AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Steve Wynn and the Dragon Bridge Orchestra - Amphetamine - Live In Brussels

2. Fairport Convention - Sloth - Full House

3. Neon Crabs - Altered States - A Big Dumb Racket

4. Occult Character - Unrequited Vibrations - Unrequited Vibrations

5. Cracked Hands - Cobbles - Cautionary Tales

6. Benny J Ward - Fear Of Going Out - Fear Of Going Out

7. Marcel Borrack - Snake Charm - Sun Dust

8. The TD Band - Mullumbimby Nights - Mullumbimby Nights

9. Marcel Borrack - The Man In The High Castle - Telecaster Diaries

10. Xenonaut - Laika - In Caelum

11. Steve Wynn - Death Valley Rain - Live In Bremen

12. Blue Umbrella - Salt In My Wounds - Recklessly Yours

13. Anatomy Of Habit - Paired Sentinels - Paired Sentinels

14. Doghouse Rose - Hollywood - Born To Break Even

15. Dad Fight - Reality Check - Split 7”

16. Meanies - Blacklist - Split 7”

17. Librarians With Hickeys - 1972 -1972

18. Kyle Grimm - Twist, Then Pull - Forever, Eve

19. Mark Urness/Asuka Kakitani - Beneath Our Feet - The Garden

20. Kelariz Keshavarz - Circa - Meditation Tomorrow: Solo Flute

21. Steve Wynn - Devil Town - Up There : Home Recordings

22. The Go-Betweens - Unfinished Business (Acoustic Demo) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

23. The Dave Graney Show - Drugs Are Wasted On The Young - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

24. Moff Skellington - Holiday Greetings - Derti Berlap

25. Dead Sea Apes - Severance - Psychic Tension

26. The Junta - Open Your Eyes - Euphoria

27. Things of Stone And Wood - Devenport Drive - Rae Street

28. Peter Hammill - Out Of My Book - Been Alone So Long (The Naked Songs Tour, Bremen, 1985)

NOTES

1. A six-piece combo that features Chris Eckman and Chris Cacavas along with Miracle 3 regulars Linda Pitmon and Erik Van Loo as well as the astounding violinist Rodrigo D’Erasmo. One of three albums Steve released on July 31st - the other two releases are featured later in the show.

2. Released on their landmark 1970 album Full House, “Sloth” stands as one of Fairport Convention’s absolute masterpieces and a defining pillar of British folk-rock. Written by Richard Thompson and Dave Swarbrick, the track moves away from traditional acoustic arrangements into a sprawling, nine-minute canvas defined by a hypnotic, brooding rhythm and sparse, evocative lyrics about inevitability and conflict. While the song features haunting imagery and understated vocal contributions, it is most famously celebrated for its instrumental weight—specifically Richard Thompson’s guitar work that twists and wails across the groove, counterpointed by Dave Mattacks’ precision drumming. Over the decades, “Sloth” evolved into a legendary centerpiece of Fairport Convention’s live shows, continuously praised by guitar aficionados as a quintessential showcase of Thompson’s distinct, modal improvisational style.

3. Recorded in Dallas and York during album sessions for ‘This Puppy Can See A Frog’ September 2025 and ‘Land of The Freaks’ May 2026. Goz and Nauseous at their lo-fi best.

4. More Nauseous with his anti-populist agenda in full effect. I have it on good authority that joint work with Moff Skellington is underway.

5. There 10th release - Hartwig and Moss in playful mood albeit with serious subject matter - Half Edge Records

6. Following years of building a reputation as one of Australia’s most relentlessly creative underground songwriters, music producers and all-round band guy Benny J Ward - Perth power pop and garage rock wiz and main man with the Rinehearts - returns with a new single — a sharp, melodic and slightly unhinged snapshot of modern life that feels both painfully familiar and strangely fun.

7. The new album Sun Dust, from multi-instrumentalist/producer/ songwriter Marcel Borrack. Since the release of Marcel’s 2023 album The Telecaster Diaries - the funk, soul, Ethiopian, Bossa Nova, easy listening etc.-inspired instrumental album that prompted the formation and name of The TD Band - Marcel and his band mates Al Barden (Frente, Kylie Auldist) on drums, Andy Pap (Ron Peno & The Superstitions) on bass and Farfisa Organist Pete Carolane have been regularly playing local shows and building a loyal base of devoted fans. Most recently Fabian Hunter (Teskey Brothers) has been joining the band for special live performances and the new “Mullumbimby Nights” single - - features his soothing Wah Wah guitar.

8. as 7

9. as 7

10. Xenonaut are an Instrumental Post Rock/Metal trio, from Cambridge UK, that regularly rotate instruments. Despite this multifaceted approach, Xenonaut are able to maintain a consistent sound that fuses progressive rock with sludgy metal riffs and atmospheric soundscapes. The band is comprised of Graeme Clarke, Emily Rendell & Neil Bruce.‘In Caelum’ Their debut album (out 4th of September) sounds as if it could be the soundtrack to a sci-fi film that had been composed by Hans Zimmer & Mastodon. Graeme and Neil were in Bouquet of Dead Crows.

11. More Wynn - this time a radio session with Jason Victor recorded for Radio Bremen at Grosser Sendesall, Bremen, Germany on January 27, 2003.

12. Saskatoon folk rock outfit Blue Umbrella releases its debut album, ‘Recklessly Yours,’ out now on streaming platforms and vinyl. Led by singer-songwriter Ryan Meili, better known across Canada as a family doctor, public health advocate and former leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, the record blends 70s folk rock with the grit of 90s prairie bar bands, carrying the depth of perspective that comes from a genuinely well lived life.

13. Chicago band. The entrancing new offering is the band’s fifth full‑length album and the third created by its longest‑running lineup. Since forming in 2008, the group has carved out a singular space at the intersection of post‑punk, doom metal, early industrial, noise‑rock, and shoegaze Paired Sentinels stands as the culmination of the band’s most prolific and unified period. It is their most cohesive and their most vulnerable album, underscoring a commitment to evolution and sustained creative intensity. Written by Alex Latus (guitar), Isidro Reyes (metal percussion), Skyler Rowe (drums), Mark Solotroff (vocals and analog synth), and Sam Wagster (bass guitar and lap steel guitar), the album reflects a group whose internal chemistry has reached a rare equilibrium.

14. Toronto’s Doghouse Rose release a record shaped by more than a decade of friendship, touring, setbacks, survival, and the stubborn belief that punk rock can still bring people together. Blending the melodic urgency of late-’90s skate punk with power-pop hooks, new-wave charm, and enough heart to fill a packed club singalong, the band’s third album for Stomp finds them older, wiser, and more self-aware than ever before. It’s also their most vulnerable record to date. Founded by best friends Sarah Beth and Jefferson Sheppard and rounded out by Gregory Laraigne and cousins Jordan and Garrick Zagerman, Doghouse Rose have spent more than ten years building their reputation the hard way.

15. More new music from the Antipodes. Victorian heavyweights The Meanieshave joined forces with Queensland chainsmokers Dad Fight with a split 7”. The Meanies’ side of the single, ‘Blacklist’, was recorded 25 years ago by Shane O’Mara at his studio Yikesville, and is seeing the light of day for the very first time. Sharp and catchy ‘Blacklist’ is quintessential Meanies. The single ties in with a couple of gigs at the end of September.

16. As 15.

17. The jangle rock and power pop breakout stars return with a brand new single, looking back to the titular year while bringing fans a taste of the future and a new album on the horizon. The first new track from the Ohio duo since last year’s Halloween hit “Ghoul You Want” and the first preview of their fourth album for Big Stir Records (anticipated in 2027).

18. Whether anchoring an orchestra or in the shadows of a jazz combo, the double bass is rarely seen – or heard – front and center. This album fixes that. Composer and double bassist Kyle Grimm presents five solo works for bass and electronics; each offering a distinct relationship between acoustic and electronic sound.

19. The Garden is a solo double bass album inspired by the resilience, vitality, and interconnectedness of plants. Composed by Asuka Kakitani – and eloquently performed by Mark Urness – the album offers an intimate, reflective journey through living pathways, revealing the double bass’s expressive range while illuminating aspects of the natural world.

20. Meditation-Tomorrow: Solo Flute Music of Alireza Mashayekhi brings together three transcendent works that reveal the depth, range, and philosophical imagination of one of Iran’s most important composers. Performed by acclaimed Iranian-American soloist Kelariz Keshavarz, the album offers a vividly expressive journey through Mashayekhi’s singular musical world; all seen – and heard – through the lens of the unaccompanied flute.

21. Steve says “About that title. My first label and very modest home studio was called Down There, named for the basement apartment where I lived in Los Angeles back in the days leading up to the Dream Syndicate. Since then I have moved many times-from apartment to apartment AND from label to label-and have spent the last 18 years living and doing my home recording in my 5th floor apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Hence, Up There Studios. Get it? Now that I’m moving on to another location (with another wildly clever studio name, I’m sure), it seems a good time for a wrap-up of some of the music I’ve made from home over the last decade or so. Some of the songs are demos for versions that would later show up on record. Some were recorded for compilations, tributes and as Hail Mary passes for TV and movie placement. There’s more where this came from but this seemed like a good place to start before I put all the tapes in the elevator and move back down to solid ground.”

22. Serving as the closing track to The Go-Betweens’ 2003 reunion-era album Bright Yellow Bright Orange, “Unfinished Business” is a brief, achingly pretty, and understated gem. Written by Grant McLennan, the song stands apart from the record’s more traditional structures by relying on a delicate, piano-driven arrangement that underscores its melancholic mood. Rather than finishing the album with a high-energy statement, the band opts for a quiet, reflective fade-out, allowing McLennan’s bittersweet lyricism and gentle delivery to linger. In just over two minutes, “Unfinished Business” captures the mature, autumnal grace of the post-reunion Go-Betweens, offering a poignant and fittingly poignant close to an otherwise sun-dappled record. This is the acoustic demo of the song.

23. Embodying Graney’s trademark blend of lounge-inflected indie rock, sharp-witted irony, and dapper cynicism, the track cleverly plays on generational clichés through a sophisticated, groove-laden lens. As the inaugural release on Graney’s independent Cockaigne label, the single underscored his enduring knack for self-aware, literate lyricism, cementing his status as one of Australia’s most idiosyncratic and consistently inventive songwriters.

24. Another offering from Moff - short and to the point.

25. Another track from the new album

26. More Salfordian electronica from Monty.

27. Another track from the excellent new album from this Australian band

28. A stripped back almost rocky version of the classic track from “The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other”

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Andy Sheppard, Rita Marcotulli, & Michael Benita “This Too - Three Hills” from Salt Catcher (ECM Records) 00:00

2. Volkan Kaplan & Rembrandt Trio “Shushter” from The Analtolian & Kaspian Suites (Volkan Kaplan Production) 08:59

3. Nicki Adams, Michael Eaton (feat. Francisco Mela) “Kupka Disks” from Arrival (J-man Records) 15:00

4. Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo “El Dia Que me Quieras” from El Arte de Bolero Vol 3. (Miel Music) 25:01

5. Cipher “Dolphin Diver” from Cipher (Smeik Records) 31:27

6. Skinny Hightower “Strides” from Feels Like Destiny (CastOver Records) 36:00

7. David Borgo “Málaga” from Panta Rhei (Borgoriginals) 42:25

8. Las Vegas Boneheads “Morning - Pensavita” from Stretchin’ Out (Curt Miller Music) 50:54

9. Mike Jones “Kelly’s Blues” from Mike Jones With Strings (Capri Records) 55:57

10. Bill Connors “Melting” from Of Mist And Melting (ECM Records) 1:04:56

11. Curlew “Agitar-the Victim-Improvisation-Oklahoma” from Live In Berlin (Cuneiform Records) 1:16:23

12. John Coltrane “Afro Blue” from Live in Japan (Impulse!) 1:33:00

NOTES

1. After an ECM debut recording with a quintet (Movements in Colour, 2009), a critically lauded release with his Trio Libero, successful quartet recordings (Surrounded By Sea, 2015, Romaria, 2018) and an internationally acclaimed trilogy of albums in a trio with Carla Bley and Steve Swallow, on Salt Catchers English saxophonist Andy Sheppard presents a new trio with Italian pianist Rita Marcotulli and French bass player Michel Benita – two musicians “with whom I go back quite a long time, but never recorded with collectively.” Full of captivating melodic beauty, delicate harmony and thoughtful interplay, the release features eight new Sheppard originals plus one tune by Carla Bley. Sheppard’s distinctive sound and elegantly phrased lines are complemented here by two fellow travellers of impeccable taste and deep empathy

2. The Anatolian and Caspian Suites is a 2026 cross-cultural jazz and world music project by Turkish folk artist Volkan Kaplan in collaboration with the Dutch Rembrandt Frerichs Trio. Recorded live at Wisseloord Studios, the album bridges the traditional modal structures and folk heritages of Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan with contemporary jazz improvisation, featuring Kaplan on the bağlama and tar alongside a sophisticated acoustic jazz framework.

3. Before forming this trio, Adams and Eaton recorded two acclaimed duet albums, Paraphrase and The Transcendental, performances that highlighted their remarkable musical rapport while hinting at new possibilities for contemporary jazz. With the addition of Francisco Mela, that musical conversation expands dramatically. Eaton’s distinctive voice on tenor—and soprano on one selection—is matched by Adams’ commanding rhythmic approach, whose left hand often creates bass lines worthy of Lennie Tristano, making the absence of a bassist feel entirely natural. Mela’s imaginative drumming brings exceptional color, energy, and momentum to every performance. The album features three original compositions by Eaton, two by Adams, two jazz standards, and interpretations of works by Andrew Hill and Thom Yorke. From the opening title track—with its stormy, exploratory tenor saxophone, inventive piano, and dramatic drum interjections—it is immediately clear that this trio has forged a distinctive ensemble sound and a fresh approach to improvisation.

4. The much-anticipated El Arte del Bolero, Volume 3, the latest instalment in the ongoing duo project featuring alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo, will be released August 28, 2026 on Zenón’s Miel Music label. Beloved by listeners and praised by critics, Volumes 1 and 2 showcased the artists in spirited, innovative renditions of Latin repertoire. Volume 3 continues in the same vein, with Zenón and Perdomo at the top of their game and in their comfort zone. Virtuoso instrumentalists and harmonic masters, the pair have been playing together in the internationally acclaimed Miguel Zenón Quartet for 27 years, and they have lifelong knowledge of the popular Latin repertoire in common. The distinctive, sweet tone of Zenón’s alto saxophone, Perdomo’s remarkable touch on the piano, and the duo’s ability to follow the music wherever it goes bring these lovely songs to life with authenticity, soul, and spirit.

5. The third single from the forthcoming album from this impressive Norwegian Quartet. Previous singles have been featured on earlier editions of the show.

6. If every artist has a turning-point record, Feels Like Destiny is Skinny Hightower’s. Drawing from the lineage of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and Herbie Hancock, Feels Like Destiny feels like the album these visionary artists might have crafted together. A jazz pianist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose sound fuses 70s soul, funk, fusion, and modern jazz, Hightower has cultivated a reputation as one of contemporary jazz’s most meticulous and spiritually grounded artists. But with this new album, he opens a new chapter—one driven by clarity, intention, and creative maturity.

7. A digital only release for his 19th album, Borgo is joined by Josh Nelson, Luca Alemmano and Dan Schnelle for a sprightly album of originals. The album title is a Greek phrase meaning “Everything Flows” - and apt description for the music it contains. His use of Coltrane idioms, but without imitation, provides for a recognizable overall feel to the music.

8. A feast for trombone lovers, the Las Vegas Boneheads’ Stretching Out features a six-trombone nonet playing the swinging charts of Dick “Stretch” McQuary. Led by trombonist Curt Miller, the group performs compositions by Bob Brookmeyer, Jimmy Rowles, John Carisi, Thad Jones, Clare Fischer, Benny Golson and Leon Russell. Alongside Miller the featured musicians are athan Tanouye - Trombone, Nate Kimball - Trombone, David Philippus - Trombone, Sonny Hernandez - Bass Trombone, Ralph Pressler - Bass Trombone, Dave Richardson- Piano, Steve Flora - Bass, and Johnny Friday – Drums.

9. The ability to swing has long been at the heart of jazz. For his new live album, virtuoso jazz pianist Mike Jones assembles a drummerless trio that proves to be one of the most swinging bands on the scene. The album was recorded live at Vic’s Supper Club in Las Vegas and features Jones, guitar prodigy Graham Dechter, and versatile bassist Alex Frank on a hard driving, profoundly swinging journey through the Great American Songbook.

10. Originally released in 1978 this Manfred Eicher-produced session with Jan Garbarek, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette and Connors was recorded at Oslo’s Talent Studio in December 1977. Following a period of electric guitar fireworks in various 70s fusion contexts, Connors’s time with ECM saw the guitarist strip things back to their acoustic core, revealing chamber music dynamics transported by subtle nylon-string playing. In thoughtful and engaging interplay with what can retrospectively be considered an improvising “supergroup”, the guitarist presents six original compositions that blend the lyrically concrete with wide-flung open explorations stunned to rediscover how deeply invested he became with the classical guitar during his 5-year stretch recording with Manfred Eicher for ECM. Re-issued as part of ECM’s Luminessence series.

11. Released in 1988, Live in Berlin captures the American avant-rock and jazz-fusion ensemble Curlew during an October 1986 performance primarily at Berlin’s Quasimodo Club. Led by saxophonist and composer George Cartwright—alongside downtown New York luminaries such as cellist Tom Cora, drummer Pippin Barnett, guitarist Davey Williams, and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz—the album brilliantly deconstructs and reassembles traditional American roots music. The band seamlessly weaves swaggering bar-band funk, blues, and down-home rhythms into jagged free-jazz improvisation and complex chamber-rock textures, showcasing a telepathic, high-energy interplay that stands as a definitive document of the 1980s New York avant-garde scene.

12. In the run up to the centenary of Trane’s birth (there will be a detailed article in September covering his whole career) here is another example of the legacy of the great man. Recorded in 1966 in Tokyo, the performance of Mongo Santamaría’s “Afro Blue” is a nearly 39-minute avant-garde odyssey. After initially stating the theme the group pivots the piece into a vehicle for intense collective improvisation. There is an extensive section with Pharoah Sanders taking the lead, his blistering upper-register shrieks and overblown multiphonics push matters to absolute limit. Driven by drummer Rashied Ali, bassist Jimmy Garrison and the unique playing of Alice Coltrane—Coltrane follows Sanders for a staggering solo that is less jazz and more ritual.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. The Taps Of The Holy Trinity - The Passage - Customs And Rituals Of

2. Origami Horses - Vultures - Vultures

3. The Riflebirds of Portland - Dreaming Of A Kiss - April

4. Soft Science “Understand” from Sand

5. Sunset & The Windy Hills “Malibu” from Dirty Power

6. Grex - Sicky - Auntie + Tebs

7. Body Type - Sick Bag - Tally

8. Cor De Lux - The Deli - The Year Of The Horse

9. Ed Kuepper - Not A Soul Around - The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper

10. Marshmellow Overcoat - Wrote A Letter To You - Beat A Dead Horse

11. The Morning Line - Anhedonia - Anhedonia

12. Alvin Singleton - Baked In The Cake (Jackie Leung : Piano) - from Inside Out

13. Jocelyn Morlock - Artemis Sleeps-m from Artemis Sleeps

14. Walton Lott - Piano Sonata No.2 - III Ricercare - Impulses

15. Barb Walters featuring Van Walker - Chalet Light - Chalet Light

16. OBA - Zahov - OBA

17. navā - Poly Varghese and Alec Ilyine - (Intro) Call For Love - Rainflower

18. Heikki Ruokangas - Sideshow Blues - I Do Believe There Is A Ghost In My Pipe

19. Ashley Naylor - Racing Time - Racing Time

20. The Goods - Summer’s Almost Gone - Goodbye Summertime

21. Neon Crabs - Altered States - A Big Dumb Racket

22. The Go-Betweens - Too Much Of One Thing (Acoustic Demo) - G Stands For Go-Betwens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

23. Dead Sea Apes - Psychic Tension - Psychic Tension

24. Moff Skellington - Hide The Fizzy Truth - Derti Berlap

25. The Dave Graney Show - Street Dreams - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

26. Things Of Stone And Wood - Don’t Fall Down (The Rabbit Holes) - Rae Street

27. The Junta - Neon Highway - Euphoria

28. Miles Davis - Honky Tonk - The Cellar Door Sessions

NOTES

1. The Taps of the Holy Trinity are a new project featuring Australian experimental musicians Arthur Karanikas, Michael Plater, Dave Bullock, and Dee Hannan, with Danny Martinov, Paul Rodgers, and Massimilano Gallo. Drawing on Arthur and Michael’s Mediterranean heritage, their music blends the traditional drone of the Greek demotika style with the hypnotic ecstasy of Anatolian folk and psych rock.

2. A fiercely independent, chameleonic fixture of the UK underground indie-rock scene. Emerging from Canterbury and later shifting their base to Margate, this enigmatic outfit has spent over a decade quietly crafting an impressive, evolution-heavy catalog of lo-fi, garage, and post-punk music. The band’s sonic footprint spans from rough-around-the-edges garage rock to highly mature, layered wall-of-sound atmospherics. Reviewers have long noted their knack for straddling the line between commercial indie glamour and deep, experimental grit. Their second single on Metal Postcard in 2026.

3. The third single to be release from The Riflebirds Of Portland’s recently reissued debut album “April.” After their 2025 album “Windmills On The Moon” garnered critical praise worldwide and all ten tracks from the album received substantial airplay interest in the long out-of-print “April” increased, leading to a vinyl, CD and digital release by Regional Records. “Dreaming Of A Kiss” is just one of the many highlights on the reissued album.

4. The Sacramento dream pop veterans present ‘Understand’, the second single from their long-awaited fifth album ‘Sand’. arriving September 4 via Shelflife Records in North America and Spinout Nuggets in the UK. Inspired by vocalist Katie Haley’s experiences raising teenage children, the song transforms uncertainty into reassurance, pairing luminous melodies with a message of resilience and hope. Following the vibrant lead single ‘Spinning’ featured on Different Noises 154, it finds the band delivering one of their most immediate and emotionally affecting songs to date.

5. A musician, film maker and author, Andrew Kidman is the former editor of Waves magazine and an Australian surf renaissance man whose work has made its mark around the world. With his Northern Rivers-based band Sunset & The Windy Hills (previously just The Windy Hills) - which also includes Andrew’s lead guitar playing rock journo pal Martin Jones (who is also a former editor of both In-Press and Rhythms magazines), bass player Paul Brewer and multi-instrumentalist/studio wiz Jay Kruegner - we have a new release nDirty Power, on Brisbane label SoundPressing. A second Sunset & The Windy Hills collection will follow on SoundPressing later in the year. Recorded over the last 15 years and recently remixed, Dirty Power is not so much a ‘best-of’ but a collection of songs that have laid the foundation allowing the band to tour locally and internationally.

6. Oakland experimental/art rock band Grex release their new studio full-length, titled Auntie + Tebs (“Auntie and Tebs”), September 10, 2026 on Geomancy Records. This record, their first in six years, showcases a wildly original approach to songcraft that nods to free jazz, alternative hip-hop, and the outer reaches of post-punk. These sounds tell a personal story about revolution and resilience. Half of all proceeds from this record will go to support social causes, including immigrants’ rights organizations and artists recovering from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Auntie + Tebs takes the band’s sound several steps further from previous releases. Grex’s previous record, Everything You Said Was Wrong, was supposed to be its last. Then, isolated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the band reconvened to develop a new set of songs - loud, incendiary stories fueled by avant-garde aesthetics and the rhetoric of radical politics. They performed this music in live settings for over half a decade, and this album is the end result.

7. Formed in Sydney, **Body Type** is a critically acclaimed indie rock and post-punk band known for their sharp, guitar-driven sound, dynamic vocal harmonies, and energetic live performances. Comprising Sophie McComish, Annabel Blackman, Georgia Wilkinson-Derums, and Cecil Coleman, the all-female group emerged through the local underground scene with a string of well-received EPs before releasing their debut full-length album, *Everything Is Dangerous but Nothing’s Surprising*, in 2022. Blending elements of garage punk, noise pop, and angular post-punk, they have since expanded their international footprint with subsequent records like *Expired Candy* (2023) and new album *Tally* (2026), earning widespread praise for their evolving, textured songwriting and vital presence in contemporary Australian alternative music.

8. I am reminded of Marquee Moon with this one. Another track from the new album previously featured on Different Noises 154. The full is out in September.

9. Recorded at the National Theatre, Melbourne in 2023, on Ed’s first tour focusing on his solo material with a full band for over a decade. A blistering, expansive performance featuring a terrific line up of musicians, including long time drummer Mark Dawson, bassist Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys), keyboardist Alister Spence, and brass arranger Eamon Dilworth, it showcases music from Ed’s 50-year career.

10. Bradford, Pennsylvania rock band Marshmellow Overcoat has released their new studio album, ‘Beat a Dead Horse,’ arriving alongside lead single “Wrote a Letter to You.” Formed by singer-songwriter Tyler Calkins in 2008 to blend the songwriting instincts of the sixties, seventies and nineties with a modern rock edge, the band has spent more than a decade building a devoted following across Western Pennsylvania and New York State, becoming one of the Southern Tier’s most consistently popular live acts.

11. Veteran Northern California indie rockers with a new single, an anthemic rocker of renewal that stands with the best melodic guitar pop of the acclaimed band’s 20-year career, and the first preview of a new album on its way this Autumn.

12. The debut recording of Torontonian, pianist Jackie Leung, a beautiful and varied portrait disc for the distinguished American composer Alvin Singleton. His imagination is singular and unusual, embracing elements of jazz and popular music alongside traits of high modernism, para-minimalismt approaches and even romanticism. Another notable attribute of Singleton’s output is his penchant for integrating improvisation into his work (he has collaborated with celebrated avant-jazz players like Wadada Leo Smith and Anthony Davis). His writing often conveys a feeling of spontaneity, imparting a unique emotional quality.

13. The sudden loss of celebrated Vancouver composer Jocelyn Morlock in 2023 sent shockwaves throughout the Canadian contemporary music scene. She was one of the nation’s foremost composers and broke new ground as the first woman to serve as composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 2014 to 2019. Among her numerous accolades, her 2015 National Arts Centre Orchestra commission, My Name is Amanda Todd, earned her the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year in 2018. Flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor was one of her most trusted collaborators, having cultivated both a vibrant creative dialogue and a deep friendship. Their intimate bond positions him as a uniquely sympathetic and authoritative instigator behind a projected series of posthumous albums—one that begins with Artemis Sleeps. This release highlights Morlock’s special affinity for the flute, featuring it in a diverse array of ensembles, spanning tender solo works to a generously textured flute octet and even a wind quintet, one of her last completed pieces. It also features the flute in intimate duos and trios alongside instruments such as harp, guitar, and voice.

14. Walton Lott is not one to shy away from a touch of Modernism. His new album, Impulses, boldly proclaims two monumental piano works that ask enduring questions about music, struggle, and introspection. The album pairs Frederic Rzewski’s rarely-recorded Four Pieces for Piano (1977) with John Harbison’s Piano Sonata No. 2 (2001), offering listeners a journey from volatile political commentary to lyrical classicism.

