2019 TOP 10s & 20s
Amending slightly the categories used for last year's roundup, textura's 2019 selections are grouped into Jazz, Classical, Ambient/New Age, General, Compilation, and Single/EP/Cassette lists. Many releases qualified for multiple categories, but for the most part selections aligned themselves to a particular grouping. As in the past, selections were made according to a simple principle: only those releases covered in 2019 were eligible, though a few late-2018 releases were included that didn't make into last year's article. Here, then, are the recordings to which we repeatedly returned and which repeatedly rewarded that return (excerpts from the original reviews, all available in their complete form at textura's archives, have been included for the highest-ranking selections).
TOP 20 GENERAL • TOP 20 CLASSICAL • TOP 20 JAZZ • TOP 10 AMBIENT / NEW AGE • TOP 10 COMPILATIONS • TOP 10 SINGLES / EPS / CASSETTES • THANK YOU • RIP
TOP 20 GENERAL (Electronic / Experimental / Folk / Pop / Prog / Rock)
01. Christopher Tignor: A Light Below (Western Vinyl)
A Light Below continues the work Christopher Tignor pursued on 2016's Along a Vanishing Plane, but that doesn't make it any less satisfying: A Light Below is as strong, and suffice it to say anyone seduced by the earlier set will likely have much the same response to the new one. Generated live and with no overdubbing, pre-recorded tracks, click tracks, or looping, expansive soundworlds are created featuring processed violin, kick drum-triggered synthesizers, tuning forks, hi-hats, triangles, and bells—in essence, dynamic, real-time performances of electro-acoustic design. Though the material was generated by him alone, it never feels insular; on the contrary, its heartfelt expressions should enable listeners of every possible type to embrace it fervently.
02. William Brittelle: Spiritual America (New Amsterdam Records / Nonesuch)
If a classically minded prog-rocker were to create a song cycle featuring a female lead singer, electronics, strings, electric guitars, brass, percussion, and woodwinds, it might sound something like Spiritual America. To describe it as audacious isn't off-base, but for the Brooklyn-based Brittelle it's consistent with the kind of genre-bending material for which he's become known. In fact, the recording plays as if the New Amsterdam Records co-founder set out to distill every bold gesture the label stands for into a single statement. On paper, the project could appear bombastic, what with the army of resources utilized, yet he somehow makes full use of said resources without the result becoming overblown.
03. Stein Urheim: Simple Pieces & Paper Cut-Outs (Hubro)
Experiencing Stein Urheim's unadorned guitar artistry is a treat all by itself, but Hubro has outdone itself in supplementing the vinyl release with a forty-page score and tablature. Presented in glorious detail, the booklet enables aspiring musos to play the tunes with the record or for non-guitarists to follow along and gain an enhanced appreciation for his fingerpicking. The thirteen tunes are short, but they're packed with detail and inspiring touches that speak to Urheim's command of his instrument, for this recording a hand-made acoustic built after a model of the Selmer jazz guitars from the ‘30s.
04. Hevreh Ensemble: A Path of Light (Ansonica Records)
The name Hevreh Ensemble chose for itself couldn't have been better, given that the translation for the Hebrew word Hevreh is 'Circle of Friends.' Not only have quartet members Jeff Adler (bass clarinet, Native American flutes), Judith Dansker (oboe, Native American flute), Laurie Friedman (clarinet, Native American flute), and Adam Morrison (piano, keyboards) forged deep connections since Hevreh's 2004 inception, they're joined here by more friends, namely the string quartet ETHEL, Silkroad percussionist Shane Shanahan, double bassist George Rush, and tablaist Naren Budhkar. A Path of Light exemplifies small-group playing at its finest, with the (augmented) quartet presenting an uplifting ‘World Music' capable of global appeal.
05. Kamancello: Kamancello II: Voyage (Kamancello)
Kamancello partners Shahriyar Jamshidi (kamanche) and Raphael Weinroth-Browne (cello) recorded their sophomore release live, the music fully improvised and free of editing. You might find yourself returning to that detail while listening to Voyage, which speaks to a degree of telepathy between the players that verges on uncanny. Though their music transcends stylistic boundaries, it does lean in particular directions, with contemporary classical, Middle Eastern, and jazz improv reference points. So perfectly attuned is Kamancello to each player's talents, it would be hard to imagine any other endeavour better serving their individual and collective strengths.
