announcements and primers for things to come. I can’t see too many of the records I’ve listed here lasting with me for the whole year, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. I hope you really dig these, though. If you’re still trying to catch up after getting to all your 2017 music, this should be a good first step.
Daniel Avery – Slow Fade EP [Mute] Watching space debris collide in rhythm.
Ilyas Ahmed – Closer To Stranger [Mie Music] An old quilt with dead grass tucked in its folds is found in the attic.
Lou Rebecca – Lou Rebecca EP [Holodeck Records] A multi-colored light ball follows you eternally – life as a roller rink.
NADINE – oh my [Father/Daughter Records] Watching a sunbathing animal shift its napping position throughout the day.
Negative Gemini – Bad Baby EP [100% Electronica] Neon light reflect off dark pools of tears collected on a dusty, linoleum floor.
No Age – Snares Like A Haircut [Drag City] Once a month you wake up washed ashore a different, trash-covered island and you have to find your way home.
Palmbomen II – Memories Of Cindy [Beats In Space] A secret commune in the sewers holds amazing raves, magazine reading parties and VHS movie cry sessions.
Shame – Songs Of Praise [Dead Oceans] The Midas Touch except with fire.
The heir traverses an uncanny nightmare in the blood-splattered royal ballroom.
First track from Beach House’s upcoming album, which has neither a title nor release date. It’s not as immediate as “Sparks” was off the last album (which was its corresponding first single), but its woozy, trembling synth lead throughout is pretty cool, along with the haunting threads of disembodied voice and guitar that stitch the track throughout. This is definitely piquing my interest for what the rest of the album sounds like, so they picked a good first single. I wasn’t crazy about Thank Your Lucky Stars, but Depression Cherry grew on me a ton. Let’s hope that this isn’t a letdown.
A rainbow-died parachute billowing in an immense desert.
The self-titled LP from James Holden & The Animal Spirits that arrived late 2017 is a record that I’ve been spending more and more time with as of late. I haven’t listened to anything quite like it, but to be fair I haven’t delved into the expansive dimensions of prog rock and jazz that this record stretches to occupy. It’s definitely enticing me to make that plunge, though. I implore you to listen to this right here, though. It reminds me of a hippie commune parading through the desert. Kind of like burning man but without all the added on baggage of annoying people. These people in the fantasy have nothing holding them down to Earth – they could float away at any time if they wanted to. Right now they’re just partying in isolation with plenty of vibrant colors and bright sounds to guide them.
A tropical coral reef bustles with activity below a small cruise ship full of boozy old folks partying and playing shuffle board.
Another entry into the city pop ledger of tunes from February 2018 madness – this one is fully instrumental and just so 80s. Complete yacht rock goodness. Can’t you see some stock VHS footage of dudes with mustaches scuba diving to this song? Like back when the ocean was still kind of intact? Man, thinking about my imaginary scenario set with this song is making me want to be a marine biologist again. Dang.
A stream of consciousness music blog, active since 2010. Established in Ann Arbor, MI, currently in NYC.
Send me music: warmsubmissions @ gmail
I hope you enjoy your time here.
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A stream of consciousness music blog, active since 2010. Established in Ann Arbor, MI, currently in NYC.
Send me music: warmsubmissions @ gmail
I hope you enjoy your time here.
