Noton Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: German artists and Noton co-founder Alva Noto composed the soundtrack to 'This Stolen Country Of Mine' back in 2022. It has arrived both on vinyl and now on CD and is an accompaniment to the documentary film which explores the question of a state's sovereignty in the face of foreign powers, portraying Ecuadorian resistance fighters and journalists who oppose the sell-off of an extensive part of the country's resources to Chinese investors. Those themes sure are heavy and Noto is up to the job of matching them with his minimal, but tense score. It is quietly powerful and determined much like the communal spirit of the Ecuadorian mountain villagers.

Review: mSometime Coil affiliate CoH has spent the last few years combing his cutting-edge experimental techniques and love of mind-altering electronics with what counts - in his sphere of interest at least - as traditional rock and pop song structures. He continues that theme on WYGG: While Your Guitar Gently, a collection whose laudable attempts at accessibility are partially countered by his experimental instructs and love of curiously processed, otherworldly sounds. In truth, it's a very enjoyable and entertaining listen, with the long-serving producer combining fractured, manipulated guitar sounds with bullish, glitchy electronic rhythms, pulsating electronic motifs, copious amounts of mind-altering effects and a genuine sense of wide-eyed excitement. In other words, it's off-kilter minimalism dialled up to the max, with added musical vibrancy.