06. Toby Hay: New Music for the 12 String Guitar (The state51 Conspiracy)
Of the four recordings Toby Hay's released, New Music for the 12 String Guitar feels the most spontaneous. That shouldn't be interpreted to mean that earlier Hay releases lacked for spontaneity but rather that their realization involved a comparatively methodical approach. His latest, however, was recorded over two days at Real World Studios, and all twelve pieces were generated live using a single guitar and with no overdubs—as Hay says, “music in its purest form.” Images of dew-covered countrysides emerge as the pastoral settings play, the guitarist gifted with an ability to evoke the soul-nourishing rapture of outdoor landscapes not yet despoiled by human intervention.
07. Leo Svirsky: River Without Banks (Unseen Worlds)
The particularity of a composer's voice is perhaps never more discernible than when it's articulated by a single instrument. In that regard, the persona of pianist Leo Svirsky comes through vividly on River Without Banks, even if he supplements his playing with Tibetan singing bowl and Wurlitzer on a couple of songs and is joined by others on upright bass, cello, trumpet, and windy gong. But River Without Banks is never more memorable than when piano appears alone; it's during these moments that Svirsky's melodic character asserts itself most memorably and when his music's plaintive quality exerts the greatest force.
08. Hedvig Mollestad Trio: Smells Funny (Rune Grammofon)
Yes, Hedvig Mollestad's the leader, but make no mistake: her trio's a unit of equals, each member integral to its blistering, locked-in execution. As fabulous as the guitarist is, the particular alchemy that arises when she, bassist Ellen Brekken, and drummer Ivar Loe Bjørnstad turn it on is something else. With so many guitar trios in the history books, it would be hard to imagine anyone at this stage being able to breathe new life into the concept. Mollestad and company do so, however, and so magnificently you'd be doing yourself a major disservice if you missed them live, given the opportunity.
09. Isnaj Dui: Sight Seeing (Fbox Records)
10. Frode Haltli: Border Woods (Hubro)
11. Sontag Shogun: It Billows Up (Youngbloods)
12. Michael Robinson: Tunis Phantom (Azure Miles Records)
13. Zachary Paul: Meditation on Discord (Touch)
14. Akira Kosemura: Diary 2016-19 (Schole Records)
15. Paniyolo & Akio Watanabe: Passage of Sky (Schole Records)
16. J. Pavone String Ensemble: Brick and Mortar (Birdwatcher Records)
17. Lumen Drones: Umbra (Hubro)
18. Deadbeat & Camara: Trinity Thirty (Constellation)
19. David Ian Roberts: Traveling Bright (Cambrian Records)
20. Comit: Remote Viewing (ASIP)
01. Mark John McEncroe: Musical Images for Chamber Orchestra (Navona Records)
Sydney-born composer Mark John McEncroe possesses a special ability to write powerful, expressive music that connects at an immediate level. Cued to some degree by the track titles on Musical Images For Chamber Orchestra, the listener is captivated by the beauty of his compositions and Mark J Saliba's orchestrations. Recorded by the Janácek Philharmonic, Musical Images is a ravishing collection whose wistful character makes the composer's material all the more affecting. Subtitled Reflections & Recollections Vol. 1, the material is understandably infused with yearning and captivates with the purity of its expression. Some of McEncroe's material exemplifies a simplicity that could prompt some to dismiss it as ‘light classical'; doing so, however, would miss the beauty in music that communicates so directly.
02. Kinan Azmeh: Uneven Sky (DreyerGaido)
A more satisfying account of Kinan Azmeh's artistry than Uneven Sky would be hard to conceive. The double-CD release not only features breathtaking performances by the clarinetist, it also pairs one disc featuring concertos written for him by Syrian composers Kareem Roustom, Zaid Jabri, and Dia Succari with a second presenting Azmeh's own pieces, one of them an arresting duo with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. At nearly 140 minutes of music, it's a long recording that demands much, but the investment is rewarded; certainly anyone coming away from this encompassing and deeply personal project will have an enhanced appreciation for Azmeh's gifts as both performer and composer.
