On Scattered Storms, the EP from his project Good Bison, Pablo Alvarez twists his varied influences into a catchy and welcoming sound. At times, the vocal delivery reflects his earlier hip hop-oriented work, but there are also strains of surf rock, punk-pop, and indie rock in the songs. Writing lyrics had been Alvarez’s gateway into … Read more
“Guardrails” is the solo debut from Andrew Toy, a DC-based musician who has worked extensively as a session drummer/percussionist. The album evolved out of material he’s been playing live since 2016, where the use of looping and other effects enables Toy to re-imagine the role of drums and percussion. With the studio allowing even more … Read more
Raymond Watts has been one of the more prolific forces in the electronic/industrial genre, having been an early (and recurring) member of KMFDM and part of many collaborations. But Pig represents his own creative vision. Watts initially started Pig in 1988 and ‘just sort of fell out of it’ at the start of the millennium, … Read more
Known for her work with such bands as Egrets on Ergot and Prissy Whip, CrowJane has made her solo debut with Mater Dolorosa. Featuring material written over the past 5 years, the album has an experimental, highly percussive sound to it. The mood is dark and often eerie, with unusual arrangements balanced by strong melodic elements and powerful vocals.
The music of dark post-punk band Ötzi juxtaposes haunting melodic and aggressive musical elements, often within the same song. Their highly rhythmic sound twists in unexpected directions, with strongly focused songwriting keeping things together. It’s easy to pick out influences in Ötzi’s music, yet the resulting style is unlike anything else. Hailing from Oakland, CA, the group consists of singer/bassist Akiko Sampson, singer/drummer Gina Marie, guitarist K. Dylan Edrich and multi-instrumentalist Winter Zora. Though their planned spring tour is cancelled due to COVID-19, Ötzi will be releasing a new album, “Storm,” on May 22, 2020
When Azam Ali and her husband Loga Ramin Torkian realized they needed a new creative challenge for their musical project NIYAZ, they chose to pursue staging a multimedia experience. At the time, they weren’t exactly sure what that meant, but it evolved into a multi-sensory performance built around advanced projection/body-mapping techniques. The show is based around Niyaz’s 2015 album The Fourth Light, which was inspired by Rabia Al Basri, the 8th-century poet and first female Sufi mystic. Both Ali and Torkian were born in Iran and moved to America as children. Their music combines Eastern and Western influences, as well as traditional acoustic instruments and electronics.
After a long break between releases, Australian electronic band Real Life is back with a new album, Sirens. Though frontman David Sterry is the only original member, the new material successfully continues Real Life’s legacy while also keeping the sound modern. Best known for the 1983 synth-pop hit “Send Me An Angel,” Real Life also had chart and club success with such songs as “Catch Me I’m Falling” and “God Tonight.” From the 1990s on, their musical output became more sporadic but remained consistently strong.
“The Current” is the new album from hackedepicciotto, a collaboration between Alexander Hacke (Einsturzende Neubauten) and Danielle de Picciotto (Crime & The City Solution, co-founder of the Berlin Love Parade). Recorded over a short period in Blackpool, England, “The Current” sees the married duo bringing their combined musical talents into new directions. The sound is very experimental but tends to be more energetic and rhythmic than their past work together.
The music of Limahl and his former band Kajagoogoo has recently received renewed interest thanks to TV soundtrack use, and now the UK-based singer is bringing listeners new music with a Christmas single. “London For Christmas” is a collaboration with Jon Nickoll celebrating Limahl’s love for the city and long-time desire to create a holiday song.
“Reflection” is the debut album from Ukrainian electronic producer and songwriter VONAVI (a.k.a. Andrei Ivanov). The music has a highly cinematic feel to it, so it comes as no surprise that Ivanov has a strong interest in film. He’s done commercial work, scored documentaries, and had songs featured in tv shows How To Get Away With Murder (“Sunburst”) and Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger (“Feel the Embrace”).