Well, Twitter has bought Posterous, and the consensus is that Posterous blogs will probably go away at some point. So rather than make any new posts here I've moved over to Tumblr. Won't you both join me over there?
Michael Nyman made me a fan of minimalism; I could listen to his music every day (and I do--my youngest son has gone to sleep to Where the Bee Dances nearly every night for about seven years). McAlmont and Butler made me a fan of David McAlmont's voice. Thus I am pleased to discover (albeit a couple years late) Nyman and McAlmont's 2009 collaborative album The Glare, with McAlmont adding lyrics and voice to a bunch of Nyman's compositions:
Grand old man of minimalism Terry Riley has a new album out on John Zorn's Tzadik label entitled Aleph. I am not familiar enough with Riley's corpus to know how it stands in relation to his other works; at least one reviewer does not think much of it. I gather Riley's pieces are meant to be immersive listening experiences, and Aleph definitely is that, though some sections are a bit grating:
I don't even try to keep up with the microgenres of electronic music, so I will label the Moritz von Oswald Trio as "improvised minimalist electronica". I've been listening to the Trio a lot lately, and my favorite piece is the dubby, mysterious-sounding "Structure 2":
Electro Guzzi make fake minimalist electronic house music, "fake" because they make it with guitar, bass, and drums instead of synthesizers:
Australian jazz trio The Necks get included in the Minimalism Roundup for their long explorations of riffs and motifs, often stretching out to an hour or more as on "Drive By":
The Portico Quartet, from London, are similar to The Necks except with shorter songs and more free-jazz sax wailing:
Finally, the Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble is essentially an amalgation of all of the styles above:
Now that Justice is on a roll (their March 20 show at the Electric Factory is sold out) (but I got my tickets), we can expect more music that sounds like them. An early entry is Milkman's new Fragments EP, which ably mimics the Justice sound:
A few years ago I fell in love with the expansive, uplifting sound of L.A. spiritual jazz collective Build An Ark. It's nearly two years since their last album, though, and I haven't heard anyone else putting forth that sound until minutes ago, when I happened upon "Tell Me a Tale" by British singer Michael Kiwanuka, who is now my Favorite Artist of the Moment:
Isn't that gorgeous? With bonus Afrobeat horns, even! I will be listening to this a lot for the foreseeable future.
No one matches Arnaud Rebotini for electro breakbeats, except perhaps his bandmates from Black Strobe releasing solo material on Rebotini's Blackstrobe label, as is the case with Mathieu Zub recording as Museum for Debut EP:
Ghost Box's "Study Series" of single releases are wonderful bits of that label's trademark "hauntology", but being singles, the servings are woefully small. Thus any full-length release from Ghost Box is a cause for celebration, and happily, there is one on the horizon. February 24 is the release date for the new Belbury Poly album The Belbury Tales, with "Rev. Jim" Jupp joined by a rhythm section on some tracks. The pre-release sampler affirms its must-buy status for me:
Ooh! A whole new album is on the way from Alice Russell and Quantic! The leadoff single, "Look Around the Corner", is pretty sweet:
Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Barbaro - Look Around The Corner by Tru Thoughts
Shawn Lee writes:
I'm proud to present the super rare & obscure forgotten 1973 album by Easy listening/Soul crooner extraodinaire- Bobby Valentine! I discovered this album thru long time family friend Jimmy Hopkins last year. I have now managed to secure the exclusive rights to re-release this shining gem of great songs, orchestrations and superb vocalistics. This was originally a private pressing of a mere 100 copies that Bobby sold at live shows and out of the trunk of his powder blue Lincoln Continental town car. So sit back in your Eames Lounge chair,pour yourself a martini, and listen to the psychedelic soul lounge stylings of the inimitable Bobby V!
He has also dug up a press release:
Bobby Valentine is the detente between hip and square. A cult figure with the French already, Bobby V. is a star just waiting to happen! The man has spent years perfecting his act in the smoke filled rooms of the cabaret and casino circuits. Lake Tahoe, Vegas, Atlantic city, London, Paris- Bobby's been there. Here before you now, is the legendary lost 1973 Bobby Valentine album "Bobby's World". It features the finest orchestras and arrangers of the day. Covering the premier songwriters of the time- Bacharach and David, Lennon and McCartney, Jimmy Webb, etc. Bobby takes on the classics and makes them his very own. It's psychedelic soul lounge at its best. Although virtually unknown to the general public at large, Bobby is well known and respected by his contemporaries. The late great Sammy Davis Jr. had this to say; "Bobby V. is one hip cat, I mean that dude is the funk Frank baby!" Andy Williams said; "Bobby's a gem- a real pro !" "The brother's got soul!" (Stevie Wonder). Bobby is philosophical about his lack of fame and fortune. "I have learned my craft from the best of them. I've sang the best songs, worked with the hippest arrangers. I have made sweet music all these years- traveled the world. I've had my share of laughs and beautiful dames- life's not so bad ya' know!" This might be the first time you hear the Bobby Valentine sound but you'll be forever diggin it baby!
Now I am skeptical that Shawn Lee has only known about Bobby Valentine for a year. In fact, after listening to the album I am convinced that Bobby V has been a major influence on Shawn's whole career, because Shawn sounds just like him! ;-)
Feast your ears on this groovy batch of covers:
