Review: British crime television series Sherlock has proved hugely popular in recent years. The latest adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writings have also been hugely enhanced by the soundtrack. That score has been composed by David Arnold and Michael Price, and has won the pair numerous awards including a 2014 EMMY as well as two further nominations for an EMMY and a BAFTA nomination. Their contribution to Sherlock is immeasurable as exemplified by this soundtrack which is thrilling and sinister, playful and suspenseful in equal measure. The music from all three of the first series is captured here on this limited blue vinyl.
Review: Released to coincide with Japanese musical Goliath Ryuichi Sakamoto's 70th birthday, To the Moon & Back was almost inevitable. Even without worrying reports about the maestro's health, there's no way anyone can have such a significant impact on global music for so long and not have people wanting to pay tribute upon reaching septuagenarian years.
And what a tribute it is. Taking elements from a huge back catalogue that stretches back to the mid-1970s, contemporary greats including Thundercat, Alva Noto, Hildur Guonadottir, The Cinematic Orchestra, and David Sylvian offer new versions and remixes of the master's stuff, with each track here chosen by Sakamoto, which is about as significant a seal of approval as you could hope for. Like the man himself, it's widely varied, consistently innovative and just really, really good.
Review: Iceland's Olafur Arnalds (Kiasmos) and German multi-instrumentalist Nils Frahm team up again for some breathtaking excursions in classical/ambient crossover bliss. Frahm's sombre piano passages gently dance over Arnalds' serene soundscapes and eerie field recordings on this bittersweet and emotive journey. What was meant to be a one hour video recording of the duo in action turned out to be an eight hour long improvisation session and these are some of the segments of the wonderful marathon recording. We particularly enjoyed the gorgeously haunting electronic soul captured on "23:52" where those analogue synth strings just rise and rise to an epic climax.
Review: It's certainly true that Ma Fleur represented a pivotal moment for The Cinematics. The outfit came to fruition, or at least hit the common conscience, in the haze of late-1990s post-trip-hop comedowns, a time when we were all still going harder, faster and stronger in clubs but wanted something cosy and velveteen on the after party hifi at 10AM rather than ketamine techno. Far more innocent times to say the least.
This 2007 record broke from the well established mould of the troupe, though, landing five years after its predecessor (Every Day) and opting for a more direct approach to loveliness. A kind of grab you by the throat and make you feel nice type remit that leaves the subtleties of the past behind in favour of more traditional big room, show stopping song craft.
Review: RECOMMENDED
Even the most determinedly understated chin-strokers will likely have emitted a squeal of delight when this one was announced. Everyone's favourite electronic producer-cum-contemporary composer (or vice versa?) releasing his latest works of art across two media - namely an album on cult hero label Erased Tapes, and a movie available on highbrow streaming service Mubi.
This is the audio, and while nobody who caught the video when it was available to view on-demand could argue this is just as powerful on its own, the solo sound is still an intoxicating and compelling ride. 'The Dane' is classy piano bliss, '#2' sits in the big room electronica end of things, 'Fundamental Values' is a scatty, broken ambient journey to the edges of drum 'n' bass, 'Enters' opens on long, ambient refrains.
Review: You might not have a fixed image of who or what Sault are, given their skill in maintaining a degree of anonymity, but as they notch up their sixth album it's hard to ignore the imposing presence they cut on the experimental fringe of modern UK soul. They started out in 2019 with raw funk and Afrobeat inspired excursions, reflecting on varying perspectives of the Black experience. On Air, the group shake off their previous groove orientation to offer something more orchestrally-inclined, and to their credit they pull it off in remarkable fashion. Lyrically they're focusing on self care and individuality within the Black community, injecting a sense of uplift into their message where they previously reflected on inherited pain and tribulations. Their rapid output doesn't come at the expense of the quality and depth of their expression, making this another essential step forward for one of the most intriguing crews out there right now.
Review: Once the leader of iconic and legendary Japanese New Wave rockers EX, Shigeru Umebayashi's Music For A Film compilation showcases the better-known work (in today's terms at least) of this multifaceted and multi-talented composer. 21 tracks of absolute beauty, all of which are taken from his 30-strong-plus oeuvre of movie scores, built over time since he first began writing tracks for screens in 1985, after said band called time.
