This week’s guide is by CF Smith and contributors Words By Shoaib, Neil G, Imran Mirza and Irfan Ayaan.
Each (sometimes not) Friday at Twistedsoul, we scour Between The Cracks to bring you six releases that might may have flown under your radar. Our passion for music beyond the mainstream leads us to an array of diverse artists who’s work we love to champion.ย This week, weโre highlighting new albums from Secular Music Group, ESKA, Move ย 78, Untethered and more. Lend an ear to the music, and if it strikes a chord, show some love to the artists and labels by supporting them.
Albums
Secular Music Group – Volume 2
Ever since those new tracks from Secular Music Group hit our ears, we’ve been excited for their upcoming second album. Their passion for 4-track analog tape is well-documented, and true to form, their latest album was crafted entirely using technology from the 1970s. With guitarist Ted Morcaldi absent from the sessions (though he did write a composition for the album), the ensemble shuffled its lineup slightly. Multi-instrumentalist Will Berman stepped in as the fourth member, joining Greg LaPine, Yannis Panos, and Chris Ruggiero. Each track on Volume 2 unfurls with intention, but there’s never a feeling of confinementโyes, it’s more structured, but there’s still a feeling of space and the thrill of freedom. From the upbeat ‘Seven Cane’ to the meditative ‘Auilix’s Place, Volume 2’, invites listeners to immerse themselves in its rhythms, creating a deeply spiritual soundscape that is both modern and timeless. I love the interplay between these folks, especially on ‘Bearer, Begetter‘, it’s a charming musical conversation where they manage to make complexity sound so effortless. Utterly elevating, jazz-infused ambient sonics. – CFS
Untethered – Grasping for the Moon
Grasping for the Moon captures Untethered’s philosophy of “spontaneous creative composition,” weaving electroacoustic textures, progressive jazz, and improvisation into a seamless live performance. Recorded at The Black Squirrel Club in Philadelphia, the album feels like a single, continuous flow of musical dialogue, with Paul Giess’s trumpet, often digitally warped, guiding the journey alongside Lee Clarke’s shape-shifting guitar, Timothy Ragsdale’s bass, and Grant Calvin Weston’s dynamic drumming. ‘A Selfie with the Moon on Water’ sets the tone with an atmospheric yet groove-driven introduction, its title nodding to the Buddhist parable that inspired the album. Giess’s horn melodies hover between clarity and abstraction, while Weston’s polyrhythmic patterns inject a restless energy. ‘Late Night Group Chat at Treetop Social’ shifts toward playful funk, its bubbling synth textures and shifting rhythms conjuring the feel of a nocturnal jam session suspended between reality and imagination. The album thrives on interplay, with every note feeling both deliberate and instinctive. Grasping for the Moon isn’t just jazz; it’s a living, breathing soundscape that rewards close, repeated listening.– WBS
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin – Ghosted III
Ghosted III arrives with the loosened grip of masters entirely comfortable in their shared sonic universe, marking the trio’s most immediate statement yet. Following the acclaimed intensity of their previous collaborations, this Australian-Swedish alliance has crafted something wonderfully untethered. Where Ghosted II revealed their capacity for controlled chaos, this third instalment finds them embracing a more expansive lightness without sacrificing their telepathic precision. The album’s six tracks, numbered in Farsi rather than Swedish or English, showcase their evolution into something genuinely transcendent. Yek opens with minimalist grooves that bloom into complex funkiness, weaving North African melodic threads through springy basslines and crystalline guitar cascades. The brief Seh features wandering bass beneath softly droning ambience, elsewhere Chahar crackles with spiky tension as Berthling’s bass threatens to snap like an overstretched rubber band. Panj’s steady determination builds through repetition and variation, maintaining exquisite balance between free expression and hypnotic structure. The culminating Shesh delivers post-rock dynamics through minimalistic shifts, flowing exaltedly over emphatic percussive crashes. This is improvised music at its most telepathic and adventurous, essential listening for those seeking the outer edges of kraut-jazz experimentation. – IA
Move 78 – Game Four
In the current age of technology, where logic and reason dictated by formulated computations and complex robotics reign supreme, the essence of human creativity can easily get lost in the fog of advancement. The release of the album ‘Game Four’ by the jazz group Move 78 sends a bold and rebellious message about the persisting beauty of raw and unfiltered musicality. Switching from uninhibited chaos to flowing tunes, each song in the album artfully captures the complexity of Move 78’s musical repertoire as they traverse a variety of soundscapes, which enhance the jazz roots of Game Four, such as hip-hop and experimentalism. – NG
Germana Stella La Sorsa feat. Tom Ollendorff – After Hours
‘After Hours’ marks the brand new album from singer, songwriter and bandleader Germana Stella La Sorsa, who presents an enthralling new record alongside celebrated guitarist Tom Ollendorff. As an artist continually embracing new opportunities to present varying facets of her music, the Italian-born La Sorsa, who now divides her time between Italy and London, delivers a standout performance alongside accompaniment by Ollendorff. Remarkably, ‘After Hours’ marks La Sorsa’s third album in just four years… Comprised of six tracks, some original compositions and some covers, the duo’s take on ‘Because’ by The Beatles may very well mark the album’s brightest moment. Beautifully performed throughout, it’s really the song’s latter, more free-wheeling half that utterly captivates. A cover of La Sorsa’s past release ‘In Time and (S)Pace’ marks a further highlight, transforming the noir jazz-esque original from ‘Vapours’ into a more enchanting rendition. With ‘After Hours’, Germana Stella La Sorsa invites us into a quieter, more contemplative chapter of her musical journey. With Ollendorff’s deft guitar work elevating the dialogue, the duo offer a stripped-back, quietly powerful collection that is elegant in its simplicity yet emotionally rich. – IM
ESKA – The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman
Returning to the music scene 10 years after the release of her self-titled debut album, which earned her a Mercury Prize nomination, British singer-songwriter ESKA makes her triumphant return with her latest album, ‘The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman’. Marked by her bold and distinct musicality, the album tells the story of ESKAโs musical roots through flavours of alternative, electronic, and pop music, all of which are driven by the musician’s knack for innovation through tight compositions filled with feel. The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman is a stunning return to form, rea๏ฌrming ESKA’s brilliance through songs that resonate with a lasting impact that transcends traditional boundaries. – NG