15. Esteemed Melbourne singer-songwriter Barb Waters returns with the new single “Chalet Light”, a superb duet/co-write with Van Walker. Together with last month’s single “Farmers Wife”, a duet with Barb’s daughter Jeanie Pilkington from Folk Bitch Trio, “Chalet Light” is the first new music Barb has released under her own name in 15 years. The new single was recorded at Melbourne’s Audrey Studios together with a stellar line-up of rock legends, including Chris Tabone, Bruce Haymes and Ashley Naylor, and they were produced, engineered and mixed by Craig Pilkington

16. OBA is a unique project born from a chance recording session between three friends - Amir Khay Nir (USA), Orri Dror (Iceland), and Benjamin Esterlis (Israel). Over the past few years, the trio layered instruments across three continents, resulting in a sound that feels like a lost soundtrack from a parallel dimension’s 70s television program. The album blends vintage keyboards and warm analogue synthesizers with acoustic folk and rhythmic grooves - it’s nostalgic, futuristic, and entirely instrumental.

17. navā Sanskrit/Hindi (new) and Persian (melody/song) is the Naarm based duo comprising Mohan Veena player Poly Varghese and Belgian guitarist Alec Ilyine on acoustic steel string and Japanese Taishogoto. Their debut release Rainflower is a true mix of different cultures and ideas expressed through improvisation.

18. Heikki Ruokangas’ new trio album I Do Believe There Is A Ghost In My Pipe with drummer Teemu Mustonen and double bassist Eero Tikkanen draws inspiration from the world of ghosts and the unseen. The cover artwork by American painter Jim Kopp further shaped the album’s atmosphere and artistic direction. Blending lyrical melodies with fearless atonal improvisation, the trio moves fluidly between structure and freedom. Together they dissolve conventional notions of time, rhythm, and harmony, creating a distinctive musical language that fuses contemporary jazz with subtle influences from Finnish folk music.

19. Melbourne musician Ashley Naylor plays guitar in The Church, The Stems, Paul Kelly, the RocKwiz Orkestra and for a host of other artists. He is the guitarist, songwriter and singer of ‘90s faves Even, leader of instrumental outfit Ashley Naylor Spaceship and co-conspirator in a number of other acts including The Grapes and The Ronson Hangup. Released last month, while Ash was in the midst of a huge arena tour with Paul Kelly, he breaks substantial ground in a new phase in his career with the release of his new solo vocal album Alexandria Sunset. The new material follows Naylor’s acclaimed instrumental solo guitar album Soundtracks Vol. 2 and the birth of his new solo band Spaceship and is Naylor’s first releasse in this forma in over a decade. Primarily song focused rather than a vehicle for Naylor’s guitar playing, Alexandria Sunset is the first release on which Naylor himself plays and sings every note himself since 2004’s Four Track Mind and it’s a much more evolved record than that was. It digs deep into the classic stylings of the late ‘60s and ‘70s that Naylor has always loved. As the artist himself says, “I’m an indie artist hung up on classic rock”.

20. The first taste of album Goodbye Summertime, arriving September 16 on Dandy Boy Records. Bright guitars, big harmonies, and power pop hooks meet Beatles-inspired psychedelia and sunny West Coast guitar pop.

21. Metal Postcard say “Recorded in Dallas and York during album sessions for ‘This Puppy Can See A Frog’ September 2025 and ‘Land of The Freaks’ May 2026. Formed as a transatlantic collaboration between Andy Goz (of York, UK’s Neon Kittens) and Matt Nauseous (of Dallas, Texas’s Legless Crabs and Occult Character), the group distills underground friction into manic, brief explosions of sound. It serves as an ideal, jagged soundtrack for navigating a chaotic modern landscape Acerbic lyrics and divisive vocals will intentionally push away mainstream listeners. However, for fans of classic No Wave, early Fall records, or unapologetic underground rock, this release is an essential, bracing shot of adrenaline”. Not sure about the early Fall comparison….seems almost in a parallel universe.

22. The Go-Betweens - featured box-set

23. Dead Sea Apes - featured album

24. Moff Skellington - featured album

25. The Dave Graney Show - featured album

26. Things of Stone And Wood - featured album

27. The Junta - featured album

28. Miles Davis - from the second set on December 18, 1970. Unlike the dense, chaotic polyrhythms of Bitches Brew, the music at the Cellar Door leaned heavily into hard-driving, hypnotic funk. “Honky Tonk” serves as a slow, heavy, two-chord blues vamp that allows the band to stretch out, build intense dynamic tension, and lock into deep grooves.

    

    Thanks for reading Different Noises! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The Manchester conurbation has always had an intelligent pop/rock pedigree which sometimes reached the wider world, The Hollies, 10cc, and Buzzcocks are three perfect examples. For every one of those feted bands/groups there are dozens of other equally laudable combos who nearly made it to that elusive wider audience. We need to go back to the 1990s for a great example of a band who deserved more exposure.

Harvey’s Rabbit were formed in Manchester in 1992. Between then and 1998 the band were constantly gigging, initially in and around the Greater Manchester area, and then nationally. Following a number of dates around the country supporting The Fall and a John Peel session in 1994 the band signed to Oxford based label Rotator and achieved some recognition with their first single release, an interpretation of the Robert Forster song “Is This What You Call Change?” As well as achieving some radio play and critical acclaim the song reached number 42 in John Peel’s Festive 50 in 1995.

With a change of line up which saw Pez join the band on drums, and Andy Gott on bass Harvey’s Rabbit went on to release a further 3 singles and the album “The New Spiritual Vacuum” before calling it a day in 1998.

However, prior to signing for Rotator the band recorded several demos and other material, much of which was not released or saw the light of day as intended. This included the self- financed recording of an album entitled “A Place For Beginners” which was released on cassette only as a Rain Soaked Production release in 1994. In reality, the cassette was used as a promotional tool, with a few copies being sold at gigs and in Manchester’s own “Piccadilly Records”.

Following a little fettling the original recordings are now to be released on Bandcamp, as a powerful album where the songs, although recorded in 1994 still stand up today. The album will be released on September 18th as pay what you want on Bandcamp.

Here are a couple of taster tracks from the album.

ALL OVER THE WORLD

FEAR OF FLYING

There is a flurry of live activity from band members in September and October.

Harvey’s Rabbit with original band member Dave Thom will play Gullivers, Manchester on 24th September supporting TV Smith and The Bored Teenagers TICKETS HERE

Tim Lyons, and Dave Thoms’ band Precogs is playing Manchester Peer Hat on October 5th and Stockport Spinning Top on October 7th.

Mick Pullan’s band The Last Caboose is playing Manchester Central Library on 3rd September TICKETS HERE

Releases by Precogs and The Last Caboose are available on the Half Edge Records Bandcamp Page.

I took the opportunity to sit down with Mick Pullan from the group to discuss this release.

What made you want to re-release the album/material after all these years?

Looking back I think we were always quite busy as a band, always thinking ahead to what we wanted to do next, whether that was in terms of gigs, recording, getting together new songs. We never really had time just sitting around. I think when we recorded this material we had already done 2 or 3 demos so we wanted to do something more than that and thought the natural thing was to record an album. The fact that we didn’t have a label, or a manager, or anything to support a release didn’t seem to occur to us. As far as we were concerned we had plenty of songs and that was what mattered. So that’s what we did, we recorded an album which we called “A Place For Beginners” which we made available on cassette at Piccadilly Records, gigs and by mail order. We saw it as being a step up from a demo.

And then very quickly we moved on to the next recording, more new songs and from the next recordings came “Is This What You Call Change?” which went on to become our first single, so a lot of these songs were soon forgotten.

Most of these songs I haven’t listened to much over the years until recently. I think last year you had played one of our very early demos, a song called “Julie Says” which caused me to go back and listen to them and I found I was very pleasantly surprised. I found a lot of the songs still stood up so I started thinking about what would work best and decided a lot of A Place For Beginners was great place to start. We have taken a couple of songs off if we thought they were a bit weak; and also added a couple of others from other recordings from around the same time. It has taken a while from beginning to think about releasing this material, but once we actually made a start it has actually come together quite quickly.

What process did you go through to upgrade the tracks for this release?

All done by the process we have decided to call “refaffing”.

It was limited to what we could actually do to the tracks as we didn’t have access to the original recordings. Quite a few years ago it occurred to me that we were in danger of losing the recordings we made in the early days as they only seemed to exist on cassette and DATs so I took them back to Pete at Studio Studio where we had originally recorded (though he was now on to Studio Studio v2) and we transferred everything to CD, which at least meant we had some versions which we didn’t think would rot or fade away and we could download and save.

Earlier this month I returned to Pete and Studio Studio once more (now Pete is in Studio Studio v3) and we did the refaffing which basically consisted of doing some work on editing in places; EQ; adding some light compression and adjusting levels to normalise the tracks. I was surprised with how much of a difference this made and I feel we now have something where the sound quality is easily good enough to put out and doesn’t let the songs down. So there you go, a bit of refaffing is all that is required.

Only two of the songs on the album made it on to A New Spiritual Vacuum - why not any of the others?

Hmm good question. I think the 2 which made it on to the later albums were the ones we continued to play live regularly. As I said earlier, I think we tended to move on with things very quickly and perhaps not all the songs we had got the attention they deserved. Looking back I do think we could have spent a bit more time on some of the earlier material and I actually think The New Spiritual Vacuum might have been a better album if it had perhaps been more of a mix of the best songs form that album combined with the best songs from the earlier stuff (including A Place For Beginners).

1992-1998 was a turbulent period for the Manchester Music Scene with the collapse of Factory. James’ success. Oasis emerging, Drum N Bass, Rave etc. How do you see the band in that context?

It’s a bit odd really in that all that stuff was going on but we were never really a part of it, not by any conscious decision making but we were just into making the best music we could with what we had at our disposal. I also think as a band we had a lot of influences (perhaps a wider range of influences than a lot of the other bands at the time) which all just got thrown into the pot and came out in different ways. I think this meant our sound could and did change quite a bit from time to time, which can be good, it keeps things interesting but it can also work against you because it makes you a bit harder to pin down. Funnily enough I have been looking through things from the past while I have been pulling together this project and I came across a review from a local paper of our very first demo and the reviewer makes a comparison with The Go-Betweens. I thought wow I don’t think I even realised myself at that early stage that there was an influence there. Yes its easier to spot later after we had recorded Is This What You Call Change? But it’s interesting to see it was there in the early days and I would have to say The Go Betweens, although they were known over here (and were great) I don’t think they were seen as a band that were an influence on the whole Madchester thing of the time. So we were a bit “different” I guess.

I think it was 1995 when Pez (Pete Saunders) joined us on drums. Obviously Pez had been in The New Fast Automatic Daffodils who had just recently split and they had experienced quite a lot of success and felt much more like a “Manchester” band than us I suppose. I also feel there were a lot of Manchester bands (good ones) around at the time who were not part of that Manchester scene and so were overlooked perhaps but were still making some good music and playing good gigs.

The Realities of the 1994 DIY Ethic - A Place For Beginners was born out of frustration with sending out demos and facing standard industry rejection. When you all decided to say “forget the labels, let’s record an album ourselves,” did it feel like a risky gamble or a necessary act of survival?

I think it just seemed like the next logical step. We had recorded 2 demos and sent them off to all the usual labels and got very little back in terms of response. Meanwhile we had all these songs so it was a case of are we going to wait around until someone recognises our genius and pays us to record an album or are we going to just get on with it and go record it ourselves? The second option felt quickest. And it was a good choice really, although the album was never widely released (cassette only on our own Rain Soaked label without any distribution) it meant that the songs were never lost and it also felt we had taken a step up from the release of demo tapes. Possibly it helped us getting The Peel session too.

You recorded the album at Studio Studio near Rochdale. What do you remember about those recording sessions? How did a band with a self-described “DIY work ethic” manage the logistics and pressure of tracking a full album back then?

It was great. I remember it very fondly. Pete had started Studio Studio (v1) in the basement of his house in Whitworth. It was very small and looking back it must have been very basic, but he has always had a feel for how to get the best sounds out of anything I have done with him and he is a really good person to work with. We weren’t kids but obviously were a lot younger than we are today and it just felt great to be there recording an album, even if we didn’t have the backing of anyone at that stage. Looking back, I think at that point we were a very good unit, perhaps we didn’t realise it at the time. Recently I was talking to Pete about this and I said that looking back I think we made a mistake when we later on went to record in a bigger studio with more equipment. If we were to do things again I would have continued in the small but beautifully formed Studio Studio where I think we have developed a good way of working and to me the recordings had a better feel about them.

The album was initially a cassette-only release distributed by hand—dropping copies off at Piccadilly Records, selling them at shows, or just giving them away. What was it like seeing your own physical tapes sitting on the shelves of an iconic independent shop next to major-label acts?

Yes that was good. Obviously Piccadilly Records has always been a very important part of Manchester music; and a big part of that was how it’s always been good at keeping the local scene at the heart of what it does. It has always been good at providing a space in it’s shop for local bands without any backing. And from what I can see it continues to run in the same spirit.

Following on from that, it was good to see our cassette in the racks of the shop, but a couple of years a later I did have a moment when we had our second single released by Rotator and I went into HMV where they had a display on the back wall of singles of the week and there was our effort next to Bowie’s new release “Strangers When We Meet” (which I still love). That was nice and a bit surreal for me.

Navigating Manchester Outside of “The Scene” - You’ve noted before that Harvey’s Rabbit “never really part of a scene” despite being based in Manchester through the height of the 1990s. While the world was looking at the swagger of early Oasis and peak Britpop, what was the reality of the alternative, melodic pop underworld you were operating in?

Rehearsing religiously at Redhouse on Rochdale Road near the Marble Arch; putting our own gigs on at pubs and clubs like The Castle (very different to the Castle of today; we had to move the pool table before we could set up and play); The Cypress Tavern; The Roadhouse; The Lancaster Tavern; Cathedral Arches; occasionally Band On The Wall; The Boardwalk; The Roadhouse; undercover flyposting with buckets of wallpaper paste; handing out flyers for gigs to students on Oxford Road; pleasure at getting a mention in City Life or the Manchester Evening News – that’s the early days. Gigs with some great bands with great sounding names – Non Stop Mancini; Stan’s Bike; Lead Balloon were 3 I remember off the top of my head.

A bit later things changed a bit and for a brief time we had a bit more exposure. We got some press with the NME; a place in Peel’s festive 50; radio sessions with John Peel and Johnnie Walker; some airplay from the likes of Mark Radcliffe and Steve Lamacq in particular, and gigs away from home. All of which was nice but it never felt as though we were part of a Manchester thing – as the world saw it, or part of any scene. In fact the first time were played on national radio was when Mark Radcliffe played our demo of Is This What You Call Change? Live on air, while taking someone from In The City to task for not putting on a decent quota of local acts. He said of us, something along the lines “Why don’t’ you put these on, they sound pretty good to me?”

Your sound leaned heavily into sophisticated, melancholic pop (evidenced by your cover of Robert Forster’s ‘ “Is This What You Call Change?”). Did you ever feel pressure from promoters or local press to conform to the louder, lads-and-guitars “Manchester sound” of the era?

Funnily enough we always did okay with local press who all seemed to like what we were doing. So all our early demos and subsequent releases got favourable reviews with local press. I think we were very much about trying to write and produce good songs rather than get a “good sound”. I felt at the time (and I think it’s probably still the same); a lot of what was going on revolved around a “good sound” and songwriting was being neglected. Though you could still find evidence of it if you looked beneath the surface (Robert Foster being an example).

Around the time of this album, you scored an important series of dates supporting The Fall—including a legendary two-night stand at The Roadhouse. How terrifying, inspiring, or chaotic was it sharing a bill with The Fall, and how did that exposure shape the band’s confidence?

That was great. They were probably the first gigs we played where we were playing to a packed venue; and although people were coming to see The Fall not us, a large section of the audience did arrive for the support band and listen with interest. We went down well and got a good response. Initially we did the 2 nights at The Roadhouse; and then we got 2 nights in Liverpool with them (at The Lomax), followed by dates in Oldham; Exeter; Basingstoke and a brilliant new venue in Penzance. Everywhere was packed and we went down well everywhere. So yes it did our confidence the world of good to feel we could do it in front of larger crowds in venues in other areas of the country.

It was also good be able to spend a bit of time up close to a band who were more experienced than us and on a different level. I think we were able to learn a bit from that on how to do it.

How did you catch the ear of John Peel? You’ve mentioned that reaching the Festive 50 felt like “making it” more than anything else. Can you take us back to the moment you found out you’d placed? How did it change things for the band?

I think we got a session with John Peel before we had actually had a proper release. I assumed that he had become aware of us as he was obviously a big Fall fan and we had just done our dates supporting them. We had recorded A Place For Beginners and I am assuming that this was what I sent to him (in fact at the end of the session he read out our address so listeners could send payment with a stamped addressed envelope if they wanted a copy).

Later when we released the first single “Is This What You Call Change?” (which we recorded ourselves at Studio Studio v1 fairly shortly after recording A Place For Beginners) on Rotator I think Peel played it a couple of times but at the end of the year it turned up in his festive 50 at number 42. I am not sure how that happened but it did feel very good. At number 1 that year was Pulp with Common People. It felt good that a band on a new label with no backing really, could get in there somehow.

I think it helped for a while. I think we were looked at as a bit of an oddity, and people were not quite sure what to make of us. But having a bit of approval from John Peel certainly meant that people were kindly disposed to us for a while and more willing to give us a chance.

Going back to the master tapes to “refaffle” and remaster these recordings must have felt like a time machine. What was your reaction hearing those 1994 tracks on a modern desk for the first time in decades? Did any songs surprise you with how well they held up?

It was great. On the one hand it did feel a bit like going back in time and sparked off memories from the time. On the other hand it was great to hear how well the songs and recording stood up, especially after being “refaffled”. A couple we rejected because we didn’t feel they did stand up as well as other songs (original version of Windowdresser and Cadillac) but others just sounded great – All Over The World and Blue Cat Café I was really pleased with. We actually re recorded these 2 later down the line for Rotator but to my mind these original versions are superior. A couple of Dave’s songs (Cider Head and Love Song in A) I really enjoyed hearing again and have fond memories of playing them live way back. A couple of songs I hadn’t heard for a long while and I was surprised to find they were perhaps better than I remembered (Ferry In The Rain and Behind Me). And there’s a great live version of a very old song called Back On The Streets with very noisy monster guitars (I had forgotten we played like that at times – a bit Neil Young Crazy Horse really).

When a listener plays A Place For Beginners today, what do you hope they hear? Do you view it as a time capsule of a specific moment in 90s Manchester, or as a timeless introduction to what Harvey’s Rabbit was all about and that The Harveys is today?

Well for me there is a bit of nostalgia involved with it all. It does take me back to a time and place, and all the people associated with that.

But what has pleased when I have listened to these songs again is that they just sound great still as songs. On the whole the recordings stand up still. And people who I have played some of these songs to seem to go along with that – so hopefully if people hear these songs that is what they will hear, and it will kindly dispose them to search for more

You have brought the old band name back (rather than The Harveys) for the forthcoming TV Smith gig - why?

Over the last few years we have been playing some gigs as The Harveys and recording / releasing new material under that name with you on Half Edge Records; which has been great. For this gig though, we knew Harvey’s Rabbit amazing guitarist Dave Thom would be available to play (he hasn’t been involved with recent Harvey’s activities) so it just seemed a great opportunity to play as Harvey’s Rabbit again and play some of the older material which we haven’t played so much as The Harveys.

With you and Tim juggling two bands each how do you make sure you are not stretching yourself too thin?

It’s all good fun. For me, (and I suspect it’s the same for Tim) I have always loved playing with The Harveys and Harvey’s Rabbit and am excited about the new release and the upcoming gig at Gullivers. I did also come to a point where I wanted to do something a bit different and I have always had a wish to do something which was more acoustic based. It got to the point where the pieces fit together and The Last Caboose was formed and it’s been great playing live and recording with this new band. At the moment I think it’s still possible to do both and I think it’s healthy to do different things. Working on one project can have a positive effect on how you approach things when you go back to working on something else.

It’s all good stuff.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. The Scornful Four “One Day You Will Know” from Hopeful Music For Hopeless People (4000 Records) 00:00

2. Rafael Zaldivar “Walking With Christian” from ZALDIVER/MCBRIDE/MELA : Meeting In New York Vol.1 (577 Records) 07:04

3. Rob Dixon “Fields And Valleys” from Naptown Soul (Strikezone Records) 16:24

4. Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM “Minotauro” from Jazz Sinfónico Mexicano (Urtext Records) 23:04

5. Rachel Spencer “Liminal Spaces” from The Next Right Thing (Rachel Spencer Music) 32:10

6. Shapeshifter “The Meaningful Conversations” from Shapeshifter (Lit Soc Records) 40:23

7. Isabelle & Raphaël Olivier “On The Edge” from Open (Rewound Echoes) 47:47

8. Or Bareket “X Tsu’unu’um / out is through” from /AYIN/ (Enja Records) 51:24

9. Rodrigo Amado This Is Our Language Quartet “Hot Folk” from Wailers (European Echoes) 54:36

10. James Brandon Lewis Quartet “Spirit Of The Living God” from Omni (Intakt Records) 1:05:01

11. Tomeka Reid “Under The Aurora Sky” from dance! skip! hop! (Out Of Your Head Records) 1:15:25

12. Jared Schonig Big Band “Jiggle Jaggle” from Live At Dizzy’s (Anzic Records) 1:27:05

13. The Joshua Breakstone Quartet “Soultrane” from Wonderful! (Capri Records) 1:37:45

14. John Coltrane featuring Pharoah Sanders “Cosmos” from Live In Seattle (Impulse!) 1:47:42

NOTES

1. A multi-generational jazz quartet from Meanjin that features repertoire that is entrenched in the history of jazz with a uniquely Australian approach, evoking the incomparable vast landscapes and vistas of their home. Hopeful Music for Hopeless People follows on from their 2023 live album which launched the project/imprint that has become the landmark Jazz in Meanjin series; the band has taken the fire and spontaneity of live performance into the studio. The album title is a two-sided reference: providing hope to those who feel like they are living in a hopeless world, but also as an antidote to the hopeless (read: useless) leaders that the world seems to be blighted by currently. Recorded in a single three-hour session with the audiophile purity of only four condenser microphones (one for each musician) in one room, the album is imbued with an honesty and immediacy of communication and expression that is rarely heard, even on jazz records.

   Personnel: Andrew Garton - alto saxophone, composition; Sharon Elaine - trumpet; Helen Russell - double bass; Aaron Jansz - drums deliver an exceptional album which demands repeat listening.

2. Zaldivar is a deeply lyrical pianist with a near-romantic sensibility. His sound is open yet firm, exploratory while remaining consistently melodic, shaped by a strong sense of direction and clarity of phrasing. A natural fluidity runs through his musical language, defining his presence throughout the recording.

   Francisco Mela contributes a highly developed rhythmic voice—dynamic, responsive, and constantly in motion. Energy and structure coexist in his work, with seamless movement between subtle detail and forward propulsion. His long-standing relationship with the label remains an essential part of its artistic identity. Christian McBride appears in a setting that highlights his versatility beyond a strictly straight-ahead context. Grounded in deep tradition, he moves with ease and authority within a more open and exploratory framework, bringing clarity, balance, and weight to the trio sound. Together, the three musicians form a coherent and focused musical dialogue, where individual voices remain distinct while contributing to a unified ensemble identity. The result is a recording defined by clarity of intention, strong musical communication, and a shared artistic vision.

3. A tip of the hat to the soul jazz sounds of Indiana Avenue with a nod to Wes Montgomery & Freddie Hubbard. This brand new “From the 317” project to be released in 2026 features a luminous cast of heavy hitters, including guitarist Dave Stryker (Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff), saxophonist Rob Dixon (Count Basie, Charlie Hunter), B3 organist Sam Fribush (Adam Deitch, Charlie Hunter), and drummer Richard “Sleepy” Floyd (Phonte & Nicolay, DJ Logic). Effortless funky and a great deal of fun.

4. This album documents the concerts presented by the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM (OFUNAM) under the baton of guest conductor Vince Mendoza, as part of the celebration of International Jazz Day 2025. The program featured works by Mexican jazz composers from different generations. In addition to the orchestra’s traditional instrumentation, the performances incorporated a saxophone section and a jazz quartet — drums, bass, guitar, and piano — made up of musicians who rank among the foremost exponents of Mexican jazz, crowned by the presence of the renowned drummer Antonio Sánchez.

5. Inspired by the wisdom of finding courage in the face of ambiguity, Rachel Spencer’s debut album is a dynamic exploration of modern groove and post-bop tradition. Anchored by Spencer’s expressive, soulful trumpet playing, the record brings together a stellar ensemble of musicians, featuring Michael Dease on trombone, Gene Centeno on saxophone, Andy Langham on piano, Liam O’Dell on bass, and Adam Jackson on drums.

6. The debut recording from Toronto composer and saxophonist Brittany Pitt and her trio Shapeshifter. It’s due out on Lit Soc Records September 4th, the in-house imprint of the bookstore/ music venue Sellers and Newel. Shapeshifter’s self-titled album was captured live off the floor at Sellers and Newel itself, which lends a casual, unfettered quality to its improvisatory invention but also imbues the album with intimacy. The group, which also features Dan Pitt on guitar and drummer Aidan McConnell (known for his work in celebrated indie groups Burs and Potions), embraces syncopated vigour as much as it does elusive atmospherics, showcasing the range of everyone involved. This body of work and the project itself material owes much to Pitt’s recent time at the School for Improvisational Music in New York where she worked and studied under Ralph Alessi, Matt Mitchell, John Hebert, Tom Rainey and Tim Berne. Each of those artists helped her to sculpt her personal vision of fronting a group while also soliciting considerable sponatneous input from her collaborators. Shapershifter is an assured and curious-minded album that establishes Brittany Pitt as an exemplar of the young Toronto jazz community of which she is a member.

7. Recognized by audiences and professionals alike as both performers and composers, Isabelle Olivier and Raphaël Olivier form a unique mother-and-son duo. For the past 13 years, their musical worlds have intertwined on a sonic journey they craft through the harp and the guitar. Born from the travels, encounters, and shared moments of the two composers, OPEN is an ode to openness, an invitation to open our arms, our hearts, to pause for a moment, to breathe and reconnect with what truly matters. From jazz standards to modern improvisations, with a nod to British pop, this duo invites us into a world of curiosity, camaraderie, and musical innovation. Their two styles—one melancholic, even introspective; the other, playful and adventurous—interact to pique the listener’s curiosity and awaken the senses.

8. Bareket’s two recent quartet albums SAHAR (2022) and YŌM (2024) are among the defining works of the New York sound in the 2020’s. The quartet’s forthcoming album, /AYIN/ follows in those footsteps while building on the language and aesthetics established with long-time collaborators Godwin Louis and Savannah Harris. The quartet is joined, for the first time, by Fabian Almazan on piano and electronics. /AYIN/ was produced by vibraphonist and composer Joel Ross. The music realized on the album is the result of an exploration of how musical elements get processed, metabolized, and transformed across different iterations of a piece. This work is inspired by Bareket’s internal dialogues with deceased ancestors, yet-to-be-born progeny, and living peers, reflecting on what are the threads that connect us? Which elements remain intact across the generations and which morph into something else beyond recognition? And, most importantly, what is an artist’s role within that lineage? The record comes out on October 16, 2026 and this preview single gives some clear markers on what to expect.

9. Wailers is a powerful masterclass in free jazz and improvised music by Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and his acclaimed ensemble, This Is Our Language Quartet. Driven by deep telepathic interplay, the album features Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, and bird water whistle, Joe McPhee on tenor saxophone, Kent Kessler on double bass, and Chris Corsano on drums.