Opening with what may be his most famous work of all time, 'Yumeji's Theme' (title piece from Siejun Suzuki's critically acclaimed 1991 movie, Yumeji) the playlist here really showcases the vision and musicality Umebayashi is renowned for, and removed from the context of movies the work is elevated to new heights. Classical, choral, quiet epics, and romantic mini-overtures rarely sound so good.
Review: Pretty much does what it says on the tin, this one, as the VSQ performs some of their favourite songs from pop behemoth Taylor Swift's vast catalogue. Known for her endless reinventions and classic albums, Swift has proven herself a creative force and massive talent whose immense skill for crafting catchy melodies is undeniable. These twelve-string quartet renditions of VSQ's top Taylor tracks bring all-new aesthetics to the originals. From 'Red' to 'Reputation' to 'Folklore' and everything in between, this comprehensive tribute captures the essence of this one-of-a-kind artist.
Review: Vrioon was the first ever collaboration album between Alva Noto and legendary synth man and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. 20 years after it became the first instalments of V.I.R.U.S.'s five records together it gets the full reissue treatment. The original tracks from the album are joined by an all new composition 'Landscape Skizze' which was laid down in 2005. The record is defined by alternate piano chords, lush electronic tones and quivering timbres that are delicate yet impactful.
Review: David Shire has one hell of a back catalogue. Active within music since the 1960s, and specifically theatre and film soundtracks in the 1970s, while many of the biggest names behind movie scores have a tendency to explore the same avenues, and therefore wind up creating tunes for relatively similar flicks, in this case that's not really true. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the original, of course), All The President's Men, and parts of Saturday Night Fever give some idea as to the breadth of his mastery.
The Conversation slips right in there in terms of period and genre, but is, of course, a very different classic to a movie about a New York subway train getting hijacked or social tensions in Brooklyn at the height of the disco era. While largely focused on piano solos, we also get late night dance floor jazz, tense drone, and moody avant-garde, just in case the on-screen action wasn't brooding enough already.
Hildur Gudnadottir: For Petra (Recording Session - orchestral) (8:44)
Hildur Gudnadottir: Tar: 2) Allegro (4:12)
Johnny Burke & Jimmy Van Hausen: Here's That Rainy Day (2:42)
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No 5 In C Sharp Minor: 1) Trauermarsch, 2) Sturmisch Bewegt & 4) Adagietto (Rehearsals) (7:44)
Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto In E Minor Op 85: 4) Allegro (Recording Session) (12:37)
Elisa Vargas Fernandez: Cura Mente (2:19)
Review: It's not often you get to talk about a classical supergroup. It's debatable whether the term supergroup really exists in the classical realm, although Tar, or, to use the full title, Tar (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) is probably as close as you'll get to proving that it does. Evidence is coming, so don't worry.
The work of Academy Award, two-time Grammy Award, and Primetime Emmy Award-winning Icelandic composer, cellist and general shapeshifter Hildur Ingveldardottir Gudnadottir (who has recorded with Throbbing Gristle and Pan Sonic, and toured alongside Sunn O))) and Animal Collective), she's only gone and blown the bloody doors off/drafted the Dresden Philharmonic, London Contemporary Orchestra, and London Symphony Orchestra for this incredible outing, which not only offers sublime tracks but glimpses of the record process itself.
Review: Romance with a capital 'R', as they say, ivory key doyen Gia Margaret returns with another spectacular and spellbinding collection of beautiful movements and pieces that sees her invoke a sense of peace, tranquility and solitude. Reflective arrangements that seem to straddle both a sense of loss, or at least melancholia, and acceptance and comfort in oneself. "I wanted to make music that was useful," Margaret says of the record. "Romantic Piano is curious, calming, patient and incredibly moving - but it doesn't overstay its welcome for more than a second." Running between fairytale like 'Sitting On The Piano' to the opiate, neo-pop of 'City Song', its a rare beast that can simultaneously feel tripped out and surreal, but also grounded in the world we are so luck to experience.
Review: An intriguing project here from perennial Euro disco legend Cerrone, who joins forces with the Symphony Orchestra of Cannes to reimagine 21 of his best-loved and highly influential dance classics. It would be difficult to overstate the Frenchman's contribution to contemporary dance music, having released and produced scores of timeless records in the halcyon days of continental disco. Tracks like 'Supernature', 'Love in C Minor' and 'Give Me Love' are beyond iconic and still appear regularly in the sets and mixes of today's dance heavyweights. They're all here, presented live in all their magnificent glory by the orchestra of 50-plus musicians, directed by the legendary Randy Kerber. As expected, all of the music sounds glorious, with lavish strings, pristine horn sections, and limber percussion bringing every piece to life magnificently.
Review: The Disintegration Loops man William Basinski has linked up with acclaimed experimental composer Janek Schaefer for this new collaborative record on Temporary Residence Limited. What they cook up is a suite of very unassuming songs that are all dedicated to the late and great avant-garde composer Harold Budd. The record was eight years in the making and is as timeless as ambient gets with 42 minutes of gently undulating sonic terrain gently and quietly detailed with subtle skill and placid melodies. It is as beautiful as it is absorbing once you really give yourself over to the sounds.
Eleven Thousand Six Hundred & Sixty-Nine Died Of Natural Causes (0:53)
They Leave Everything Behind (1:07)
They Fed The Sparrows Leftovers & Offered Grass To Scherfig's Turtle (2:32)
An Eiffel Tower By The Lakes (1:06)
Three Thousand Five Hundred & Ninety One Benches (1:42)
The Jewish Cemetery On Mollegade (2:36)
They Dream They'll Get There (1:20)
A Memorial Garden On Enghavevej (4:12)
A Six-Lane Highway (1:31)
He Hit Her On The Head With The Wind In The Willows (1:49)
He Says It's The Future (1:58)
There's No Harm Done (2:08)
They Had To Work It Out Between Them (1:04)
The Song About The Hyacinths (2:13)
It Will Take Some Time (1:42)
She Loves To Ride The Port Ferry When It Rains (2:54)
A French School On Vaernedamsvej (1:27)
Here, They Used To Build Ships (3:34)
They Imagine The City Growing Out Into The Ocean (4:28)
Review: Director Max Kestner's documentary film portrait Copenhagen Dreams is a tribute to the Danish capital. That also happened to be the place acclaimed composer Johann Johannsson was living at the time he was asked to score the movie. As always he does so with real aplomb and devastating emotionality. This now classic soundtrack features celestial keyboard sounds, emotive string quartets, clarinet, subtle electronic and plenty of melodic magic that both swells and breaks the heart. Academy Award winner Hildur Gudnadottir plays on the soundtrack with various other of Johann's favourite Icelandic talents.
Review: With a string of soundtrack credits as long as your proverbial arm, it's no surprise Yellow Magic Orchestra man Ryuichi Sakamoto was top of the list when it came to scoring this "sumptuous romantic melodrama" from director Ann Hui. This is his first score for a Chinese film, however, and he pulls out the emotional stops to betray the tense, tumultuous stirrings going on beneath the surface of tight lipped manners and suppressed feelings. Many of the themes are explored through simple piano playing before returning in the form of complex string arrangements, a clever trick that proves Sakamoto was worthy of his Best Original Film Score prize at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards for this work.
Review: The Lower Lights is well known as one of the most emotionally potent ambient records of recent years. It is a collection of 10 tunes from a busy period in which 36 undertook a year-long 'Audio Diary' project. The sounds are immediate and direct, demanding of your full focus and a mix of dark and urgent, cyberpunk-inspired and emotionally charged ambient sounds that bring all new thinking to the genre. Nice work.
Review: Ryuichi Sakamoto has penned many soundtracks over the years, but few are as stirring, tender and emotionally laden as his soundtrack to 2021 Chinese movie 'Love After Love'. The film is described as an "erotic romance drama" set in the 1930s, about a young woman who travels to Hong Kong to further her education, but ends up working for her aunt, seducing "rich and powerful men". Sakamoto's score mirrors the unfurling, highly emotive drama, using reverb-laden piano pieces and string-laden orchestral movements to wring maximum emotion from each scene. It's a brilliant score all told and undoubtedly one of the former Yellow Orchestra Man's greatest works for cinema - and that's saying something!
Review: Past Inside The Present has really gone to town with the re-release of this 36 album The Lower Lights: it comes in several different formats and vinyl versions with this one being a limited, numbered and opaque red vinyl including a download code. Musically it is just as essential as a collection of tracks from a year-long 'Audio Diary' project undertaken by 36 between April 2018 and April 2019. It first came back in May 2019 and soon sold out, such is the quality of the vibrant and eclectic ambient sounds within. This is not sleep-inducing background material, but rather emotionally charged soundscaping with a mix of dark, futuristic and urgent pieces all making the cut.
Review: Dark Entries returns with Remote Dreaming, the ambient masterpiece by The Ghostwriters aka Philadelphia duo Buchla master Charles Cohen and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cain, with proceeds benefitting SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse). Formed in 1971 as Anomali, the duo adopted their Ghostwriters moniker and blended improvisation with structured composition. Following their debut Objects in Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear, they crafted Remote Dreaming over nine months across various studios. Cain played electric and acoustic pianos, the Juno 106, and the Mirage sampler, while Cohen used his Buchla 200 Series. This double LP has been freshly remastered and includes five additional tracks, four of which are previously unreleased.
Review: Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter, and electronic music pioneer Mort Garson just keeps on giving, even now, 15 years after his death. Archival releases since have come not-so-thick-and-fast, but occasional and well thought through, with Journey to the Moon & Beyond the latest example of this. Not, as the cover and title might suggest, the score to some forgotten 1970s animated classic, but instead a collection of stuff very few will have heard before, let alone had opportunity to buy, it's really something special. On the track list, then, you'll find the soundtrack to 1974 Blaxploitation movie Black Eye, or at least part of it. Similarly splendid, but in a very different way, are the grand tones of 'Zoos of the World', originally made to accompany a 1970 National Geographic special of the same name. Then there's the music he wrote for the 1969 moon landings, as used by CBS News at the time. History bottled, or rather pressed, get it while it's fresh (and in stock).
Review: You had us at hello. Or at least you had us at weird French sounds from the 1970s, a decade that played a pivotal role in modernising musical processes, techniques and instruments, among other things. With names like Gilbert Becaud & Christian Gaubert, Jean Schwarz, Jacky Chalard & Gilbert Deaez and Alain Goraguer, those more in tune with this era in Gallic sound culture will know this is going to be a varied ride. Hence we open on 'The Organization', a piece that nods to the classical heritage of screen scores and captures the laidback attitude of the late-1960s perfectly, before moving through a wealth of styles, including proto-New Wave, post-punk, Kraut and meditative moods. For want of a better description. Nothing you won't have encountered before, but certainly pushing in new directions at the time.
Duolism - One Two (feat Solistensemble Kaleidoskop) (4:36)
Duolism - Two Two (feat Solistensemble Kaleidoskop) (3:51)
Eye For An Eye (feat Jennifer Kae, Jemma Endersby, Catharina Schorling) (4:10)
Basstorious (feat Sebastian Studnitzky) (6:52)
Now I'm Better (6:09)
Review: Bugge Weseltoft and Henrik Schwarz first crossed paths on 2011's Duo, a sophisticated blend of Schwarz's cosmic disco tendencies and Wesseltoft's exquisite jazz piano. It was understated, but brimming with inspiration, and it's widely hailed as something of a modern classic. As such, it's a treat to see the pair reunited for Duo II, once more on Jazzland, but if you were expecting a repeat of the first album, think again. With guest vocalists and musicians stirred into the stew, Schwarz and Wesseltoft explore all kinds of new terrain without losing that immediacy and delicacy that made their first joint effort so charming.
Sleep: Tranquility Base (Alva Noto Remodel edit) (5:37)
Sleep: Tranquility Base (Kelly Lee Owens remix) (4:03)
Review: Max Richter's latest work Sleep: Tranquillity Base first arrived on Deutsche Grammophon for World Sleep Day. Ot is a thirty minute work split across two parts and are inspired by the moon landings. It is music that "functions as a vessel that disconnects and travels through the body of work, allowing art to provide something which resembles peace within ourselves." It also comes with a couple of belting remixes from much loved contemporary innovators Alva Noto and Kelly Lee Owens. There is a reason Max Richter is so well revered and his music has had over three billion streams and this EP is one of them.
Review: A founder member of Ultravox and all round synth pop godfather sits at the piano on his lonesome here, after many years of collaborating with Harold Budd and Ruben Garcia. The Arcades Project is a step backward into more refined, quiet artistry and minimal compositions with a candlelit late-night vibe and engaging and emotional flow. A text by Walter Benjamin formed part of the inspiration for the work and is "a sort of stroll through new ideas emerging from the city life of Paris in the 19th and early 20th century." The resulting sounds delightfully airy and inquisitive.
