My music on heavy rotation up to June 24
One month, five very fine albums, heavily auditioned.
Dave Holland Quintet - ‘Critical Mass’ This 2006 record was Holland’s first release on his own Dare2 label, but it’s not a huge break with the past. Nate Smith replaces Billy Kilson on drums, but otherwise it’s the same vibes-led acoustic unit that had dominated his output for some years, and it has the same groove-and-improvisation focussed approach that he has made his own. A hugely interactive ensemble, producing in-the-moment orchestrations out of their sheer musical presence, make this an unbelievably moving and accomplished recording.
Steve Lawson and Lobelia - ‘Live in Nebraska’ Live-looping bass guitar improviser Lawson and singer-songwriter Lobelia are both among the most accomplished in their fields, and they were at the top of their game for this 2008 live-in-the-studio recording. Extraordinary melting textures, heart-wrenching vocal melodies, great songs and an unusual degree of big-hearted creative generosity give this short album a great deal of re-play value. Beautiful.
Jonathan Coleclough - ‘Flutter’ Described as ‘music from an installation in [a] dovecote’, the sounds on this album could easily be a field recording from a rural location, but Coleclough’s online bumf doesn’t specify whether this was recorded for or from said installation. Either way, it’s a gentle and soothingly aleatory soundscape that more or less disappears into the background unless it’s auditioned in strict audio isolation. Immersive and nourishing.
Jeunesse Cosmique - ‘Lévitation’ A variety of contemporary French-Canadian psychedelia from the excellent Jeunesse Cosmique label: folky krautrock, krauty spacerock, spacey folkrock, and all intervening locations. Very enjoyable and immersive sounds.
KMFDM - ‘Adios’ KMFDM’s last record before a three year hiatus from which they emerged with a radically altered line-up, this album presents a coherent fusion of 80s post-punk energy, raw electronica, driving techno, trip-hop atmospherics and thrash metal riff-craft, although it’s notably less metal than some releases. It’s an exhilarating ride.
I’ve also been obsessively repeating shorter releases from Ken Masters (optimistic alt-rap), Cable Street Collective (world-beat indie), Al Lindsay (gorgeous acoustic songcraft) and Tijuana Bibles (darkly hedonistic rock).