Mung Music is an innovative new Korean record label based in Seoul with a unique perspective. The rough translation of “Mung” alone gives listeners an idea as to the sounds coming out of their label— the expression: “spacing out”, or entering the space between the conscious and subconscious. To fully appreciate Sunjae Lee’s relatively new
Aron Namenwirth’s Hurricane begins with a quiet storm gaining momentum. As sound unfolds the images on the album cover are imbued with meaning. The dark painted spirals suggest a kind of “fun house” trip to come; one where sounds bend and contort until traditional bass, percussion, and piano sounds abstractly familiar. The opening chord of
I put on Cecilia Lopez’s Red / Machinic Fantasies as I change a light bulb in a flood-light, dangling from its wire on a ceiling pipe. The snow has turned into rain and the black night outside is cold and angry. I include this in describing the opening of Lopez’s album (released December 16th) as
Wendy Eisenberg’s Its Shape Is Your Touch, released in late October, opens with a a confident, open exploration of tones and technique. She uses the guitar to create sound that, at times, does not even resemble that of a guitar. Her touch is gentle. As the opening track concludes, I am reminded of an instrumental lullaby album
Hit ‘play’ and the first track on Audience Participation is consistent with its name. Cataclysmic Commentary’s debut record was released in March. The band is comprised of Ben Cohen on saxophones, Eli Wallace on keyboards, and Dave Miller on drums. “Surprise Kitten Explosion 5000” draws us into a space of free sound, wild and vibrant.
EAVE is a free jazz group based out of Montreal. The band is comprised of Anna Webber and Erik Hove (saxophones & flute), Vicky Mettler (guitar), and Evan Tighe (drums). Webber works out of New York. Their self-titled album opens gently, slowly unfolding sound like a swaying wind chime. “Merriweather” seems to me a prelude to
Before I sat down to listen to Jeremiah Cymerman’s Decay of the Angel, I studied the album art and noticed the note at the end of the Bandcamp description, “For maximum experience, listening with headphones or on loud speakers is strongly encouraged. – The composer”. Immediately, it is apparent that Cymerman intends not only to engage,
Charmaine Lee’s record, Ggggg, is an unconventional exploration of noise. The first track “CHUK” gurgles and snores through what sounds like a synthesizer. Immediately, the cover makes sense. Lee’s face is pushed against a glass surface. She looks contained and uncomfortable. The sound we hear is comparable to what one might imagine a body (either animal
The opening track on Fodder, released in January this year, sounds like a Friday night in the city … It is alive and crazed, moving in pursuit of a hot moment at a small bar or dancefloor. Though somewhat odd as “fodder” can mean “food,” I listen to this track and feel the energy of
Guitarist Matteo Liberatore’s, Solos, released early this year, is a study of sound and the direction it takes when odd objects manipulate seemingly ordinary instruments. Liberatore uses the acoustic guitar the way a visual artist might use the end of a paintbrush. He does not limit himself to strumming or even tapping on the guitar’s surface,