Review: zake has to be one of the most prolific musical creators out there right now, but even more remarkable than the amount of music he puts out is the fact that it is all so unwaveringly good. This time he has worked on a record with From Overseas: Demain Des L'aube comes on his own Past Inside The Present label on lovely opaque maroon vinyl and is another deep dive into his personal vision for ambient. All eight tracks pair devastatingly impactful synths that convey real melancholia with a gently persuasive sense of movement. They sweep up and around you, stretch out to infinity and leave a last impression on your heart.
Review: Ludovico Einaudi returns with a deeply nostalgic new album that effortlessly captures the essence of childhood summers that are filled with freedom, discovery and fleeting moments of joy. Known for his evocative, minimalist compositions, Einaudi blends delicate piano melodies with rich and atmospheric textures here in a soundtrack for reflection and memory. The album's warm soundscapes evoke the golden light of late afternoons and the quiet serenity of nature - all things we can relate to even if we never actually lived them. Presented on eco-friendly FSC-certified materials, The Summer Portraits is both a tribute to the past and a celebration of timeless experiences and, as Einaudi expresses, "To our summers... endless memories."
Review: Arv & Miljo's new album delves into radical environmental activism and draws from the Swedish Plogbill movement's early 90s actions alongside Earth First! and Earth Liberation Front. Mixing monologues, interviews, protest songs, and site recordings with raw kosmische synth music, the pair crafts a mesmerising audio collage. Chaotic yet harmonious, disorienting yet soothing, the album reflects dedication, passion, and the spirit of change. Originally a limited CDR release in 2021, it quickly became a highlight in Arv & Miljo's discography. Now on, Jorden Forst offers a multi-faceted journey through environmental activism and the human spirit's resilience.
Vessel & Rakhi Singh - "It Can't Be Helped (There Is Nothing In The Sky)" (2:50)
Review: It's the first ever compilation from Do You Have Peace?, the celebrated Bristol label spearheaded by Jabu. Originally intended as a project that would link together disparate dream pop artists, things have naturally evolved into a far broader sonic spectrum. There are ties that bind, though, like the 'half awake' vibe running through every track here. On the list, then, you'll find DIY chamber music, cinema-worthy grand arrangements, intimate confessionals, and strange, otherworldly immersive love letters. Vocals dominate the early half, while the second allows us to escape into a mind unfettered by language, presenting sublime instrumentals without voices. Aside from a few half-heard utterances, motifs and fragments. Lush, engrossing and genuinely beautiful, it should be on everyone's list.
Review: eve is the debut collaboration between Past Inside the Present label head zake and Benoît Pioulard captures the serene magic of a quiet December night. Spanning four side-length tracks, the album grew from a decade of sound fragments all layered up "like family album photos." zake shaped the sonic base while Pioulard added textures with guitar, voice, dulcimer, melodica and synths. The title track evokes a wintry stillness with low swells and turntable crackles, while 'Frost' drifts on reverent vocals and shimmering drones. 'Pine' conveys forest mystery and 'Slept' closes with haunting loops and a delicate resolution like snowfall on an open field.
Review: This new record from Black Swan evokes a desolate post-collapse world that is detailed with haunting choirs, mangled tapes and distant industrial sounds. The album unfolds like a requiem by pulling beauty from the ruins of a collapsed society. With an hour-long narrative, it shifts between rippling hums and plaintive quivers of old cassettes, slowly revealing a heart that beats beneath the crimson haze. Tracks like 'Overture' and 'Back to Dust' offer cinematic grandeur and mournful exploration, while 'Pseudotruth' and 'New Gods' introduce eerie uncertainty. In the end, the album serves as a haunting meditation on loss, memory and the fragility of civilisation.
Review: After two albums on A Strangely Isolated Place as Comit, James Clements returns under his ASC alias and does so with yet another brilliantly fresh and introspective approach. Original Soundtrack shifts focus to the piano and so invites you to construct your own interpretations within an imaginary cinematic framework. Known for his mastery across genres from autonomic and jungle to ambient, techno and IDM, Clements narrows his focus here with great results. Crafting eight evocative pieces centred on the piano is not something he has done before but it results in another deeply personal and immersive work that adds a new dimension to ASC's artistry.
Review: Tom Ford's second feature film was another classy affair. A refined and sophisticated piece that's based on the1993 novel, Tony & Susan, which was written by Austin Wright. If you're not seen it, we'll not spoil it, but to quickly summarise it involves a gallery owner reading a new novel by her first husband. In its pages, she sees plenty that mirrors how their relationship played out. Reflective, tense and thoughtful moods abound. Who better to provide the soundtrack, then, than Abel Korzeniowski. An accomplished composter, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter responsible for a plethora of excellent scores, here he provides exactly the tonic. Subtle, but incredibly powerful slices if contemporary classical that seem to speak to the mind and heart in equal measure. Those who like this should also check A Single Man, the directorial debut of Ford which Korzeniowski also scored.
Review: Thanks to this lovingly presented reissue from Past Inside The Present, you can own The Lower Lights by 36 in just about whatever coloured vinyl you wish: This is the Past Inside The Present translucent red version with others also available on Juno. It's an album first put together by the label back in 2019 shortly after 36 had finished a year-long 'Audio Diary' project. Not all of the tracks they wrote in that time make the cut, but the best 10 do. They are direct, absorbing and energetic ambient soundscapes that are emotionally charged and demanding of your attention.
Review: The 2002 film The Hours starred hefty Hollywood talents Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore, and the original score was composed by no lesser titan of his industry than Philip Glass. It is a masterful work from the legendary minimal composer and is here presented across four sides of vinyl by the Nonesuch label. It has plenty of thick, lush strings and lots of tonal suspension with cool piano parts, plenty of heavily pregnant silences and cascading scales that all add plenty to the film itself as well as being a great standalone listen.
Review: This is the first-ever reissue of Gianni Marchetti's 1978 LP Solstitium, which was originally released as part of RCA's "Original Cast" series in limited promo copies and has long been considered one of the most rare and enigmatic pieces of Italian library music. Library music was primarily created for television, radio and film but often yielded hidden gems that fused jazz, lounge and soul into storytelling vignettes of sounds. Marchetti's wonderful Solstitium is a prime example of innovation within this space which rightly remains a classic in the history of Italian music.
Review: Following 2022's Orange, Naarm (Melbourne) based pair CS + Kreme return with a brand new third album The Butterfly Drinks The Tears Of The Tortoise. This time out, the pair decide to head into a world of more dramatic sounds and global soundscapes that fuse organic elements like medieval arrangements, seafaring guitar strums and Sundanese tarawangsa strings with their own signature rhythms and industrial-edged drums. The standout track 'Uki' exemplifies this contrast as it evolves from abstract vocal loops and whispers into an avant-garde acid techno workout with claps and sharp melodies. The album therefore ably showcases the CS + Kreme's ability to merge delicate harmonies with unpredictable sonic structures.
Review: "I would beg listeners both animal and human to allow these beautiful landscapes I've created in collaboration with Mark Nelson to sing and speak and weep for themselves. Please. Forget about words. Just LISTEN," says Kramer of this latest exploration of sounds less familiar. Meanwhile, Nelson quotes the legendary Arthur Russell for his take on things: "If I could convince you these are words of love, the heartache would remain but the pain would be gone". The Chicago-based composer and performer certainly summarises this listening experience. There's pure bliss running through these serene ambient, almost New Age-style tracks, but within that a certain reflective sadness. Crystalline melodies refract and develop, ebb and flow, at times making pure harmonies, in other moments more atmospheric refrains. They make us long for things that were or may be, although there's still space here for taking stock and acknowledging what is.