10. Omni is a deeply spiritual and powerful contemporary jazz record that expands upon saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis’s signature “Molecular Systematic Music”. Anchored by Lewis’s commanding tenor saxophone, the album features his tightly synchronized working quartet comprising Aruán Ortiz on piano, Brad Jones on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums.

11. The fourth album by the Tomeka Reid Quartet. Comprising five intricate tracks, the record leans into an infectious, rhythm-forward approach that blends avant-garde jazz with elements of funk, Latin music, and chamber folk. Because of the group’s lower-register instrumentation—featuring Reid’s cello, Mary Halvorson’s guitar, Jason Roebke’s bass, and Tomas Fujiwara’s drums—the album creates a distinct, earthy acoustic space that balances playful momentum with deeply expressive, conversational improvisation.

12. An exhilarating showcase of modern big band energy led by acclaimed drummer, composer, and bandleader Jared Schonig. Recorded live at the prestigious New York City venue, the album highlights the spontaneous electricity and tight-knit musical trust of Schonig’s ensemble. Driven from the drum kit by Schonig, the performance features a stellar line-up of contemporary jazz artists, including a rhythm section featuring bassist Matt Clohesy and pianist David Cook, alongside a powerhouse horn section boasting trumpeters Tony Kadleck, Scott Wendholt, and Terell Stafford, trombonist Mike Davis, and saxophonists Jason Rigby and Andrew Gould.

13. Acclaimed jazz guitarist Joshua Breakstone was only 27 when he recorded his first album as a leader. While Wonderful! was released early in his career, Breakstone already displayed the attributes of a seasoned jazz player. His swinging quartet featuring the great Barry Harris on piano, Earl Sauls on bass, and stalwart Leroy Williams on drums infuses the music with panache and excitement. The original record, out of print for almost 40 years, released August 21, 2026 via Capri Records. The re-release marks the recording’s first time on CD. Breakstone was playing regularly with saxophonist Warne Marsh around the time Wonderful! was recorded. Pianist Lennie Tristano was a major influence on Marsh, which inspired Breakstone to include Tristano’s composition “Two Not One” as one of the tracks on his album. The great Django Reinhardt also gets a nod with a spirited performance of “Django’s Castle.” The album also shows off Breakstone’s already impressive composing skills with two of his originals, “Sevens-Up” and “This Is It!” The remaining three tracks are outstanding interpretations of classic tunes by classic composers. George Gershwin’s “S’Wonderful” opens the album with a bang, followed by the featured extended track Tadd Dameron’s “Soultrane” which is perversely labelled as Soul Train on the files. Filling out the recording is “Time on My Hands” by Vincent Youmans. While any listener of Wonderful! can hear Breakstone’s prodigious talent as a guitarist, he looks back on the album with the self-critical eye of a master. “When I hear the young guitar player that I was,” he says, “I can’t help but think, if I only knew then what I know now.”

14. Live in Seattle is a boundary-pushing archival release capturing John Coltrane’s final, most radically avant-garde touring ensemble during a legendary September 1965 residency at The Penthouse jazz club. The album features Coltrane on tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone, Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone and piccolo, Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on double bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Live in Seattle is important during John Coltrane’s centenary year because it documents his final working ensemble at its most uncompromising. It serves as a primary historical record of the live partnership between Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, capturing the shift from modal jazz into free improvisation. Revisiting this recording highlights the demanding, high-energy nature of Coltrane’s late-period live performances, distinguishing them from his studio work.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Dead Sea Apes - Damn Your Eyes - Psychic Tension

2. Janel Leppin - Walking Through A Party - The Realist

3. Gentles - My Fugue, My Greek, My Brahms - Nation

4. The Datsuns - Moonstruck Man - Moonstruck Man

5. The Golden Gaytimes - I’m Not Going Anywhere - I’m Not Going Anywhere

6. Pyroclast - Pyroclast - Fractured State

7. St Silva - Blue Heron - Forager

8. Arthur King - Intimacy - UMN (Fantastic Planet)

9. The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Love, Light, Beauty, And, Truth - Love, Light, Beauty, And, Truth

10. The Secrecy - Pins And Needles - Pins And Needles

11. Huxton Creepers - Opposites Attract - Opposites Attract

12. DEATĦ B¥ LØVE -In Unity (WIELORYB Power Noise Remix) -In Unity (WIELORYB Remix and Tribute)

13. Mercedes Brown - No Tomorrow - Light The Fire

14. Jah Wobble and Tian Qiyi - Strawberry Fields Forever - Strawberry Fields Forever

15. Randy California - Day Tripper - Kapt. Kopter & The (Fabulous) Twirly Birds

16. Peter Hammill - Red Shift - The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage

17. Cinder Well - August - A Blooming Body

18. Peter Eötvös, Bob Rutman, Ensemble Modern Orchestra - Spring - Heiner Goebbels : Walden

19. The Go-Betweens - Something For Myself - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

20. Moff Skellington - Red Monkey, Peter Woods, Phobia, Birthplace, Crikey, Owlitz - Dawn Ablutions

21. Fancy Weapon - I Bring Nothing - Fancy Weapon

22. The Dave Graney Show - Don’t Be True - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

23. Smoked Salmon - There’s A Virus Going Round - Totally Sick!!

24. The Junta - Afterglow (Extended Mix) - Euphoria

NOTES

1. Manchester (UK) based Dead Sea Apes are back with an impressive soundtrack for the nerve-shredding times we live in. It picks up where the previous album Rewilding left off, carrying forward the momentum of massive riffs, juggernaut rhythms and squalling sonic overload. Noise-rock, Japanese psych, minimal dub, Electric-era Miles, Can meets Crazy Horse vibes emerge from their wall of sound. This impressive opening track made me sit up and listen.

2. Janel continues to cross boundaries with her exciting new album featuring the Realist Trio of Leppin - cello, Prophet 5, Devra Hoff - bass and Chad Taylor - drums, mbira.

3. The latest by Melbourne band Gentles and the final release by the band in their current incarnation as very sadly their lead singer Brendan Parkes passed away January of 2026. Before his passing, he completed the final vocal tracks and mixes for the band’s subsequent EP releases, including This Far Nation. In addition to his role as a vocalist and lyricist, Brendan was also a visual artist and painter who designed artwork for the band.

4. Staying the southern hemisphere we have a new one from Aotearoa / New Zealand’s most celebrated rock bands, the first out of the Antipodes to make waves on the early 2000s rock explosion (they toured with the White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Metallica and others) and the only band of the era who have undeniably kept getting better. Theyhave announced a forthcoming new album Moonstruck Man, out through Hellsquad Records. on November 13.

   The first taste off the album, which was stitched together in Swedish recording joints & haunts, is out now. A gloriously rambling slice of classic 1970s-inspired rock. Wah pedals wail and guitars scorch, perhaps with nods to Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore and Mountain’s Leslie West. The high tenored vox & busy rhythms hark back to classic Rush. There’s also glam weird & whimsy in the spirit Sparks & Marc Bolan.

5. Back to Australia and in the same vein coming on like a buzzing blend of glam disco swagger and indie rock carnival attitude, the new Gaytimes single features singer Jane-O in full flight – the diva, the MC, and the high priestess of kaleidoscopic lyricism. Another track from the Bung It On album.

6. Fractured State is the forthcoming second full-length album from the Scottish heavy metal band. Ahead of its release on 4 September 2026 comes the eponymous opening track. Drawing inspiration from the melodic twin-guitar traditions of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal while embracing long-form progressive songwriting, the album explores themes of psychology, history, mythology and speculative fiction across eight interconnected compositions.

7. A warm collection of looping mediations that blur the line between electronic and the natural, merging formless exploration with found sounds in an unlikely collaboration of time and space. Crafted during a year-long process of documenting, sorting, and re-collaging sonic material - improvisations and field recordings captured on hikes - Forager is the composite of archival material tracked months prior to their recontextualization. “Time creates distance, sometimes a healthy distance, between the art and the artist,” shares St. Silva. “This is a document, a marker of where I was during a moment of time and the sounds that inspired me.”

8. The latest entry in Arthur King’s ongoing live quadraphonic scoring experiments. Featuring Kern Haug (percussion), Pauline Lay (violin), JP Maramba (bass), David Ralicke (woodwinds, electronics), and Peter Walker (guitar) - UMN (Fantastic Planet) came out digitally and on limited run cassette July 10th.

   Reaching for and pulling from the stars, on Fantastic Planet the ensemble unfurls a transcendent piece punctuated by the ceremonial spirit of cosmic jazz and collective improvisation.

9. After years in the vault, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians share ‘Love, Light, Beauty & Truth’, a soaring anthem that feels more urgent than ever. Fusing shimmering ‘60s-inspired psychrock, folk and Americana into a hypnotic swirl of hope, the New York collective delivers a powerful message of resilience in troubled times. Recorded years ago, the song’s relevance has only intensified, transforming it into a timeless rallying cry wrapped in radiant melodies and good vibrations. This marks the beginning of a wave of previously unheard recordings, as they emerge with renewed momentum.

10. Emerging from Indianapolis’ fertile underground, this quartet – whose members also play with the likes of Flesher, Chrome Waves, Bringers Of Disease, Isolation Drills, En Dive, and more – has quickly established itself as a formidable new voice in American post-punk. Blending shadow-drenched atmosphere and driving, rhythmic urgency, the band bridges the stark emotionality of classic goth rock with a modern, cinematic edge. Following early singles the band now arrives at a defining moment with their debut full-length.

11. Beloved Melbourne band The Huxton Creepers, who followed Sunnyboys and the Hoodoo Gurus out of the pubs and into the hearts of many young rock’n’roll and guitar-pop loving Australians in the ‘80s, are back with their first new music since 1990. The single features two brand new songs written by original members Rob Craw, Matthew Eddy and Archie Law, with the addition of new guitarist and long time friend Julian Matthews of the Stems.

12. The Pittsburgh-Poland duo with a heartfelt tribute to the late Polish industrial pioneer Wieloryb (Paweł Kmiecik), whose final remix is featured on the release. This release honours Wieloryb’s enduring legacy while showcasing the collaborative spirit that defined his final work. All profits will go directly to support Kmiecik’s family. Following their debut album “444”, recently featured on on the podcat, members Inga and Peter, blend gothic-industrial, darkwave, and trip-hop influences with Middle Eastern musical elements, exploring themes of identity, trauma, and spiritual renewal. Peter who also edited the tribute remix under the Psychotribe moniker, praises Wieloryb as an extraordinary artist whose uncompromising industrial vision left a lasting mark on the genre.

13. The second track on Mercedes debut album. “No Tomorrow” came about after she regained passion in life. It has a deeper meaning to her now after some family members passed away in December 2025 and she dedicated the song to them. She continues, “It really means that tomorrow isn’t promised and shouldn’t be taken for granted. It is important to value what you have and the people around you.”

14. The iconic Mr Wardle/Wobble and his lads offer a smooth rendition of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, heralding their ‘Mystic Liverpool’ album, out August 14th via Cherry Red Records / 30 Hertz. Wobble shares, “This is the one that started everything for me – the song that opened my psyche as a small boy in the East End... I don’t think we’ve tried to compete with the original. What we’ve done, I hope, is honour the mystery of it.”

15. My erstwhile chum Mr Moss mentioned this 1972 post Spirit album on a recent Facebook post and given Randy does a wonderful version of a Beatles classic it seemed like a suitable rejoinder to the previous.

16. And to complete the linked trilogy Randy adds some searing guitar to PJAH’s sci-fi epic from the masterful third solo album from 1974. The rest of VDGG (then on hiatus) are present delivering a true prog rock masterpiece. They should have played this one at the Proms.

17. Since 2015, Cinder Well has extracted dark, rich and tender compositions which nod to, but also stray from traditional musical languages. By comparison to the more diaristic tones of previous releases (2015’s self-titled EP, 2018’s The Unconscious Echo, 2020’s No Summer, 2023’s Cadence), A Blooming Body feels like glimpsing scattered vignettes of a whole world rather than a sequential narrative from beginning to end.

18. “Walden consists of a series of musical sketches inspired by the 1854 novel of the same name by Henry David Thoreau”, thus reads the short description of this project by Heiner Goebbels. But those familiar with the oeuvre of the German trans-media conceptualist and composer know that with Goebbels it’s never quite that simple. In his 1998 creation Walden, composed for expanded orchestra with speaker, Goebbels incorporates a wide-flung stream of inspirations and approaches, spanning excerpts from Thoreau’s “Walden”, soundscape-design in the spirit of audio plays, arsenals of outlandish instruments and sonic layouts as much at home in the avantgarde as they borrow from popular music, all brought to life with Peter Eötvös conducting and Bob Rutman – a main figure in this project – in the role of the narrator.

19. Another acoustic rarity from the G Stand for Go-Betweens third box set

20. The six pieces that conclude Moff’s Dawn Ablutions provide a whimsical suite of word poems and associated sounds.

21. Another one from the debut album by this new Australian group.

22. Continuing my amble through this classic album from Graney and Moore this one features Clare on vocals. A magical piece of popular music this a highlight in an album full of highlights

23. And another one from the new Kim Salmon project.

24. Salford’s finest producer of electronic music from his new album.

    

    Thanks for reading Different Noises! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. New England Jazz Collaborative “Another Brighter Day (feat. Mitch Selib, Temidayo Balogun & Lumanyano Mzi)” from Tributaries (ACP Records) 00:00

2. Tony Grey featuring Bob James “Nostalgia” from Nostalgia (Tony Grey Music) 10:00

3. The Holland Court Jazz Trio “Domenica Canta” from Inverted Tango (Composers Concordance Records/Naxos) 16:45

4. Strat Andriotis “Great Forgiveness” from The Wolf Sleeps Alone (Dekble atria Records) 25:11

5. YUGEN “When order fell in love with chaos” from Picture #2 (Filibusta Records) 30:30

6. Ryan Keberle’s Collektiv Do Brasil “Ê Menina” from Here Is Donato! (Alternate Side Records) 36:39

7. Cindy Blackman Santana “Circe” from Coherence (Mack Avenue Records) 41:45

8. Martin Iaies “In an Unknown Mood (feat. Klaus Gesing)” from PEOPLE, PLACES music for large ensemble (Challenge Records) 49:02

9. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart “Everything That Lives Laments” from Rhombus (Smoke Sessions Records) 57:50

10. Cipher “Shuffle” Cipher (Smeik Records) 1:05:04

11. Chick Corea “Some Time Ago” from Some Time Ago (Live in Bremen 1972) (Moosicus and MIG Music) 1:08:01

12. Ayumi Tanaka, Thomas Morgan, Thomas Strønen “Driftwood” from Windflower (ECM Records) 1:22:54

13. Harry Bartlett and Kurtis Perrie “Banya” from This Is Living (Adhyâropa Records) 1:28:52

14. Mike Clark “Softly As In Morning Sunrise” from Kuon Ganjo (Time Without Beginning) (Wide Hive Records) 1:32:57

15. WEAVE4 “Sospeso” from La gomma di Dante (Parco Della Musica Records) 1:39:41

16. tellKujira “En Greve” from La lucha es un poema colectivo (Superpang Records) 1:42:54

NOTES

1. The debut album from the New England Jazz Collaborative, vividly showcases the panoramic spectrum of approaches to composition represented by its diverse membership, from classic New Orleans swing and elegant balladry to Third Stream fusion and West African highlife. The album features six wide-ranging new pieces by four of the collaborative’s member composers: Jeremy Cohen, Darryl Harper, Matan Rubinstein and Sam Spear.

2. A contemporary jazz and fusion collaboration between virtuoso bassist Tony Grey and multi-Grammy-winning legendary pianist Bob James. Born out of unhurried, organic sessions in James’s home studio, the album bridges generations through a seamless, groove-driven conversation between bass and piano. Blending elements of jazz, world music, and electronica, the nine-track collection is enriched by an international lineup of guest contributors—including percussionist Mino Cinelu, flutist Naveen Kumar, kanjira player V. Selvaganesh, tabla player Karsh Kale, drummers James Johnson III and Stu Haikney, percussionist Joel Polacci, oud player Brandon Terzic, programmer Leon Hughes, and vocalist Ellen Hughes. Moving effortlessly from upbeat, dynamic workouts to tender ballads the album delivers an intimate, deeply melodic, and emotionally rich sonic journey

3. Veteran bassist Frank Wagner and drummer David Meade’s musical relationship began in 1998 with the release of their award winning album Past, Present & Future (Jazzheads) and continued with Wagner’s solo effort Floating Holiday (2018, Meii Records.) Now they’re venturing into new territory with their collaborative band The Holland Court Jazz Trio. The newest member of Wagner and Meade’s group is pianist Dave Marck. His extraordinary touch and creative prowess will inevitably leave a long-lasting impression on the listener. In a departure from the traditional piano trio format, the group is joined by critically acclaimed international jazz violinist Ben Sutin, who provides a fresh new approach to Wagner’s originals and his arrangement of the Jimi Hendrix classic Manic Depression. The phrase Inverted Tango refers to a technique in the traditional Argentine dance form in which the roles of leader and follower are switched. On this album, the members of the Holland Court Jazz Trio take inspiration in this reversal of roles, pressing beyond their familiar comfort zones in pursuit of a fresh new sound. The result is a record that is a musical world unto itself, captivating from start to finish.

4. The Wolf Sleeps Alone features progressive jazz/post-bop on a set of fresh and dynamic songs in a trio with bassist Vince Di Francesco and drummer Alex Karcza .Recorded live at Arc Recording Studio in Hamilton over 3 days by Matt Gauthier, the music flows seamlessly, due in part to the trio playing the songs for 8 months live at venues before any recording was done. Playing a 1964 Gibson Johnny Smith guitar, the tone has that classic jazz sound with unique modern playing to give the music its own voice. Strat Andriotis was born in Greece, moved to Canada with his family when he was four, and has long been a major part of the Canadian creative music scene. Vince Di Francesco is an accomplished bassist who is a graduate of Mohawk and Humber Colleges. Alex Karcza has been a veteran drummer on the scene for decades and has played with Harrison Kennedy.

5. Formed by Katya Fiorentino on piano, Stefano Compagnone on bass, and Maurizio De Tommasi on drums, Yugen creates a refined and cinematic sound world where contemporary jazz meets chamber-like sensitivity, minimalist structures, and subtle electronic textures. Picture #2 is an intimate yet expansive album, built through silence, atmosphere, slow development, and deep trio interplay. Rather than relying on traditional jazz formulas, the group explores space, repetition, and emotional tension, creating music that feels both highly visual and deeply musical.

6. On Here Is Donato!, acclaimed trombonist and composer Ryan Keberle and his São Paulo-based band Collectiv do Brasil – pianist Felipe Silveira, bassist Felipe Brisola, drummer Paulinho Vicente, and Guegué Medeiros (percussion) – celebrate the music of João Donato, one of the most influential voices in Brazilian music. Drawing on the improvisational openness of modern jazz and the rhythmic and melodic richness of MPB (the post–bossa nova movement known as música popular brasileira), the quintet brings warmth, lyricism, rhythmic subtlety, and collective interplay to Donato’s timeless compositions. The result is a vibrant collection that reveals the enduring vitality of Donato’s music.

7. Coherence arrives nearly four decades after Blackman Santana introduced herself as a bandleader with her 1987 debut, Arcane. In the years since, she has released numerous acclaimed recordings, and built one of the most distinctive careers in contemporary music, earning acclaim across jazz, fusion, and rock while continually expanding her voice as a composer, drummer, vocalist, and performer.

   She recorded Coherence at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas during late 2024 alongside her trusted touring band—Emilio Modeste [saxophone], Aurelien Budynek [guitar], Zaccai Curtis [keyboards], and Felix Pastorius [bass]. At the same time, she assembled an elite cohort of collaborators to round out her vision, including Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, bassist Matt Garrison, keyboardist, Ray Angry, cellist Dave Eggar, and more.

8. This new work by Argentine guitarist and composer Martín Iaies emerges from a process of change that began several years ago, when he decided in 2019 to migrate from Buenos Aires to Austria. What initially seemed like a geographical displacement gradually became an artistic redefinition as well. The result of

   that transformation runs throughout the entire album. “I arrived in Austria in 2019 feeling like a guitarist who composes, and today, seven years later, I

   think of myself much more as a composer who expresses himself through the guitar,” explains Iaies. This 11-piece ensemble does not appear as a side project to his previous work, but rather as the natural expansion of the same artistic search: an elastic and orchestral version of a musical language already

   present in his quartet albums.

9. When they first took the stage at Augie’s Jazz Bar, organist Larry Goldings, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and drummer Bill Stewart would never have imagined that more than 35 years later they’d not only still be working together, but that they would be considered by many to be the gold standard for the modern jazz organ trio. That ascension hasn’t stopped the trio from searching for ways to delve deeper or to explore new terrain. Their remarkable new album, Rhombus, finds them drawing inspiration from some of the most revered composers in jazz history, artists – many of them pianists - whose music may not seem a natural fit for the organ trio. While the trio’s sound flows outwards from the great tradition of organ trio jazz, this repertoire is brilliantly curated to lead them into the unexpected, ideal territory for their perceptive explorations. Rhombus,released August 7, 2026, from Smoke Sessions Records, includes pieces from such legendary composers as Keith Jarrett, Randy Weston, Abdullah Ibrahim, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, and Irving Berlin.

10. Cipher is a new quartet bringing together four highly active voices on the Norwegian jazz scene: Erlend Kongtorp, Andreas Svabø, Emil Norman and Martin Nodeland. Their self-titled debut album, recorded at Neby Studios in Oslo in June 2025, presents a band built on deep musical familiarity, collective energy, and a shared curiosity for where the music can go. This is the second single from it.

11. A previously unheard solo concert by Chick Corea. Recorded in October 1972 at the Sendesaal of Radio Bremen, the performance feels less like an archival discovery than a missing link. Corea is 31 years old at this point, and audibly in transition. His time with Miles Davis is still recent; Return to Forever is only just taking shape. Much is in motion, not yet settled. That is precisely what gives this concert its particular clarity: in a solo setting, there is nowhere to hide. What occupies him musically is laid bare.

12. Windflower introduces a new trio, with the Japanese pianist Ayumi Tanaka, the US bassist Thomas Morgan and the Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen. Three players well-known to followers of musical directions at ECM, they shape their music together, weaving abstract and lyrical ideas in pieces whose flow and energy are influenced by chamber music and jazz, and by sensibilities of East, West and North. The fragile windflower, or anemone, symbolises the transience of beauty in several cultures, and the need to grasp and cherish the moment. Here, free balladry is to the fore in an album whose luminous music features eight spontaneously composed tracks and an unconstrained arrangement of Tanaka’s tune “La Source”. For Ayumi and her fellow players, the means of creation is secondary to the destination. “I want to compose music which sounds like an improvisation,” she has said, “and to improvise music that sounds like it has been written…”

13. Over two weeks in Etobicoke, Ontario, electronic music producer Kurtis Perrie and jazz and bluegrass guitarist Harry Bartlett brought their compositional voices together while creating This Is Living. With a limited understanding but a keen interest in each other’s musical worlds, Kurtis and Harry made something greater than the sum of its parts. This Is Living is a hypnotic conversation of ideas that are pushed and pulled between two traditions. The music is ethereal yet melodically captivating, carried by a distant pulse and nostalgic ponderings. Kurtis Perrie is a Toronto-based electronic music producer and instrument designer, co- signed by Four Tet, with sync placements including Apple and the NFL. Harry Bartlett is a Nashville-based, award-winning guitarist and composer who has collaborated with artists such as Viktor Krauss and John Mailander.

14. Clark’s latest album flows directly from his nearly seven decades of delivering a wide spectrum of grooves with a glittering roster of jazz luminaries. The album continues a brilliant late-career run by an indefatigable artist on the cusp of 80.

    An all-star quintet session featuring largely the same cast as his acclaimed 2025 Wide Hive album Itai Doshin, Kuon Ganjo is built on a deep matrix of relationships dating back more than half a century. The band comprises Clark, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist and keyboardist Patrice Rushen, and bassist Essiet Okon Essiet.

15. Weave4 is a French-Italian avant-garde jazz collective uniting two generations of acclaimed improvisers—Pianist Benoît Delbecq, drummer Steve Argüelles, saxophonist/clarinetist Francesco Bigoni, and guitarist Francesco Diodati. Formed out of a Parisian residency, the quartet crafts an interactive soundscape where original compositions by all four members blend acoustic and electronic elements into malleable, freely mutating textures that redefine the musical concept of the “unfinished”.

16. Conceived during a residency at IRCAM in Paris, the avant-garde quartet tellKujira’s album La lucha es un poema colectivo (Superpang Records) blends contemporary classical, free jazz, art rock, and electronics through an “imperfect chamber quartet” configuration featuring violist Ambra Chiara Michelangeli, cellist Francesco Guerri, and electric guitarists Francesco Diodati and Stefano Calderano. The release also marks a line-up transition for the ensemble, welcoming violinist Agnese Amico to the permanent fold in place of Michelangeli.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Sarah Pillow “A Night In Tunisia” from Wanderer (Buckyball Records) - Sarah Pillow, a powerful singer with a memorable voice, has had successful careers singing jazz, classical music, and the repertoire of past centuries. While Wanderer is a jazz-oriented set of music, she covers a wide range of songs, excelling in every area. For this special project, the vocalist is joined by her husband and very skilled vibraphonist Marc Wagnon (who provided the arrangements), and a set of all-stars from several generations: tenor-saxophonist Donny McCaslin, altoist Nicola Caminiti, trumpeter Joey Curreri, pianist Dave Kikoski, bassist Joe Martin, and drummer Mike Clark. Wagnon, McCaslin and Curreri in particular are well featured throughout the program. Throughout Wanderer, her singing is creative, inventive, and powerful.

2. Candice Hoyes - Pink Clouds - Expecting (LaReserve Records) - Candice Hoyes’ debut solo album is a multidisciplinary body of work. Blending elements of jazz, soul, classical refinement, and modern art-song, the album serves as a deeply personal and expansive sonic canvas centred around themes of active compassion, emotional resilience, and radical protection against everyday cruelty. Preceded by singles like the ethereal “Pink Clouds,” the project features notable collaborations with acclaimed artists—including Makaya McCraven, Junius Paul, Brandee Younger, and Sullivan Fortner—bringing Hoyes’ extensive background in orchestral, jazz, and contemporary performance into a unified, visionary solo focus.

3. Visions Jazz Ensemble - Deep River - Of The People (Self Released) - A collaborative twelve-song project led by trumpeter Sam Butler and saxophonist Garrett Fasig, featuring acclaimed guest vocalist April Varner. Released to commemorate the semiquincentennial of the United States, the album reimagines centuries of American music—spanning spirituals, folk tracks, country classics, and patriotic anthems—through modern, straight-ahead jazz arrangements. Blending historical storytelling with rich improvisational textures, the ensemble bridges generational divides by breathing fresh emotional life into enduring staples from the American songbook.

4. Justin Pierce - Meglio Stasera - Sway (Justin Pierce Music) - A collaborative ten-track collection featuring vocalist and musical partner Ashley Pierce. Recorded in a single Dallas session, the project pairs the saxophonist-leader with a rhythm section of University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band alumni—pianist Sean Michael Giddings, bassist Young Heo, and Grammy-nominated drummer Matt Young. Reimagining classics from the American songbook and jazz tradition, the record blends warm swinging grooves, intimate waltzes, New Orleans second-line rhythms, and Latin-infused arrangements to turn standard jazz repertoire into an inviting, danceable atmosphere.

