Author Archives: Samuel Rogers
Thomas Dimuzio ~ Sutro Transmissions
All the music on A Closer Listen wishes to communicate with listeners. Some of it also thinks about communication – the processes, technologies, difficulties, and contradictions that happen when information is transmitted. Last year, one album channelled the radio waves
Thomas Dimuzio ~ Sutro Transmissions
All the music on A Closer Listen wishes to communicate with listeners. Some of it also thinks about communication – the processes, technologies, difficulties, and contradictions that happen when information is transmitted. Last year, one album channelled the radio waves
Phill Niblock ~ Music for Organ
Phill Niblock has a penchant for anagrams, as this record makes clear with the names of its two compositions, “Unmounted / Muted Noun” and “Nagro (aka Organ)”. In the same spirit, I note that Music for Organ might be rendered
Phill Niblock ~ Music for Organ
Phill Niblock has a penchant for anagrams, as this record makes clear with the names of its two compositions, “Unmounted / Muted Noun” and “Nagro (aka Organ)”. In the same spirit, I note that Music for Organ might be rendered
Jacoti Sommes ~ Travel Time / A Co. ~ SideQuest
During an early period of blissful naivety, electronic music embodied a high-tech future on the brink of beginning. The prophecy was true, insofar as synthetic replication or processing of sound is now a given in most genres. However, when we
Jacoti Sommes ~ Travel Time / A Co. ~ SideQuest
During an early period of blissful naivety, electronic music embodied a high-tech future on the brink of beginning. The prophecy was true, insofar as synthetic replication or processing of sound is now a given in most genres. However, when we
BABEL ~ Thirteen Exquisite Corpses
“Consequences” is a great rainy-day game I remember playing with my grandparents. Following the same narrative formula, each person writes one line of a story, before passing the folded paper to their neighbour. The end result is an absurdist, comical
BABEL ~ Thirteen Exquisite Corpses
“Consequences” is a great rainy-day game I remember playing with my grandparents. Following the same narrative formula, each person writes one line of a story, before passing the folded paper to their neighbour. The end result is an absurdist, comical
WaqWaq Kingdom ~ Essaka Hoisa
Never judge a book by its cover. But the hyperactive artwork of this album does tell us much about the music. Both are a kaleidoscopic frenzy, where shards of Japanese tradition embed themselves in a body of global influences. We might
WaqWaq Kingdom ~ Essaka Hoisa
Never judge a book by its cover. But the hyperactive artwork of this album does tell us much about the music. Both are a kaleidoscopic frenzy, where shards of Japanese tradition embed themselves in a body of global influences. We might
Sabiwa ~ DaBa
On some level, we wish for albums to converge on a unifying theme, idea, or mood. Not all albums should be “concept albums”. But when it comes to evaluating and appreciating, most listeners instinctively ask if the tracks hang together
Sabiwa ~ DaBa
On some level, we wish for albums to converge on a unifying theme, idea, or mood. Not all albums should be “concept albums”. But when it comes to evaluating and appreciating, most listeners instinctively ask if the tracks hang together
Michael Bonaventure ~ In Tenebris Ratione Organi
Pipe organs are custom built for one space, which forms part of the instrument. Anyone nosing around a cathedral and beholding the towering walls of pipes will suspect as much. Unfortunately, leftfield musicians may struggle to access these instruments. Conservatism
Michael Bonaventure ~ In Tenebris Ratione Organi
Pipe organs are custom built for one space, which forms part of the instrument. Anyone nosing around a cathedral and beholding the towering walls of pipes will suspect as much. Unfortunately, leftfield musicians may struggle to access these instruments. Conservatism
Moss Covered Technology ~ Slow Walking / Wil Bolton ~ Kochi
Since art exists in time, it is unthinkable that it be separate from space. As we become absorbed in the duration of a record, a new space is imagined – or relations with our environment are infinitesimally altered. To some,
Moss Covered Technology ~ Slow Walking / Wil Bolton ~ Kochi
Since art exists in time, it is unthinkable that it be separate from space. As we become absorbed in the duration of a record, a new space is imagined – or relations with our environment are infinitesimally altered. To some,
a closer listen 