This week’s guide is by CF Smith and contributors Arifur Rahman, Words By Shoaib, Benny Thomas, and Irfan Ayaan.
Each Friday at Twistedsoul, we feature a curated selection of new releases that have caught our collective attention. We search ‘Between The Cracks’ to bring you new music that won’t fit in a tidy little genre box, but sparks with fierce originality. This week, we’re highlighting albums from Awkward Corners, Rafal Toral, The Harper Trio 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
Awkward Corners – A Book of Imaginary Beings
Chris Menist’s fourth outing as Awkward Corners is a masterful exercise in restraint and imagination. ‘A Book of Imaginary Beings’ finds the London-based artist paring back his typically layered approach to create something intimate and evocative. Taking inspiration from Jorge Luis Borges’ fantastical short stories (as alluded to in the title), Menist has crafted a sonic bestiary of electronic creatures that feel both otherworldly and deeply human. Born from the shorter days and dark evenings of early January, the album emerged from a creative routine in which Menist challenged himself to shape a basic track each evening after work, later refining these nocturnal sketches into a fully realised composition, with his trusty Shahi Baaja (a Pakistani string instrument) remaining central to the Awkward Corners sound. However, here it’s deployed with even greater subtlety. Each track title evokes vivid imagery of creatures and characters from an imaginary bestiary, yet the music never feels literal or illustrative. Instead, Menist creates sonic portraits that allow you to construct your own narratives. The influence of artists like Ulla, Natural Information Society, Jabu, Torso, and Dawuna can be felt in the album’s unhurried pace and textural richness. ‘Two Former Friends’ establishes the album’s contemplative mood with a slowly simmering synth bassline that provides a foundation for the effects-drenched Shahi Baaja. One of the album’s standout tracks, the deeply experimental ‘Dance of the Silver Beetles’ features chopped-up Illimba samples that play forwards and backwards in conversation with conga rhythms. Another highlight is ‘Regretful Polar Bear’, a piece just 2:27 long, yet one that lingers with surprising weight. ‘Flamingo with Bandaged Neck’ serves as the perfect coda—an exclusively Shahi Baaja piece, it’s an intimate listening experience draped in reverbs and delays. Released on the ever-reliable Shapes of Rhythm label, this album is another winner from Awkward Corners. – AR
Sven Wunder – Daybreak
Swedish composer Sven Wunder’s fifth album Daybreak, is a lush, analog-toned instrumental journey that traces the emotional arc of a single day from dawn to dusk. With a wonderfully lyrical use of woodwinds, strings, hand drums, and brass, Wunder crafts ornate soundscapes that feel both cinematic and deeply intimate. Throughout the album, Wunder masterfully uses recurring melodic themes that reappear in different instrumental guises – now on flute, now on strings, now dissolving into vibraphone shimmer. This technique creates a sense of tonal cohesion that mimics the way light shifts across a familiar landscape, binding the album together like a film score for nature itself. Tracks like ‘Warmer Air’ and ‘Turning Tides’ bring more muscle to the mix, while opener ‘Setting Off’ and the title track showcase Wunder’s gift for lush yet uncluttered arrangements. The album closes with the breakbeat-driven, head-nodding bounce of ‘Liquid Mountains’, a vibrant ending that feels like golden hour slipping into evening. Daybreak doesn’t rush or demand attention – it sidles in with warmth and confidence, inviting you to let the day unfold at its own pace. While it may not be revolutionary, Wunder executes what he does exceptionally well. – BT
Rafal Toral – Traveling Light
It’s pretty straightforward: when Rafal Toral releases new music, I’m on it immediately. I’ve been a fan of the Portuguese guitarist’s music for a while now, and his experimental compositions never fail to surprise and delight. Case in point, Toral’s ‘Traveling Light’ is a meticulously crafted journey through the soul of jazz standards, woven with a surprisingly deft hand around Billie Holiday, John Williams, Fripp & Eno, and even the subtle spice of GastrDel Sol. Developed in parallel to his last album, the jaw-droppingly brilliant Spectral Evolution, this album of jazz standards is another audacious curation—a collection of seemingly disparate pieces that, when viewed together, coalesce into a deeply evocative soundscape. You’ll hear echoes of Holiday’s vocal fire, Williams’ harmonic richness, Fripp’s jazz-forward sensibilities, and Eno’s minimalist beauty – all framed within Toral’s innovative and atmospheric orchestration. While some might find the project’s deliberate ambiguity a little perplexing, it’s precisely this restraint that makes it so flipping brilliant. Time to rethink the Album of the Year list again. – CFS
