avant-garde Archive
01 Apr 2018
Hundred-word Reviews: New Releases
There’s quite a massive stack of new (or at least new-when-I got-’em) releases here at Musoscribe World HQ. Time to review them. 6-String Drag – Top of the World (Schoolkids Records) This Raleigh-based group was at the forefront of the Americana scene, back when it didn’t even have a name (some called it alt-country). After
31 Mar 2018
Hundred-word Reviews: Reissues, Archival Releases, Compilations
My shelf full of albums to be reviewed has run out of space. So once again it’s time for a raft of hundred-word reviews. All sixteen titles in this roundup are reissues, compilations and/or archival releases. 6-String Drag – High Hat (Schoolkids Records) Before Americana was coined as a genre, there was alt-country. Combining rock
17 Jan 2018
Allen Ravenstine’s “Terminal Drive”
Note: An edited version of this feature appeared previously in Keyboard Magazine. Allen Ravenstine is best known as the synthesist for Cleveland’s underground experimental rockers Pere Ubu; his work is featured on all of the albums that band made through 1991, and a number of live and compilation releases. But around the time of recording
29 Dec 2017
The Magma Mega-interview, Part Four
Continued from Part Three… Who developed the Magma logo? I made a drawing of the kind of necklace I wanted to have around my neck, and from that I worked with Laurent Thibault’s sister, who was a graphic designer. It changed from the original design. We worked together and we came to that logo, and
28 Dec 2017
The Magma Mega-interview, Part Three
Continued from Part Two… Do you think of live performance as an extension of that which you create in the studio, or is studio work an attempt to capture the essence of live performance? Well, this could be both ways because usually Magma always plays on stage before recording. Almost all Magma albums were recorded
27 Dec 2017
The Magma Mega-interview, Part Two
Continued from Part One… What do you seek to communicate in the Kobaïan lyrics of Magma’s music? The main purpose of the lyrics is to allow the music to be as expressive as possible. I’m always giving the example of John Coltrane who was playing an instrument; any people who are playing an instrument are
26 Dec 2017
The Magma Mega-interview, Part One
There is almost no useful frame of reference to describe the music of Magma. Founded in 1969 by French pianist/drummer Christian Vander, Magma has never conformed to conventional ideas about genre, or much else for that matter. A constantly rotating lineup of musicians has passed through Magma’s ranks; the band has released more than a
17 Nov 2017
Evil Note Lab: Pushing the Boundaries of Live Musical Improvisation
Ableton Live is computer software that allows musicians real-time interactivity with sequences of notes, sounds and textures. While the software is often used as a creative studio tool, in the hands of Asheville musical collective Evil Note Lab, Ableton Live realizes its potential as a performance instrument. Evil Note Lab puts its groundbreaking musical experiment
19 May 2017
Capsule Reviews for May 2017, Part Two
The Lancashire Hustlers – Adventures (Steep Hill Music) This London duo – Brent Thorley and Ian Pakes – has clearly come of age on a steady diet of Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra, Arthur-era Kinks, Small Faces circa Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake and other fine influences. But there’s a pleasing DIY sensibility that
18 Apr 2017
A Few Moments with Hans-Joachim Roedelius
German composer Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a synthesizer pioneer, and a leading light of ambient music. Yet acoustic piano is his instrument of choice, and he has little use for the term “ambient.” Roedelius made a rare North American appearance at the Mothlight on March 18 before heading to Knoxville for this year’s Big Ears Festival.