Joe 90 Main Titles (The Most Special Agent) (1:25)
A Dream Come True (3:37)
A Wolf In The Fox's Den (Hijacked) (6:44)
Air/Sea Rescue (Splashdown) (4:11)
Wagon Train Of Fear (Colonel McClaine) (1:12)
Running The Gauntlet (2:27)
Tragedy Aboard The U85/Porto Guava (Big Fish) (5:56)
A Song & Dance Of Death (There's A Crowd) (2:16)
The Tangled Web (2:44)
Race Of Intelligence (The Race) (2:56)
Taking The WIN (2:24)
Fleming In The Fortress (The Fortress) (1:38)
Breakout & Pursuit (2:05)
Nuclear Winter (Arctiv Adventure) (4:18)
Boy With A Suitcase (Double Agent) (3:35)
Church Rat (The Unorthodox) (2:41)
Divine Intervention (3:51)
Agent Sladek (International Concerto) (3:35)
Sladek's Recital (3:47)
Trapped In The Sky (Talkdown) (2:08)
The Alpine Clinic Waltz (Project 90) (2:02)
Balloon Ride (2:49)
The Mine Rescue (Relative Danger) (4:07)
Joe 90 End Titles (1:18)
Review: Joe 90 is a stone cold classic of the genre for many animation fans of a certain age. The soundtrack is part of what made it so special and is also one of the finest works amongst very many from composer Barry Gray. It is full of jazzy orchestrations and swopping strings, high speed instrumental funk chases and dramatic horns. There is light and dark, tension and release along the way that makes it as thrilling to listen to as the show was to watch. Here the complete soundtrack gets served up on limited gatefold 'jet car green' vinyl.
Review: Gilroy Mere aka Oliver Cherer shows off two different sides of his sound on this new Gilden Gate album for Clay Pipe. It is the latest in a long line of superb sounds over the course of two decades which have distilled folktronic, singer-songwriter, jazz, ghost-pop and guitar tinged disco rock. Here he soundtracks sun-kissed beaches and rural Suffolk on side one and then goes underwater to explore through music the lost city of Dunwich,
Review: Max Richter's ninth solo album, In A Landscape, is his first recorded at his tranquil new studio in rural Oxfordshire, Studio Richter Mahr, which is a minimalist, eco-conscious retreat he shares with his wife. The album explores "reconciling polarities" and blends electronic and acoustic elements with the human experience and elements from the natural world. Comprising 19 exquisitely well-crafted and coherent tracks, this record serves as a reflective counterweight to the urgency of previous projects and focuses on Richter's immediate surroundings and a range of influences from Bach to Keats. In capturing moments of introspection using a simple palette of string quintet, piano, organ, and analogue synths, Richter impresses once again here.
Review: Joseph Shabason, Matthew Sage, and Nicholas Krgovich form a harmonious triangle, both musically and geographically. Hailing from Toronto, Colorado, and Vancouver respectively, they converged at Sage's barn studio nestled at the foot of the Rockies to explore their shared talent for finding beauty in life's mundane moments. Shabason, known for blending late 80s adult-contemporary and smooth jazz aesthetics into ethereal soundscapes, joins forces with Sage, who combines instrumental prowess with synthesis and field recordings to evoke the natural world's whimsy and profundity. Completing the trio is Krgovich, whose observational poetics add a relatable touch to their calm expressionism. Their collaborative album, warmly Shabason, Krgovich, Sage extends the wry and melancholic micro-miracles established in their previous works.
Review: Legend has it that around 1997, The Future Sound of London decided to make an album that combined the electronic and broken trance-inducing acid the outfit were already renowned for, and progressive rock. As work continued, a decision was made to go full psyche rock, and the result was The Isness by The Amorphous Androgynous. Had the original idea come to fruition, the hybrid sounds therein might be similar to Life In Moments. Originally released in 2015, this record is one of those very special instances in which you're presented with something that genuinely sounds new. Of course, there's plenty owed, too, with moments definitely nodding to the likes of Sabres of Paradise, slow mo dark room chug and other leftfield dance. On the whole, though, the combination of late night jazz, otherworldly electronica, tripped-out space rock, ambient and movie-esque scores is pretty incomparable.
Review: Barely a week seems to go by without us hearing from zake, the US ambient producer who is hugely prolific and also unwaveringly creative with each new project. For this latest in a long line of many essential albums on his own Past Inside The Present label he links with From Overseas for the sublime sounds of Demain Des L'aube. This is a 160-gram audiophile vinyl version that sinks you deep into his widescreen and sweeping crepuscular synth work. It is delicate and spare but hugely impactful and never less than utterly comforting, even when the moods can be heavily introspective.
Review: Belgian-German band Dictaphone are back with a fifth album that follows on from their highly acclaimed last full length ARP70. One again here leader Oliver Doerell is joined by partners Roger Doring on clarinet and saxophone, and Alex Stolze on violins. The band continue to explore their notion of morbid instruments with an old tale machine and shadowy bass clarinet adding to the many layers of intriguing and mystery. The tracks here are ghostly and spooky, with 10 different journeys into sombre musical darkness that are never austere, but always fascinating. Timely, minimal and unusual, this is a quietly compelling masterpiece.
