Category: ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC

Essential New Music: Caterina Barbieri’s “Fantas Variations”
“Fantas” originally appeared on Caterina Barbieri’s 2019 LP, Ecstatic Computation, as a cascade of tone-bursts that bounced, Superball style, away

Essential New Music: Alasdair Roberts og Völvur’s “The Old Fabled River”
There’s been no shortage of records whose making reflects our times. Performed alone or cobbled together via file sharing, their

Essential New Music: William Parker’s “Mayan Space Station”
There’s a lot to be said about William Parker. He’s a peerless double bassist, a culture-spanning multi-instrumentalist, an ambitious composer,

Essential New Music: Adrian Crowley’s “The Watchful Eye Of The Stars”
Anyone who’s not only been making albums for more than 20 years, but ones that stack up awards in his

Essential New Music: Eleventh Dream Day’s “Since Grazed”
Eleventh Dream Day knows a few things about staying the distance. The Chicago-based combo includes two members—vocalist/guitarist Rick Rizzo and

Essential New Music: Mountain Movers’ “World What World”
Rock ‘n’ roll has a long history of being demanding. “Gimme some good times,” beseeched Lou Reed. “Gimme danger,” snarled

Essential New Music: Liudas Mockūnas / Arvydas Kazlauskas’ “PURVS”
The Baltic nations of Latvia and Lithuania are neighbors, but they aren’t a culturally matched set. While Lithuania hosts a

Essential New Music: Hailu Mergia & The Walias Band’s “Tezeta”
There are golden ages, and then there’s what comes after them. Hailu Mergia has enjoyed plenty of spillover illumination from

Essential New Music: Mind Maintenance’s “Mind Maintenance”
“Music,” Albert Ayler proclaimed, “is the healing force of the universe.” While it would be exceedingly species-centric to say that

Essential New Music: Can’s “Live In Stuttgart 1975”
Can’s best recordings were prescient when they were made and remain nonpareil to this day. The German group arrived at

Essential New Music: AMM’s “Indústria”
Indústria was recorded during the 2015 edition of OUT.FEST, an experimental musical gathering that takes place across the river from Lisbon,

Essential New Music: Mdou Moctar’s “Afrique Victime”
Afrique Victime captures Nigerien guitarist/singer Mdou Moctar at moment of transition. Having built a substantial audience on the strength of

Essential New Music: Tucker Dulin/Ben Owen’s “Cat Guarding Geese”
If you adhere to the rule of thumb that the right cover compels you to purchase a record, take a

Essential New Music: Chris Schlarb & Chad Taylor’s “Time No Changes”
Monoliths can blot out the sun, but they can also give you something to shoot for. The monolith that looms