Following the excellent Shadow Expert EP released back in May, Philadelphia’s four piece Palm have announced their second album, Rock Island, due out on February 9th through Carpark Records. On the record, the band “produces evidence of a distinct musical language, developed over time, in isolation, and out of necessity”, describes a press release. It adds: “On the island, melodies are struck on what might be shells or spines. Rhythms are scratched out, swept over, scratched again. Individual instruments, and sometimes entire sections, skip and stutter. There is the sense of a music box with wonky tension or a warped transmission in which all the noise is taken for signal.”
Lead single ‘Pearly’ is now streaming and it comes with an accompanying visualizer created by Greg O’Connell. Check it out.
There’s less than one week to go before Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht. With over 150 artists set to perform, how do we make sense of such a monumental line-up? We made a list of the artists we’re most excited to see and asked them for their recommendations.
Performing Thursday 9th November at De Helling, curated by Jerusalem In My Heart
Photo: As Human Pattern
French collective Oiseaux-Tempête, the core duo of Frédéric D. Oberland and Stéphane Pigneul, released AL-‘AN ! الآن (And your night is your shadow — a fairy-tale piece of land to make our dreams) earlier this year and we fell completely for the album. Partly recorded in Beirut last year, it radiates and reflects its cultural diversity and social and political atmosphere. Euphoric and tumultuous, beautiful and urgent, enigmatic and emotive, their rich soundscapes also draw from their improvisational energy and genres aplenty, from post-rock and free-jazz to Arabic music and electronica. Today Frédéric and Stéphane tell us which three acts they’re most excited to see at the festival.
“So hard to pick up three names in this killer line-up! We could have chosen the 12hours drone feat. Jessica Moss, Yann Gourdon, Lea Bertucci, Ashtoreth… – Dälek – Linda Sharrock – Matana Roberts – or Alanis Obomsawin performing ‘Bush Lady’… These are three acts we might be in the audience shaking heads:
“Theses guys get everything a power-trio should be: direct and ecstatic, loud and graceful. Their last album ‘Ardor’, recorded by the mighty Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart) is a total blast! We will miss their tour in France in the upcoming weeks so we are delighted to be able to see them live at Le Guess Who?!”
Performing Sunday 12th November at EKKO, curated by Perfume Genius
“Behind the cure and poison oriented moniker and sometimes harsh sound, Margaret Chardiet questions the link between body, flesh and feelings. It can be creepy, dark and scary, but it speaks also about hope and light hidden in the human nature. We definitely won’t miss the fury and anger on stage, as we follow carefully her work recently.”
Performing Thursday 9th November at TivoliVredenburg
“The Lybian legendary crooner and multi-instrumentist Ahmed Fakroun meets the psychedelic vibes of Dutch-Turkish Altin Gün. Prepare yourself to dance.”
Le Guess Who? will take place 9-12 November. For the full line-up, tickets and more info visit leguesswho.com. And stay tuned for more artists we’re excited about picking their own Le Guess Who?’s Who.
The heavenly ‘Sixteen Snares’ off Ex-Easter Island Head‘s latest album Twenty-Two Strings has recently received the visual treatment. The video, made by Jack Whiteley, offers a fascinating glimpse of just how unique and mesmeric the trio’s live performances are.
Ex-Easter Island Head will perform at Le Guess Who? on November 11th, as part of the program curated by James Holden. If you haven’t yet seen their own picks for the festival, find out which acts they’re most excited about in Le Guess Who?’s Who.
There’s just over one week to go before Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht. With over 150 artists set to perform, how do we make sense of such a monumental line-up? We made a list of the artists we’re most excited to see and asked them for their recommendations.
Performing Sunday 12th November at Academiegebouw, curated by Perfume Genius
Photo: Vera Marmelo
Julianna Barwick’s celestial soundscapes are flush with emotional and sonic depth. Known for her ethereal and immersive loop-based compositions, Barwick’s mesmerizing songwriting is deeply inspired by her church choir upbringing in Louisiana and Missouri. Needless to say we can’t wait to see her perform at Le Guess Who?, and we asked her which bands she’s most looking forward to.
Poppy Ackroyd has been a favourite of ours for a long time, first conquering our ears with her 2012 wonderful debut album Escapement and the beguiling Feathers which was one of our 15 Album Picks of 2014. Earlier this summer, the marvellous multi-instrumentalist and composer announced a brand new album. Preceding the record, and serving as an enticing introduction to her music, Poppy released Sketches, a stunning mini-album featuring solo piano arrangements of some of her favourite tracks from previous records as well as from four new tracks off the upcoming album. Entitled Resolve, and marking her first full-length album release on One Little Indian, the album will see the light of day in early 2018. “Resolve is about the determination to embrace the good things in life whilst dealing with unexpected and challenging difficulties”, explained Poppy. “Finding the light in the dark, facing sadness and loss head on, and developing a growing inner strength.”
Ahead of the album’s release, we can already hear the magnificent first single ‘The Calm Before’. Speaking about the track, Poppy said this:
“The Calm Before is almost entirely made up of clarinet sounds. The percussion was created using layers of clicking clarinet and bass clarinet keys, starting with a looped and chopped rhythm taken from an improvisation that appears throughout.”
Press play and let yourself get lost in the beauty and serenity of ‘The Calm Before’.
There’s less than two weeks to go before Le Guess Who? takes over Utrecht. With over 150 artists set to perform, how do we make sense of such a monumental line-up? We made a list of the artists we’re most excited to see and asked them for their recommendations.
Performing Sunday 12th November at TivoliVredenburg
Tune-Yards always screams fun. The duo of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner hadn’t released an album in three years but we can rejoice, for they have a new record on the way. I can feel you creep into my private life is due out in January and they have already teased it with a sparkling single. Bringing their dance-inducing music to TivoliVredenburg on the last day of Le Guess Who?, the festival will undoubtedly close on an explosive high note. We’ve asked Nate what other bands he is looking forward to. Find out his recommendations below!
Performing Friday 10th November at TivoliVredenburg, curated by Jerusalem In My Heart
Le Guess Who? will take place 9-12 November. For the full line-up, tickets and more info visit leguesswho.com. And stay tuned for more artists we’re excited about picking their own Le Guess Who?’s Who.