5. Faye Carol - Bad, Bad News - Faye Sings The Blues (Getdown Records) - A twenty-song project released to celebrate the legendary Bay Area vocalist’s sixtieth year in music. Recorded primarily live in Oakland, the record blends timeless blues standards, dynamic horn arrangements, and fresh originals. Honouring her deep-rooted command of 12-bar blues, the album features an all-star supporting cast of generational icons and contemporary greats—including Taj Mahal, Robert Randolph, James Carter, Wycliffe Gordon, Gerald Albright, and Jon Faddis—showcasing the undeniable authority and enduring legacy of a definitive voice in American music.

6. Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science - Step Song - Trip The Night Fantastic (Candid Records) - This sophomore release is a powerful 13-track collective statement blending art, rhythm, and sociopolitical activism. Following their GRAMMY-nominated debut Waiting Game, the acclaimed core unit of multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and pianist Aaron Parks—led by the visionary drummer and producer—explores pressing contemporary themes including gender justice, bodily autonomy, climate change, and immigration. Designed with a rhythmic foundation aimed at movement and hope, the record features an expansive, all-star roster of guest contributors, such as vocalists Ledisi, Arooj Aftab, and Lizz Wright, instrumentalists Brandee Younger and Marc Ribot, and a dynamic line-up of spoken-word artists and emcees including Moor Mother, Aja Monet, and Kassa Overall.

7. Isiaih Collier - Where I’m Loved - Joy (Brownswood Records) - A powerful five-track project that reframes joy not as escapism, but as a hard-won spiritual grounding and a political act. Blending contemporary and spiritual jazz with soulful R&B textures and gospel flavors, the record features Collier not only on tenor saxophone and piano, but expanding his multi-instrumental artistry across drums, flutes, and vocals. Supported by an expansive ensemble featuring rich horn and string arrangements alongside contributions from guitarist Cole Runge and drummer Jeremiah Collier, the release serves as an urgent, resilient affirmation of community, love, and emotional survival during times of collective uncertainty.

8. Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble - I Won’t Back Down - Love Is The Whole Thing, We Are Only Pieces (Palmetto Records) - An inventive and deeply expressive contemporary jazz project led by the acclaimed drummer. Following their acclaimed self-titled debut, the ensemble—featuring saxophonist Tia Fuller, pianists/vocalists Jeff Lederer and Dawn Clement, and bassist Ben Allison—expands on their signature blend of complex rhythms, rich harmonies, and playful lyricism. Melding profound social consciousness with buoyant joy, the quintet navigates intricate compositions and poetic vocal-instrumental passages that honour the connective power of community, empathy, and collective resilience.

9. Francisco Mela - Yo Soy El Tambor, Deja Que Hablen - Carnaval De Oriente (577 Records) - An evocative avant-garde jazz and exploratory percussion journey rooted in the visionary drummer and composer’s deep Cuban heritage. Drawing its title from the vibrant cultural celebrations of Cuba’s eastern region (*Oriente*), where Mela was born and raised, the album bridges the sun-soaked polyrhythms of Caribbean folk traditions with the fearless spontaneity of the New York creative music scene. Blending deeply personal storytelling, intricate rhythmic textures, and expressive vocalizations, the release continues Mela’s ongoing exploration of community, ancestral memory, and radical sonic storytelling.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Deardarkhead - Flamethrower - The Pendulum Swings

2. Windy & Carl with Optigan Conservatory - Alvin Loving — Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory

3. Ups And Downs - Out Of Thin Air - Out Of Thin Air

4. Hard Ons and Jerry A - My One Regret - Hard Ons, Jerry A

5. Professor and the Madman - Tolerant World - Dreamworld

6. Pressgang Mutiny & Sunray Grennan - Hill and Gully - Hill and Gully/Sally Rackett

7. Cohen Almonte Duo - Siena - Timelines

8. Suzanne Ciani - Section 6 : The Vamp - CIANI/ORKEST

9. My Face Is Dancing - Anytime Forever - My Face Is Dancing

10. Robyn Jacobs - Pith - New Forevers

11. Linda Catlin Smith, Cheryl Duvall - The View From Here - The Complete Piano Solos (1989-2023) Volume II: The Underfolding and Early Works

12. Moff Skellington - Four Speed Knock Knock - Dawn Ablutions

13. The Go-Betweens - Poison In The Walls (Acoustic Demos) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

14. Dave Graney and Clare Moore - Death By A Thousand Sucks - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

15. Smoked Salmon - Making Me Better - Totally Sick !!

16. The Junta - Interstate - Exposure

17. Fancy Weapon - Following You - Fancy Weapon

18. The Dream Syndicate - John Coltrane Stereo Blues (Live at the Lexington, London, 2023) - Live Through the Past, Darkly

19. Peter Hammill - Fireships - A Headlong Stretch: The Fie! Albums 1992-1996 (2026 Remaster)

20. The David S. Ware Quartets - Mikuro’s Blues - Live In The World

21. Eldritch Priest - nape…wrinkle…linger - Too, So Like Nothing

NOTES

1. Their first album in 25 years and the second full-length record released via their own imprint Fertile Crescent Records. These ten tracks capture an ever-evolving band, refining their voice through texture, atmosphere, and emotional momentum. Deardarkhead is made up of guitarist Kevin Harrington, drummer Robert Weiss and bassist James Malizia, who recently replaced Brandon Howard following the recording of this album. Deardarkhead has built a distinctive identity since the departure of vocalist Michael Amper in 2009, shifting fully into melodic texture-rich instrumental composition. The record moves through shifting moods ranging from soaring, psychedelic-tinged guitar anthems to driving post-punk rhythms and more ambient, abstract passages. The result is a dynamic and cohesive work that highlights the band’s signature blend of shimmering guitars, pulsing bass, and powerful percussion. The band pushes the envelope with their instrumental approach, using drum loops, unusual time signatures, ebow, bass VI, and expanded guitar layering.

2. Windy and Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory is a purposefully misleading title for the first collaborative work from four friends who met close to 30 years prior. All active participants in Michigan independent music circles since the early ‘90s, Windy and Carl are well-known for their foundational contributions to drift and guitar-born ambient sounds, with songs characterised by deep connections to the natural world and a hard to pin down yet impossible to miss emotional vulnerability. Optigan Conservatory is another duo, made up of Frank Rotondo (leader of Detroit area free music ensemble Laughing Gas) and Fred Thomas (songwriter and producer most often associated with his band Saturday Looks Good To Me), who have been making minimalistic and time-defiant electro-acoustic sounds since 2016. The album came together almost effortlessly in a very short timeframe, but the idea had been building steam for many a year. In the last days of 2024, Windy and Carl and Optigan Conservatory got together, falling into a mode of sound creation that was almost hyper-natural. Without any discussion outside of the usual stream of jokes and chatter, the quartet set up and started communicating. Added to Windy and Carl’s hovering augmented chord voicings and vaporous guitar drones were electric piano and synth bedding from Frank and Fred. After the initial sessions, all involved parties took time to consider what they’d made, adding new layers and editing the pieces into more definitive articulations. A beautiful and hermetic energy larger than the sum of its parts is captured in the process. There are echoes of the earliest releases from Windy and Carl as well as refractions of the same opacity that surfaced in the early Kranky catalog.

3. Australian jangle pop legends and ‘80s/’90s indie faves Ups and Downs are back with a new single, a forthcoming new EP, and a run of shows to mark the 40th anniversary of a beloved release. With new single ‘Out Of Thin Air’, Ups and Downs summon pure guitar pop with summery melodies and classic harmonies that appear suddenly and stay with you forever. This brand-new digital single is the first taster from their forthcoming EP Radio Is Dead which will be released physically and digitally on Basketcase Records, distributed internationally by Redeye Worldwide, and is their first new original music in 10 years. With the new single out now and new EP scheduled for September 4, and following last year’s sold-out tour to celebrate 40 years as a band (and the release of the vinyl-only anthology, Stained Glass Memories), Ups and Downs will head out again in October to commemorate the 40th birthday of their acclaimed mini-album Sleepless, as well as the new EP.

4. On the back of a sharing stages for a just completed European tour together and following their 2025 US tour together with Napalm Death and the Melvins, Jerry A of legendary Portland powerhouse Poison Idea and his mates from Sydney The Hard-Ons - Blackie, Ray and Murray - are finally set to release an album. The Hard-Ons first toured with Poison Idea back in the late ‘80s and first recorded with Jerry A as guest vocalist back in 1993 - Jerry co-wrote and sung the track “The Blade” on their Too Far Gone album. The track recently resurfaced on Jerry’s solo album From The Fire Into The Water. The first product of their new collaboration came out in the form of single - “You Won’t Shut Up”/”Dead End Turnaround” - released ahead of the American dates last year. And now, having just shared stages together in Europe, the team, which will be known forthwith as Hard-Ons/Jerry A, have released the new single “My One Regret” and announced an August 14 release date for their long-awaited album.

5. A musically adventurous rock group fronted by songwriters Sean Elliott and Alfie Agnew, and backed by the legendary rhythm section of Paul Gray and Rat Scabies. This lineup of the group has recorded three albums together, with portions of Dreamworld being tracked at Abbey Road Studio 2 in London. Agnew’s day job as a mathematics professor at California State University in Fullerton sparked the idea for “Tolerant World.’ “In some sense, the song is a pushback against my peers,” he explains. “Many Gen-Xers beat their chest and tell exaggerated stories of how rough they had it in the old days (in some cases, that’s true), while they condemn millennials for being soft or whatever. At its core, this song is an expression of the difficulty in adapting to a rapidly changing world. The song’s narrator is smart enough to see the positives of the new generation’s attitudes, but admits that it’s not easy to shed the attitudes, beliefs, and communication style you grew up with.”

6. Toronto’s Pressgang Mutiny & Sunray Grennan team up for “Hill and Gully/Sally Rackett,” exploring the parallels between sea shanties and Jamaican folk traditions through dancehall grooves and lyrical improvisation.

7. The sonic documentation of a chance encounter in the creative melting pot of New York City. It was here that guitarists Tomer Cohen and Rodrigo Almonte discovered that despite the vast geographical distance between their roots - spanning the Peruvian Andes and the Mediterranean - their musical “Timelines”

   were destined to converge. Released via the NYC-based Adhyâropa Records, the album is an intimate, raw and cinematic dialogue between two guitars, navigating the space where ancient folklore meets the sophisticated edge of modern jazz. The heart of ‘Timelines’ lies in its ability to bridge disparate worlds through just twelve strings. Rodrigo Almonte, a scholar of Andean music, infuses the record with the mystical, rhythmic pulse of South America and Brazil. In contrast, Tomer Cohen brings the lyrical warmth and melodic complexity of his Middle Eastern heritage. Together, they transform the guitar into a storytelling medium, moving seamlessly from delicate, pastoral whispers to high-energy improvisational exchanges. It is a project that honours where they came

   from while building a new, shared territory in the present.

8. Electronic music pioneer and five-time Grammy nominee Suzanne Ciani joins the internationally acclaimed Metropole Orkest, conducted by Simon Dobson, for the release of a landmark live album composed entirely of new work, created specifically for this unprecedented collaboration. Recorded at Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) before a rapt audience, the album is not a retrospective. It is a bold, immersive meeting of the Buchla electronic instrument and 50-piece orchestral sound. The result is a sweeping sonic landscape, at once intimate and monumental. Under the direction of the Metropole Orkest, renowned for its collaborations with artists from jazz to contemporary classical - strings shimmer, brass swells and woodwinds echo the organic, fluid qualities that have always defined Ciani’s sound. “This project feels like a homecoming,” says Ciani. “The Buchla was always orchestral to me, an instrument capable of infinite color. Hearing those colors unfold through the Metropole Orkest has been profoundly moving.”

9. The debut release by a unique family collective led by Federico Ughi. More than an album, it is a celebration of family, spirit, creativity, and freedom. It marks the first officially released collaboration between Federico Ughi and his sons—young artists Alberto Ughi, Martino Ughi, and Benjamin Ughi—alongside other members of the family. The recordings that form the foundation of this project were captured at different moments throughout the children’s lives, documenting their growth and artistic evolution between the ages of two and ten. Musically, the album reflects Federico Ughi’s lifelong journey across improvisation, hip hop, jazz, and experimental electronic music. The album originates from a series of improvisational sessions, free-form hip-hop explorations, spontaneous performances, conversations, and moments of play recorded over many years in different environments. These recordings were later brought into the studio, where Federico Ughi carefully listened, edited, sculpted, and assembled the material into cohesive compositions. Rather than imposing structure from the outside, the music was allowed to reveal itself organically through a process of discovery and deep listening.

10. Vancouver-based Robyn Jacob has variously been heard as one of the guiding forces behind Mint Records’ Only A Visitor, one half of the Giving Shapes (alongside Elisa Thorn) and one of the key members Gamelan Bike Bike, a community initiative whose traditional instrumentation was made from discarded bike frames and scrap metal. With New Forevers, out August 14th from Redshift Records (LP/DL), we hear Jacob’s engrossing work in the concert music arena—especially within the realm of percussion. Enlisting Montréal’s Architek Percussion as her core ensemble, the recording also sees her working with SHHH! Ensemble and Grammy-winners Sō Percussion plus guests on a spellbinding body of work. Her compositions celebrates texture from bone-dry sibilances to rich choirs of mallet percussion, all the while delving into environment themes from a unique (and somewhat hopeful) vantage point. The sounds heard here speak to her illustrious and varied artistic history reflecting her embrace of an assortment of influences and styles through a cohesive, highly personal compositional idiom.

11. Last October, the Toronto-based pianist Cheryl Duvall announced she would be releasing the complete solo piano works of cherished Toronto composer Linda Catlin Smith on Redshift Records. She initiated this considerable undertaking with a recording of The Plains, an hour-long, single-movement work she commissioned from Smith. August 7th, 2026 marks the launch of the follow up, The Complete Piano Solos (1989-2023), Volume II: The Underfolding & Early Works, a varied programme of works that came about from collaborations with the likes of John Tilbury, Anthony De Mare, Stephen Clarke, Barbara Pritchard, among others. Listeners are treated to a glimpse—a highly compelling one—of Smith’s development as a composer through works that pay homage to her forebears (namely Satie, Feldman, Cage, Bach, and fellow Canadian Udo Kasemets), endeavour to reconcile movement and stasis, embrace visual art principles metaphorically, and even employ more systematic approaches. For those that only know her more recent catalogue, there are also surprising approaches to dynamics and articulation that contrast her later output. And yet these pieces also exhibit the roundabout hypnotic character that has become her hallmark amidst her rise to international prominence through her BBC Proms commission, high-profile performances at festivals such as Tectonics (Scotland), Other Minds (USA), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), and Ireland’s Louth Contemporary Music Festival, and recent releases on Another Timbre and Redshift alike.

12. Featured album

13. Featured box set

14. Featured album

15. Featured album

16. Featured album

17. Featured album

18. Featured album

19. Featured Box Set

20. Live In The World gathers three concert recordings from David S. Ware’s early‑2000s quartet—Ware, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and either Guillermo E. Brown or Susie Ibarra—capturing the group in full, high‑intensity improvisational flight. Across the three discs the band stretches Ware’s themes into long, shape‑shifting structures, moving between volcanic collective energy and stark, spacious passages where Shipp and Parker recalibrate the momentum. The sets document the quartet’s mature language: huge tenor arcs, rhythmic turbulence, and a deep internal logic that lets the music surge, fracture and reassemble without losing focus. It’s a panoramic snapshot of one of Ware’s strongest ensembles operating at full expressive force.

21. One of two current albums from this artist. See last Sundays World of Jazz for the other. Priest isn’t an easy act to pin down. His critically acclaimed writing (published by Bloomsbury and Duke University Press and others) offers a singular and utterly mind-bending perspective on music. His own musical output, meanwhile, increasingly spans multiple approaches—as witnessed by the extant albums. Priest has a long history in the contemporary music orbit, having worked with prominent ensembles such as Quatuor Bozzini, Apartment House, Arraymusic, Turning Point Ensemble and others. In this regard, Too, So Like Nothing follows the trajectory of his recent disc with Another Timbre, but instead of documenting compositions for groups, it shifts the focus to solo piano. Respected Edmonton pianist Roger Admiral performs three of Priest’s labyrinthine compositions here, spanning almost 20 years. While traversing a significant stretch of the composer’s career they all share a laggard eccentricity that permeates every musical parameter from gesture to form, harmony to melodic ornamentation. Priest’s language is instantly recognizable but also audibly connects to the approach of fellow graduates of University of Victoria such as Allison Cameron, Martin Arnold and Cassandra Miller.

    

    Thanks for reading Different Noises! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Sam Blakeslee Large Group “Slow Growth/New Growth (Feat. Matt Pavolka and Martha Kato)” from New Blood (Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records) 00:00

2. Russ Spiegel “Lydian Dream” from Timepieces (Ruzztone Music) 10:47

3. Charles Tolliver All Stars “Peace With Myself” from Right Now And Then (Strata-East) 21:37

4. Eduardo Elia “La Templanza” from Las Nubes (Club Del Disco) 31:02

5. Kevin Sun “Hold Music” from Kevin Sun 1 (Endectomorph Music) 39:09

6. Raymond Roussel “Black Is The Colour” from No One Asked Us Yet (Halocline Trance) 44:58

7. Tres Hongos “Skipped Rocks Don’t Not Dance” from More Chips (Relative Pitch Records) 55:20

8. Mick Goodrick “In The Tavern Of Ruin” from In Pas(s)ing (ECM Records) 1:07:07

9. Florian Stoffner “bijou f” from bijou (Relative Pitch Records) 1:18:28

10. Chad Taylor Trio featuring Brian Settles and Neil Podgurski “Between Sound And Silence” from The Daily Biological (Cuneiform Records) 1:27:38

11. Finola Merivale Catherine Sikora “Des Os” from Abhaile (Relative Pitch Records) 1:39:40

12. Joanna Mattrey, Camila Nebbia, Camilo Ángeles & Violeta García “1” from Heavy Handed (Relative Pitch Records) 1:58:13

NOTES

1. Award-winning Trombonist/composer Sam Blakeslee, originally from Columbus, Ohio, and now persistently raising the bar for all trombonists and composers on the NYC scene, presents an exhilarating and rewarding new album from his Sam Blakeslee Large Group, New Blood, to be released on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on September 25, 2026. Blakeslee’s compositions exude quality and depth. The writing is sublime and expertly crafted. There is an abundance of substance and experience in every phrase, and the music is brought to life with ebullience by an ensemble of first-call, high level NYC artists, including Charles Pillow, David Smith, Alex Norris, Pete McCann, Matt Pavolka, and many others. The quality of musicianship is nearly peerless, and the band sounds like they’ve been on the road together playing this music for quite some time. The Large Group sounds joyously engaged with the compositions.

2. This new release is built around a set of original compositions spanning his career. Recorded in Miami in November 2025, it features his core quartet of Tal Cohen, Vince Dupont and Brandon Lee Lewis, with guests including Hendrik Meurkens, Jean Caze, Tim Armacost and Javier Nero. Most of the material consists of previously unrecorded compositions from across decades, unified here under the album’s time‑based motif. The ensemble moves between relaxed lyricism and more rhythmically intricate writing, with the guests adding colour on selected tracks. The production, mixing and design are handled by Spiegel himself, reinforcing the album’s personal, crafted character. Overall, Timepieces presents a reflective, career‑spanning set shaped by precision, pacing and a clear conceptual through‑line.

3. A re-release of Charles Tolliver’s debut as a leader, recorded in 1965 and issued on Strata‑East, presenting him in both quartet and quintet settings. The album features a heavyweight lineup: Tolliver on trumpet, Gary Bartz on alto saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. Across the session Tolliver’s early voice is fully formed — bright tone, poised phrasing and a compositional sense that pushes beyond hard‑bop conventions. The quartet pieces give him open harmonic space, while the quintet tracks add Bartz’s incisive lines for a sharper, more angular front‑line blend. Hancock and Carter provide the elastic rhythmic foundation typical of their mid‑60s work, and Chambers’ drumming brings a crisp, modern edge. Newly remixed and remastered under Tolliver’s supervision, the reissue aims to present the music with the clarity and balance he originally intended.

4. This release is built around a suite inspired by Juan José Saer’s novel of the same name. The album features Elia on piano, Cristian Andrada on bass, and Luis Barzola on drums, forming a tight trio that balances composed structure with open improvisation. The music traces the novel’s journey of a young psychiatrist escorting five patients from Santa Fe to Buenos Aires in the early 19th century, with each movement reflecting a stage of that trip — preparation, travel, storm, and arrival. The suite is complemented by additional pieces that extend the album’s reflective, lyrical atmosphere. Elia’s writing leans toward melodic clarity and atmospheric abstraction, creating landscapes that shift between narrative suggestion and free exploration. Released May 31, 2026, it runs just over forty minutes and marks a return to the compositional–improvisational balance characteristic of Elia’s earlier work.

5. A single from visionary saxophonist/composer Kevin Sun’s upcoming album, Kevin Sun. Inspired by Sun’s own experience of a real-life ninety-minute ordeal on hold with the IRS, the track loops a spiky, seven-bar figure, building in textural density and playing with dynamics before dissolving into a single sustained tone as if the phone line itself has given up. A self-portrait in two parallel but distinctively bold new albums, Kevin Sun, I and Kevin Sun, II are out September 25, 2026 via Sun’s own Endectomorph Music imprint. As the saxophonist explains, these two albums are designed to be listened to in any sequence, each complete on its own terms but also illuminating the other. “This isn’t really a conventional double album,” says Sun. “It’s more like a pair of video games set in the same universe, each with its own style and cast of characters.”

6. With the debut of his trio Raymond Roussel Eldritch Priest moves away from the peculiar chamber music which is famed for and toward his roots in jazz guitar (and thus his 2024 solo guitar album Dormitive Virtue). Yet, as the band’s name suggests, their take on jazz is not quite straightforward either. Each player in the group employs processing quite dramatically, offering ample scope for abstraction, a decision which is mirrored by their interweaving of improvisation with Priest-penned originals and odd renditions of covers (”standards” may not be quite apt here.) Priest is joined by bassist James Meger and drummer/ electronics wielder Brady Cranfield—two prominent members of Vancouver’s music and art scene—and their work together gestures toward everything from Warp-label electronica to the fabled ECM sound, and from gnarly free jazz to, on occasion, shoegaze-ish atmospherics.

7. Tres Hongos convene for a striking trio recording that thrives on sharp turns, intricate interplay, and restless momentum. Wick’s searching trumpet lines weave through Riordan’s fractured piano gestures while Rosaly shapes the music with nimble, unpredictable rhythmic motion. Together they construct music of quick contrasts and vivid textures, where ideas splinter, collide, and reform in real time. The result is a vivid document of three improvisers navigating the edge of structure and spontaneity with daring precision. Jacob Wick - trumpet; Marc Riordan - piano; Frank Rosaly - drums

8. His first album as a leader, a quietly radical guitar record built around an unusually empathetic quartet: Goodrick on guitar, John Surman on baritone and soprano saxophones, Eddie Gómez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. The music sits in that late‑70s ECM space where lyricism, abstraction and rhythmic looseness coexist, with Goodrick favouring clean lines, subtle harmonic shifts and an almost conversational touch. Surman’s reeds add a contrasting, sometimes rugged edge, while Gómez and DeJohnette give the session its fluid, elastic pulse. Across the album the interplay is understated but intricate, with Goodrick’s writing acting more as a framework for colour, texture and collective movement than for conventional solo showcases. It remains one of his most distinctive statements — spacious, thoughtful and quietly adventurous. Re-issued as part of ECM’s Luminessence Series

9. Swiss guitarist Florian Stoffner brings a deeply personal approach to free improvisation. This solo release expands on the exploratory drive that has shaped his work as both a bandleader and collaborator. Drawing on the subtle command of texture and space heard in trio recordings such as Braids and The Glass Changes Shape, on bijou he stretches the guitar’s vocabulary through inventive spontaneity, crafting a focused and intimate musical statement.

10. A sharply focused trio statement built around the interplay of Taylor on drums, Brian Settles on tenor saxophone and Neil Podgurski on piano. The music folds together Taylor’s rhythmic architecture, Settles’ warm, searching tone and Podgurski’s angular, harmonically curious lines, creating a sound that’s both grounded and exploratory. Pieces move between tightly shaped motifs and open, conversational improvisation, with Taylor’s drumming acting as both propulsion and commentary. Settles brings a reflective, slightly grainy lyricism, while Podgurski’s phrasing adds a modernist edge without crowding the space. The album feels like a study in balance — density and air, pulse and drift — and stands as one of Taylor’s most cohesive small‑group projects.

11. The collaboration of Catherine Sikora and Finola Merivale brings together saxophone with field recordings and electronics in a fluid, exploratory dialogue. Sikora’s incisive, texturally rich playing unfolds against Merivale’s carefully shaped sonic environments, where found sounds and subtle processing create shifting atmospheres. Their collaboration emphasizes deep listening and spontaneous interaction, blurring the line between instrumental gesture and environmental sound. The result is an intimate, immersive music that moves between stark minimalism and dense, evocative layers.

12. This quartet brings together four distinct voices from the international improvised music community. Heavy Handed unfolds as a vivid dialogue of strings, winds, and breath, where extended techniques and close listening shape a constantly shifting collective language. Moving between fragile textures and sudden eruptions the quartet crafts music that feels both exploratory and deeply connected. The result is a striking document of four improvisers meeting at the edge of form, creating raw and intricate music. Joanna Mattrey - Viola; Camila Nebbia - Tenor saxophone; Camilo Ángeles - Flute, electronics; Violeta García - Cello, electronics.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Tiger! Shit! Tiger! Tiger! - Glue - Glue

2. JFK HOLE - Raymond The Bastard - Living Next Door To Monster Incinerator

3. Ecce Shnak - Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice - Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice

4. Taxi Girls - Auto-Hysterics - Static

5. The Veldt - Morning, June, And, Yesterday - Morning, June, And, Yesterday

6. Jeane - Cash - Sicko

7. Jonny Couch - Where The Sidewalk Ends - Where The Sidewalk Ends

8. Joey’s Coop - Henry Collins - Sawdust Memories

9. Sunnyboys - I’m Shakin’ - Sunnyboys Box Set

10. Tacron John - You Make Me Scream - Truthfully… You Make Me Scream

11. Blood Magick - Vox Mortis - Moribund

12. Semantron - Krummholz Heart - Secrets of a Krummholz Heart

13. Pylar - Adoración - Delyrio

14. Irata - Seeds - Human

15. Nine Pound Hammer - Burn The Whole World Down - Too Outlaw For Outlaw Country

16. Steve Austin - Crazy Dreams - The Magnolia Sessions

17. Hannah Juanita - Workin’ Girl Blues - The Magnolia Sessions

18. Tony Orzano, Bryan Rohmer, Jeremy Wexler - Vintage Gym Shorts - Blown Fuse

19. James Lyon - Dejate Caer - Turning

20. The Go-Betweens - Night Time Rising (Acoustic Demo) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

21. Danny Short - Curveball - HALT!

22. Moff Skellington - Nannas Butter Guts Are Safe - Dawn Ablutions

23. Smoked Salmon - Pathologise Me - Totally Sick!!

24. The Junta - Afterglow - Euphoria

25. Dave Graney and Clare Moore - The Stuff That Night Is Made Of - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

26. Peter Hammill - His Best Girl (2026 Remaster) - A Headlong Stretch: The Fie! Albums 1992-1996

27. The Dream Syndicate - When You Smile - Live, Through The Past Darkly

28. Neon Crabs - Why Apologise, They, Lisa Kudrow, Planet Destroyer - This Puppy Can See A Frog

29. Salem Trials - No Earthly Good - Fingerprint on a Blind Eye

30. Jackson Code - Hold On Tight - Del Musical Del Mismo Nombre

NOTES

1. Indie rock/post-punk band formed in 2006 in Foligno by Diego Masciotti (guitar, vocals), Giovanna Vedovati (bass), and Nicola Vedovati (drums). This’ is a two‑track digital single issued on 26 June 2020 by To Lose La Track. The release pairs the tracks ‘Glue’ and ‘Glue Glue’, functioning as a standalone precursor to the band’s forthcoming full‑length material. It marks one of their first published recordings following the Cornelis LP cycle and documents the group’s shift toward more spacious, repetition‑driven structures within their noise‑rock framework.

