Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek release new song ‘Deniz Dalgasiz Olmaz’

07 April 2020

Following last year’s mesmerizing and powerful debut album Kar Yağar, which was one of our 15 Favourite Albums of the Year, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are back with new music. The trans-continental psych-pop quartet released last month a new single called ‘Deniz Dalgasiz Olmaz’, which translates as “The sea can’t exist without the waves”. Known for their transcendent mixture of influences and genres, from Anatolian roots music and 70’s jazz to early prog rock and funk, on the new track they “link past and future”, and continue “to take their sound to a new dimension”, as the press release describes.

‘Deniz Dalgasiz Olmaz’ comes with an accompanying video made by Max Morris-Doherty. Watch it below.

Listen to Ulver’s surprise new single ‘Little Boy’

06 April 2020

Norwegian metal stars Ulver have released a beast of a song, ‘Little Boy’. Equally catchy as it is intense and thunderous, ‘Little Boy’ is, as they put it themselves, “a strange song for strange times”. They also had this to say:

“We have no other comment at this moment. This is a time for withdrawal, a time for reading and listening to music. The song is free on Bandcamp, with the option to donate a little something if you want to. Thank you, and take care.”

‘Little Boy’ will be tied to a new album and we’ll keep our ears peeled for more details about it. Now turn your headphones up and listen to it.

Aksak Maboul unveil new single ‘Silent Silhouettes’

06 April 2020

Legendary experimental pop group Aksak Maboul are back with a new album, Figures, their first in 40 years. After sharing ‘Tout a une Fin’, they are teasing it again with new track ‘Silent Silhouettes’, featuring Lucien Fraipont, Faustine Hollander, Erik Heestermans and Fred Frith. “Could this almost-instrumental, electronic tango-like track be evoking a dream scene in a Bioy Casares story, filmed by an Italian maestro in the ’60s?…”, asks the press release. “What’s certain is that it unveils some of the sound of “Figures”, with its unique instrumentation, collages and enigmatic moods.”

‘Silent Silhouettes’ is a wondrous and entrancing track. Take a listen below and grab the album when it’s out on May 15th through Crammed Discs.

Becker & Mukai’s debut collaborative album, Time Very Near, out now

04 April 2020

Yesterday, Becker & Mukai gifted the world with their debut collaborative album, Time Very Near, and we love it to bits. The super duo of French composer Jean-Gabriel Becker and London based Japanese multitalented and ultraprolific musician and producer Susumu Mukai had previously teased the record the lead single ‘The Double’. If you need any more convincing this a record you need in your life, take a listen to the opener ‘Dark Fields Of The Republic‘, a kaleidoscope of a track.

Time Very Near is out now through SaS Recordings.

Quest Ensemble announce new album, The Other Side, and share lead single ‘Moment’

03 April 2020

Scheduled for release in June, The Other Side is the second album from London based trio Quest Ensemble, following their highly acclaimed 2014 debut record Footfall.
Filipe Sousa (piano), Tara Franks (cello) and Preetha Narayanan (violin), who make up Quest Ensemble, are masterful musicians composing mesmeric cinematic pieces, which reflect and blend their backgrounds in western classical, Indian classical, jazz and improvisational technique. “Quest Ensemble’s compositions fuse layered melodies and rhythmic patterns to create contrapuntal webs of sound”, describes the press release. “The process involves sharing improvised ideas, building up layers of music on each instrument to create a patchwork of musical themes with a rich vein of surging Reichian rhythms underpinning each.”

For a taste of what to expect ahead of the album’s release on June 5th, take a listen to the gorgeous and poignant first single ‘Moment’.

Fold release new track ‘Concrete Things’

02 April 2020

We love Fold so news of new music from the Leeds outfit is something we’re always itching for. Earlier this week, they released a new track called ‘Concrete Things’, featuring vocal samples from groundbreaking African-American playwright, author and activist Lorraine Hansberry. Lifted from a wider concept album paying tribute to Hansberry, ‘Concrete Things’, as they explained, “exalt[s] the importance of using our cognitive gifts to steer ourselves towards the proverbial light.” Take a listen now.

In other related good news, Fold have made their entire back catalogue free to download on Bandcamp. Call it your lucky day!