Jerzy Milian is one of the most important jazz musicians to ever come out of Poland.  In this rather expensive album, he is collaborating with the BRT Radio (now VRT Radio) Orchestra during the late 1960s.  The release showcases Milian’s vibraphone talents, but also shows how multi-faceted his music was, incorporating beat, rock and soundtrack music into his oeuvre.

Dutch composer and experimental musician Michel Banabila is joined on this one-track release by duduk player Cengiz Arslanpay and violist Oene van Geel for a warm, haunting take on improvisational music.

Israeli singer Luna Abu Nassar produces a darkly mellow sound, singing in both Hebrew and Arabic, and her lilting voice fits well with such heavy instrumentation.  The only problem with this gem is that I don’t understand either Hebrew or Arabic, and from what I understand, the lyrics are quite profound.  Still, this is so sonically pleasant that it was worth sharing with you, my friends.

Strawberry Switchblade were my first musical crush, and perhaps the most charmingly twee band I heard during the 1980s and there was a lot of competition in those days.
This EP from 40 (!!) years ago sounds as fresh as their eponymous debut album, but the sound is far rawer, more post-punk and less synth-sounding.  Rose McDowell, of course, went on to work on many worthy solo projects and…

While reading Bandcamp Daily on my feed, I came across a black metal band out of West Virginia called Nechochwen.  The article is enlightening, but it got me interested in exploring their music a bit deeper.  This particular album, Algonkian Mythos, is technically a ‘metal’ album, but it is so atmospheric that it could almost count as a neofolk album.  The instrumentation is sparse and has a…

Here is an impressively authentic-sounding ska coming to us from Los Angeles, California (my home town).  The Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra boast of combining Jamaica’s greatest contribution to the world and a big-band sound.  They pull this combination off flawlessly, and they must have one very impressive live act if their music is anything to go by.

A pleasant surprise comes from Australian record label The Round Table.  Amancio D’Silva was a musician based out of India who mixed traditional music from his homeland with modal jazz, and the results are stunning.  From the label’s Bandcamp site:
“Also recorded in 1972 although not released at the time was Konkan Dance, an unofficial sequel to Dream Sequence that further explored the…

With the death of Richard H. Kirk last year, my hopes are dashed for new material from Cabaret Voltaire.  However, Stephen Mallinder is carrying the torch of mid-period Cabs by combining a dark soundscape with rough electro-funk.  From his Bandcamp website:
“Cabaret Voltaire co-founder Stephen Mallinder’s second solo outing for Dais further distills his signature fusion of minimal synth, oblique…

Within the next few weeks, I will conduct an interview with pianist Alessandra Celletti, a dear friend and one of Italy’s most colorful musicians.  This one is her latest, and its centerpiece is based on the Lemhi Shoshone teenager who not only led the American explorers Lewis & Clarke in their exploration of the Louisiana Territory but also became a symbol of women’s suffrage in the United…

Some very happy news today, as Japanese acid-folk-psych band Kikagaku Moyo have given us a fresh album.
From their Bandcamp website:
“In many ways ‘Kumoyo Island’ represents the culmination of a journey for Kikagaku Moyo. While their decade-long career can be summarized as a series of kaleidoscopic explorations through lands and dimensions far and near, there’s a strong intention in each of their…

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we present you a new post-rock band out of Mexico City called A Shelter In The Desert.  The band’s sound incorporates a lot of shoegaze sounds and has a cinematic vibe to it.  Impressive, and worth exploring.

Italy’s Record Kicks has been releasing crime-funk, hip garage rock, deep soul, afro and boogaloo hits for 15 years so the label will be offering, as of May 15th, a compilation of some of their finest moments.  Bands on this killer comp include The Tibbs, Calibro 35 and our favorite neo-soul diva, Martha Ren.

The Mossad are a project out of Lansing, Michigan, which reminds me of a slower, dubbier, late-period Tackhead or even Gang of Four with less funk, but far rawer.  I haven’t heard a sound this crunch since the late 1980s, so for music ability and nostalgia, I give this single high marks.

Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurðsson is a classical composer who has developed into the country’s leading light in terms of modern classical music.
From his Bandcamp site:
“Valgeir has become a master of sound to get lost in. Through his layering of his collaborators’ instrumental and vocal parts and a nuanced balance of electronic and organic sound, KVIKA is a perfect collection of moments that…

There is, apparently, a documentary film coming out on the life of Shirley Collins, the grand dame of British folk music who worked with such artists as disparate as Davey Graham and Current 93.  This compilation is tied to the film, and features artists like Lee Ranaldo, Alasdair Roberts and Angel Olsen, but the standout track is The Murder Of Maria Marten, eerily performed by Ela Stiles. 45…

Vtoroy Etazh Porazhayet (2nd Floor is Striking) are a Moscow post-punk outfit, and it seems both Russia and Belarus are producing a lot of these days.  They are released by the French record label Belka Records.  Their sound will appeal strongly to those who are into the post-punk renaissance of the past five years or so.
 

TEKE::TEKE are a band out of Canada who combine a punk aesthetic with psychedelic music and Japanese soundtrack music from the 1960s.  It’s about as unique a release as I’ve heard in some time.

This is one of South Africa’s best jazz outings.  It features tenor saxophonist Winston “Mankunku” Ngozi and the album blends not only South African jazz but also the works of John Coltrane and Horace Silver. A swinging release.

In honor of returning to lovely Belgrade, I salute the occasion with Serbian electrostatic composer Manja Ristić, now based in Croatia.