Olivia Block ‎- Heave To

Now here's something a bit different from the usual on this blog.

Olivia Block is a musician and electroacoustic composer from Chicago, Illinois using chamber instrumentation, field recordings and digital effects and synthesis. Alongside her audio releases, she produces site-specific installations as well as scores for performance and film. That's what Discogs says at least.

Heave To is  a relatively short (for this kind of music at least) ambient album that she released back in 2006. What strikes me the most here is the closeness of the sound. As soon as this little beast starts roaring its inhumane sounds it feels like your in the dead center of it. I don't know how she does this but the audio quality of his album is pristine. The sounds themselves, much like the cover, are very cold and intense. Often among the drone and really low noise orchestral music kicks in that remind me most of Penderecki's work in sonorism. But I'm not very versed to claim such things (it just sounds like that to me, I might be wrong).

Overall this is a really great, intense ambient/noise album that's actually really accessible and even if you're not into this sort of thing perhaps you should give this a try if you're in the mood for some cold and unforgiving music.

Get.

Cecil Taylor - Conquistador!

To many of us free jazz is something we usually avoid in long circles. Why people hate it or like is a debate of its own and I won't get into it. All I can say is that such music demands a lot from the listener. It demands attention and concentration but it rewards you with some of the most intense musical experiences in return. There's always something interesting to hear and notice each time you experience it but sometimes you just can't digest it at all if you're not in the mood for it.

Such is the case with this album as well. It was released in 1967 when this music was starting to get its momentum and a lot of people hated it or loved it or both at the same time. To me this record is perhaps one of the best free jazz records that I've heard so far. Cecil Taylor is the most intense piano player that I can think of and he absolutely destroys everything here. The energy exchanging between players is just as well intense and energetic but there are light moments here as well that serve as breathers and moments of more gentle sides that this music provides. Excellent stuff.

Download.

Phew - View

Well here's an quite odd record from the all so great country Japan (YES I'M A TOTAL FREAK FOR JAPAN I ADMIT IT...but not really I just like their music n stuff). Phews core member is Phew or at least she calls herself like that. She used to play in Aunt Sally but afterwards formed her own band called Phew with members from Can. How does the music sound? Well it's kinda hard to explain in this forsaken colonist language but there's a bit of everything in it. The vocals are really what made to love this record. They sound so crazy and lively I really enjoy them. The music some sort of fusion of rock and jazz...I guess. :D

Tracklist:

01. Dirge (2:46)
02. May (3:08)
03. Act (1:56)
04. Bloom (4:22)
05. Spot (1:13)
06. Bay (4:05)
07. Flood (2:32)
08. Vision (2:42)
09. Youth (1:56)
10. Past (3:46)
11. H-Stag (1:59)
12. Fall (2:51)

Download.

Boredoms - Ichi The Killer Soundtrack

Ichi the killer was at first an manga that started around 1998 and finished in 2001, which means it ran for a very long time. The plot revolves around two main characters. One is a guy called Ichi who looks like a normal guy and does everything normal people do but acts like a total pussy. The good thing about Ichi is that when someone makes him cry he turns into a psychotic killer with razor blades on his boots and starts to cut everyone and everything in a nice gory way. The second character is Kakihara an yakuza masochist who seeks Ichi because he is fascinated by his violence. The manga later got an movie adaptation and Boredoms made a soundtrack for it! Since this is the only Boredoms album I listened (yes I'm ashamed to admit it) I can't really compare how this album is different from their other works but nevertheless this soundtrack is great filled with tribal like drums and has an quite good jazzy feeling throughout the album.

Tracklist:

01. Ichi (1:00)
02. Ni (3:28)
03. San (2:45)
04. Shi (1:58)
05. Go (2:14)
06. Roku (1:23)
07. Shichi (0:37)
08. Hachi (2:24)
09. Ku (2:20)
10. Juu (7:31)
11. Juuichi (0:38)
12. Juuni (2:43)
13. Juusan (2:44)
14. Juushi (1:23)
15. Juugo (5:02)

Download.

A good movie review can be found here.