Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart announce collaborative album

22 January 2015

When two brilliant outfits like Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart team up, it’s reason to celebrate.
Ben Shemie, Liam O’Neil, Max Henry and Joseph Yarmush, who make up Suuns, and longtime friend Radwan Ghazi Moumneh of Jerusalem In My Heart rented a studio for a week back in 2012. “The idea was to collaborate on rough sketches of song ideas and to complete as much recording as possible without discrimination”, explains the press release. “The session was successful, yielding many vibe-laden songs featuring heavy analog synths, Arabic influences and electronic sensibilities.”
Both bands released albums and went on tour following these recordings, only to come back to them last summer, when they overdubbed and re-worked the songs. The result will drop in the form of self-titled collaborative album, on April 14th via Secretly Canadian and Secret City. Speaking about it, Suuns’ Shemie said “It’s not a Suuns record, it’s not a Jerusalem In My Heart record. It’s really a product of 5 musicians that had spent a lot of time on tour listening to music together.”
To get us enticed, Suuns and Jerusalem In My Heart are offering a first tremendous taste from the upcoming release. Listen to ‘Gazelles In Flight’ now.

Yonatan Gat’s debut album out in March, listen to the first single ‘Goldrush’

21 January 2015

Yonatan Gat is ready to follow up his debut EP, Iberian Passage, released last year. A full-length album, entitled Director, arrives on March 3rd via Joyful Noise Recordings.
The New York-by-way-of-Tel-Aviv composer and guitar virtuoso doesn’t really rely on overdubbing and Director is again an intense and improvisational affair drawing from many genres and roots from across the world. “Inspired by soundtrack virtuosos like Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota”, as the press release describes, “Director is a cinematic circular journey around the music of the world, East to West and North to South. This journey is interconnected by field recordings that Gat has taken during his travels, lending it a feeling of space and time, with a certain directionality.”

‘Goldrush’ is the first taste being offered from the upcoming album. Take a listen below.

Disappears’ new album out today, watch their video for ‘Halcyon Days’

19 January 2015

Irreal, the fifth full-length album from Chicago’s art rockers Disappears, is out today via Kranky. The follow up to 2013’s Era saw the band recruit producer John Congleton once again.

Irreal “plays out as a dream sequence – hazed dub landscapes give way to the group’s most experimental and open music yet”, describes the press release. “Irreal sits in the negative space where art rock and post punk collapse onto each other. It’s the sound of Disappears reporting back from The Void. “

In support of the album, Disappears are embarking on a European tour, which kicks off this Thursday 22nd in Metz, France. The tour also includes a date at The Lexington in London on February 6th. Head over here to check all other dates and info.

The album’s ‘Halcyon Days’ has been paired with a befittingly hypnotic and kaleidoscopic visual accompaniment, directed and created by Nick Ciontea and Matt Levy.”. Check out the video below and straight after listen to another cut off Irreal called ‘Another Thought’.

DRKWAV drop first single off The Purge

18 January 2015

DRKWAV is the new project of saxophonist Skerik, keyboard player John Medeski and drummer Adam Deitch. The three have played together in different constellations before forming DRKWAV. February 24th will see the release of their debut album, The Purge. via Royal Potato Family. The effort was co-produced and mixed by Randall Dunn.
‘Darkwave’ is the first single lifted from The Purge. Check it out below.

Sasha Siem shares lead single off upcoming debut album

16 January 2015

British-Norwegian composer and singer-songwriter Sasha Siem boasts an impressive CV, having composed for the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, amongst others. March 2nd will see the release of her debut album, Most Of The Boys, via Blue Plum Records. The album was written in Berlin and recorded at Reykjavik’s Greenhouse Studios, with Valgeir Sigurðsson (Sigur Ros, Bjork, Bonnie Prince Billy, Feist) on production duties. The album’s blurb describes it as a song cycle. “Its twelve songs are as linked by their themes as by the sonic world they inhabit – born of an unlikely collusion of influences that Siem has woven together: her years spent composing and performing award-winning contemporary classical music; her fascination with likeminded lovers of innovative songwriting and unusual arrangements and her youthful love of the canon of great songwriters that emerged in the 1960s.”

Sasha has recently unveiled ‘So Polite’, the first marvellous single off Most Of The Boys. Here it is.

In support of the album, Sasha Siem is set to play in London at The Lexington on March 25th.

Sankt Otten set to release eighth studio album Engtanz Depression

15 January 2015

German instrumental electronic duo Sankt Otten are ready to follow their 2013’s Messias Maschine. Engtanz Depression, which translates to ‘Close Dance Depression’, will be their eighth full-length album release and it drops on February 27th via Denovali.
Engtanz Depression marks a significant progression of their previous efforts, according to the label. “New drum sounds and acoustic instruments such as harmonium and piano may be found, and some pieces emerged from free improvisations, which is a completely new approach taken by this band.”

‘Beten, Tanzen, Küssen’, the first track on the album featuring an harmonium, is being offered as the first single from the album. It serves as an enticing and exciting taste for what’s coming our way and you should listen to it now.

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