Music picks for this month (you can find these at Aquarius Records):
Northern Valentine - The Distance Brings Us Closer (Silber Records, 2008) – this album reminds me that yes, great music does come out of Philadelphia, no matter how much of a sneer New York may give its southern neighbor. Fans of Tim Hecker and Fennesz will surely take on this heady, washed-out music with welcoming ears (the color palette of the album art even reminds me of Fennesz’s Black Sea).
Xela – In Bocca Al Lupo (Type Records, 2008) – John Twells’ latest release shows a new restlessness largely missing from his earlier, sweeter body of work. Restricted to four long tracks, each lasting between twelve and twenty-one minutes long, Xela begins by venturing into bolder, darker territory where muffled bells clang softly in whispered succession amidst fitful percussion, slowly paring down to an intense quietude where distracted rhythms fade away.
An epic finale brings the tempo back up again with simple hand drumming layered with penetrating bird calls, developing into a series of long, uncompromising drones. Through it all, Xela retains the same delicate quality that I grew to love in Tangled Wool and For Frosty Mornings and Summer Nights, perhaps turning a bit more haunting than tranquil — alluring with a hint of fright.
Aavikko – History of Muysic (Muysic For Peoples, Solnze Records, 2003) – Aavikko pumps out super wacky Finnish synth music that jumps around, from spaghetti western-like tunes to luxuriant 70s disco to deranged surfer rock. All told, this meandering album comes across as the delightfully irreverent love child of Add N to (X) and Omar Souleyman — and oh, what a sublime feat! In these unseasonably past few rainy weeks, this record has been essential in banishing the grey bahs. There’s more good news, too: Aavikko has a new album coming out this month called Novo Atlantis. I can’t wait.
