With so much good music coming through thick and fast, it’s easy for albums to drop online and go overlooked. No lengthy write-ups as who reads those anyway? We keep it short and to the point because you’re here to listen to the music! Check out our weekly mini-guide below and if you like what you hear, click the links and support the artists.
Albums
Alder Ego – III
Helsinki-based drummer Joonas Leppänen reintroduces his Alder Ego quartet with a new album of forward-thinking jazz. The album finds the quartet extracting more depth and punch out of their tenor sax, trumpet, double bass, and drums setup, echoing jazz greats such as Ornette Coleman. Strongly recommended.
Rolf Zielke – Beaches in Your Soul
Pianist Rolf Zielke has been a constant in the German Jazz scene for many years. On his new album ‘Beaches in Your Soul’, he takes us on an exciting musical journey that should not be missed. Each piece on this album embodies its own story, sets a different basic mood, and takes us to a different imaginary place. And yet everything interlocks wonderfully.
Howie Lee – Birdy Island
Swirling layers of traditional Chinese folk, OST-style sound design, and dreamy choir vocals combine across eight dynamic and transportive tracks on Birdy Island, the latest album by Beijing-based producer/artist Howie Lee. Written, produced, and recorded by Lee at the end of 2018, Birdy Island draws on the vast history of traditional pan-Asian music, filtered through Lee’s unique lens of contemporary electronic production. The result is deeply moving.
Lawrence – Birds On The Playground
Inspired by Mule Musiq label head Toshiya Kawasaki’s new record shop and bar comes ‘Birds On The Playground’ the fourth studio album from DJ and producer Lawrence. Take a deep dive into nine expertly crafted productions as Lawrence floats between playful new age grooves and deep pulsating ambient sounds – one not to miss.
Domenico Lancellotti – Raio
A fantastic return from Brazilian songwriter Domenico Lancellotti. With a deft mixture of pop, tropicalia, and soulful MPB, this new album demonstrates his knack for expertly written, sung, played, and arranged songs ranging from mellow ballads to uptempo grooves. If you loved the recent Kiko Dinucci album, then you should add this album to your collection.
The Zenmenn – Enter The Zenmenn
It’s safe to say that Music From Memory only releases first-rate music and this infectiously inventive debut album from mysterious newcomers The Zenmenn is a truly captivating listen from beginning to end. New Age, dream pop, easy listening, jazz-fusion, blue-eyed soul, and soft vocals; all combined on this unique and absorbing LP. For a touch of A.O.R, start with Homage To A Friendship. For a totally different vibe, try the warm folk-rock of Salad Bar, or the oriental grooves Flags Of The World. I could listen to this album all day – actually I have!
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Compilations
Irena And Vojtěch Havlovi – Melodies In The Sand
Melodies In The Sand is a collection of works by the husband and wife duo Irena and Vojtěch Havlovi. The pair met in the mid-80s as part of the experimental collective, Capella Antiqua e Moderna. Inventive and unafraid to explore new territories, the ten tracks span their early work with Capella Antique e Moderna up to more recent pieces recorded for Viola De Gamba. With its sumptuous mix of contemporary classical and experimental ambient, there is much to reward repeat listens.
EP’s
Gavsborg – Domestic Audio Workstation
Domestic Audio Workstation is a three-track EP from Gavsborg. Originally a collage of living room melodies, these tunes share a very intimate part of Gav. Joyous and reflective, yet they connect distant pieces of an unsure past somewhere between West Africa and the UK. As we’ve come to expect, Gavsborg keeps things exciting and fresh!
Elaquent – Bedtime Stories
Time to unwind with some sleepy jams from Elaquent. Click play and be taken to a soothing place to relax, to free your mind from your worries, and thank Elaquent for his blissful and chilled music.
The Taxil Hoax – Burning Bridges For Progress
Taking folk, ambient, and art-rock to some fascinating places, this powerful EP from Taxil Hoax is often soothing; occasionally, it rocks hard, featuring three pretty lengthy tracks that always hold interest with his sheer sense of adventure that is a joy to the ears.
