CD Review: Algambra's Self-Titled Release

Algambra
Algambra
Sketis Music

Algambra is a Russian music group with a knack for improvisational and instrumental styles that incorporate South Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and contemporary forms of fusion in one exciting package. The primary instrument is the hang, which is a metallic idiophone in the shape of a UFO that is played with hands and it is an instrument that was invented only fifteen years ago in Switzerland. The hang sounds are multi-faceted and sound similar to the udu, ghatam, and steel pan instruments. The sounds are fluid and softer than a steel pan, but a great accompaniment for the other instruments on the album, including the harp, cello, caisa, guitar, and assorted percussion. The album is mostly instrumental; except for "Made In India." The music is sparkling, bubbling, and entrancing with new age, improvisational, and avant-garde arrangements that are very likable and a welcome addition to and world music percussion collection. If anything, buy it for the hang. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Atlas Maior's Double Release 'Palindrome'

Atlas Maior
Palindrome [2-CD]
Self-Release

Texas-based, world music fusion group, Atlas Maior, releases a double-album, Palindrome, which an improvisatinoal journey on the wilder side of fusion. The band is comprised of Charlie Lockwood on oud, Joshua Thomson on alto sax and flute, and Ted Camat on percussion. The result is very complex, yet laid-back release, with loads of aural textures that weave in and out of consciousness. The entrancing release arouses North African, Middle Eastern, European, and North American musical elements on the jazz, avant-garde, and new age sides of the spectrum. There are fourteen tracks in all with names as diverse as the song elements, such as "ouduo," "Booted and Looted," "Half-pipe Blowhole," and "oodaqq." The instrumental release is perfect for fans of adventurous world music. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Zebrina's 'Hamidbar Medaber'

Zebrina
Hamidbar Medaber
Tzadik

A Canadian jazz pianist, Jonathan Feldman, is the brainchild behind Zebrina, which is a jazz-centered group with jam band qualities and Klezmer roots. Instead of pulsating brass and horns, Zebrina utilizes some keyboard effects and percussion to astound listeners. The instrumental tunes are edgy, fluid, and diverse. The flowing clarinet, swishy percussion, and avant-garde folk-rock stylings represent a slight new age nod that is very satisfying. There is a bit of down-tempo, funk, roots, and smooth jazz going around here. Eight catchy grooves round out the album in a fun and entertaining manner. All of the tracks are five to eight minutes long, which allows for plenty of variation that doesn't get boring. The electric guitar adds a modern spark to the some of the songs. Overall, Zebrina awakens the Jewish spirit with great jazz lines and contemporary grooves with a slight Klezmer influence. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Case On Bass' 'Bass Tones #1'

Case On Bass
Bass Tones #1
Self-Release

Case On Bass is an avant-garde group that utilizes an electric bass guitar with some pedal effects on their first release, Bass Tones #1, in this series. The album is completely instrumental without any vocalizations or additional instruments. There are twenty-six tracks on the album, which are all relatively short around one minute each. The reason behind the shorter tracks, stems from the creative process and philosophy of simplifying the tunes to reduce redundancy one commonly finds in other music. The experimental approach works with contemplative and relaxing tunes that inspire one's mind to probe deeper in bass-dom. "Sense Of Purpose" is a gritty, bass-line that reverberates with a Southern, blues-rock vein; only for a minute. "Tripping" is more fluid and bubbly in a polished, intergalactic way. "Noble Procession" is more of a distant bass sound with a primitive feel and avant-garde flair. "Nurture" is a sub-minute tune with a lullaby-like presence in a soft and subtle delivery characteristic of a type of fluid thumb piano, but in the end, it's only a bass. The last song, "Tone Poem," is the longest at nearly six minutes. The song contains pedal effects that reverberate the bass into bright echelons of musical bliss. The bass tones flutter with experimental beauty and a spacey ambiance. Anyone interested in avant-garde, instrumental, ambient, experimental, and bass guitar music should check out Bass Tones #1. 5 Stars (out of 5). ~ Matthew Forss  

CD Review: Carry Illinois' "Siren"

