rescuing musical virtue in distress.
Music by Gestalt is the perfect name for this wonderful project, gestalt being a word used to describe the process of a coming together of many different parts into a total which is much more than the sum of those individual components. I suspect all bands think that they are doing that but if you... Continue Reading →
If there is a gap between the saccharine rush of pop, or at least popular musical styles, and the more deft and considered compositions that exist in the orchestral and classical worlds, then perhaps it is artists such as Vincent Krennerich that are the bridge between the two. Although he is very much employing the... Continue Reading →
It’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas; of course, the clue is in the word but for every smiling man in a red suit that comes along, one less religious reminder is forced off of the shelf, perhaps Santa attracts more people than a baby in a stable surrounded by donkeys, cows and,... Continue Reading →
As a new music reviewer I am confronted with all sorts of music on a daily basis. It all jostles for your attention just as it will for the music buyers money and does so by using all manner of clever ploys and sonic gimmickry. But sometimes you are presented with music which is just... Continue Reading →
With instrumental music, such as this elegant offering, I find myself making the same point as I do when reviewing music with lyrics that are in a language other than my own. Take away the direct communication that the words provide and you are left with just the music itself as the bridge between the... Continue Reading →
With instrumental music, such as this elegant offering, I find myself making the same point as I do when reviewing music with lyrics that are in a language other than my own. Take away the direct communication that the words provide and you are left with just the music itself as the bridge between the... Continue Reading →
Some pop music, though using the term pop for such a song as Hello World seems to undersell its many charms, is about impact and bombast, a quick and fairly obvious hit that swaps subtlety for a sonic sugar high. Thankfully, I can report that Bianca M makes music that is the sheer opposite of... Continue Reading →
Where as music with up-front lyrics, where there is communication using the usual conventions of recognisable words and familiar language taking place, is a format in which it is relatively ease to make yourself understood, instrumental music has be much cleverer in how it interacts with the listener. In the case of Martin Ptak’s gorgeous... Continue Reading →
The instrumental pieces on The Humors, the second full-length album from NYC-based freelance guitarist Ryan Dugré, are meant to create mood and space. Drawing influence from film music, sparse scores such as Neil Young's music for Dead Man, as well as the more melancholic pieces found on Marc Ribot's Silent Movies, Ryan's music is graceful and meditative. Dugré composed the majority of the record in... Continue Reading →