03. Maya Beiser: delugEON (Islandia Music Records)
A scan of the set-list on Maya Beiser's latest solo recording might have you expecting a traditional collection of repertoire pieces by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Purcell, and others. Such an impression would be largely wrong, however: yes, delugEON does include familiar material, but its lamentations have been so completely re-imagined by the Israeli-born cellist they feel newly born. Her expressions are heartfelt and eloquent, and the control she demonstrates with respect to phrasing, dynamics, and vibrato is never less than superb—all of which makes this an exceptional addition to a discography that has grown ever more distinguished over time.
04. Barbara Hannigan: Crazy Girl Crazy (Alpha Classics)
Canadian-born, Paris-based soprano Barbara Hannigan is nothing if not intrepid. Regarded as one of contemporary music's most distinguished interpreters, she's known for her inhabitation of the title role in Berg's Lulu, but in recent years she's also established herself as a conductor, not just credibly but as an audacious conceptualist intent on imprinting a personal vision upon the material performed. Both sides are captured on her debut album as singer and conductor, Crazy Girl Crazy, which accompanies a DVD featuring the twenty-minute film Music is Music with a CD featuring performances of Berio's Sequenza III, Berg's Lulu Suite, and Gershwin's Girl Crazy Suite.
05. Björk / Jan Dvorák / Peter Häublein / Roman Vinuesa: Vespertine: A Pop Album as an Opera (Oehms Classics)
Ask any opera devotee to explain why certain works endure, even ones written centuries ago and staged countless times, and said individual will probably cite melody as the primary reason. That in part explains why the 2018 staging of Björk's Vespertine by Mannheim National Theater and Hotel Pro Forma was so rapturously received. Of all the Icelandic artist's albums, her 2001 song cycle lends itself exceptionally well to an opera treatment because of its intense vulnerability and emotional expression. A century separates her recording from Madama Butterfly, yet the musical universe the opera rendering inhabits shares much with Puccini's.
06. Lisa Bielawa: Vireo (Orange Mountain Music)
Lisa Bielawa's multimedia opera Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch's Accuser was first presented in an episodic twelve-part form on public television in June 2017 and can now be experienced anew in this DVD-and-double-CD package. On logistical grounds alone, the achievement is staggering: displacing the presentation from a single opera stage set, Vireo was shot in multiple locations, including a monastery on the Hudson River and California's Redwood forests; one episode was even filmed on Alcatraz Island. Yet however grandiose the project might sound on paper, the two-and-a-half-hour production possesses the intimate character of a chamber opera.
07. Christopher Cerrone & Wildup: The Pieces That Fall to Earth (New Amsterdam Records)
The Pieces That Fall to Earth benefits from three things in particular: refined writing by Brooklyn-based composer Christopher Cerrone, who demonstrates in the recording's three vocal cycles a mature command of the idiom; superb playing by the Los Angeles-based ensemble Wild Up; and stirring vocal performances by Lindsay Kesselman, Theo Bleckmann, and an eight-member choir. The combination of all three makes for an exceptionally rewarding outcome, especially when the singers' voices communicate with heightened levels of emotional intensity.
08. Donnacha Dennehy: The Hunger (Nonesuch)
A riveting modern cantata performed by the American outfit Alarm Will Sound and two vocalists, English soprano Katherine Manley and sean-nós (“old style”) singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, The Hunger is a magnificent creation and one of great personal significance to the composer. Though Dennehy is now America-based, he was born in Dublin in 1970 and has a deep-rooted connection to both the music of his homeland, including the sean-nós vocal tradition featured in the work, and the history with which The Hunger is concerned, the Great Irish Famine of 1845-52.