2. The debut EP from JFK HOLE, formed in Manchester in early 2026 by Mark Corrin (beats) and Thomas Hadfield (vocals). Corrin’s prior work includes appearances on BBC 6 Music’s Freak Zone and collaborations with Una Baines of The Fall and Damo Suzuki of Can, while Hadfield previously performed with Killer Kowalski, who shared stages with IDLES. The EP introduces the duo’s self‑described crankwave sound and is positioned for listeners of Sleaford Mods, Baxter Dury and electro‑punk hybrids. A second EP is being recorded.

3. ‘Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice’ is the second single from Ecce Shnak’s forthcoming album Dandy Variances, set for release later this year via Records, Man Records. The track arrives with a video directed by Djay Brawner and featuring comedy duo Syd and Olivia. Formed within New York’s art‑rock scene, Ecce Shnak has built momentum following their previously featured 2025 Shadows Grow Fangs EP and three tours with EMF, positioning the single as part of the rollout for the band’s next full‑length release.

4. ‘Static’ is the debut full‑length album by Montreal’s Taxi Girls, released June 26 on Stomp Records. The ten‑track LP follows the band’s first two singles and marks their transition from initial introductions into a fully realised album cycle. The record consolidates the group’s dual‑vocal approach and hook‑driven song-writing, framing the themes they explore across the release — including love, loss, mental health, postpartum depression, self‑doubt and nostalgia — without offering tidy resolutions. Positioned as the band’s first major statement, Static establishes Taxi Girls’ identity within the current Montreal rock landscape and sets the foundation for their subsequent activity.

5. ‘Morning, June and Yesterday’ is the new single from The Veldt, offering an early look at their forthcoming tour‑exclusive EP Spanikopita. The track arrives with a video paying homage to designer Vaughan Oliver. Formed in the 1980s by Daniel and Danny Chavis, The Veldt developed a distinctive blend of shoegaze, soul, gospel and experimental rock, later expanding their lineup after relocating to New York. Spanikopita compiles new tracks and demos curated for their recent US and Canadian tour with The Chameleons, and features mixes by Carlos Bess, Will Brooks and Jason Furlow, reflecting the group’s ongoing collaborative production work.

6. Jeane is a Melbourne‑based project whose debut EP Sicko was released on 21 May 2026. The five‑track digital EP (CASH, Emotional Baby, Good God (What Have We Become), Wildfires, Desperate Believer) was issued via Bandcamp, accompanied by a limited‑edition football jersey to help fund future recording. The release blends pop‑leaning songwriting with emotionally volatile themes, and has recently gained attention through Dave Graney’s Banana Lounge Broadcasting show, where he highlighted the band’s emerging presence, and where I first heard the music.

7. ‘Where The Sidewalk Ends’ is the second single from U.S. indie rocker Jonny Couch’s forthcoming full‑length album of the same name, his first in seven years. The ten‑track record includes earlier fan favourites like Sweet Charlene alongside newer material, expanding on the melodic power‑pop and new‑wave foundations that define his songwriting. The single draws thematic inspiration from the 1950 film noir Where the Sidewalk Ends and pairs shadowy, narrative‑driven verses with a dance‑leaning chorus influenced by 1970s disco synths and modern new‑wave production. The album marks Couch’s return with a renewed focus on strong melodies, classic rock‑and‑roll energy and emotionally direct song-writing.

8. Joeys Coop’s new album Sawdust Memories is out now, accompanied by a national tour and a fundraising wine release tied to the record. The band centres on Brett Myers (Died Pretty) and Mark Roxburgh (Decline of the Reptiles), joined by Marc Lynch (Glide) and Lloyd Gyi (Perry Keyes, Dave Warner). Despite the strength of the line‑up, the group has often operated under the radar, partly due to their reluctance to foreground past credentials. After two albums on Citadel Records, they are releasing Sawdust Memories independently, presenting ten new tracks that build on the melodic, guitar‑driven foundations established by Myers and Roxburgh’s long‑running collaboration.

9. Sunnyboys mark the 45th anniversary of their self‑titled 1981 debut with a 4LP vinyl‑only box set and a one‑off performance at Brisbane’s Roma Street Parkland on October 23. Released via Warner Music Australia, the box set includes the original album, the 1980 Phantom Records debut EP, the full 17‑track pre‑album demo session, and a 1981 live recording from Governors Pleasure in Sydney. It also features interview excerpts with Triple J’s Stuart Matchett and archival material from drummer Bil Bilson’s family scrapbook, presenting a comprehensive document of the band’s first year. Widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest debut albums, Sunnyboys introduced the group’s high‑energy blend of late‑’70s Sydney rock, sharp pop instincts and Jeremy Oxley’s direct, heart‑on‑sleeve song‑writing, with singles Happy Man and Alone With You remaining enduring favourites.

10. Tacron John’s album Truthfully… You Make Me Scream has now arrived, featuring the singles “Saw You At A Party”, “Retro Dance”, and “On Your Way”. The San Diego‑based project centres on Tony Casciano’s vocals and song‑writing, working with a consistent studio line‑up of Dan Morilak (drums), Frank Hankin (bass) and Joe Arlauskas (lead guitar). Recorded at Anticline Studios and produced by Eric Cathcart, the album continues the group’s developing studio identity and marks their latest step forward as a self‑contained recording unit.

11. Blood Magick’s new album Moribund was released June 26, 2026, marking the Swedish death‑synth project’s first output since 2021. The ten‑track release pushes their established blend of slow, punishing EBM rhythms, corroded synth work and occult‑leaning atmospheres into a more focused, industrially abrasive form. The record frames mortality, decay and transformation as ritual processes, presenting a set of pieces built around tension, heaviness and a stark death‑ritual aesthetic. Moribund positions itself as a soundtrack to the moment the body fails but consciousness lingers, extending the project’s thematic and sonic identity with a sharpened sense of intent.

12. Semantron is the solo project of multi‑instrumentalist Dave French, best known as the drummer for Yob, with the debut LP Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart presenting six pieces developed from years of classical‑guitar writing on the road. French has toured globally with Yob, played with Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, collaborated live with Steve Von Till/Harvestman, and produced records for members of Soundgarden. The album was begun in an off‑grid cabin near Mount Adams in Winter 2023, where he recorded core acoustic tracks before completing drums, bass, electric guitars and vocals between his home studio and Yob’s rehearsal space. Blending acoustic and electric instrumentation with field recordings from natural environments, the record was mixed by Nathan Yaccino and mastered by Tad Doyle. Secrets Of A Krummholz Heart introduces Semantron as a meditative, atmospheric project shaped by French’s long‑running song‑writing practice and his interest in elemental, slow‑unfolding sound.

13. Pylar’s new album Delyrio marks the opening chapter of the Spanish group’s final album cycle, pushing their experimental metal vocabulary into a more fractured, hallucinatory form. The record expands their established blend of extreme music, ritualistic weight and psychedelic disorientation across four long movements, abandoning conventional structure in favour of shifting, unstable sonic architecture. Drawing on philosophical and speculative influences, the band continue their practice of deforming metal’s language through their self‑defined “Law of Salazar,” producing a dense, concept‑driven work that sits somewhere between industrial unease, avant‑metal intensity and free‑form delirium. Delyrio was produced and composed by Pylar, recorded and mixed at La Mina, and completed with artwork by Gonzalo Santana and accompanying texts by Francisco Tójar Pérez and Bar‑gal.

14. Irata’s new album Human was released July 10 via Small Stone Recordings, with the North Carolina trio returning after five years to deliver eight tracks built around their trademark combination of thundering bass, hypnotic drums and expansive choruses. Formed in 2007 by Jon Case and Jason Ward, the band has shifted line‑ups and approaches across four previous records but continues to evolve while retaining its heavy, rhythmic core. Now operating once again as a three‑piece, Irata push further into melodic confidence and atmospheric detail showing a more patient, dynamic approach without losing their underlying drive.

    Recorded with Hunter Allen and Adam Joyce at Amplified Acres in Liberty, North Carolina and mixed by J. Robbins at The Magpie Cage in Baltimore, Human arrives on CD, digital formats and limited 180g vinyl (Birthday Cake Mix and Blue Grackle Mix). The album’s focus on vocal melody, intricate riffing and organic movement sets it apart within the current heavy‑rock landscape — a clear statement of identity from a band still pushing forward nearly two decades in.

15. Nine Pound Hammer return with Too Outlaw for Outlaw Country, a six‑song mini‑album released July 10 via Reptilian Records and timed to coincide with new US and EU tour dates. The long‑running Kentucky cowpunk outfit deliver four new tracks written by Scott Luallen and Blaine Cartwright, plus covers of Billy Joe Shaver’s Black Rose and the Hank Mills/Dick Jennings tune Lil Ol’ Wine Drinker Me. Recorded at Underground Studios and engineered, mixed and mastered by Brian Pulito, the release appears digitally and as a limited 10" picture disc. Luallen frames the record as a pushback against the current “outlaw” trend, with the band leaning into their established mix of hard‑rocking cowpunk and country grit.

16. Steve Austin is one of the latest additions to Anti‑Corp Music’s Magnolia Sessions series, with his instalment released July 3. Recorded live outdoors beside the magnolia tree at the Anti‑Corp/Black Matter Mastering headquarters in Nashville by Dan Emery, the series has become a home for bluegrass, dark country and folk artists, with many past entries charting on the Billboard Bluegrass listings. Austin is a long‑running figure in traditional outlaw country, raised in Lebanon, Tennessee and rooted in the Appalachian lineage of Chestnut Mound. Alongside that background, he’s spent more than three decades as a recording and touring musician, best known as the singer and guitarist for Today Is The Day, releasing fourteen albums, producing landmark records for Lamb Of God, Converge and Deadguy, and appearing in the documentary The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself. His return to country was sparked by the songs of his father, Tillman Austin, leading to his recent full‑length Marked Cards And Loaded Dice, recorded on vintage analogue gear and released on SuperNova Records. Following that album, Austin’s Magnolia Sessions set presents eleven songs drawn from the LP and beyond, including Townes Van Zandt and George Jones covers, performed in the stripped‑back, intimate style that defines the series.

17. And another Magnolia Sessions release arrives in early August, this time from Hannah Juanita. Juanita’s session features eight songs, including several long‑loved covers she chose specifically for the project. Performed alone with guitar in the dark, heat‑heavy outdoor setting, the recording captures the immediacy and atmosphere that define the Magnolia Sessions. Emery notes the smoothness of the session, with most tracks completed in single takes, save for one interrupted by unexpected fireworks — a moment he describes as an oddly fitting conclusion to the night’s work.

18. And another early‑August release arrives with Blown Fuse, the fully improvised sophomore record from Tony Orzano, Bryan Rohmer and Jeremy Wexler. Following their debut Balloons on Grass on 577 Records, the trio return with a raw, in‑the‑moment set that also marks the inaugural title on Orzano and Rohmer’s new imprint, Sonic Index Works — a label created to document improvisational music across genre and mood. Recorded live with no overdubs or edits, Blown Fuse pushes further into the spontaneous interplay that defined their first album. Featuring Orzano on alto saxophone and clarinet, Rohmer on guitar, and Wexler on drumset, the record was captured at The Sound Cellar in Huntington, NY by Dave Alini, with artwork and mixing handled by Rohmer. The release lands August 1, 2026.

19. Turning, released July 17, is the new solo album from violinist James Lyon, marking the close of his 35‑year tenure at Penn State. Rather than presenting a single thematic through‑line, Lyon frames the record as an invitation to move from one composer’s voice to another, reflecting the variety of music he has performed and championed during his time at the institution. The programme ranges from rediscovered repertoire to newly commissioned works. It opens with Albert Spalding’s Sonata in E for Violin Solo, followed by Bruce Trinkley’s Courtyard Tango. Baljinder Sekhon’s Praying Alone offers a meditative contrast, while the title track, Turning, was written for Lyon by former student Nalah Palmer. Featured track sCarolina Heredia’s Déjate Caer closes the set, the album’s sole piece with electronic accompaniment. Turning presents Lyon in a direct, unadorned setting, highlighting the breadth of music connected to his long career and the composers within his orbit at Penn State.

20. And another archival glimpse appears with Night Time Rising (Acoustic Demo), an unreleased song that surfaces only within G Stands For Go‑Betweens: The Go‑Betweens Anthology – Volume 3. With no studio version ever issued, the demo stands as the sole documented recording, capturing the track in its raw, early form and offering a rare look at the band’s songwriting process during that period. It sits among the box set’s broader collection of demos, session fragments and developmental material that map the group’s mid‑career evolution.

21. Another track from Horwich’s finest new album.

22. And another new Moff Skellington piece - a typically skewed, word‑bent fragment from his ongoing “edgeland” song‑world, folding together his trademark spoken‑song delivery, oddball humour and elastic melodic shapes. Within Dawn Ablutions, it stands as one of the record’s more immediately graspable moments while still carrying the unmistakable Moff logic and homemade strangeness that define his long‑running output.

23. More from Kim’s new one.

24. The next featured track from Monty’s new album

25. As I have exhausted the new album I thought I would return to one of my favourite Graney and Moore releases - this is from the expanded 2019 digital version of the original 2000 album. This is Dave and Clare at the height of their powers.

26. Featured box-set - originally on the Fireships album

27. More live stuff from Steve Wynn and his chums

28. A Goz-fest with the final four tracks from the latest album

29. More Goz - this time with Russ

30. Classic Jackson Code - from the 1989 debut album

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Dorota Piotrowska & Sound Circle “Lothlorien” from Voices Of Human Conciousness ( Inner Circle Music and Teraz Teraz) 00:00

2. Josh Warren “The Path” from The Path (Self Released) 07:57

3. Beyond Flute Group “Improvisation 8” from Beyond Flute Quintet (11th Street Music) 16:21

4. Believe “Nature’s God” from Nature’s God (Relative Pitch/Ramble Records) 23:53

5. Roni Ben-Hur “Gua’ One Blues Pal Bobby” from Abriendo Puertas (Dot Time Records) 36:57

6. Dan Siegel “Sometime Somewhere” from Resolution (DSM) 46:15

7. Richard Spaven “Out of the Quiet” from Light Of Day (Edition Records) 50:53

8. Nils Petter Molvær “Berlin-orbit 4 (Alva Noto)” from Be Quiet (Edition Records) 56:25

9. Kris Davis Trio “Subtext” from Lost In Geneva (4166 Records) 1:05:18

10. Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath “The Bride” from Eclipse At Dawn (Cuneiform Records) 1:12:40

11. Joe Morris, Anna Webber, Rob Brown, Matthew Russeau “Prosody” from Count Spectacle (Fundacja Sluchaj) 1:28:15

12. Archie Shepp “Trio” from Archie Shepp And The New York Contemporary Five (Cuneiform Records) 1:42:58

NOTES

1. From Norwegian fjords to Arabic rhythms; Polish lyricism to the traditions of American jazz this album brings together talented musicians from different backgrounds who aren’t afraid to let improvised musical dialogue lead their work and break conventions. Brought together by bandleader Dorota Piotrowska, this album features improvised compositions by Piotrowska, Greg Osby, Hildegunn Øiseth, Tarek Yamani and work from Ameen Saleem, Sanem Kalfa, Barbaro Crespo and Leszek Możdżer. Recorded over three days in Poland, at 432 Hz, Piotrowska and her ensemble prove that powerful musical experiences are a reflection of the technical mastery and cultural richness of those involved. The international collective, from the USA, Poland, Lebanon, Cuba, Norway, and Turkey create a unique sonic space in which improvised music becomes a universal language of communication. Truly a perfect album for a show called World of Jazz.

2. Rooted in the jazz tradition but drawing influences from all over the map,

   Josh Warren is an award-winning Canadian bassist, composer, and arranger

   originally hailing from Victoria, BC. Since moving to Toronto to study with Canada’s finest, he’s shared the stage and recorded with a plethora of Grammy-nominated and JUNO award winning musicians and performed all across the country, playing at iconic venues and major festivals from coast to coast. His debut album engineered and mixed by Patric McGroarty) features an award-winning cast of young lions on the Canadian jazz scene, and blends the jazz tradition with shades of Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder and Snarky Puppy. Eclectic, groove-oriented and interactive, this record is a musical coming-of-age, with the core idea of “The Path” representing the journey of growing into who you’re meant to be.

3. This 2026 11th Street Music session captures Cheryl Pyle’s latest flute‑forward ensemble in full exploratory flow, with Pyle and fellow flute players Sylvain Leroux and Mary Cherney weaving shifting timbral layers around the contrasting reed voices of Michael Eaton and Ras Burnett; the result is a vivid, textural improvisation document that highlights the group’s unusual instrumentation and its commitment to open‑form, conversational interplay.

4. Laurence Pike (drums/percussion), Clayton Thomas (bass), Novak Manojlovic (piano), Peter Farrar (saxophone) make up the astonishing jazz/improv quartet Believe. Based in Sydney, Australia this release is the second volume of a two-album release in collaboration with New York’s Relative Pitch Records and Melbourne’s Ramble Records. John Shand of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote of the first release,“I know of no more sophisticated activity of which humans are capable than freely improvising at this level.” ‘Nature’s God’ captures another dimension to a band that is fast becoming one of the most respected creative musical groups in Australia. The band connects the spectrum of contemporary creative sound making with the fluid, anything is possible momentum of free jazz. When benchmarks are Albert Ayler and The Necks, and you intend to play for the universe, not the algorithm, the remarkable is possible. For the past three and half years the quartet has committed to a musical process of learning, exploring, experimenting and growing in public.

5. Roni Ben-Hur-guitar, Alejandro Falcón-piano, Pedro Pablo Gutiérrez-acoustic bass, Ruy López-Nussa-drums, Octavio Rodríguez Rivera-percussion, Emir Santa Cruz-tenor saxophone, and, Osdalgia Lesmes-vocals. Abriendo Puertas is part of Cuban Notes, a recording series co-produced by Johanan “Jo” Bickhardt, founder of Dot Time Records, and guitarist Roni Ben-Hur. This release was recorded in Havana, in collaboration with Cuban musicians, and approaches that countries music as a way of thinking and of inhabiting the world.

6. After four decades of recording, pianist, keyboardist, composer, and producer Dan Siegel stopped trying to perfect everything. On Resolution, his forthcoming nine-song contemporary jazz album due September 11, Siegel left more of the original performances intact and stopped ironing out every imperfection. “I have a tendency to overwork things, to iron out all the little kinks,” he says. “That kind of leaves it without humanity — a little too perfect and polished. This is a little bit raw and rough around the edges in places.” The title came from the opening track, where Siegel hears “something sort of grand” in the ending and a sense of resolve by the time the tune lands. Built around modal harmony, the piece gradually settles into place. Resolution centers on Siegel alongside bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Jay Bellerose. Guests include percussionist Lenny Castro, vibraphonist Craig Fundyga, guitarists Dean Parks, Allen Hinds, and Matt Hornbeck, steel guitarist Greg Liesz, accordionist Patrick Warren, alto saxophonists Alex Hahn and Chris Sullivan, tenor saxophonists Tristan Cappel and Jacob Scesney, drummer Jimmy Branly on “Give or Take,” and vocals by longtime collaborator Rogerio Jardim.

7. Spaven’s new one sets out a clear statement of identity from a drummer who has shaped the intersection of jazz, hip hop and club‑derived rhythm for over twenty years. The album centres his control of pulse, density and feel, with grooves acting as the structural core around which harmony, texture and form are built. Across nine tracks — featuring collaborators including Oli Rockberger, Petter Eldh, Stuart McCallum, Verneri Pohjola, Nils Petter Molvær, Wildchild and John Metcalfe — Spaven moves between atmospheric detail, broken‑beat precision and eclectic ensemble writing. The result is a focused, inside‑out set where technique serves expression and the music maintains a steady centre of gravity even as it shifts across styles.

8. Nils Petter Molvær’s Be Quiet brings together nine duo encounters recorded in locations from Bangkok and Rome to Berlin, Munich and London, each shaped by the collaborator’s own sonic world and Molvær’s unmistakable trumpet voice. Working with artists including Chang Jing, Martux_m, Miki Yui, John Paul Jones, Marilyn Mazur, Imogen Heap, Soheil Shayesteh, Alva Noto and Anja Lechner, the album moves through electronica, ambient detail and improvised interplay, favouring close‑up textures and real‑time responsiveness. Accompanied by a documentary from Per Manning, the project captures Molvær stepping into different environments and disciplines, building a set that stays intimate, spatial and in constant motion.

9. Kris Davis’ Lost in Geneva documents the deep rapport she’s built with Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake after several years of intensive touring, presenting a trio that’s settled, alert and able to reshape material from the inside. The album mixes new Davis compositions with pieces by Hurst, Blake and Morton Feldman, highlighting the group’s focus on detail, structure and collective discovery. Across the set the trio moves between groove‑centred writing, open improvisation and reimagined earlier works, showing how their shared language has sharpened through constant performance. Lost in Geneva marks the trio’s second release and captures the clarity, flexibility and close‑knit interplay that have earned them significant acclaim on stage.

10. Recorded live at London’s ICA in 1970, Eclipse At Dawn captures the Brotherhood of Breath at full, combustible stretch: McGregor’s South African rhythmic drive meeting the raw, free‑wheeling energy of the British avant‑garde. The set moves between township‑rooted themes, eruptive horn writing and open improvisation, with the band’s trademark mix of jubilation and volatility. What comes through most clearly is the collective force of the ensemble — a sound that can pivot from tight, dancing riffs to explosive freedom without losing its momentum — making Eclipse At Dawn one of the most vivid documents of the group’s early period.

11. This new release emerges from Joe Morris’ renewed commitment to Free Music as a form of ethical and imaginative resistance — a practice he frames as supporting non‑violence, justice, and the possibility of clearer thought in a distorted world. The quartet’s music reflects that stance not through messaging but through method: spontaneous, alert, and built to change, with composed cues acting only as points of departure. Morris’ guitar sets the structural tension, Anna Webber’s reeds bring pattern and edge, Rob Brown adds a more lyrical, mobile counterline, and Matthew Russeau keeps the whole thing responsive and grounded. The result is exactly what Morris describes as a “continuous beginning” — music that stays open, forward‑leaning and ready to remake itself with every performance, a counter‑spectacle expressed through collective sound rather than rhetoric.

12. This set was recorded in Copenhagen in 1963 and originally released on Sonet (Denmark). It’s one of the core documents of the group’s brief but pivotal existence — a band that linked the emerging New York avant‑garde with the Scandinavian free‑jazz scene, and gave Shepp, Don Cherry and John Tchicai a platform to push past post‑bop structures while still working inside tight ensemble writing. The album mixes sharp, riff‑based themes with open improvisation, showing the group’s balance of discipline and volatility. Cherry’s bright, clipped phrasing, Tchicai’s dry, linear tone and Shepp’s broader, more vocalised approach create a three‑way front line that’s already distinctive, supported by a rhythm section that keeps the music taut and forward‑moving.

    

    Thanks for reading Different Noises! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Sun Atoms - Narco Polo (RemiX JunN) - Narco Polo Remixes

2. Soft Science - Spinning - Spinning

3. Bikini Test Failure - You’re Dead To Me Now

4. Cor De Lux - The Cringe - Year Of The Horse

5. Crow - Skyline - Hold Sway

6. Hard-Ons - Suck And Swallow - Korean Language Mini-Album

7. Heir To The Squandered Millions - Here They Come Again

8. Evening Sky - Wanskuckin - Meeting Of The Four

9. Flooding - object 1 - object 1

10. Fuses - Garden of Ashes - Sawdust In The Transmission

11. Kevin Coleman - Terrapin - K..C. Blues

12. Robert Honstein, Mivos Quartet - Arctic 1. Midnight Sun - Horizon Line

13. Jocelyn Morlock - Artemis Sleeps - Artemis Sleeps

14. Helen Svoboda - Blur - Headwater

15. Cate Kennan - Rain - Shadows

16. The Go-Betweens - Old Mexico (acoustic demo) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

17. Danny Short - Run From You - HALT!

18. Moff Skellington - Unster Greel - Dawn Ablutions

19. Fancy Weapon - All Roads - Fancy Weapon

20. Smoked Salmon - Everybody’s Out of Town - Totally Sick!!

21. The Junta - Covfefe - Euphoria

22. Occult Character - Every Song In My Head - Nauseas

23. Neon Crabs - Vicious Debasement - This Puppy Can See A Frog

24. The Dream Syndicate - That’s What You Always Say - Live, Through The Past Darkly

25. Sick Gazelle - Maybe You Were Right - Veld

26. Peter Hammill - Mr X - Been Alone So Long (The Naked Songs Tour, Bremen, 1985)

27. Miles Davis - Orange Lady - The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions

28. Salem Trials - Whatever happened to the spacepeople - Fingerprint on a Blind Eye

NOTES

1. The Portland psych-gaze innovators are gearing up for a major summer with the announcement that they’ll be joining Modest Mouse on select tour dates. To mark the occasion, the band has unveiled ‘Narco Polo Remixes’, a two-track release that reimagines their ‘Narco Polo’ collaboration with Modest Mouse frontman Isacc Brock through the lens of two distinctive remixers: The Dandy Warhols’ Peter R G. Holstrom and Sun Atoms’ own June Kang. Released via Little Cloud Records on June 26, “Narco Polo Remixes” transforms the original into a pair of immersive electronic excursions, the ‘Narco Polo (JunN RemiX)’.driven by a slower, sub-heavy trippy pulse and Holmström’s sleek, hypnotic ‘Marco Polo (NRC RMX)’ accompanied by a striking new visual from rising artist Brady Tucson. The release highlights Sun Atoms’ adventurous approach to sound while setting the stage for their West Coast tour and a return to the studio for a new full-length album later this year.

2. These dreampop favourites are back and sounding more expansive, urgent, and intoxicating than ever. The Sacramento-based sextet unveil ‘Spinning’ - a shimmering, emotionally charged first taste of their coming album ‘Sand’, out September 4 via Shelflife Records (North America) and Spinout Nuggets (UK). Blending radiant shoegaze textures, soaring melodies, and irresistible momentum, ‘Spinning’ captures the exhilarating rush of getting caught in an emotional whirlwind while showcasing the band’s immersive sound. Featuring the longtime lineup of Katie Haley (vocals, percussion), Matt Levine (lead guitar), Ross Levine (guitar), Tony Cale (drums), Becky Cale (bass) and Hans Munz (electronics), Soft Science continues to refine the lush sonic universe that has earned them acclaim from alternative pop and indie-rock audiences worldwide.

3. From the West Coast to something closer to home - Jodrell Bank in sunny Cheshire - James is back with a sparkling new pop tune - the meta data implies this might be a precursor to a long awaited third album. Rather than being a traditional multi-member band, Bikini Test Failure (often abbreviated as BTF) is a solo effort where Hill serves as the songwriter, performer, producer, and designer. He adopts a “control-freak” approach to his music, drawing stylistic comparisons to various British alternative rock acts but somehow managing to deliver a singular and unique sound.

