Category: ESSENTIAL NEW MUSIC
Essential New Music: Jeff Parker ETA IVtet’s “Happy Today”
It says something about Jeff Parker’s estimation of the value of the ETA IVtet that Happy Today was made at
Essential New Music: Eye’s “Prophecy” And “Black Ships”
Across 40-odd years and a span of musical methodologies, Peter Stapleton made things happen. The musician, lyricist, festival organizer and
Essential New Music: Mekons’ “Horrorble (Mekons Vs Tony Maimone In Dub Conference)”
To say that history looms over Horror is just another way of saying that it’s a Mekons record. The globally
Essential New Music: Joseph Branciforte & Jozef Dumoulin’s “ITERAE”
On ITERAE, American musician/engineer Joseph Branciforte and Belgian Fender Rhodes player Jozef Dumoulin operate in the spaces in between. Each
Essential New Music: Nicolas Leirtrø’s Action Now!’s “Entrance”
Nicolas Leirtrø’s debut LP has been a while coming, and its precise nature could not have been predicted. The Trondheim, Norway-based
Essential New Music: The Arrivals’ “Payload”
Chicago’s the Arrivals—well, singer/guitarist Isaac Thotz now lives in L.A., while fellow singer/guitarist Little Dave Merriman, bassist Paddy Costello and
Essential New Music: Setting’s “Setting”
Self-titled albums tend to have an air of self-declaration about them: “This is who we are.” In the case of
Essential New Music: Tetsu Mineta & Ayal Senior’s “Lost Hotel”
Canadian guitarist Ayal Senior appears to have found a second home in Tokyo. It might seem a curious destination, since
Essential New Music: Joshua Abrams’ “Music For Pulse Meridian Foliation”
In April 2023, REDCAT, a Los Angeles exhibit/performance space that’s part of CalArts, hosted Pulse Meridian Foliation. It was an
Essential New Music: Cortex & Hedvig Mollestad’s “Did We Really?”
“Did we really?” This album’s title implies disbelief, but if the questions is, “Did these folks pull off a successful
Essential New Music: Hamid Drake & Pat Thomas’ “A Mountain Sees A Mountain”
A Mountain Sees A Mountain: Game recognizes game. Pianist Pat Thomas and drummer Hamid Drake may have grown up on