09. Lara Downes: Holes in the Sky (Portrait)
10. Mary Elizabeth Bowden: Reverie (Summit)
11. David Maslanka: The River of Time (Navona Records)
12. Jeffrey Brooks: The Passion (Cantaloupe)
13. Matt Sargent: Separation Songs (Cold Blue)
14. Bruce Levingston: Citizen (Sono Luminus)
15. Hugo Ticciati & O/Modernt: From the Ground Up: The Chaconne (Signum)
16. Jasper String Quartet: The Kernis Project: Debussy (Sono Luminus)
17. Janet Sung: Edge of Youth (Sono Luminus)
18. Jan Kraybill: Organ Music (Reference Recordings)
19. Douwe Eisenga: For Mattia (TRPTK)
20. Joseph T. Spaniola: Escapade (Big Round Records)
01. Brandee Younger: Soul Awakening (Brandee Younger)
An immensely satisfying portrait of harpist Brandee Younger, Soul Awakening sounds as fresh as if it were recorded yesterday, even if it was completed six years ago. It's somewhat of a summative portrait, too, as it checks many of the critical boxes associated with the NY-based artist: it was recorded under the direction of producer and bassist Dezron Douglas; features contributions from two of Younger's mentors, saxophonists Antoine Roney and Ravi Coltrane; and in addition to originals and a Marvin Gaye cover, includes compositions by harpists Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane, muses of Younger. The album's loveliest track is “Love's Prayer,” a lilting ballad whose melody Coltrane caresses with deep feeling and which makes the album's greatest argument for the harp as a lead instrument. But every tune's a winner here and the performances, collectively and individually, stellar.
02. Zach Brock, Matt Ulery, Jon Dietmeyer: Wonderment (Woolgathering Records)
Wonderment is the debut trio album from violinist Zach Brock, double bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitemyer, but the performances are as locked-in as one would expect from musicians who've played together for almost fifteen years. Melodically, the heavy lifting's largely handled by Brock, his violin by default the instrument naturally tailored to shoulder that load. The trio's sound is so engaging, one wonders why more featuring violin don't exist; certainly Brock does everything here pianists, saxophonists, and guitarists do in their own units. No matter: Wonderment is trio playing of an inordinately high order, the sound of three advanced musicians bringing material they clearly love into being.
03. Tomeka Reid Quartet: Old New (Cuneiform)
Old New is an apt title for Tomeka Reid's second quartet album, the searing set a fine follow-up to her outfit's 2015 eponymous debut. From start to finish, the Queens-based cellist demonstrates a gift for writing melodically enticing tunes that feel connected to long-standing jazz traditions yet also burst with the vitality that comes from fresh approaches. The individuals performing alongside her are also critical to the recording's impact, with guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Jason Roebke, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara doing much to bring the leader's catchy tunes to life. As the composer of the material and the session leader, Reid's clearly the one in charge. But as a player, she—smartly—never treats the others as mere support. Old New benefits dramatically from her democratic approach when the talents of her partners are featured as liberally as the leader's.
04. Matt Ulery: Delicate Charms (Woolgathering Records)
As a choice of album title (and band name), Delicate Charms is certainly credible, but perhaps an even better one for Matt Ulery's latest would be the title of its third track: “Mellisonant,” whose meaning ‘pleasing to the ear' succinctly summarizes the experience of listening to the recording. Issued on his Woolgathering Records, Delicate Charms is quintessential Ulery, packed as it is with ravishing melodies, intricate structures, and exemplary performances. Whether commanding the stage with this new quintet—the double bassist plus Greg Ward on alto sax, Zach Brock on violin, Rob Clearfield on piano, and Quin Kirchner on drums—or guiding a larger ensemble through its paces, everything Ulery does is branded with his personal signature.
05. Ryan Keberle & Catharsis: The Hope I Hold (Greenleaf Music)
Choosing hope over despair, trombonist Ryan Keberle clings to the possibility that better times lie ahead. That's reflected not only in the title of this latest set from him and his Catharsis troupe but in the optimistic tone that permeates the material, a tone earlier evidenced on the 2017 Catharsis release, Find the Common, Shine a Light. As one would expect, Keberle contributes a series of stellar solos to the album; however, the band's not-so-secret weapon has to be Camila Meza, whose guitar and voice make this album truly special. The Hope I Hold is a more than satisfying release, then, from Keberle, and one that's even better for presenting two versions of his Catharsis outfit.
06. Daniel Rotem: Serenading the Future (Daniel Rotem)
This wonderful double-album set by Israeli saxophonist Daniel Rotem aspires to serenade the future, but it most definitely serenades the listener. With five-string violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, pianist Miro Sprague, acoustic bassist Alex Boneham, and drummer Roberto Giaquinto involved, the instrumental resources Rotem mustered for the sessions are plentiful, yet the album's tone is generally mellow and appealingly so. All perform with sensitivity to texture and dynamics, with the leader's breathy tone enveloped by the sometimes rubato-styled playing of his partners.