4. Cor de Lux, the unorthodox alt-rock foursome from North Carolina’s outerbanks, who recently announced their signing to Ipecac Recordings, release their label debut, the J. Robbins-produced Year of the Horse , on 18th September. A preview of the nine-song album arrives with “The Cringe” and its accompanying video. The snarling single charges forward at full blast before veering into an atmospheric passage where the intertwined guitars of Dawn Moraga and Tim Lusk drift into haunting territory.

5. Following the passing on May 14 of founding member Peter Archer, esteemed Sydney band Crow have announced the release date for their first album in over 15 years, Hold Sway. The announcement has been accompanied by the release the album’s second single and video, “Skyline”, which was written and sung by Archer.

6. Australian band The Hard-Ons pay tribute to founding member bass player Ray’s racial heritage by releasing a Korean language 12” EP. Korean-born bass player Ray handles the lead vocal duties to four re-recorded Hard-Ons classics, digging deep to reacquaint himself with his mother tongue.

7. The new single by Melbourne’s newest “compact, tight” power pop band, the new project for Ross McLennan, formerly of ‘90s Australian power-pop outfit and Triple J faves Snout. The new single follows first single “Thin Aspiration”, and like its predecessor, it is taken from the band’s soon to be announced debut album.

8. There are bands that fit neatly into a genre, and then there is Evening Sky. The Rhode Island quartet’s new album arrived on June 26, weaving together pedal steel, soul-jazz, reggae grooves, and cinematic storytelling. Meeting of the Four follows instinct rather than convention, drawing from the deep well of American roots music while allowing jazz improvisation to lead the way. The result is an expansive instrumental record. At the heart of the group are four musicians whose individual voices converge into something greater than the sum of its parts. Guitarist and composer Gino Rosati, pedal steel guitarist Chris Brooks, bassist Joe Potenza, and drummer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Eric Hastings have spent years refining a musical language rooted in curiosity, spontaneity, and a shared love of American music in all its forms.

9. Released in July 2025, Object 1 is a four-track EP by the Lawrence, Kansas-based trio Flooding that further refines their signature sound—a compelling fusion of slowcore, noise rock, and post-punk. Led by Rose Brown, the band masterfully balances soft, ethereal vocal delivery with sudden, dissonant outbursts and heavy, distorted instrumentation. With standout tracks like "depictions of the female body," the project has been critically lauded for its raw, confessional lyrical depth and the group's ability to seamlessly blend pop-adjacent sensibilities with a challenging, high-intensity sonic aesthetic.

10. The debut album from Sweden/New York-based transatlantic duo Fuses, came out June 26 on Having Fun Records (the rock imprint of We Are Busy Bodies). Blending 60s folk rock jangle and classic country warmth, it’s a lush, harmony-driven record for fans of The Byrds, Fairport Convention, Gram Parsons, and Jason Molina. The album is accompanied by a grainy Super 8-style video for “Garden of Ashes.”

11. Nashville-based songwriter and guitarist Kevin Coleman returns with KC Blues, the follow up to his 2024 album Imaginary Conversations. Recorded over the course of two years, the album blends country blues, Appalachian influences, improvisation, and experimental folk into a collection shaped as much by collaboration and circumstance as by careful composition. Released as a collaboration between Centripetal Force (USA) and Ramble Records (Australia), KC Blues is being issued in a 200 copy vinyl pressing, as well as digitally.

12. Horizon Line, an album of music by Robert Honstein, features three compositions exploring landscapes and the pastoral - in nature, visual art, and urban space. The “horizon line” orients perspective and by implication, how we situate ourselves and derive meaning from the world around us. Featuring three works that span a decade of the composer’s career, the instrumental throughline of the album could be the String Quartet itself, representing a culmination of Honstein’s long engagement with the genre. Arctic was recorded in 2013 by Mivos Quartet, longtime collaborators of the composer, while Continuous Interior features the youthful Bergamot Quartet with percussionist Abby Fisher. The Great Marsh features New England artists who performed the work in the iconic coastal-adjacent Rockport Music-Shalin Liu Performance Center.

13. The premature passing of acclaimed Vancouver composer Jocelyn Morlock in 2023 was an event that left the Canadian contemporary music community reeling. Morlock was one of the countries most active and visible artists. Mark Takeshi McGregor was among her closest associates, sharing a close friendship, creative exchange and even at one point an apartment. As such, he makes an ideal instigator for the series of forthcoming posthumous albums that pay tribute to Morlock’s refined ear for colour, melodic imagination, impish sense of humour, and expansive evocative capacity. Morlock had a strong affinity for the flute and Artemis Sleeps offers a glimpse into her chamber works that feature the instrument including everything from delicate solo pieces to a vividly coloured flute octet, and from a wind quintet—one of her final compositions—to trios and duos featuring harp, guitar, and voice. In addition to covering a variety of different ensembles, the material here also traverses more than 20 years of her career and yet amidst the album’s many contrasts, Morlock’s irrepressible compositional spirit shines through, offering a language that is accessible and steeped in the tradition yet fiercely individualistic and deeply eccentric.

14. Headwater is a stream of fragmentation, individuality and wholeness, shaped by disparate and complementary aspects of Helen Svoboda’s solo practice. Sixteen threads or ‘earworms’ run throughout the record to form an abstracted picture of self, rooted in a devolved songform. It can be experienced as a tapestry that blurs the edges of identity; strange, beautiful, evaporative, and fluid, like memory itself.

    The distinctive sonic world for Headwater is built around two double basses, two voices, and electronics; heard as singular and combinatory bodies of material. The ensemble features Helen Svoboda (double bass, voice, composition) with close collaborators Jacques Emery (double bass), Finnish vocalist Selma Savolainen (voice), and Tilman Robinson (electronics, production).

15. Los Angeles musician Cate Kennan’s self-produced second full-length unfolds with the poetry and immateriality of its title: Shadows. 10 vignettes of keys, strings, reverb, and voice, the songs sway and lope between dream and lullaby, rose-colored but remote. The album was inspired by the dislocation Kennan felt upon returning, after several years away, to the rustic neighbourhood northwest of L.A. where she’d grown up: “Wandering through a place where my life once existed but where everything had quietly shifted with time.”

16. Featured box set - tracks marked as featured are from releases covered on previous shows - if you search for them you can find details.

17. Featured album

18. Featured album

19. Featured album

20. Featured album

21. Featured album

22. Featured album

23. Featured album

24. Featured album

25. Their second LP, Veld, is released via Vampire Blues. Comprised of saxophonist/vocalist Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), guitarist Eric Block (Veloce), bassist Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) and drummer Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), the band delivers a five-track collection that exists somewhere between free-rock confusion and deep-space tranquility, conjuring an uncommon collision of layered saxophone, processed vocalizations, submerged textures and heavy guitar zones, with eternally outstretched drums steering the band’s improvised pieces. Expanded from a trio to a quartet with the addition of McCombs following its 2019 debut, Odum, the quartet finds added clarity and structure on Veld without ever losing the spark of the jam.

26. Featured album….“Mr. X” is one of Peter Hammill’s most iconic and haunting compositions, originally appearing on his 1980 album A Black Box. A masterpiece of atmospheric tension, the song is built upon a brooding, repetitive electronic pulse that creates a cold, cinematic backdrop for Hammill’s intense and introspective vocal delivery. Lyrically, the track delves into themes of isolation, alienation, and the fragmentation of identity, as the narrator contemplates a world where they have become a detached, ghostly observer—a “Mr. X” stripped of human connection. The song’s stark, minimalist arrangement perfectly underscores its themes, cementing its status as a quintessential example of Hammill’s ability to blend avant-garde sensibilities with deeply vulnerable songwriting.

27. “Orange Lady,” composed by Joe Zawinul and recorded by Miles Davis in November 1969, stands as one of the most evocative and atmospheric compositions from the prolific Bitches Brew sessions. Though omitted from the original 1970 landmark album, it later became a centerpiece of the 1974 collection Big Fun. The piece showcases the revolutionary fusion aesthetic of the era, featuring a dreamlike, impressionistic arrangement that highlights Davis’s nuanced trumpet work alongside Wayne Shorter’s soprano saxophone and the shimmering textures of multiple electric pianos. Its haunting, space-oriented soundscape remains a quintessential example of the experimental, genre-defying direction Davis pursued during his transition into jazz-rock fusion.

28. Featured album.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Skúli Sverrisson with Bill Frisell “Thank You for Taking Me There and Back” from For All Your Flowers (Newvelle Records) 00:00

2. Matt Otto “Ephemeral” from Ephemeral (Self Released) 05:16

3. Hernán Cassibba “Los azules tus azules” from La Espera (ears&eyes) 10:19

4. Colin Heshmat “Center Street Theme 1” from Elastic Groove (HMC Records) 16:30

5. Ali Ryerson “Before Today/Yesterdays” from The Ali Ryerson Quartet (ACR Music) 21:57

6. New West Quartet “Come Up” from TURN (Park West Records) 27:59

7. Larry Stabbins with Keith Tippett and Louis Moholo-Moholo “Acacia” from And The Birds Sang (Jazz In Britain) 35:20

8. Pat Thomas, Olie Brice and Garry Willcox “The caligrapher’s blues” from The Day After (Jazz In Britain) 42:20

9. Tonino Miano Trio “Mycelium” from MOSS/electric (Aut Records) 49:07

10. Ayn Inserto + WDR Big Band featuring Sean Jones “Down A Rabbit Hole” from Jagged Edges Elegant Lines (Summit Records) 54:41

11. Zack Moir & Roberto Cassani “As She Dreams Her Afternoon in Shy Anticipation” from Anaglyph (Aut Records) 1:01:55

12. Senri Oe “Amber Lab 2” from Homework (PND Records) 1:08:18

13. Larry Stabbins with Keith Tippett and Louis Moholo-Moholo “Inside and Outside” from And The Birds Sang (Jazz In Britain) 1:12:20

14. Bassism Trio “Foggy” from Dreams Must Explain Themselves (Aut Records) 1:20:47

15. Mat Maneri Quartet “Loved” from Mist (Sunnyside Records) 1:28:08

16. Egyptian Cotton Arkestra “2023-12-22T172519Z/+45.53259-73.61985” from Time & Place (Constellation) 1:36:48

17. Amstel Jazz Ensemble “Whitecaps” from First State Blues (Summit Records) 1:46:37

18. Joey Alexander “As Far As The Eye Can See” from Celestial Keeper (Mack Avenue) 1:52:42

19. Will Lyle “Eridania” from The All Seeing Eye (Circle Theory Media) 1:59:33

NOTES

1. To open we have the latest instalment in the Newvelle Ten series and a new chapter in the extraordinary collaboration between Icelandic bassist-composer Skúli Sverrisson and iconic guitarist Bill Frisell. Available August 1, 2026 and recorded over two days in June 2025 at EastSide Sound in New York City, this duo set captures a dialogue of rare intimacy and depth between two of the most distinctive voices in modern music. When Sverrisson and Frisell first met in the studio for their 2018 Newvelle release Strata, the result was remarkable and a demonstration of an evolving partnership that has an impressive intuitive shared approach to music. This new release confirms that intuition and is not merely a continuation, but an evolution of their relationship. The record’s ten tracks—all but one composed by Sverrisson, with Frisell contributing the tender “Baby”—are miniature worlds that bloom in the duo’s hands. From the opening shimmer of “Thank You for Taking Me There and Back” to the fragile uplift of the title track, each piece unfolds with patient lyricism, transparency, and trust. Sverrisson’s bass anchors the music with both gravity and grace, while Frisell’s guitar drifts, whispers, and sings, creating an atmosphere that feels at once rooted and otherworldly.

2. This new project by saxophonist, composer, and educator Matt Otto, is characterized by its contemplative and personal approach to the genre. The album reflects Otto’s commitment to blending rigorous compositional research with fluid improvisation, highlighting his focus on the expressive dimensions of sound. As a significant addition to his discography, the work continues his established artistic path of exploring jazz as an open and deeply expressive language. He uses fifteen different musicians over five line-ups on eight tracks on a set which demonstrates great variety. The album was released on June 26. 2026.

3. This new album by Argentinian bassist and composer Cassibba features a powerhouse sextet comprising the leader with Andrés Boiarsky on tenor saxophone, Juan Cruz de Urquiza on trumpet, Rodrigo Domínguez on tenor/soprano saxophone, Nicolás Guerschberg on piano, and Quintino Cinalli on drums. Together, they navigate a sophisticated soundscape that blends jazz with rock and classical influences, characterized by cinematic intensity, intricate counterpoint, and a masterful balance between melodic accessibility and complex rhythmic exploration. It was released on 19 June 2026.

4. Colin Heshmat has been part of the New York jazz scene since 2019. Although inspired by many earlier piano giants, he has developed his own sound within the jazz modern mainstream. On this studio recording debut he captures and celebrates the collaborative spirit of New York’s jazz community. He is joined by trumpeter Ryo Sasaki, bassist Yuma Takagi, and drummer Ben Cliness on eight originals inspired by his life in New York, and fresh renditions of three standards.

5. Accomplished fluatist Ali Ryerson is one of the most exciting proponents of the instrument in jazz. Over the course of a long career, both performing and teaching, she has honed a unique style. It is rooted in the Western classical tradition. Yet it has a boppish and soulful spontaneity. Her 17th release as a leader showcases her masterful command of the instrument and signature sound. The 16 May, 2026 release features a tight-knit ensemble consisting of the leader with pianist Larry Ham, bassist Lou Pappas, and drummer Tom Melito. This album demonstrates the group’s cohesive interplay and technical proficiency.

6. The debut statement from a collective of four distinct voices brought together through a shared commitment to exploration, structure, and sound. Featuring Matt Hollenberg (bass IV & guitar), Jim Clouse (soprano & tenor saxophone), Dave Sewelson (baritone saxophone & electric harmonica), and Patrick Golden (percussion & drums), the album charts a course through a richly layered musical landscape that resists easy categorization. At its core, it is a study in contrast and cohesion. The quartet moves fluidly between tightly constructed passages and open, avant-garde interplay, balancing precision with spontaneity. Composition and improvisation are not opposing forces here, rather they are interdependent, constantly reshaping one another in real time. Blending genres and embracing the avant-garde while remaining deeply intentional in its structure, the album is both expansive and precise. It is music that invites close listening where every gesture matters, and every turn reveals something new.

7. This 31 July, 2026 release is a project by saxophonist Larry Stabbins that revisits his deep, long-standing creative partnerships with pianist Keith Tippett and drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo. The album distills their collaborative chemistry into a series of intimate, high-stakes duets. The music is marked by a profound sense of mutual trust, navigating a spectrum that moves fluidly between moments of delicate tenderness, fierce improvisational intensity, and inventive, song-like structures that feel both spontaneous and deeply lived-in. I am featuring two examples of the duos - this first one is with Louis.

8. A collaborative album featuring the improvising trio of pianist Pat Thomas, double bassist Olie Brice, and drummer Gary Willcox. The trio is noted for its immense dynamic range and depth, drawing upon each member’s extensive background in jazz, modernism, and free improvisation. The album captures the group’s shared commitment to “in-the-moment” musical exploration, resulting in a performance that is both highly cerebral and charged with a distinct, authoritative energy. This project was officially released on June 22, 2026.

9. Featuring pianist and synthesizer player Tonino Miano, bassist Riccardo Grosso, and drummer Andrea Melani. Set for release in July 22, 2026, the album serves as a creative exploration of the trio’s “organic” approach to improvisation, deliberately blurring the lines between acoustic performance and electronic soundscapes. Through its original compositions, the ensemble maintains a dialogue between distinct musical paths, creating a multi-stylistic environment that sits at the intersection of modern jazz and a broader, textured sonic palette.

10. When Ayn Inserto received a call from the WDR Big Band to present an evening of her compositions, along with four newly commissioned pieces, she jumped right in. The live recording Jagged Edges & Elegant Lines: The Music of Ayn Inserto features a radiant selection of compositions from Inserto’s songbook alongside a new suite written for the acclaimed trumpeter Sean Jones, the ensemble’s special guest soloist for the evening. The album is released August 7, 2026.

11. This release Anaglyph documents the first recorded collaboration between saxophonist Zack Moir and double bassist Roberto Cassani. Taking its title from the photographic process in which two distinct images combine to create the illusion of depth, the album explores the meeting of two individual musical voices as they converge into a shared sonic perspective. Moving between jazz, free improvisation, ambient music, and electroacoustic sound, the music unfolds through spacious dialogues in which structure and discovery remain in constant negotiation. Saxophone, double bass, and live electronics shift fluidly between melody, texture, foreground, and atmosphere. Moir’s reactive generative electronic systems respond in real time to the performance, extending and refracting the acoustic sound world, while Cassani’s double bass provides both grounding and openness. Although several pieces originate from simple melodic frameworks, the album remains fundamentally rooted in improvisation. Composed materials become starting points for unexpected directions, collective decisions, and subtle transformations. The album reflects a shared commitment to exploration over certainty and process over prescription. In this sense, Anaglyph resonates with the spirit of research and experimentation that has long informed contemporary improvised music: a practice in which listening itself becomes a creative act and where meaning emerges through encounter rather than design.

12. The forthcoming album by Japanese pianist and composer Senri Oe, arriving September 4, 2026 worldwide. Recorded between Oe’s Brooklyn apartment and The Bunker Studio with longtime collaborators bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Ross Pederson, the 16-track set moves between acoustic trio performance, solo piano, and self-produced electronics. Oe calls Homework “a soundtrack for a cinema without visuals” — music listeners can experience as their own internal movie. The album arrives after eighteen years in New York and the death of Oe’s beloved dachshund Peace, who crossed the ocean with him and stayed beside him through his New York reinvention. “I wanted to create this album for my generation,” Oe says. “People my age face the same crossroads: Where are we heading, and how do we keep going?”

13. As 7. this time a duo with Keith.

14. BASSISM stems from a strong musical affinity and from the desire to explore the structural and timbral possibilities of an unconventional lineup, with no traditional harmonic instruments. The result is a dense, physical and constantly shifting sound, in which the interaction between low registers becomes a central element of the musical construction. Enrico De Fabritiis (baritone sax, alto sax, kalimba) and Alberto Popolla (bass clarinet, electric bass ), who also play together in the horn section of Roots Magic, bring to the trio a shared vision rooted in the Afro-American tradition, while developing a personal language based on deep interplay, attention to sound, and openness to radical improvisation. The trio is completed by Ferdinando Faraò, a drummer with a longstanding career and director of the Artchipel Orchestra, whose approach combines formal awareness and expressive freedom. A special vocal contribution by Naima Faraò appears on the title track, “Dreams Must Explain Themselves”, adding a further layer to the album’s sound world.

15. Released on June 26, 2026, this album serves as the final instalment of a conceptual trilogy by the Mat Maneri Quartet. Featuring violist Mat Maneri, pianist Lucian Ban, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Randy Peterson, the album acts as a resolution to the quartet’s previous explorations of grief and memory found in their earlier projects, Dust and Ash. The recording presents a blend of original compositions by Maneri and Ban, characterized by a transition from dark, complex improvisations toward a more hopeful and serene sonic landscape, effectively concluding the group’s multi-year musical journey.

16. Released on August 29, 2025, this is an avant-garde jazz project by the Montreal-based quartet Egyptian Cotton Arkestra. The ensemble features James Goddard (saxophone and mbira), Ari Swan (violin), Markus Lake (bass), and Lucas Huang (drums). Known for their commitment to pure improvisation, the quartet captures a raw, spontaneous energy on this album, characterized by spacious, drone-like atmospheres that transition into intense, collaborative bursts. The record serves as a testament to their unique chemistry, emphasizing the “here and now” of musical creation and the value of ephemeral, live interaction in an increasingly digitized landscape.

17. Released on June 5, 2026, this album is an evocative project that pays homage to the legacy of jazz giant Clifford Brown—a native of Wilmington, Delaware—and the cultural landscape of the state itself. The ensemble, featuring Todd Groves (saxophones/flute), Bruce Tychinski (trombone), Dave Bozenhard (guitar), Miles Brown (bass), and Tom Palmer (drums/piano), seamlessly blends foundational compositions by Brown with thoughtful original works written by the group’s members. From the scenic imagery of “Whitecaps” and “White Clay Creek” to the collaborative spirit of the collective improvisation “You’ll Never Have More Time Than You Do Now,” the album showcases top-notch faculty artistry that bridges historical reverence with the vibrant contemporary jazz voice of Delaware.

18. Released on July 17, 2026, this is the eighth studio album from Grammy-nominated pianist and composer Joey Alexander. Inspired by his recent return to his native Bali, the album reflects on themes of faith, gratitude, and personal transformation, drawing influence from the natural rhythms of his home and his enduring connection to jazz legends like Miles Davis and Bill Evans. The project features Alexander's core touring trio—bassist Kris Funn and drummer Jonathan Barber—with notable contributions from saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and vocalists Lisa Fischer and Alita Moses. The record balances seven original compositions with fresh interpretations of classics such as "Stella by Starlight," "My Funny Valentine," and "How Great Thou Art."

19. Released on May 15, 2026 this album is a compelling jazz project by bassist Will Lyle. The album features a formidable quartet consisting of Lyle on bass, saxophonist Lucas Pino, pianist David Kikoski, and drummer Billy Drummond (with guest vocalist Sirintip appearing on “On a Clear Day”). The recording showcases a sophisticated balance between reverential interpretations of jazz standards and original compositions, such as the suite “Universal Truth” and the track “Deepfake.” With its blend of modern post-bop sensibilities and a deep respect for the acoustic jazz tradition, the project highlights the ensemble’s tight chemistry and Lyle’s evolution as both a bandleader and composer.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Ed Kuepper - Also Sprach The King Of Euro-Disco (Edit) - The Exploding Universe - Live

2. Fancy Weapon - Buddy’s Echo - Fancy Weapon

3. Cinder Well - Beyond The Pale - A Blooming Body

4. Lawrence English - One Line Sky (alone) - The Rest Is My Ghost

5. Chat Pile - Deep Blue - Who Loves The Sun

6. Dominic Carlton Jones - Song For Matthew - Song For Matthew

7. Elina Felice - Bury Me - Bury Me

8. Thætas - Dhuka - The Irredeemable Age

9. Spiral Galaxy - Future Fauna - II

10. Thrum - Here I Am - Rifferama

11. Pirámides - Mas Da Una Bandesra - El Bienestar del Espíritu

12. Thee Holy Brothers - High In My Balloon - High In My Balloon.

13. Jah Wobble and Tian Qiyi - Tomorrow Never Knows - Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles’ Psychedelic Psongbook

14. Laughing Clowns - Eternally Yours - Law Of Nature

15. Martin Green - The Disappearing Platelayer (featuring Moff Skellington) - The Martin Green Machine: First Sighting

16. Green Desert Water - Eerie Meadows - Eerie Meadows

17. TFS - Bumma Sanger - Deep States

18. Nick Batterham - As The Days Progress - RONE • HOME

19. Tönky Hönk - Hush - The EP

20. Nick Batterham - La Petite Mort - La Petite Mort

21. The Junta - Night of The Junta - Exposure

22. Smoked Salmon - Fix Me Up - Totally Sick!!

23. Moff Skellington - Sinister Box Puller - Dawn Ablutions

24. The Go-Betweens - Mrs Morgan (Acoustic) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

25. Danny Short - Wish Me Luck - HALT

26. The Dream Syndicate - How Did I Find Myself Here - Live Through the Past, Darkly

27. Things Of Stone And Wood - Fade Away - Rae Street

28. Salem Trials - Nothing Left Inside - TELL

NOTES

1. As part of celebrations for his 50th year as a recording artist, Ed Kuepper has announced the new live album and shared the new live single also announced are reissues of Today Wonder (1990) & The Aints - Autocannibalism (1992). The live album was recorded at the National Theatre, Melbourne in 2023, on Ed’s first tour focusing on his solo material with a full band for over a decade, itis released on Double LP and single CD. A blistering, expansive performance featuring a terrific line up of musicians, including long time drummer Mark Dawson, bassist Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys), keyboardist Alister Spence, and brass arranger Eamon Dilworth, it showcases music from Ed’s 50-year career.

2. An unlikely band name and a most unlikely band. Fancy Weapon melds a cross-generational bunch of Melbourne music perennials and a recent transplant to form a brooding, ragged palette of art-rock: Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque, Venom P Stinger, Bleak Squad) Joel Silbersher (GOD, Hoss, Tendrils) Claire Birchall (Smoked Salmon, Paper Planes) - Guy Maddison (Mudhoney, Lubricated Goat, Bloodloss) In a city of blessed with legendary life-long musicians, the Fancy Weapon folks have all remained deeply immersed. Although they aren’t kids, each member still plays in multiple bands; touring, recording - indeed Guy, having recently returned home to Aus after decades in Seattle, remains Mudhoney’s bass player - and continuing to forge paths of high creativity while adding to their varied catalogs. The songs for Fancy Weapon’s debut album were recorded in a single session at Finn Keane’s Head Gap Studios in Preston in late 2024, before the band had even played in public and a week before the studio tragically burned to the ground (after a neighbouring business was criminally torched). Fortunately, the sessions were saved, and Finn & the band were able to continue mixing and finishing the record at an alternative studio. If the combination of Fancy Weapon’s vast experience isn’t intriguing enough, the instant chemistry heard across this album should delight any and all fans of Australian underground rock. The shared lead and backing vocals from Claire and Joel are affecting while the interplay of Mick’s iconic guitar stabbing and weaving through Joel’s powerful and layered playing works to brilliant effect. Rhythmically Guy (bass) and Claire (drums) provide a pulsing backbone, sounding as if they’ve been playing together for years.

3. As a second preview of her upcoming album A Blooming Body ( July 17th via Hen House Studios) Cinder Well shared this track. “A hangover, a break-up, a migraine, a confessional,” says Amelia. “This song features the legendary Greg Cohen (Tom Waits, John Zorn) on bass, alongside my dear friend Phillip Rogers (Hayley Hendrickx) on drums. The music video concept came to me in a dream, and as I relayed it aloud in the morning, I figured it was weird enough to actually try. Thanks to Cheech for making the video come to life, and for running around Los Angeles carrying a box full of water with me.” Since 2015, Cinder Well has extracted dark, rich and tender compositions which nod to, but also stray from traditional musical languages. By comparison to the more diaristic tones of previous releases (2015’s self-titled EP, 2018’s The Unconscious Echo, 2020’s No Summer, 2023’s Cadence), A Blooming Body feels like glimpsing scattered vignettes of a whole world rather than a sequential narrative from beginning to end.

4. A second piece from his forthcoming album, The Rest Is My Ghost arriving on Room40 on 7th August. “One Line Sky” starts uneasy, towering and stuttering before bursting forth into an ecstatic wash of bass heavy, dense harmonics. About “One Line Sky”, Lawrence says, “I spent a good deal of time researching in mega-cities whilst making this record. ‘One Line Sky’ was a term passed to me by a friend in Hong Kong. It has numerous readings, many of which float around the experiences of being at the bottom on these long canyon of buildings. which form the one line sky. The sky then is a slither of something else we can see beyond the immediate towers of architecture. I like the sense of escapism that is promised in that view, that outside of these places we build and sometimes cage ourselves into, a whole other possible life exists.”