Variation With Strings (with Osian Gwynedd) (0:40)
Amen (3:15)
Low Cello (0:34)
Liberate Me From The Love Song (3:55)
Love Love Love (1:29)
I Want My Old Life Back (2:38)
Forest Waltz (1:05)
Dance All Your Shadows To Death (4:43)
Library To Kiss (3:34)
Staccato With Cello (0:38)
Small Talk (3:23)
Toni's Theme (1:50)
Ffenestr (8:10)
Penbedw (4:30)
Arogldarth (3:45)
Review: There have been some incredible movies made about memory over the years. We had Arnold Schwarzenegger missioning to Mars to find his brain (well, the remembering part anyway) in Total Recall, and a piss poor reboot a few decades later. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind asked us all to really think about the value of memory and its ability to hurt and heal. Overboard positioned Goldie Hawn as amnesiac getting a lesson in humility from the carpenter she was horrible to. We can add to that The Almond & The Seahorse, a 2022 film that focused on two couples coping with their inability to make new memories. Weird, at times wonderful, by drafting Gruff Rhys in for the score the producers were guaranteed a soundtrack that would be every bit as unique as the plot. Form haunting, melodic pianos to touches of 1960s pop rendered raw and rough.
Review: Icelandic pianist and composer Eydis Evensen's sophomore album The Light is a further expansion of her sound that not only offers her arranging and playing skills but also for the first time her lyrical creativity. The artist herself cites the theme of the rough and rugged landscapes of her native Iceland and how they have shaped her personality as a big influence on the record. It is one of hope that brighter times are ahead even though life might be dark right now. The album was written while she was going through a period of closure and relief and that really shines through.
Review: zake has written a new album to get 2025 underway in his usual prolific fashion, and it comes as both a triple CD set with the same tracks in different versions, but also as this special vinyl release with five different pieces from his Caelum series, limited to just 200 copies. As you would expect from this most masterful ambient leader, this is another immersive work that blends shifting synthscapes with melancholic chord work, beautiful keys with more lingering feelings of sadness. Another triumph if you ask us.
Vernal Equinox - "Silent Dream: The Real Dream" (4:07)
Steve Cooper - "Soulmate Suite" (part 1) (3:44)
Peter Davison - "Control" (4:23)
David Storrs - "Night In The Vortex" (3:18)
Iasos - "The Angels Of Comfort" (4:26)
Robert Slap & Suzanne Ghiglia - "Ocean Echoes" (4:10)
Upper Astral - "Crystal Cave (Back To Atlantis)" (5:29)
Alex Johnson - "Music For Earth Orbit" (3:56)
Georges Boutz - "After The Storm" (4:04)
Dervish - "Somebodies" (4:53)
Peter Nothnagle - "New Snow" (4:32)
Jordan De La Sierra - "Music For Gymnastics" (3:22)
Master Wilburm Burchette - "Eternal Light" (4:50)
Review: We have long been big fans of the work done by The Numero Group and now they are back to present a guide to private-issue new-age music that is as essential as you would expect. Featuring trailblazers like Laraaji, Iasos, Joanna Brouk, Don Slepian, Peter Davison, Master Wilburn Burchette, Jordan De La Sierra, David Casper, Robert Slap and others from the Perrier underground, this double LP compilation is adorned with Marcus Uzilevsky's Linear Landscapes and includes a 32-page booklet. Showcasing the essence of a transformative era, the collection invites you to explore the ethereal soundscapes and boundless creativity of the fourth world, and a fine place it is to be.
Review: Enji and Popp are Squama label regulars of and here they unite for their debut LP, Nant, under the Poeji alias. It finds them expanding beyond post-dub and downtempo and building on their 2022 EP, 031921 5.24 5.53, which was a limited run of dubplates, to showcase their innovation in the studio. The duo employs minimal initial ideas and relies on non-verbal cues to shape their sound in the studio and Enji's vocals, subtly integrated with reverb and guitar effects, complement Popp's intricate use of wooden and metal percussion perfectly. It's layered with tape echoes and analogue delays so Nant offers great moments of fleeting musical beauty.
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