Carry Illinois
Siren
Self-Release

The smoky vocals of band leader, singer/songwriter, and guitarist, Lizzy Lehman, forms a folksy and cohesive mix of tunes  on her debut EP, Siren. The Texas-based band is comprised of Nick Droz on bass, Rudy Villarreal on drums, and Darwin Smith on guitar. The indie-folk vein is a clear one with radio-like vocals on "Nothing To Despise" and the jaunty "Weakest Limb" showcases a little folk angst with contemplative Oasis-like arrangements. The music is embellished with keyboards, banjo, cello, and additional programming. "Siren" begins with an atmospheric arrangement that quickly gives way to an avant-garde folk melody with static-like vocals and methodic melody. "Jackson Square" showcases the banjo and Lizzy's heartfelt vocals. The sauntering melody and folksy rhythm contains a slight blues edge with hints of hope and love throughout. As a whole, the instrumentation is tight and memorable. The vocals are diverse and the lyrics are intelligent. This is inventive folk music with a message. It's simply very, very good. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Hanami's 'Philomelos'

Hanami
Philomelos
Smugglers Records

UK's Hanami brings us an energetic, avant-garde, and folksy recording with gypsy and troubadour-type songs of a wayward music duo. The music seems experimental and alternative, which is some of the appeal. The ten songs contain great folk rhythms, minimal instrumentation and production cues, and yearning vocals. The song titles are as diverse as the music, such as "Into The Mystic," "Long Gone Mobile," and "Go Tell Someone Who Gives A F***." The delicate melodies are jaunty, poetic, and cafe-worthy, which are all positive traits. The artsy-folksy musical constructions are somewhere between Neutral Milk Hotel and Gogol Bordello. Anyone with an interest in folk-driven alternative music will love Hanami. Discover them today! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Mehmet Sanlikol's 'whatsnext?'

Mehmet Sanlikol
whatsnext?
Dunya

Hailing from Turkey and based on the East Coast of the U.S.A., Mehmet Sanlikol takes a cinematic side of jazz-inspired, lounge tunes with lively trombone, trumpet, sax, piano, bass, drums, and Central Asian/Middle Eastern percussion. The instrumental tracks are long, varied, and very moving. The edgy percussion, horns, and dramatic overtones resemble the suspenseful spy film soundtracks of the 1970's. The album contains nine diverse tracks with varying degrees of jazzy ambiances that possess avant-garde nuances and swishy, percussion-heavy interludes punctuated by punchy horn-driven arrangements. The swirling melodies and rhythms are energetic and engaging without a lack of direction and substance. All of the tracks are instrumental in form. The jazz-noir melodies are poignant and creative without negative side effects. Anyone with an interest in instrumental jazz and Turkish fusion will love Mehmet's compositions. The entire album is dedicated to Aydin Esen. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: diNMachine's 'Dance To Reason'

diNMachine
Dance To Reason
Self-Release

The electronic trip-hop concoctions of New York's diNMachine are industrial, innovative, instrumental, and ingenious. The gritty sounds are edgy and punchy with some degree of jazz and new age elements. The experimental and avant-garde sounds are mostly instrumental with a few voices added for greater musical affect. The frenzied sounds of "Lpse" are upbeat and experimental. There are elements of chiptune or videogame-type musical backing that is very electronic and trippy. The blurby sounds of "Fifth Bass" incorporate a bit of swishy percussion and cascading, electronic melodies that soar into a unique echelon of aural existence. In fact, the entire album excels with performance, composition, and creativity. Think of Lamb, Action Figure Party, and Gino Foti partying it up and you get Dance To Reason. Check out a video here: http://vimeo.com/84809265 ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Marya Stark's 'The Garden'

Marya Stark
The Garden
Self-Release

The sweet and melodic songs of Marya Stark are steeped in classicism, theatre, avant-garde, alternative pop, and new age concoctions. Marya's vocals are rather soothing with some influence from Sheila Chandra, Squonk Opera, and Katie Melua. There are symphonic arrangements that incorporate cello, bass, viola, tabla, bansuri, sax, violin, accordion, clarinet, and keyboards. The music is not in one specific genre, but it seems to ebb-and-flow through a variety of genres, which arrive in a cohesive, swirling, and addictive form of musical expression. Thirteen songs represent the breadth of The Garden. Borrowing some down-tempo arrangements and vocals indicative of Alpha, Marya still retains a sense of personality that is quite unique and refreshing. In essence, Marya knows how to create evocative tunes and compelling melodies that are unforgettable. Anyone into world fusion, new age, neo-classical, and theatrical music will adore Marya Stark's new release, The Garden. Great music begins in The Garden. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Optic Yellow Felt's Self-Titled Release

