This week’s guide is by CF Smith and contributors Arifur Rahman, Words By Shoaib, and Irfan Ayaan.
Welcome to our latest Between the Cracks. Six releases that you really need to hear. We have everything from vocal jazz, experimental ambient, downtempo, electronic dance, spoken word and more. Dive into our latest selection, and if something tickles your eardrums, follow the buy link to make it yours! Enjoy the music, and have a great weekend.
Albums
Greg Foat and Forest Law – Midnight Waves
Greg Foat and Forest Law pay homage to the vibrant life and artistry of the Isle of Wight’s own Dave Gray. The pair chart a refreshing course that navigates through waves of vocal jazz, soul jazz, folk and electronic soundscapes. Intertwined with contributions from a stellar cast of collaborators, including drummer Moses Boyd, tenor saxophonist Idris Rahman, and bassist Tom Herbert, Midnight Waves is the first album by Foat to feature vocals throughout. Foat has long impressed us with his ability to blend numerous styles into a single project. Tracks like the new age, jazz-flavoured ‘The Undertow’ and ‘The Dark Descends,’ which sounds like a long-lost Japan track with prog leanings, showcase this beautifully. It’s surprising that Foat has taken so long to team up with a vocalist, especially given the hypnotic and dynamic tones of Forest Law that elevate the music. After numerous spins, the tracks consistently impress on many levels. Easily be one of the year’s finest albums. – CFS
Herbert & Momoko – Clay
Herbert & Momoko’s Clay is a quietly stunning collaboration. In this 11-track journey, soulful songwriting, experimental textures, and dancefloor sensibility meet in unexpected harmony. Matthew Herbert, long known for his sonic inventiveness, finds an ideal partner in Momoko Gill, whose vocals and rhythmic intuition elevate the album’s emotional range. ‘Need To Run’ pulses with urgency, driven by skittering rhythms and anxious piano stabs that channel both movement and resistance. It’s a sharp contrast, yet the transitions feel natural, even necessary. Meanwhile, ‘Someone Like You’ stands out with its restrained elegance. A hushed, emotive performance where minimal instrumentation allows Gill’s voice to shine. The track feels weightless like a whispered confession stretched across soft percussion and ambient fragments. Throughout Clay, the duo explores contrasts: organic versus electronic, stillness versus propulsion, and intimacy versus abstraction. Found sounds like bouncing basketballs and Japanese kotos add richness without distraction. The result is a record that feels both deeply considered and emotionally spontaneous. Clay isn’t just an album; it’s a textured, emotional topography best experienced in its entirety. – WBS
Eli Keszler – Eli Keszler
Eli Keszler’s self-titled release is a daring blend of abstract electronica, noirish jazz, and cinematic textures, reflecting a deeply personal and avant-garde vision. Known for his intricate percussion work and experimental leanings, Keszler leans into emotional territory, constructing a Lynchian soundscape that feels alien and intimate. Though some critics noted an emotional flatness in early tracks, the album’s finale redeems this with striking poignancy. The track ‘When I Sleep’ stands out with its nervy snares and unpredictable rhythms, offering a restless dream state that teeters on the line between chaos and calm. It’s a defining moment that captures the album’s unpredictable pulse. Equally compelling is ‘Drip Drip Drip’, inspired by Keszler’s father’s final words. It’s a haunting, guitar-laced piece that reveals the emotional depth critics felt was missing earlier. With collaborations from Sofie Royer and Sam Gendel, this record is more than a solo statement; it’s a sonic tapestry of grief, identity, and transformation. Ambitious and immersive, Eli Keszler challenges and rewards in equal measure. – WBS
Nādt Orchestra – Dualism
Nādt Orchestra’s debut album, Dualism, is a genre-blurring journey through jazz, afrobeat, world rhythms, and subtle electronic textures. Released via Locomotiv Records, the album is grounded in traditional grooves and boldly experimental, showcasing the compositional depth of this eight-piece Bologna ensemble. Led by guitarist Domenico Romano and produced by Tommaso Colliva, Dualism feels polished but never sterile, alive with movement, warmth, and contrast. ‘Koko’, a standout track featuring jazz heavyweight Gianluca Petrella, flows with spiritual jazz overtones and a horn section that feels both relaxed and radiant. It’s a slow burn, confident in its patience. Meanwhile, ‘Sewa’, the closer, is a celebratory burst of West African joy. Sung in Bambara by Kadi Coulibaly, it’s a beautiful marriage of jazz structure and griot storytelling, rich with hope and rhythmic vitality. The album’s title isn’t just thematic; it’s structural. Every track plays with contrasts: acoustic vs. electronic, structured vs. improvised, global vs. local. Dualism doesn’t try to solve contradiction; it invites you to sit with it and listen. – WBS
Annie A – The Wind That Had Not Touched Land
‘The Wind That Had Not Touched Land’ is the result of a one-off collaborative project called Annie A. It consists of Félicia Atkinson, Jack Rollo, Elaine Tierney, Christina Petrie, and Maxine Funke. This album is quite meditative and perceptive of nature and the passage of time. The use of spoken words and poems, along with the folk and experimental approach to sound and recording, makes this a one-of-a-kind album. Listen to the field recordings in the title track; it is perfectly blended with Petrie’s evocative words and Atkinson’s ethereal instrumentation. Or, the ambient texture of ‘Nasturtium Runners (Read by the Rain)’ and how it dropped the curtain for this album. Everything on this record is exactly how it should be. – AR
Djrum – Under Tangled Silence
Felix Manuel’s Under Tangled Silence emerges as a phoenix from the ashes of creative destruction, delivering a work of rare emotional transparency and technical brilliance. The British electronic producer, known for his genre-defying soundscapes, returns after six years with an album born from catastrophe; a hard-drive crash forced him to rebuild his entire project from scratch, resulting in profound artistic rebirth. This crisis became a catalyst, pushing Manuel to expose his virtuosic instrumental talents and raw emotional core. The album seamlessly weaves Manuel’s prodigious piano and harp performances with electronic production that never sacrifices humanity for technical prowess. His collaboration with cellist Zosia Jagodzinska on standout tracks A Tune For Us and Galaxy In Silence creates moments of breathtaking intimacy, while Three Foxes Chasing Each Other features haunting vocal contributions from Willow and Rudy Manuel. Under Tangled Silence is a masterclass in vulnerability transformed into art, proof that sometimes losing everything is the only way to find your most authentic voice. – IA