07. Petros Klampanis: Irrationalities (EnjaYellowbird)
Irrationalities, the splendid fourth album from bassist-composer Petros Klampanis, pairs the polish and sophistication of an ECM set with a rhythmic thrust that makes the release all the more appealing. It's a terrific album that impresses on many levels, for the calibre of its compositions, the vitality of its performances, and the chemistry shared by the musicians. While pianist Kristjan Randalu is admittedly the main carrier of melody, Klampanis and drummer Bodek Janke are equally integral to the trio's sound, and the playing of each is engrossing.
08. Steve Haines and the Third Floor Orchestra: Steve Haines and the Third Floor Orchestra (Justin Time Records)
Many albums impress; only a few dazzle. This set by double bassist Steve Haines is one such case, a recording so special one hardly knows where to begin. For his fourth album, he convened a number of talents, including singer Becca Stevens, soprano saxist Chad Eby, and the Third Floor Orchestra. In backing the front-liners with a full orchestra, Haines allows the listener to experience inspired covers of Neil Young's “Harvest Moon,” Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah,” Gordon Lightfoot's “If You Could Read My Mind,” and Kim Mitchell's “Patio Lanterns” afresh. Stevens brings a warmth, humanity, and versatility to the project, and Eby proves a superb foil, his saxophone registering less as accompaniment and more dialogue partner.
09. Miles Okazaki: The Sky Below (Pi Recordings)
10. Chelsea McBride's Socialist Night School: Aftermath (Chelsea McBride)
11. Matt Herskowitz: Mirror Image (Justin Time Records)
12. Miho Hazama: Dancer in Nowhere (Sunnyside Records)
13. Anat Fort Trio: Colour (Sunnyside Records)
14. Rajna Swaminathan: Of Agency and Abstraction (Biophilia Records)
15. Samantha Boshnack's Seismic Belt: Live in Santa Monica (Orenda)
16. Lauren Desberg: Out for Delivery (Lauren Desberg)
17. Ben Flocks: Mask of the Muse (Ben Flocks)
18. Art Ensemble Of Chicago: We Are On the Edge (Pi Recordings)
19. Alex Lore And Weirdear: Karol (Lore)
20. Byron Asher: Skrontch Music (Sinking City Records)
01. Celer: Xièxie (Two Acorns)
Will Long's early 2019 Celer release exemplifies all the qualities one might expect from someone whose discography is staggering in volume: assurance, artfulness, and poise. Yet Xièxie (in English, ‘thanks') is also characterized by properties one would associate with the work of a burgeoning talent, imagination and freshness, for starters. To Long's credit, the material shows no sign of exhaustion, no lessening of conviction or engagement. Xièxie could be described as a ninety-five-minute aural diary of a China visit by the Japan-based American artist, with stops in Shanghai and Hangzhou and a ride on the high-speed Maglev parts of the itinerary. The seven ambient settings are quintessential Celer, each an absorbing, plaintive reverie.
02. Ann Sweeten: Before Today, Beyond Tomorrow (Orange Band)
The experience of listening to pianist Ann Sweeten's latest release is significantly affected by awareness of the conditions under which it was created: having already survived breast cancer twice, the Steinway artist was diagnosed with leukemia in April 2017. To receive such a blow after already having endured so much would prove debilitating to many, yet Sweeten soldiered on, and that she was able to produce a collection of chamber-classical music as lovely as Before Today, Beyond Tomorrow is a testament to her indomitable creative spirit. The eloquence of her playing is present throughout, her illustrious technique used to give voice to expressions humble and serene.
03. Kelly David: Meditation in Green (Spotted Peccary)
It's interesting how much a single detail can affect your experience of a recording. Consider by way of illustration the words that appear on Meditation In Green, Kelly David's Spotted Peccary debut: “a slow, psychedelic musical journey deep into the heart of the Mekong Delta.” They immediately reorient one's reception: what might have registered as abstract ambient soundscaping of a particularly accomplished kind is experienced instead as a deeply immersive Viet Nam journey. Of course associations with the creations of Conrad and Coppola naturally arise, but David's purely instrumental creation impresses as an excellent addition to the ambient soundscaping canon.