Optic Yellow Felt
Optic Yellow Felt
Catapult

The Brazilian sextet consisting of Victor Nader (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Nando Morsani (back-up vocals, piano), Ricardo Pires (back-up vocals, sax), Eduardo Marson (back-up vocals, guitar), Tiago B. (back-up vocals, drums), and Lino Nader (back-up vocals, bass), create enthralling music that is eclectic, classy, quirky, and avant-garde. The lead vocals are quite akin to Dave Matthews. Moreover, the light drum percussion, sax embellishments, airy flute sounds, and oveall arrangements are not too far off from the instrumental repertoire of the Dave Matthews Band. The jazzy and plaintive guitar stylings of "Close To Sadness" is especially avant-garde. The light and wispy vocals ambulate along with quirky effervescence. There are piano moments and accordion-like embellishments that appear. "Let You Wonder" is an uppity tune with jaunty guitar work and punchy percussion with a slight Soweto lean via Rio de Janeiro. "So Complex" is a soulful piano ballad with vocals nearly out of breath, but the entire song is under one-minute in length.     
"Don't Bend" is an anthemic tune with lush guitar work, punchy sax, and quirky noises. There are glistening sounds and catchy melodies on this somewhat avant-garde release. Despite the unusual band name, the group comes out ahead without any missteps. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Domenico's 'Cine Prive'

Domenico
Cine Prive
Plug Research

Domenico's Brazilian and Italian heritage shine through on the contemporary and easy listening release, Cine Prive (Private Cinema). The sonic textures are rhythmic, nostalgic, bossa nova-inspired, and electronic without any worries of where the music can go. The music is littered with friendly little nuances that are blurby, dance-ready, trippy, and avant-garde to the hilt. The minimalist percussion and instrumentation is not a deterrent, as the vocals set the stage for engaging tracks and happy melodies that possess inner and outer beauty. The almost absurdist embellishments are relatively cohesive and pleasant throughout. This is one of the most exciting albums from Brazil I have ever come across. Own it today. Your ears will thank you. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: White Canvas' 'Hundreds Of Ways'

White Canvas
Hundreds Of Ways
Ozella Music

White Canvas is vocalist Rena Meyer Wiel and guitarist Rolf Beydemueller. Together, the German duo create natural soundscapes of aural color with new age nuances and improvisational, experimental, and divine melodies. Rena's diverse, but poetic, vocal style is at times very spiritual and pleasant. The vocals are artfully constructed with a Sufi spirit, which is where the album title originates. In fact, a line from the Sufi poet Rumi describes the nature of the music. Hundreds Of Ways connotes a world of improvisation and spirituality with fine guitar strumming and soundscape embellishments. The avant-garde elements are inventive, ear-friendly, and solemn. The mournful and wistful vocals are a thing of beauty. Coincidentally, there are also a hundred ways to love this album! ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Eyvind Kang's 'The Narrow Garden'

Eyvind Kang
The Narrow Garden
Ipecac

The Northwest, USA-based composer, performer, and musician extraordinaire, Eyvind Kang, celebrates classical, Middle Eastern, and avant-garde/jazz rhythms and melodies with his latest release, The Narrow Garden. Eyvind is also an accomplished erhu player, violinist, and tuba player. Neo-classical upbringing aside, Eyvind creates beautiful palettes of aural color that emanate from the album with ease and grace. In fact, an angelic undertone is featured on "Pure Nothing," which contains female choral sounds and neo-classical and new age leanings not completely unlike the music of Enya. On "Forest Sama'i," Eyvind tackles Middle Eastern and Persian musicalities, which seem right at home on this album. The quirky, avant-garde masterpiece, "Usnea," showcases Eyvind's knack for creating intricate, unusual, and diverse compositions. In this case, the song wanders dangerously close to experimental realms with strings, flutes, and metallic embellishments without electronic accompaniment. The operatic vocals of "Mineralia" and the cinematic, neo-classical/ambient nature of "The Narrow Garden," evokes the works of Steve Roach, Brian Eno, Enya, Vangelis, and others to be named in the future. The Narrow Garden seems right at home straddling the musical worlds of neo-classical, Middle Eastern, spiritual, avant-garde, experimental, and new age. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: TriBeCaStan's 'New Deli'

TriBeCaStan
New Deli
EverGreene Music

The world fusion tendencies of TriBeCaStan are blatantly evident on all of the tracks. The incorporation of North American guitars, strings, horns, and flutes, are joined with Latin, South American, North African, Central Asian, South Asian, and European sensibilities. The avant-garde and neo-fusion qualities of the mostly instrumental music sound delightful and unique. The funky, fusion, and world-based melodies and instruments create a sound all their own unique to the imagined nation of TriBeCaStan. The rock guitar elements pop up at times, especially on "Freaks For The Festival." Although, the horn-based melodies mimic Gypsy or Balkan influences the most. Furthermore, the music contains a bit of humor, as some of the song titles are called, "Louie's Luau,"Bed Bugs," (One Day) His Axe Fell Into Honey," and "The Brain Surgeon's Wife Serves Lunch." The whimsical album artwork is further evidence supporting the abovementioned fact. Anyone with an interest in world fusion, Gypsy music, avant-garde, and music without borders, the New Deli serves it up really good. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Asketics' Self-Titled Release