5. In a world increasingly shaped by disposable content, Chat Pile answers with something defiantly real and organic, a mentality that permeates Who Loves The Sun, their third full-length record. Since the band’s formation just over six years ago, the Oklahoma City-based quartet Chat Pile has grown from a scrappy passion project of four local film and music enthusiasts into one of the defining heavy acts to emerge from the 2020s underground. Ray B. (vocals), L. Manhole (guitar), Stin (bass), and Cap’n Ron (drums)’s crushing, crass, and cathartic take on noise rock resonates in this cracked reality. It captures a raw, undeniably human essence that’s increasingly fleeting in an age marked by ceaseless torrents of algorithmic slop, technological overreach, and the cold, crestfallen state of society. Nothing about Who Loves The Sun feels synthetic.

6. A new EP from the Eccles based troubadour. The release is dedicated to his brother Matthew who sadly died in October of 2025. This is independently released and hosted by Half Edge Records

7. Toronto-based singer, songwriter, and storyteller Elina Filice releases her joyful, life-affirming new single “Bury Me” today, a Canadiana-soaked punk-pop anthem that announces itself immediately as one of the most infectious and emotionally generous songs of her career. Co-produced by Filice and Kevin Brennan and released on her own Red Vine Records, the track is a love song built around a Molson Canadian t-shirt, a running joke, and the quietly astonishing realisation that you have built a life with someone you never want to give back. It is the kind of song that sneaks up on you, arriving as a laugh and staying as something much deeper and more lasting.

8. This four-piece hails from the New York City region, consisting of drummer Nick Crifo, guitarists Terrell Grannum (Reeking Aura, Buckshot Facelift, Squelching Flesh) and Patrick Hawkins (Asystole, Needlepusher, Kyrios, Aberrated), and vocalist/bassist Cory Peterson (37564 Recordings). The long-awaited follow-up to their 2020 Maggot Stomp-released Shrines To Absurdity debut, The Irredeemable Age shows Thætas both refining and intensifying the brutal death metal approach while deepening their explorations into the bizarre, the uncharted, and the avant-garde. The result is a dynamic mosaic of obsessively dark, organic, off-kilter, and kinetic death metal, devastating the listener with nine tracks in barely thirty minutes.

9. Chicago cosmic explorers Spiral Galaxy return with Spiral Galaxy II, an ecstatic, deep-space voyage of pulsating drift by flutist Sara Gossett and Plastic Cewave on guitar/keys/machines. Expanding on the terrain mapped out by their acclaimed 2020 debut, the duo push further into a world where flute, raagini, guitar, drone, and an old school drum machine merge into long-form galactic excursions that feel both meticulously crafted and gloriously untethered. SG II was aided by the guiding hand of Windy City weirdo-visionary Bobby Conn, who contributed textural treatments and overdubs, vintage percussive devices, and spoken-word passages that all deepen the album’s ritualistic atmosphere, placing Spiral Galaxy somewhere between kosmische music, astral folk, and grooving minimalism. The album also draws in a wider circle of collaborators, including Conn’s violinist/partner Julie Pomerleau (Monica BouBou) and musicians whose contributions grew organically from years of shared stages and sonic communion. Avant improvisers Drazek Fuscaldo (Mako Sica), alchemical folksters Jen Powers and Matt Rolin, synth-lord Jimmy Lacy (SiP), and motorik country deity Lawrence Peters all make guest appearances. These performers truly became part of the album’s collective spirit, adding new dimensions to Spiral Galaxy’s evolving sound.

10. The long-awaited reissue and remaster of ‘Rifferama’ the acclaimed debut album by Glasgow indie trailblazers Thrum on Fire Records. A celebration of one of the most revered cult records of the 1990s UK guitar scene. Originally released to critical acclaim, ‘Rifferama’ captured a moment when melody, distortion and emotional urgency collided to create something timeless. Now newly remastered from the original recordings, the album returns with enhanced depth and clarity, reaffirming its reputation as a lost classic of the era. Fronted by the unmistakable voice of Monica Queen (also known for her work with Belle and Sebastian and Snow Patrol), Thrum’s sound blended shimmering pop hooks with driving, fuzz-laden riffs. Alongside Johnny Smillie’s distinctive guitar work, the band forged a sonic identity that stood proudly alongside the era’s most influential alternative acts.

11. The defining feature of El Bienestar del Espíritu is its sense of movement. While Pirámides have long explored psychedelic and experimental territory, this new album places rhythm firmly at the centre of the experience. Bass and drums drive much of the record, creating hypnotic, trance-inducing foundations that pull the rest of the music into orbit over which voices and atmospheric textures gradually unfold. El Bienestar del Espíritu is the latest transmission from Monterrey (via Tucson) Pirámides. Pirámides have never been easy to categorize. Built around the songwriting of Patricio Coronado and shaped by a philosophy closer to musical collage than traditional rock orthodoxy, the band’s music draws equally from folk traditions, improvisation, drone and repetition-based minimalism. What makes El Bienestar del Espíritu so compelling is the way it balances opposing forces. The music is rhythmically heavy yet also airy, deeply rooted yet exploratory. Vocal melodies emerge with mystical lyrics from either walls of complex rhythms or from open vast soundscapes with no clear pulsation. Mexican and Latin American influences are woven into the fabric of the record without ever becoming a stylistic exercise. Everything serves the larger drift. This isn’t a record interested in quick conclusions. It moves deliberately, revealing itself through repetition, texture and groove. Most psychedelic records float. This one walks.

12. The new single version of “High In My Balloon” is the latest release by Los Angeles-based duo Thee Holy Brothers consisting of Marvin Etzioni (Lone Justice) and Willie Aron (The Third Mind featuring Dave Alvin.) Originally released as the title track of Thee Holy Brothers’ latest album, this alternate version of the song has been included as the “flip side” of their recent seven-inch vinyl, CD and digital single “Sweet Leaf.”

13. Illustrious bassist-producer Jah Wobble has joined forces with Liverpool ethno-psychedelic duo, and his sons, Tian Qiyi (Charlie and John T Wardle) to unleash a stunning new vision of The Beatles’ ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ – a fearless, reimagining that transforms this epic song into an intoxicating fusion of psychedelic textures, cinematic atmosphere and Chinese and Mongolian instrumentation. Bold, hypnotic and utterly immersive, the Wardes’ experiment breathes new life into a recording that helped redefine the possibilities of popular music. This is the first glimpse of ‘Mystic Liverpool: The Beatles’ Psychedelic Psongbook’, arriving August 14th via Cherry Red Records and 30 Hertz. This is a radical reawakening of The Beatles’ psychedelic legacy, with Jah Wobble and Tian Qiyi dismantling and rebuilding these iconic songs through a mesmerizing sound world where East meets West, ancient traditions meet modern experimentation, and Liverpool’s most mystical musical moments are reborn for a new generation. This album promises to be one of the most ambitious, imaginative and unexpected Beatles-inspired releases in years.

14. Released in 1984, Law of Nature stands as a defining work of the Australian post-punk era, showcasing the experimental, jazz-infused sound of Ed Kuepper’s band, the Laughing Clowns. Featuring a sophisticated lineup that included pianist Chris Abrahams and saxophonist Louise Elliot, the album captures a unique “heat-haze” atmosphere that blends jagged guitar work with soulful, sweeping brass arrangements. Its standout track, “Eternally Yours,” is particularly renowned for its emotive power and distinct instrumental interplay, cementing the band’s legacy as highly influential architects of a sophisticated, genre-defying sound that transcended the limitations of traditional rock. This is from the 2024 re-master of the album. Whilst perceived wisdom is that Stone Roses did not borrow this sound there are some significant similarities.

15. "The Disappearing Platelayer" serves as the atmospheric closing track to the 2009 album First Sighting, a project that captured an early, ambitious exploration of genre-blending by acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Martin Green. Created for the Celtic Connections "New Voices" series, the album showcases Green’s innovative fusion of accordion-led folk with elements of jazz-fusion, Zappa-esque experimentation, and orchestral textures. Featuring the surreal and distinctive vocals of Moff Skellington, the track encapsulates the project's spirit, reflecting Green's transition from traditional roots into the avant-garde, sound-sculpting territory that would eventually define his celebrated career as a composer and innovator.

16. Asturias, Spain-based power trios back with a new album via small Stone Recordings. The record features eight immersive and engaging tracks, merging heavy psychedelia and melodies born across decades from the 1970s on, speaking seamlessly in a way that is their own while still providing as much grunge shove as it does boogie vibes. Their third album with Small Stone, Eerie Meadows follows the fan-favorite Black Harvest (2021), which established the current lineup of Kike Sanchís (guitar, vocals), Juan Arias (bass), and Dani Bárcena (drums) as one of the most enjoyable live acts in the heavy rock scene. “With Eerie Meadows, we wanted to explore the duality between the heavy and the ethereal the mist, the ancient woods, and that feeling of finding home in the wild,” says the band. “Recording in a new studio was a challenge we set for ourselves to push our sound further; it’s a record about the cycles of life, the scars we carry, and the fire that burns even under the northern lights.”

17. The band say “If you’re wondering why Deep States has been remixed, it’s because it was made during the pandemic in a studio 150 kilometers from a city. The album had been recorded and was about halfway through mixing when the computer on which it was being finished shut itself down and died. This part of the album process happened during a lockdown (so the computer could not be repaired) and the lockdown happened about a week before the album deadline. The deadline was for manufacturing. And the deadline couldn’t be moved because it had been moved many times previously due to the pandemic. So the mixes on the original version of Deep States are not really finished. They’re just what they were when the computer blew up. This new version is stripped all the way back to what it is which is a bunch of songs recorded on and bounced between various tape machines, through ghetto blasters, some parts recorded on a bus, some in a schoolroom, some outdoors, through crunchy old samplers, with drum machines run through crapped out amps… just to see what happened. And this is what happened.”

18. RONE • HOME is a new installation inside Chadstone Shopping Centre, as part of the Light To Night festival, running from 11 June to 12 July. Rone has constructed an entire house and backyard from scratch, creating an evocative time capsule of suburban life. Nick Batterham has composed and recorded the soundtrack to this new installation, having made soundtracks to previous Rone projects including TIME at Flinders Street Station in 2022-23 and EMPIRE at Burnham Beeches in 2019.

19. Winnipeg “piano” duo (more on those quotation marks in a moment) Tönky Hönk is announcing their debut release, The ËP, is slated for July 24th release on Vancouver’s Redshift Records. The duo comprises Madeline Hildebrand and Everett Hopfner, both of whom have remarkable credentials (the two of them are past prize-winners of Canada’s Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, for starters). Hildebrand—an erstwhile student of the legendary Gilbert Kalish—has performed alongside important artists such as Philip Glass at Winnipeg New Music Festival, the Kronos Quartet at Mass MoCA, and with Yarn/Wire at the DiMenna Center in New York City, to name a few. Hopfner meanwhile, studied under Megumi Masaki and has performed in a vast array of contexts, including Italy’s Casalmaggiore Music, Frankfurt’s Senckenberg, and touring with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. The pair’s name and colourful imagery hint at a certain playfulness, but one spin of their debut indicates that this is more emblematic of a collective, childlike curiosity than a penchant for antics or humour per se. Encompassing pieces by singular American composers Adrian Knight, Phyllis Chen and fellow Winnipeg resident Julian Beutel, the ËP—whose duration is more akin to that of a vinyl LP—is evocative and wondrous, embracing the piano (which is also heard prepared), but also Fender Rhodes, toy piano, and more. The release is a quietly strong, concentrated statement that is just as likely to endear itself to listeners of ambient, the more introspective end experimental rock and other soft exploratory genres, as fans of modern composition.

20. Last month, Nick released an instrumental track titled “La Petite Mort” featuring the exhilaratingly expressive cello of maestro David Berlin and an equally emotive piano performance by Georgina Lewis. As the title suggests, the music describes the tension between intimacy and mortality, the coexistence of love and death, a transition between emotional states.

21. The opening track The Junta’s new self-released album is a statement of electronic intent.

22. to 28. tracks from releases featured on previous shows.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Nduduzo Makhathini “Tethered” from The Myth We Choose (Blue Note Records) 00:00

2. Matthew Putman, Hill Greene, Francisco Mela “Hidden Secrets” from Bright Sun Outside (577 Records) 05:34

3. Steve Khan “Green Room” from Green Room - Ralph Towner | A Tribute (Blue Canoe Records) 15:15

4. The Pentland Bergonzi Quartet “O Hey, Earthling. Salut!” from Windward (GroundTone Records) 23:23

5. Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe “After The Storm 3” from After The Storm (Libra Records) 28:55

6. Ilaria Capalbo “Ode” from The Brightest Sun (Bluenord Records) 38:57

7. Nicola Miller’s Living Things “Spit!” from SPIT! (Watch That Ends The Night Records) 44:49

8. Brent Birckhead “Cacao” from Exchange, Live At The Keystone Korner (Self Released) 54:55

9. Satoko Fujii’s Bunker Ulmenwall Orchestra “Yamantaka” from Bunker Unmenwall Orchestra (Libra Records) 1:09:10

10. Mary Halvorson & Ambrose Akinmusire “Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings” from Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings (Nonesuch Records) 1:20:45

11. Elsa Nilsson Band Of Pulses “Andetag” from Liminal (Adhyâropa Records) 1:28:26

12. Miles Davis “Sanctuary ” from The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) 1:35:37

13. Miles Davis “Recollections” from The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) 1:46:31

NOTES

1. This new album released in June 2026, marks the fourth Blue Note album from the acclaimed South African pianist, composer, and healer Makhathini. Co-produced with his son, Thingo , the double album represents a significant evolution in his sound, weaving his signature spiritual jazz language with contemporary electronic textures, neo-soul influences, and a more prominent use of vocals. Beyond its musical innovation, the project functions as a philosophical "ritual" that interrogates the role of song in shaping cultural memory and legacy, with Makhathini arguing that by consciously curating our musical narratives today, we are effectively designing the myths that will define the future. Featuring his working trio alongside a diverse array of guests such as Shabaka Hutchings and Black Coffee, the album serves as a profound, melody-driven meditation on interconnectedness, forgiveness, and the responsibility of the artist to envision a more hopeful world.

2. The trio, which marks the first-ever collaboration between Putman and Mela, was recorded at the 577 Records studio in Brooklyn, capturing a series of spontaneous, highly intuitive improvisations. The album showcases a blend of lyrical melodicism and avant-garde exploration, with the instrumentation notably including Mela’s use of both percussion and whistle alongside Greene’s foundational, resonant bass and Putman’s expansive harmonic approach. The recording is recognized for its emphasis on conversational interplay and shared spiritual energy,

3. A poignant digital-only single released by guitarist Steve Khan as a heartfelt tribute to the legendary multi-instrumentalist and composer Ralph Towner, following Towner’s passing in January 2026. The piece serves as both a musical homage and a reflection of the deep, decades-long friendship between the two guitarists, who first met in New York in 1970. Named after a track from Towner's own discography, the single encapsulates Khan’s profound respect for Towner’s status as a visionary innovator who helped bridge the gap between classical, jazz, and world music. Through this release, Khan honors the legacy of a mentor and peer whose career, defined by his work with the Paul Winter Consort and the pioneering ensemble Oregon, significantly shaped the landscape of modern acoustic music.

4. A collaborative album by the Pentland/Bergonzi Quartet, featuring tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, bassist and composer Sean Pentland, pianist Julian Shore, and drummer Richie Barshay. The project originated from a planned German tour that was tragically cancelled following the unexpected death of a close friend and colleague, Sebastian Nay; consequently, the nine-track album serves as a dedicated homage, presenting the repertoire that was originally intended to be performed on that tour. The music is defined by Pentland’s intricate compositions, which integrate complex string-writing influences—ranging from Bartók and Mahler to modern textures—with Bergonzi’s signature harmonic stretching and improvisational mastery. The quartet’s interplay is characterized by a balance of impartial counterpoint and polyrhythmic depth, capturing a solemn yet vibrant musical dialogue intended to honor the memory of their late peer.

5. The latest expansive project from the Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe, a large ensemble that showcases Fujii’s distinct approach to big band composition and avant-garde arrangement. Consistent with her broader work, the album navigates the space between rigorous, structured composition and the wild, unpredictable energy of free improvisation, utilizing the orchestra’s diverse instrumentation to create shifting textures and complex harmonic layers. As a project, it reflects Fujii’s ongoing commitment to pushing the boundaries of the jazz orchestra format, balancing delicate, introspective passages with the raw, explosive power characteristic of the Kobe ensemble’s performances. The album stands as a significant addition to her discography of large-scale works, continuing her legacy of blending traditional big band influences with the bold, non-conformist spirit of contemporary creative music.

6. The second album from the Stockholm-based Italian bassist and composer Ilaria Capalbo. Recorded at Ingrid Studios in Stockholm, the project features a quintet consisting of Capalbo on double and electric bass, Thomas Backman (alto sax, clarinets), Fredrik Nordström (tenor/baritone sax), Andreas Hourdakis (guitar), and Fredrik Rundqvist (drums). Inspired by the transformative experience of motherhood, the compositions were crafted in fragmented, raw sessions, moving away from the more structured approach of her 2022 debut, Karthago. The music integrates influences from contemporary jazz, free improvisation, indie, and experimental rock, characterized by shifting dynamics that flow between intimate, delicate melodic themes and eruptive, high-energy textures. The ensemble, which gained international attention after their performance at jazzahead! 2025, emphasizes spontaneous, conversational interplay, reflecting Capalbo’s focus on the vulnerability and radical shifts in identity inherent to her creative process.

7. Celebrated Canadian saxophonist and composer Miller launched her debut, Living Things in 2024 with the Cacophonous Revival imprint. Now, the award-winning artist has assembled the same band for a second outing. Miller’s all-star ensemble includes Doug Tielli on trombone , bassist Nicholas D’Amato , drummer Nick Fraser as well as bass clarinetist and saxophonist Frank Gratkowski . Gratkowski also served as Miller’s mentor throughout her Masters’.

   SPIT! is a more extrovert affair than its predecessor foreground both layered, intricate avant-jazz ensemble writing and fiery improvisation alongside everyone’s keen ears for texture and timbre. The preview track/ lead single which is the first of the three-part “Telecommunications” series—exemplifies these traits, beginning in total abstraction and subsequently converging on slow groove. This serves as a foundation for both Miller’s careful compositional approach and also impassioned spontaneity from her and her bandmates.

8. A vibrant live album from saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist Birckhead. Recorded at the historic Keystone Korner in Baltimore, the project serves as the culmination of Birckhead’s ongoing “Exchange” performance series, which was designed to foster collaboration and highlight the diversity of the Baltimore jazz community. Produced by NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan, the album features a revolving cast of talented musicians—including pianist José André Montaño, bassist Romeir Mendez, drummer Devron Dennis, and percussionist Themba Mkhatshwa—alongside guest appearances from artists such as Sean Jones, Warren Wolf, and Imani-Grace Cooper. The record moves fluidly across genres, blending traditional jazz, R&B, Latin, and African rhythms to create a communal, high-energy atmosphere that emphasizes the raw, spontaneous dialogue between the performers and their audience. Through a mix of original compositions and soulful reinterpretations of classics, the album functions as a tribute to Baltimore’s rich jazz heritage and a testament to the power of music as an inclusive, living experience.

9. A sprawling two-disc set that documents a performance at the renowned Bunker Ulmenwall jazz club in Bielefeld, Germany. The album is uniquely structured: the first disc features an expansive rendition of Fujii’s epic composition “Shiki,” a multi-part work exploring the cycles of life, while the second disc departs from Fujii’s singular leadership to showcase compositions by four members of the ensemble—Andreas Kaling, Natsuki Tamura, Luise Volkmann, and Fujii herself. By allowing different band members to take the podium, the project shifts the focus from a traditional composer-led big band to a communal exploration of sound, utilizing the orchestra’s diverse instrumentation to bridge the gap between structured orchestration and spontaneous, avant-garde improvisation. It stands as a profound testament to Fujii’s collaborative philosophy, highlighting the unique voices within the ensemble while maintaining the high-intensity, boundary-pushing energy that has become a hallmark of her large-scale projects.

10. The project represents the culmination of a creative partnership that began in 2009, following two previous, unrealized attempts to capture their duo chemistry on record. The music—comprised of four compositions by each artist and one collaborative piece—was rehearsed in January 2025 and recorded the following day at Sear Sound in New York City. The album is notable for its expansive, impressionistic textures, marked by Halvorson’s signature use of delay and effects, and the introduction of effects processing to Akinmusire’s trumpet playing. Characterized by a profound ease of communication and a shared aesthetic of patient, microtonal exploration, the record captures an intimate improvisational dialogue that shifts fluidly between calm, reflective passages and moments of jarring, dissonant beauty.

11. The latest studio album from flutist and composer Nilsson’s project, Band of Pulses. Featuring a quartet that includes pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney, and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren, the album serves as a deep dive into the psychological and physical experience of “liminal spaces”—the transitional periods between states of being. The music utilizes the unique textural combination of flutes (with effects) and a rhythmically adventurous ensemble to explore complex themes of personal and societal change. By blending elements of contemporary jazz with fluid, modular compositional structures, the album emphasizes the “pulse” as a bridge between structured melodic development and spontaneous, non-linear improvisation, capturing a sense of fragility and the possibility of renewal.

12. Released in 1998 these tracks are from an expansive four-disc box set that documents the transformative period of Miles Davis’s career between August 1969 and February 1970. While it includes the iconic double album in its entirety, the collection serves primarily as an architectural study of Davis’s transition into electric jazz fusion, featuring previously unreleased takes, outtakes, and session fragments that reveal the studio alchemy of Davis and producer Teo Macero. The set captures a period of intense experimentation characterized by large, shifting ensembles, multiple electric keyboardists, and the pioneering use of tape editing and post-production effects. By mapping the evolutionary path from the improvisational sketches of the Bitches Brew sessions to the subsequent studio explorations that birthed albums like Big Fun and Live-Evil, the box set provides an essential, exhaustive look at the creative process that effectively dismantled traditional jazz boundaries and laid the foundation for the fusion movement. "Sanctuary" and "Recollections" represent two distinct facets of the expansive improvisational landscape documented in the box set . "Sanctuary," a composition by Wayne Shorter, was recorded on August 19, 1969, during the core Bitches Brew studio sessions; it is notable for its ethereal, spacious quality and was included on the original 1970 double album, serving as a contemplative, ballad-like anchor amidst the project’s more aggressive, rhythmically dense material. Conversely, "Recollections," a composition by Joe Zawinul, reflects the experimental spirit of the broader sessions; it appears in this collection as an 18-minute-plus track (originally intended for the Big Fun album) that showcases the ensemble’s ability to sustain long-form, atmospheric interaction. While "Sanctuary" serves as a landmark example of Davis’s 1969 studio fusion, "Recollections" highlights the fertile, post-album recording period (early 1970) where the group continued to push the boundaries of collective improvisation, deep texture, and electric-acoustic layering.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Nicole Yvette “Crossing Over” from Say Yes (Self Released - 14th August 2026) - rooted in contemporary soul/R&B the record features a full roster of working jazz musicians — Terri Lyne Carrington, Larry Goldings, Joel Ross, Keyon Harrold, Lenard Simpson, Dawn Clement, Andrew Renfroe and Paul Cornish — whose playing naturally brings jazz phrasing and harmonic detail into the arrangements. Jermaine Paul provides bass, J. Ivy contributes spoken word, and Kurt Elling appears as a guest vocalist. The result is a soul/R&B vocal album shaped by the instincts and musicianship of a jazz‑trained ensemble.

2. Douyé “Days Of Wine And Roses” from Stay With Me (Groove Note Music Records - 26th June 2026) - Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist and songwriter Douyé with her sixth album and the first of her jazz albums to include original songs. The 13-track album places three new songs by Douyé and Rufus Bordal among 10 Great American Songbook standards arranged and largely co-produced by pianist George Cables. Recorded in two complementary settings — standards arranged by Cables at Sear Sound in New York and originals arranged by pianist/arranger Mina Choi at The Village Studios in Los Angeles — Stay With Me frames Douyé’s songwriting inside the classic language she has spent years making her own.

3. Nicole Zuraitis “Call My Name (I Dare You)” from The Devil I Knew (La Reserve Records - 17th July 2026) - A cinematic, five-part concept album that explores themes of self-reckoning, emotional agency, and accountability. Produced by the legendary Larry Klein, the project blends jazz virtuosity with literary influence, structured across thematic movements—The Mirror, The Martyr, The Malediction, The Reckoning, and The Requiem—that incorporate poetry from iconic writers like Dorothy Parker, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Representing a shift toward a “New Romanticism” in jazz, the album is notable for its lush, emotionally expansive sound.

4. Tom Ricci “Simply Love” from Happening In Buenos Aires (Tom Ricci Music - June 20th 2026) - This release captures Argentine-American vocalist and guitarist Ricci performing live in his birthplace, joined by a remarkable South American trio featuring Argentine pianist Pablo Sanguinetti, Brazilian bassist Bruno Migotto, and Argentine drummer Oscar Giunta. Recorded on June 20, 2023 at Borges 1975, the album documents a night where Ricci’s worlds came together: American jazz standards, Brazilian bossa nova, Argentine tango, blues, personal repertoire, and reimagined modern material, all filtered through the intimacy and risk of a live performance. With no full-band rehearsal beforehand, the four musicians shaped the music in real time, giving the album its sense of immediacy — and its title.

5. Yoko Miwa Mikayla Shirley “Modinha” from The Midnight Hour (Cupcakes & Muffins - August 28th 2026) - Last year, pianist Yoko Miwa and vocalist Mikayla Shirley began performing together during The Mad Monkfish’s Midnight Sessions in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and those evenings became the foundation of their musical collaboration. Their intimate duo sets have quietly become one of the Boston jazz scene’s hidden treasures. Here we have two musicians exploring an eclectic repertoire that moves effortlessly between jazz standards, Broadway songs, Brazilian music, classic pop, and contemporary songwriting. What unites the material is not genre, but a shared belief in the power of a great song.

6. Amber Weekes “Hazel’s Hips” from To Oscar With Love (Amber Inn Records - August 7th 2026) - The fifth studio album by acclaimed American jazz recording artist. Produced by Mark Cargill, this deeply personal project celebrates the birth centenary of the legendary songwriter, poet, playwright, and Civil Rights activist Oscar Brown, Jr.. Moving through a narrative arc that mimics a single summer night in New York—traversing blues, romance, and spirituality—Weekes utilizes her signature “velvet voice” and interpretive gift to breathe new life into Brown’s influential songbook. Often described as the most powerful and unique record of her career, the album serves as both a tribute to a musical hero and an intimate reflection of Weekes’s own family history and artistic identity.

7. Eve Cornelious “Lonely Town” from Again…Naturally (ToneEveJa Records - May 24th 2026) Marking a significant return to form, the album features a collection of nine tracks—including “Big City,” “Lonely Town,” and “My Baby Just Cares for Me”—that showcase her seasoned vocal approach. Supported by a skilled ensemble that includes pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Will Lyle, and drummer Larry Q. Draughn Jr., the record highlights Cornelious’s interpretive depth and enduring connection to the jazz tradition.

8. Michelle Lordi & Matthew Parrish “When Stars Go Blue” from Live At The Dirty Dog (Bump Jazz Promotions - July 31st 2026) - Marking a turning point in their decade-long creative partnership, the album is the first to feature the two artists with equal billing, capturing an intimate and refined performance recorded at the renowned Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe. The project serves as a sophisticated testament to their musical chemistry, blending precise arrangements with emotive, authentic vocal delivery to breathe new life into the standards of the jazz tradition.