04. Chronotope Project: Lotus Rising (Spotted Peccary)
Jeffrey Ericson Allen returns with another distinguished presentation of Chronotope Project material, Lotus Rising an album-long musical meditation on Zen Buddhism. The Oregonian certainly knows whereof he speaks, having studied and practiced it for thirty years. Of course its immersive, self-illuminating character makes it a natural subject for ambient application and Allen's brand in particular, which is atmospheric, mystical, serene, and soulful. Lotus Rising is but his fourth Chronotope Project release on the Spotted Peccary label, but it feels like the handiwork of someone who's been perfecting his craft for decades.
05. Scott Reich: Instar (Heart Dance)
06. Ironomori: Kotonoha (Kitchen.)
07. David Helpling: RUNE (Spotted Peccary)
08. Josh Mason: Coquina Dose (Florabelle)
09. John Atkinson & Talya Cooper: Plains (Florabelle)
10. James Murray: Embrace Storms (Slowcraft Records)
01. VA: Currents - Electronic Music by Various Composers, 1968-2018 (ACA)
Currents provides a magnificent overview of the electroacoustic field, not only because works by thirteen different composers affiliated with the ACA (American Composers Alliance) are featured but for the fact that the pieces presented span fifty years. As such, the release brings into focus changes in production methodology that have transpired, from tape pieces in the ‘60s to recent works that take full advantage of current technologies. Curated by Scott Miller, Daria Semegen, and Harvey Sollberger, the compilation offers an exceptional portrait of this experimental field as well as an ideal entry-point for the listener wanting to become familiar with it.
02. VA: Ten Years Gone: A Tribute to Jack Rose (Tompkins Square)
This Jack Rose (1971-2009) tribute isn't a collection of covers, as such sets typically are, but instead original instrumentals created in his honour by friends of the American guitarist and others inspired by his music. Regardless, the material accomplishes what the best tributes do: makes the listener eager to revisit the honouree's catalogue to drink from the original well. Given that his name often surfaces when the conversation turns to American ‘primitive' guitarists such as John Fahey and Robbie Basho, one would presume Ten Years Gone to be chock-full of solo acoustic guitar exercises, and on that count one wouldn't be wrong. Thoughtfully curated by Buck Curran, the collection is a fitting tribute to an artist who obviously left us too soon.
03. VA: Beneath the Tide: A Collection of Concertos (Navona Records)
One of the more satisfying aspects of this classical collection is its symmetrical design, with a guitar concerto framed by two violin-centered settings and the trio bookended by two three-movement works, one featuring clarinet and the other piano. The Croatian Chamber Orchestra and soloists bring to life concertos by contemporary composers Michael G. Cunningham, Rain Worthington, Ssu-Yu Huang, Bruce Reiprich, and Beth Mehocic. All five of the recording's dynamic works have much to recommend them on formal grounds, but it's their emotional effects that register as memorably.
04. VA: Total 19 (Kompakt)
Curated by Kompakt co-owner Michael Mayer and featuring twenty-six tracks, the label's nineteenth Total set collects the best of its recent twelve-inch gems and augments them with eight unreleased exclusives. Mainstays such as Jürgen Paape and Jörg Burger rub shoulders with recent recruits in a collection possessing all the signposts of the label: body music that's classy, artful, and glossy, the creators as always managing to generate tracks that are original and imaginative yet identifiable as Kompakt product. True to the label template, the tracks are solidly grounded in club rhythms but beyond that are elaborately layered in melody and texture. Echoes of lauded traditions can occasionally be glimpsed—a hint of Kraftwerk here, a bit of ‘80s British New Wave there—without the material losing its Kompakt identity.
05. VA: For the Peace of Cities (Ravello Records)
06. VA: Arctic Dub Vol. 5 (Arctic Dub)
07. VA: The Nature Vol. 1 (Tokyo Dawn Records)
08. VA: None of the Above (none60)
09. VA: Patterns (Navona Records)
10. Common Sense Composers' Collective: Spark (Innova)
TOP 10 SINGLES / EPS / CASSETTES
01. Fovea Hex: The Salt Garden 3 (Headphone Dust)
Following the release of The Salt Garden Trilogy's initial parts in 2016 and 2017, the concluding installment is now with us, and it's safe to say it'll be received with as much rapture as its predecessors. At four songs and twenty-two minutes, the release is modest, but it's every bit Fovea Hex at its most quintessential. The outfit remains the brainchild of Irish singer Clodagh Simonds, but the contributions of Michael Begg, Cora Venus Lunny, and Kate Ellis on the group's music shouldn't be overlooked, nor should those made by guests Guido Zen, Medazza, and The Dote Moss Choir. As always, the group's songs defy easy categorization, weaving together as they do folk, electronica, drones, and pop into intimate, incandescent wholes; the one thing of which one can be certain is that the music will entrance. It would be hard to imagine anyone intoxicated by the group's earlier output not having the same response to this latest chapter.