Asketics
Asketics
Sketis Music

The Russian art-fusion group, Asketics, dazzles the world with its fine array of subtle, New Age grooves and electronic percussion. The experimental and avant-garde styles are equally represented and show no signs of weakness or impracticality. The music is wholly instrumental and it features the accordion, flugelhorn, bass, keyboards, loops, guitars, trumpet, and assorted percussion. The upbeat clarity of "Strong" is a very good song for the adventurous film scholar, or evening lounge party. The group is equally talented with slower and more pensive compositions, including "Chess," "The French," and the jazzy "g." The songs are intelligently-produced with a sense of nostalgia and futurism all at the same time. The music would be a perfect backdrop for a Starbucks or Barnes and Noble. Overall, the Asketics are 'asketically' pleasing to say the least. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Torgeir Vassvik's 'Sapmi' From Norway

Torgeir Vassvik

Sapmi

Idut

The Norwegian musician extraordinaire, Torgeir Vassvik, assembles a set of ten songs from the land of the Sami people. Historically, the Sami people inhabit the Sapmi region--for which the album was named--and includes the countries of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The mysterious sounds of the viola, saw, bells, percussion, frame drums, field recordings, and guitars are played in such a manner to evoke images and sounds of the natural world. For instance, some of the sounds resemble falling rocks or clanging ice crystals. Moreover, the folksy melodies border on avant-garde. Torgeir's vocals are in the form of yoik singing, which is a form of throat-singing comparable to Inuit and Mongolian chanting. In fact, the instrumentation and singing is most similar to the music of Huun Huur Tu, coincidentally from the Mongolian/Tuvan region. Sapmi is an album that sticks with you long after the last note commences. Anyone with an interest in throat-singing, yoik chanting, or music from Scandinavia, should lend their ear to Torgeir's masterpiece. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Slovenia's Maja Osojnik Band

Maja Osojnik Band
Crne Vode (Black Waters)
Viennese Soulfood

Slovenia's Maja Osojnik Band is a modern folk group reinterpreting folk classics along with some original tunes. The band is as experimental as it is folk incorporating Balkan melodies, avant-garde experimentation, jazz, and electronic music with some degree of Brazilian piano parts. Maja Osojnik's voice seems like a perfect fit for Slovenian ballads or pop standards. The Scandinavian and Balkan regions have recently reinvented folk music with modern arrangements. However, Maja Osojnik is still modernized, but she seems to retain a higher degree of experimental music in a modern era with sharp, metallic noises and electronic sampling. The instruments are relatively rudimentary, and include accordion, bass, piano, trumpet, guitar, drums, recorder, and electronic effects. Some of the sound effects resemble static or scratches from tuning a radio station and interrupt the flow of the album, because it is an experimental approach. The best song is "Solze Na Oknih", because it is a great melody that sounds like it could have been created from a Heavenly source. Also, the music of Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and surrounding countries contain different melodies that do not follow simple song structures. Black Waters may be darkly mysterious or deeply engaging, but it is definitely worth a listen. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Sea Sew Is Not So So

Lisa Hannigan
Sea Sew
ATO Records

Ireland's folksy crooner, Lisa Hannigan, brings us a set of simple and sweet songs to chew on. With some diverse song titles ranging from "Venn Diagram", "Splishy Splashy", and "Pistachio", she offers a glimpse into her avant-garde, musical repertoire. Lisa's voice is similar in tone and range to Heide Talbot (Ireland) and Karine Polwart (Scotland). The instruments used include harmonium, guitar, drums, xylophone, bass, trumpet, glockenspiel, violin, cello, and organ. Lisa's voice is also indicative of former-trip hop singer, Lamb. I think a vocal comparison with a combined talents of Beth Orton (UK) and Leigh Nash (USA) of Six Pence None The Richer fame, represent a not too far-fetched comparison. Moreover, Sea Sew contains a touch of downtempo, a handful of folk, and a hint of avant-garde. Put simply, an amalgation of styles is packed into one album. However, the primary musical vein of Sea Sew is best described as folk, and it never feels inorganic or forced. In short, Sea Sew is anything but so-so. ~ Matthew Forss