The Harper Trio – Dialogue of Thoughts
With Dialogue of Thoughts, the Harper Trio channels a renewed sense of urgency and motion. The London-based ensemble, led by harpist and composer Maria-Christina Harper, along with saxophonist Josephine Davies and drummer Evan Jenkins, expands the meditative beauty of their debut Passing By into a bolder, more rhythmically alive statement. The album deepens their signature interplay between harp, saxophone, and drums, emphasising conversation over virtuosity, and energy over embellishment. While Harper’s harp remains at the centre, it serves not as a solo voice but as a vital thread connecting the trio’s shifting dynamics. Their dialogue feels instinctive, each musician responding to the other in real time, building and dissolving intensity with fluid grace. The result is music that feels alive and spontaneous, fusing spiritual jazz, avant-garde freedom, and lyrical intimacy. Dialogue of Thoughts captures the trio at a moment of transformation, brimming with contrast, empathy, and fearless exploration. It’s a powerful evolution that redefines the harp’s role in modern jazz while reaffirming the trio’s place as one of the genre’s most inventive voices. – WBS
Ancient Infinity Orchestra – It’s Always About Love
Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s sophomore offering represents a masterful synthesis of spiritual jazz traditions with distinctly Northern English sensibilities. Led by double bassist and composer Ozzy Moysey, this 15-piece ensemble creates expansive yet intimate soundscapes that channel the transcendental energy of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders while maintaining their own distinctive voice. The album’s eight tracks flow like a meditation, with ‘Chant for Don Cherry’ serving as a reverent homage to the legendary trumpeter’s exploratory spirit. ‘Joy of a Natural World’ exemplifies the Orchestra’s approach to melody-driven improvisation, where saxophones weave contemplative lines over the dual bass foundation that defines their unique orchestration. The inclusion of harp, violin, viola, cello, and scattered percussion creates a timbral palette that shifts organically between earthly groove and cosmic transcendence. Moysey’s compositional vision draws from philosophy and nature, fostering music that celebrates togetherness and communal creation. ‘The Seeker’ and ‘Old Friends’ demonstrate this ethos through patient development and generous space for individual expression within the collective framework. The brief closing track, ‘At Yoshino Mountain’, provides a gentle denouement, confirming this ensemble’s commitment to music as a spiritual practice rather than mere performance. – IA
Victor Tsilimparis, George Palamiotis, Sotiris Tsolis – The Persistence Of Doubt
Victor Tsilimparis (Rhodes, synths, editing), George Palamiotis (bass), and Sotiris Tsolis (drums) have created an album of grooves and rhythms splashed with abstract brushstrokes. ‘The Persistence Of Doubt’ is a musically curious album, with tracks like ‘Off’ that gracefully tiptoe into the realm of ’70s jazz fusion without putting down any roots. Then there’s the whirlwind” that is What Was Has Become, overflowing with thundering bass lines, fizzing synth, and bustling drums. The mutant sounds that transmit from ‘Clear Truth’ are anything but clear. The cacophony of electronic whirls and whooshes, pounding drums, and spiky guitars might sound like a bizarre symphony, but we’re absolutely loving it. ‘In Current Intro’, offers a rare moment of calm amidst the enigmatic chaos. It smoothly transitions into ‘In Current’, which continues the calming vibe before circling back to… The trio seems to have a strong desire to avoid specific labels, resulting in an album that is anything but monotonous. My latest obsession has arrived, and yours is a click away! – CFS