02. Fallows: Soundness (oscarson)
Admirers of enchantress Anne Garner won't want to miss this half-hour EP outing with guitarist Jeff Stonehouse under the Fallows name. Issued on the German imprint oscarson, Soundness is strikingly presented in a twelve-inch pressing accompanied by a handmade booklet featuring images by Sue Williams A'Court and calligraphy by Garner. Apart from three originals by her and the guitarist, the release includes a cover of “Sycamore Trees,” the wrenching torch song the late Jimmy Scott famously sang in a Twin Peaks episode. Without wishing to downplay Stonehouse's contributions, it's Garner's voice that is the EP's primary selling point. That remarkable instrument lends itself to any number of vocal treatments, from a hushed quiver to a low-register shudder.
03. Silent Dust, Hathor & Dominic Ridgeway: Mirrored / Dont Think (none60)
Silent Dust's Dan Blishen and Andy Hobbs have outdone themselves with this latest single, even if they can't take all the credit for it. To create the material, the two collaborated virtually with Dominic Ridgeway for “Dont Think” [sic] and Hathor for “Mirrored.” Truth be told, credits for these productions could be extended further, given that the latter features dialogue from the film Annihilation spoken by Natalie Portman and Benedict Wong, while “Dont Think” includes statements made by Ray Bradbury during a 1974 interview. “Mirrored,” which has as much prog, IDM, and dub in its DNA as drum'n'bass, is five of the most incredible minutes we've heard in some time, the sound design crafted by Silent Dust and Hathor a wonder to behold.
04. 36: Beneath the Lower Lights (Past Inside the Present)
Issued on Indianapolis-based Past Inside the Present (PITP), the cassette release Beneath The Lower Lights (a companion to the vinyl set The Lower Lights) exemplifies all the 36 qualities longtime listeners have come to admire. Individual track differences aside, all the settings are harmonious in tone and immaculately produced, Dennis Huddleston having polished their gleaming surfaces to a sleek sheen; eschewing rawness and dissonance, the typical 36 production emerges and then fades out anywhere from three to nine minutes later, having made its case dynamically. Put simply, nothing feels unresolved or ill-considered in Huddleston's lustrous soundworld.
05. Everyday Dust & [MIIIM]: Terra Ephemera (Sparkwood Records)
06. Kneebody: By Fire EP (Edition Records)
07. Prism Quartet: The Book of Days (XAS Records)
08. Ashan: Transfigurations (Inner Islands)
09. Michael Jon Fink: Celesta (Cold Blue)
10. Budgee: Swing the Barkley (Discolexique)
textura is indebted to the following for their contributions to the site in 2019 and for their support: Allison Au, Matt Choboter, Zack Clarke, Caroline Davis, Lauren Densberg, Jim Fox, Steve Haines, Chelsea McBride, Teri Parker, Scott Reich, Michael Robinson, Jakob Sørensen, Matt Ulery, and Brandee Younger. A sincere thanks also to the artists, label managers, and publicists who shared material with textura during the year and to the readers who've been with the site since its 2004 inception.
A special word of thanks to Brad Deschamps, Mike Fazio, and Drew Sullivan for their invaluable contributions to textura's fourth label release, the Joni Mitchell-inspired tribute project Swallowed by the Sky; textura is also grateful to Fluid Radio, Ryan Griffin, and Michael Robinson for their support of the release.
Ginger Baker, Hal Blaine, Michael Colgrass, Dick Dale, Keith Flint, João Gilberto, Mark Hollis, Joseph Jarman, Dr. John, Giya Kancheli, Jessye Norman, Ric Ocasek, Ranking Roger, Scott Walker, and many more.
December 2019