Marooned is a band from Batumi, Georgia, that offers a bombastic, rather brilliant, cinematic music experience. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “”Cinematic Echoes” refers to the resonance of memories, themes, stories and soundscapes from past time, which echoes through our lives every day in present, looking forward to a better Continue Reading
Departure Street – This Broken World
With a feel that sits between Kosmische Music dabbed with touches of psychedelic and apocalyptic folk, Departure Street has a new album that has me captivated at the moment. Pure guitar bliss. From the band’s Bandcamp site: “This Broken World is the 22nd full-length solo album by A J Kimmel Continue Reading
Adela Mede – Ne Lépj a Virágra
Stunningly good vocal work here. From Adela Mede’s Bandcamp site: “Composed and recorded during the last 18 months in Bratislava, Slovakia – a city where three countries meet, where the East and the West collide – ‘Ne Lépj a Virárga’ translates to “don’t step on the flower”. Its themes – Continue Reading
The Song That Made Steely Dan Legends — But Destroyed the Band
Well, the title was bungled, but the reality is that the album, “Aja,” is a masterpiece. It was sad to see Steely Dan nearly destroyed by their quest for perfection.
Various Artists – Canary Records: Romane Gil’a: 1958-71 Field Recordings of Roma Songs from Slovakia, Eastern Czechia & Northern Hungary
The ever-great Canary Records released this compilation in November 2024, and I finally had a chance to listen to it. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Originally released in 1973 in Czechoslovakia as “Romane Gil’a: Anthology of Gypsy Songs” with a cover that looked like an Emerson, Lake, and Palmer album Continue Reading
Various Artists – Hamfuggi Records: Grosso Modo – Escena Española Experimental 2026
Hamfuggi Records has released a compilation documenting 50 tracks of new experimental music from Spain. Their curatorial abilities are as astounding as ever, as I don’t know hardly any of the musicians, but all sound good in a radically weird way.
Nurse With Wound – Alice The Goon (Funeral Music For Perez Prado)
Nurse With Wound were deep into their career when Alice The Goon came out in 1995. The band has repackaged the release, pairing it with the charmingly titled “Funeral Music For Pérez Prado) in a three-track EP that is as hazy and acid-drenched an album as anyone has heard in Continue Reading
Suff Daddy – Baker’s Dozen: Suff Daddy
I’m rarely into hip-hop these days, but instrumental hip-hop is a rich field still worth mining. Suff Daddy is a producer from Germany who recorded this album for the legendary label Fat Beats. Meaty beats, worth a good listen.
The Uproot Group – Vampires
Every time I delve into the Mexican new music scene, I come up with something brilliant, but this time I was given a heads-up by The Uproot Group band member Enrico Gianfranchi to hear this album. What can I say? This made my day! The release blends jazz (naturally) with Continue Reading
Sonny Rollins – Way Out West
The Colossus has died. Sonny Rollins passed away at the age of 95, leaving a body of work that will number him among the greatest musicians jazz has ever produced.