9. David Bassee “On My Baby’s Side” from The War Within (Big Head Productions - September 12th, 2025) - Recorded at the intimate Kulak’s Woodshed in Los Angeles, the album features Basse performing on drums and vocals alongside pianist Stuart Elster and acoustic bassist Lester Hughes. The project, which originated from a collaboration suggested by vocalist Mark Winkler, serves as a raw and deeply introspective showcase of Basse’s vulnerability and rhythmic command, blending vocal jazz with honest, heartfelt storytelling that draws from his decades of experience as a cornerstone of the Kansas City jazz community.

   

   Thanks for reading Different Noises! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Scatter - Punching Deck - Tech Hell Cyber Thrash

2. The Junta - Mother (feat. Loop-aznavour) - Euphoria

3. Moff Skellington - Hide the fizzy truth - Derti Berlap

4. Foreign Film - Santa Carla - A Love Letter

5. The Greenberry Woods - Very Good Year - It’s All Good Sugar

6. Shannon Jae Ridout - The Day I’ve Had Enough - Two Busted Boots And A Broken Heart

7. The McDades - Dance Around The Spinning Wheel - Thread The Light

8. Carol Martini - Mosquito Bite Blues - Running Out Of Pockets

9. Make - Forking Paths - Exegesis At The End Of The World

10. MV Wells - Stone That Was Thrown - Le Dauphin

11. Oopsie Daisies - I’m Gonna Tell My Therapist About You - HAGS

12. Blood Incantation - Dawn - All Gates Open (Original Sound Track)

13. Helen Svoboda - Veins (feat. Selma Savolainen) - Headwater

14. K Trio - Dickens on Friday - Parientes De La Vida

15. Dubmatix - Dread Frequency - Dread Frequency

16. Deardarkhead - In Another Life - The Pendulum Swings

17. Ashley Naylor - Racing Time - Racing Time

18. Julia Greenberg - Born Sentimental - Born Sentimental

19. Joey’s Coop - In The Pines - Sawdust Memories

20. Huxton Creepers - King Of The Road - 12 Days To Paris

21. Dren McDonald - Fading (Featuring Sophia James) - Vox Pterous

22. The Junta - Stop The World (Feat. Ian Moss) - Euphoria

23. The Go-Betweens - In Her Diary (Acoustic Demo) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3

24. Danny Short - Drunk Again Blues - Halt!

25. Robinson Kirby - Somebody Else - Gone

26. Joan As Police Woman - We Don’t Own It - Real Life Evolution

27. Norman Meehan, Hannah Griffin, Bill Manhire - Little Prayers - Little Prayers

28. Fucked Up - Monkey Meets The Dragon - Year Of The Monkey

NOTES

1. The opening track on the 5-song debut EP by the American thrash metal trio consisting of Spenser Hodge, Ruben Cantu, and Justin Rodda. Released on 12 June 2026, the 90s cyberpunk-themed record was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios and features artwork by Matt Stikker. Musically, the track delivers raw, old-school thrash velocity blended with 90s death metal density and speed metal harmonised leads, completely avoiding clean, modern digital production in favour of a gritty, physical sound with shifting structures.

2. A collaborative electronic single from Euphoria, the fifth studio album by Salford multi-instrumentalist John Montague (aka Monty). The track features the distinct, punk-inspired singing and theremin work of Bury underground artist Loop-aznavour. Musically, it anchors eccentric vocals to early 90s techno rhythms and synth-pop arrangements heavily influenced by New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and Orbital.

3. Originally planned as a Spoken Word project this new mini-album finds Moff exploring new territory.

4. The 10-song debut studio album by Sacramento cinematic post-rock band Foreign Film, released on 12 June 2026. The project was formed by Will Haven guitarist and songwriter Jeff Irwin, who recruited bandmates Mitch Wheeler (drums), Sean Bivins (guitar), and Adrien Contreras (bass), alongside pianist Robin Florkin, guitarist Rylan Kerr, and backing vocalist Tami Taracena. Moving away from Will Haven’s signature metallic hardcore, the self-released album focuses on atmospheric, melancholic soundscapes built through heavy layers of guitars, spectral synths, and sombre piano melodies, heavily influenced by bands like Pink Floyd, Mew, Hum, and The Cure.

5. From the third studio album by the Maryland-based power pop band, released via Big Stir Records on 29 May 2026. Marking the reformed group’s first collection of brand new material in over thirty years, the album reunites key original songwriters Matt Huseman, Brandt Huseman, and Ira Katz alongside Matt Krysiak and new drummer Joe Parsons. Musically, the track relies on driving, Beatlesque vocal harmonies and crisp, jangling guitars, leaning heavily into a classic 90s alternative guitar pop style strongly reminiscent of the band Sloan.

6. The sixth track from the ten-song debut studio album by the Washington-based folk singer-songwriter, released via Anti-Corp Music on 12 June 2026. Marking Ridout’s return after a ten-year hiatus from recording and performing, the album features stripped-down, introspective tracks written between 2011 and 2016 while she was travelling across the United States. Musically, the song delivers a sombre, dark country-tinged acoustic folk arrangement, pairing minimalist guitar backing with raw, melancholic vocals that explore heavy thematic elements of heartbreak, grief, addiction, and mental health struggles.

7. A traditional roots song arranged and performed by the Canadian Celtic ensemble, released on 29 May 2026. Serving as the eighth track and lead single from their studio album Thread The Light, the arrangement centres around the band’s core acoustic setup—led by siblings Shannon Johnson on fiddle, Solon McDade on bass, and Jeremiah McDade on whistles and vocals—alongside dynamic guitar and percussion work. Musically, it layers rhythmic pop sensibilities and jazz-influenced improvisation onto a driving Celtic reel, featuring an energetic, communal vocal delivery and a distinctive, hypnotic guest performance on the santur by Iranian-Canadian musician Farhad Khosravi.

8. The fourth track from Running out of Pockets, a 20-song studio album by singer-songwriter Carol Martini, released on 9 March 2026. Categorised broadly under children’s music and playful alternative pop, the track departs from traditional, heavy blues themes to focus on a lighthearted and relatable childhood annoyance. Musically, it layers Martini’s bright, animated vocals over an energetic, rhythm-driven arrangement that uses a bouncy tempo and melodic synth-pop elements to mimic the persistent, itchy frustration of a mosquito bite in a fun, accessible style.

9. The third track from the six-song fourth studio album by the American post-metal band, released via Accident Prone Records on 12 June 2026. Marking the band’s first collection of new material in a decade, the record anchors an expansive sonic footprint that orbits around monolithic doom and sludge metal without being constrained by it. Musically, the song utilizes a gradual, slow-burn building technique, starting with a restrained, almost quiet atmosphere that shifts structures before building into an oppressive, heavy wall of sound driven by dense riffs and harsh vocal deliveries.

10. The opening track and foundational piece from the 9-song debut solo album by Chicago singer-songwriter . Transitioning from his work in local bands NE-HI and Spun Out, Wells recorded the album alongside his cousin and collaborator Joshua Wells at Chicago studios Palisade and The Mango Pit. Musically, the track serves as an introductory snapshot of the record's chamber pop and indie rock style, blending classic song-writing hooks inspired by Harry Nilsson and The Beach Boys with left-field production, a driving tempo, and orchestral textures highlighted by Joe Lill.#

11. From a new EP by the Portland, Oregon-based bedroom pop project Oopsie Daisies, released via Metal Postcard Records on 11 June. Described by the label as “lonely sun-kissed bedroom pop” defined by a “lo-fi elegance,” the release is contextually framed by the label with a citation of William Carlos Williams’ poem The Rose.

12. The third track from a four-song instrumental release by the Denver cosmic death metal band, released via Century Media Records on 5 June 2026. While originally bundled as an exclusive bonus disc inside the deluxe artbook edition of their 2024 studio album Absolute Elsewhere, this release marks the material’s first standalone availability on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The soundtrack accompanies a 73-minute documentary charting the band’s month-long recording sessions at Berlin’s legendary Hansa Tonstudios. Clocking in at just under six minutes, “Dawn” serves as a brief, organic transition piece between the album’s two 20-minute centerpieces, pushing acoustic elements and glowing, harmonic synth drift to the forefront to evoke a pastoral, ambient atmosphere described by the band as the bright “yang energy” to their darker 2022 ambient record, Timewave Zero.

13. The seventh track from a 16-song avant-garde chamber and experimental folk album by the Finnish-Australian double bassist, vocalist, and composer Helen Svoboda, scheduled for release via the Room40 label on 26 June 2026. Rooted in Svoboda’s Nordic heritage, the album weaves an abstract exploration of memory and identity utilizing an unconventional instrumentation of two double basses, two voices, and subtle electronic soundscapes. On “Veins”, Finnish jazz vocalist Selma Savolainen features prominently, her performance centering around the repetition of a striking, raw mother-daughter motif: *”The veins I’ve grown from my mother / The tentacles beneath my skin.”* Musically, the track relies on textural fluidity and melancholic beauty, intertwining Savolainen’s vocals with Svoboda’s own voice, Jacques Emery’s double bass interplay, and Tilman Robinson’s minimalist electronics.

14. A track from an album by the Japanese experimental ensemble K Trio, scheduled for release via Brooklyn-based independent label 577 Records on 7 August 2026. Marking the group’s introduction to the label’s roster, the album serves as an avant-garde acoustic document that explores the intersection of poetry readings and spontaneous free improvisation. Musically, the release is characterized by a focus on open space and abstract sonic textures, capturing live, high-risk performance choices where spoken word and improvised sound continuously reshape the listening environment.

15. A release from *Dub Pack Series Vol. 31 - Dread Frequency*, a royalty-free music sample and loop pack created by the Canadian reggae and dub producer Dubmatix (Jesse King) for his platform Reggae-Loops.com, made available in early June 2026. Alongside its commercial loop application for music production, the individual track “Dread Frequency” was also offered as a free promotional download accompanied by its multitrack remix stems (including separate bass, drums, FX, vocals, horns, and percussion layers). Musically, the release serves as a toolset and a standalone demonstration of heavy, bass-driven roots and future dub, defined by live instrumentation, deep sub-bass frequencies, and echoing studio effects.

16. The ninth track from the upcoming 10-song instrumental album by the New Jersey alternative rock and shoegaze outfit Deardarkhead, scheduled for full release on 10 July 2026. Released ahead of the album as its second promotional single on 6 May 2026, the track represents a key piece of the band’s first full-length studio record in 25 years. Composed by guitarist Kevin Harrington and drummer Robert Weiss, the instrumental piece was recorded at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia with the production team of Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey. Built around an introspective theme of paths not taken, the song frames melodic basslines from Brandon Howard against dense layers of shimmering guitar arpeggios and fuzzed-out tremolo, reflecting the band’s entirely instrumental, atmosphere-driven approach to post-punk and dreampop.

17. The ninth track from Alexandria Sunset, the third solo studio album by Australian singer-songwriter and Even frontman Ashley Naylor, released via El Reno Music on 5 September 2025. Originally a sprawling six-minute cut on the full-length record, a shortened three-minute and fifty-second radio edit was released in June 2026 as a standalone single, supported by a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl release to anchor his Ashley Naylor Spaceship tour campaign. Written and recorded entirely by Naylor during isolated, quiet moments, the track relies on a classic late-1960s and 1970s melodic pop-rock layout. Musically, the song highlights his singular creative vision for the solo project, weaving patient guitar arrangements and melodic rock structures that diverge from his typical collaborative band dynamics.

18. The title track and opening song from the 7-track EP by New York City-based singer-songwriter, theater composer, and filmmaker Julia Greenberg. Released via New Jersey’s Magic Door Record Label on 11 June 2026, the project marks a return for the artist, whose previous albums *Past Your Eyes* and *Greenland* were produced by James Mastro. Capturing a raw, human indie-folk and literary folk-rock sound, the track introduces an EP rooted in deep personal reflection, exploring themes of aging, memory, and emotional vulnerability with a blend of melancholic beauty, wit, and classic American melodic elegance.

19. The lead single from the third studio album by the Sydney-based alternative rock outfit scheduled for independent release on 3 July 2026. Bringing together an experienced lineup of Australian indie veterans—including guitarist Brett Myers (Died Pretty), vocalist Mark Roxburgh (Decline of the Reptiles), bassist Marc Lynch (Glide), and drummer Lloyd Gyi—the track serves as a patient, atmosphere-driven return. Driven by Myers’ trademark shimmering guitar work and Roxburgh’s conversational vocal delivery, the song blends jangling indie pop with alternative country and a distinct rhythm-and-blues undertone, establishing a warm, unhurried, and lived-in sound that sets the tone for the upcoming full-length record.

20. The seventh track from the celebrated debut album by the Melbourne power pop and guitar rock band. Originally released in June 1986 on Big Time Records, the album received a high-profile, 40th anniversary expanded campaign via Cheersquad Records & Tapes on 5 June 2026. This landmark reissue marks the album’s first appearance on vinyl since its original 1980s pressing—available on limited-edition gold and standard black vinyl—as well as its official debut on digital streaming platforms after decades of being trapped in legal limbo following the demise of their original label.

21. The lead single from Vox Pterous, an upcoming vocal-led collaborative album by the San Francisco Bay Area game composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, scheduled for release via Appearing Records on 31 July 2026. Released ahead of the album on 5 June 2026, the track reimagines the instrumental architecture of McDonald’s 2023 minimalist record Pterous—an album built from densely layered “guitar orchestras” dedicated to individuals he had lost over a three-year span. On “Fading”, McDonald introduces a human element to this landscape of grief by bringing in vocalist Sophia James, whose lower-register, ethereal performance anchors the composition. Musically, the track moves away from rigid structure, blending patient, fingerpicked acoustic guitar lines with drifting modular synthesiser textures to create a hypnotic, ambient folk-pop hybrid that focuses entirely on space, texture, and a fragile sense of atmospheric transition.

22. As 2. another track from the 5th album this time featuring legendary Manchesser vocalist and author Ian Moss.

23. The acoustic demo appears on the compilation’s fourth compact disc, titled Art Is Life (Rarities Volume 11: 2002). Stripped of the string arrangements and full-band studio production that later defined the official studio version on their 2003 album Bright Yellow Bright Orange, this raw, home-recorded performance captures the core melodic skeleton and intimate lyricism of the song as it was originally written by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan during their post-reunion era.

24. Another track from Danny’s recent release.

25. From the upcoming debut studio album by the Toronto-based indie-folk duo. Consisting of musical and life partners Madelyn and Luke, who have spent a decade performing and growing together, the duo anchors the project around close vocal harmonies and introspective, organic arrangements. Written to document their shared evolution over the last ten years, Gone addresses themes of relational change, heartbreak, and personal transformation. ”Somebody Else” contributes to the album’s grounded, stripped-back indie narrative, leaning into an understated folk-pop palette supported by warm guitar work and deeply personal, conversational lyricism.

26. Another track from the new album which revisits older material.

27. The title track and centrepiece of a 4-song collaborative album and song cycle by New Zealand jazz pianist/composer Norman Meehan, vocalist Hannah Griffin, and renowned poet Bill Manhire. Released via Te Herenga Waka University Press on 11 June 2026, the album coincided with the work’s live debut at Wellington’s National War Memorial on 13 June 2026 as part of the Lōemis Festival.

28. The third track from Year of the Monkey, the massive double-album and epic second instalment of the Grass Can Move Stones trilogy by the Toronto hardcore punk collective. Released via Tankcrimes on 5 June 2026, the album serves as the latest sprawling entry in the band’s multi-decade Zodiac series.

AUDIO

PLAYLIST

1. Conrad Herwig “Litha” from The Latin Side of Chick Corea (Savant Records) 00:00

2. Early Times “Succubus” from Border Crossings (Dealers Choice Records) 06:46

3. Mario Mocho and Jorge Torrecillas “Kochi” from Mata Natsu (dForma) 16:41

4. Camila Nebbia and Chris Corsano “A Paper Cut In Smoke” from Six Or Seven Ways Towards Becoming Undone (Relative Pitch Records) 25:39

5. Greg Kelley and Yoona Kim “Dispute” from Distractions For Trumpet And Ajaeng (Relative Pitch Records) 37:37

6. Luciana Bas, Ezekiel Jaime, Federico Isasti “Con los huevos alimento a las víboras” from Vi La Pampa Arder (Relative Pitch Records) 52:24

7. Ochibo no ame “Studio Recording (Excerpt)” from Studio Recording (Relative Pitch Records) 1:03:44

8. Jorge Torrecillas Pablo Vázquez, Marcelo von Schultz “Caliope” from physis (Plus Timbre) 1:17:49

9. Armen Donelian “Inverted Reality” from Inquiry (Sunnyside Records) 1:22:42

10. Rosino Serrano & Orquesta Moderna “Concierto para piano y big band “Escenas de una ciudad” from Coalescencia : Music by Alex Mercado (Fonarte Latino S.A. de C.V. ) 1:33:51

11. Ben Ferrell “Song For Stilgar” from Sextet (Adhyâropa Records) 1:49:18

12. Miles Okazaki “Thermopolis” from Boomtown (Pi Recordings) 1:59:29

NOTES

1. This release commemorates the 30th anniversary of Herwig’s iconic project, honouring the profound influence and genius of jazz legend Chick Corea. The album features a powerhouse ensemble, the Latin Side All-Stars, bringing together some of the finest talents in Jazz and Latin music. Conrad Herwig’s trombone, alongside saxophonist and flutist Craig Handy, trumpeter Alex Norris, and pianist Bill O’Connell deliver masterful performances that showcase Corea’s timeless compositions with fresh, inventive improvisational energy. The rhythm section, composed of bassist Ruben Rodriguez, drummer Robby Ameen, and conga player Mauricio Herrera, anchors the album with vibrant Afro-Latin-Caribbean grooves, blending clave, precision, and swing to create an irresistible musical foundation. The album is a vibrant celebration of two musical worlds — Jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythms — united by Herwig’s vision and Corea’s enduring legacy. The album, with its dynamic improvisation and heartfelt tribute to one of jazz’s most innovative composers, is hugely impressive.

2. The newest album by New York guitarist and composer Early Times is a straight-ahead jazz collection spiced with soul and Latin rhythms. Early has received airplay nationally and internationally. For this recording, Times recruited some of the finest and most decorated players around including Steve Gadd (drums), Zaccai Curtis (piano), Luques Curtis (bass). and Craig Handy (saxophone and flute) The tunes on Border Crossings, all written by Times, cover the spectrum from hard bop to Latin Jazz.

3. Although this duo was formed recently, its members have been playing together for years in various groups, mainly in the free jazz scene. The album is the duo’s first, recorded in mid-2025 at Estudio Libres (Buenos Aires), and centers on a theme inspired by various natural phenomena such as rain, wind, snow, and more. These elements are expressed through free improvisation, which also incorporates extended techniques on both the piano and the saxophone. These techniques contribute to the creation of unique effects for each performance. Some of the performances were based on scores written using special, non-traditional notations. Like any spontaneous composition created through free improvisation, it invites the listener on a sonic journey where, at every moment, new musical situations arise—unplanned in advance and brimming with freshness and artistic risk.

4. The duo of Camila Nebbia and Chris Corsano brings together two fiercely creative voices from the international improvised music scene. Nebbia’s searching tenor saxophone lines meet Corsano’s explosive, highly textural percussion in a set of spontaneous exchanges of raw expression. Their music moves fluidly between delicate detail and surging intensity, driven by deep listening and fearless experimentation. The result is a striking dialogue where every gesture reshapes the sonic landscape in real time.

5. On Distractions for Trumpet & Ajaeng two radically distinct instrumental traditions converge in a study of texture, fragility, and focus. Kelley’s whisper-quiet trumpet tones and microscopic bursts of air intertwine with Kim’s bowed ajaeng, its coarse, resonant grain stretching and splintering in real time. The result is a taut, immersive dialogue that transforms subtle gestures into seismic events and invites listeners into a heightened space of deep listening and unpredictable detail.

6. The trio of Luciana Bass, Ezekiel Jaime, and Federico Isasti brings together three distinctive voices from Argentina’s adventurous improvised music scene. Centered on Bass’s expressive sonic palette, their music is both volatile yet deeply attentive, fueled by Jaime’s exploratory playing and Isasti’s highly responsive drumming. They move freely between sparse textures and intricate collective energy. This release documents a trio deeply attuned to one another, forging form and intensity in the moment through fearless improvisation.

7. The new release by Ochibonoame captures the trio’s raw and searching approach. With Makoto Kawashima on alto saxophone, Louis Inage on bass, and Naoto Yamagishi on drums and percussion, the group navigates the volatile terrain of silence and eruptive energy. Their music unfolds as an intuitive dialogue, where fragility and abrasive sonic bursts collide in real time. The result is a deeply visceral document of spontaneous creation, rooted in the underground spirit of Japan’s improvised music scene. Featured is an excerpt from the 38 minute piece.

8. For the second album on the show featuring Jorge Torrecillas we have a 2026 digital‑only release on the Plus Timbre netlabel by the trio of Jorge (tenor & alto saxophones), Pablo Vázquez (double bass & vocals), and Marcelo von Schultz (drums). It consists of nine short improvisations, all recorded 6 February 2025 at Estudio Libres, Buenos Aires, and released 9 May 2026.

9. The result of a four-year, carefully conceived and painstakingly executed studio process, the album is a haunting and introspective work with no real precedent in Donelian’s long career. Beginning life as an unaccompanied demo recording of Donelian’s then-newest compositions and arrangements, Inquiry evolved considerably from that genesis. While musing on the timbral possibilities on some of the tracks, Donelian (and engineer Dave Cook) had the revelation that he could build out orchestrations himself “by making subtle EQ shifts to the piano sound to create new ‘voices’ and ‘instruments.’” Yet Donelian also applies actual new voices and instruments to several tracks. Vocalist Dominique Eade, trombonist Ed Neumeister, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Dennis Mackrel appear in various places to put their own stamps on Donelian’s ruminations.

10. This release presents Rosino Serrano’s Orquesta Moderna working with Alex Mercado’s compositions in a tightly written, contemporary orchestral jazz setting, where Mercado’s harmonic language and pianistic sensibility are expanded into full ensemble colours—layered woodwinds, brass voicings, and rhythm‑section detail—yielding a sequence of pieces that move between precise, through‑composed passages and broader textural writing, all delivered with Serrano’s characteristic clarity of arrangement and Fonarte Latino’s clean, modern production.

11. An album that documents a tightly focused ensemble navigating bassist Ferrell’s writing featuring contributions from Atley King on vibraphone, Nick Rousseau on electric guitar, Reginald Chapman on bass trombone, Will Evans on trumpet, and Rintaro Mikami on drums. Comparisons with Mingus ensembles and the M-Base can be made about this fascinating release.

12. Pi Recordings’ latest release is Boomtown from guitarist/composer Miles Okazaki, his ninth album of original compositions and his fourth as a leader for the label. It’s an expansive work inspired by a road trip Okazaki took across the state of Wyoming that evoked magnificent vistas, sublime beauty, along with moments of chaos and terror. Its ten musicians were brought together for both their attention to precision and spontaneity: saxophonists Caroline Davis, Jon Irabagon, and Anna Webber, trombonists Jacob Garchik and Kalia Vandever, bassists Chris Tordini and Hannah Marks, Matt Mitchell on piano, Dan Weiss on drums, and Okazaki on guitar.

Moff has never operated like other artists, and the archive reflects that. The hundred releases aren’t variations on a theme; they’re a long, branching record of one person’s creative logic, built without compromise, trend‑chasing, or external pressure. Moff’s music, which he calls Edoddi, has always been its own world, and this milestone makes the scale of that world clear. There are albums, EPs, podcasts, videos. artwork and other contrivances which are difficult to name. There are partnerships with others leading a broad selection of material. Within this impressive body of work there is the underlying theme of the practice of Eddodi and the celebration of its spiritual home, Abstercot.

Moff’s manifesto is simple and quite direct

“The chosen musical form is that of Eddodi, a species of folk music which celebrates the very individual and often skewed perceptions of the world engendered by modern life. Eddodi is a balance of the tragic, the absurd and the wistfully ordinary and not just a crack round the head with a pig’s bladder. Eddodi provides a refreshing alternative to the prescriptions and formulas of mainstream and “alternative” folk music. Eddodi philosophy: nothing is arbitrary. Make it up as you go along, it’s bound to be authentic!”.

I was introduced to Moff in 2009 through Julia Adamson at InvisibleGirl Records who released a series of his albums. A radio interview with him followed plus numerous gigs arranged and attended, including some in partnership with Ian “Moet” Moss and Loop-Aznavour. In 2014 the then German Shepherd Records began a fruitful partnership with Moff which has lasted until today with Half Edge Records.

For listeners who’ve followed the journey, this new release is another chapter in a body of work that has grown in unexpected directions. For new listeners, it’s a invitation to consider a collection where there is no correct entry point. The catalogue is a map with a hundred doors. Choose one and walk in. It is appropriate that todays release is the second in a two volume set of his earliest recordings, so in many ways we have come full circle.

Half Edge has been proud to support and release Moff’s work over the years, and reaching one hundred releases underlines why: the consistency, the imagination, and the refusal to repeat himself. This is not a catalogue built for algorithms or playlists. It’s built for people who enjoy discovering something that couldn’t have come from anywhere else. If this is your entry point you can see, for example, similarities with the work of Pere Ubu, Ivor Cutler, Captain Beefheart, and early Cabaret Voltaire with a liberal portion of outsider Folk Music. The instrumentation is unique, the delivery does not fit into any run of the mill genre categories, it is quite simply in a different continuum from other music.

Co-owner of Half Edge Records Ian Moss says “Moff Skellington is remarkable, from the moment I first encountered the man , his music and his visual compositions have astounded me , enthralled me , enthused me , amused me and delighted me , it has been a privilege to be associated with him and his art , for art with a capital A is what the man’s output undoubtedly is. He is unique and he is humble , generous and truly inspirational.”

The vast majority of the Moff Skellington albums are home recordings, on which he sings, talks and plays a variety of instruments, including accordion, melodica, harmonicas, whistles, guitar, huttyphone, stylophone, bodhran, jaw harp, kalimba, dulcimer, tenor horn, baritone euphonium, various percussion and elastic bands. The results are then mixed and mastered to create amazing collections of songs and poems. Artifice is restricted to the occasional appearance of a drum machine or a Stylophone, as, having grown up in the seventies, such instruments are very much part of Moff’s personal tradition. More recently Davy G has been applying his mastering wizardry to revisit a selection the albums. Today we also release Davy’s remix of Moff’s debut album.

Live appearances are rare and we are grateful to Paul Forshaw for capturing this 2018 show at The Peer Hat in Manchester.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Moff archive, shared the music, and helped keep Edoddi alive. If you are new to this world or a fellow traveller why not check out one or more of his releases on Half Edge Records and enter the discount code moff100 to receive a 50% discount. This offer will last until July 17th 2026.

A message from Moff on this auspicious day “I’m still flabbergasted every time my music is met with enthusiasm. I spent a good thirty years behind locked doors, tinkering away at my artistic fool’s errand like some alchemist ignorant of even alchemy’s laws. But for the occasional sidekick, I fed off negative energy and the eye rolling disdain of Norms and Cools. Then... I discovered a city full of likeminded souls west of the Pennines. From Julia at InvisibleGirl, to Bob and Ian at their many endeavours, to my lovely labelmates, to Nick at the Peer Hat and Jo at Shangri-la, I’ve met with nothing but support and positivity. But the flabbergast is still there. Honestly folks, I don’t know what it is you see in Moff, but I’m so glad you do!”

Moff’s website including access to his artwork can be be found HERE

Here is a selection of the audio catalogue,