Author Archives: Joseph Sannicandro
Cole Pulice ~ Land’s End Eternal
There are moments on Cole Pulice’s Land’s End Eternal where you might find yourself asking what, exactly, you’re listening to, and that’s by design. The saxophonist and composer has spent the better part of a decade cultivating a signal processing
Cole Pulice ~ Land’s End Eternal
There are moments on Cole Pulice’s Land’s End Eternal where you might find yourself asking what, exactly, you’re listening to, and that’s by design. The saxophonist and composer has spent the better part of a decade cultivating a signal processing
A Closer Look: Big Ears 2026
A CLOSER LOOK: Big Ears 2026 Four days, forty-two shows, six interviews, and one pilgrimage to Knoxville. I began my first day at Big Ears with a question that had lingered since the festival first popped on my radar more
A Closer Look: Big Ears 2026
A CLOSER LOOK: Big Ears 2026 Four days, forty-two shows, six interviews, and one pilgrimage to Knoxville. I began my first day at Big Ears with a question that had lingered since the festival first popped on my radar more
Big Ears 2026 Preview
In advance of the 2026 edition of the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee–happening 26-29 March–Joseph Sannicandro reflects upon this year’s programming and previews some of the most anticipated performances. Knoxville, Tennessee’s Big Ears festival of contemporary music first popped
Big Ears 2026 Preview
In advance of the 2026 edition of the Big Ears festival in Knoxville, Tennessee–happening 26-29 March–Joseph Sannicandro reflects upon this year’s programming and previews some of the most anticipated performances. Knoxville, Tennessee’s Big Ears festival of contemporary music first popped
Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble ~ interius/exterius
The cover of Catherine Lamb and Ghost Ensemble’s interius/exterius depicts resonance abstractly, but the music itself is a concrete study in sonic architecture. The nonet dismantles traditional notions of ensemble interplay; harmony is not a fixed destination but a relational
Catherine Lamb x Ghost Ensemble ~ interius/exterius
The cover of Catherine Lamb and Ghost Ensemble’s interius/exterius depicts resonance abstractly, but the music itself is a concrete study in sonic architecture. The nonet dismantles traditional notions of ensemble interplay; harmony is not a fixed destination but a relational
Riccardo La Foresta ~ ZERO, 999…
The cover of Riccardo La Foresta’s ZERO, 999… depicts an impossibly tall spiral tower vanishing into the sky, an aptly disorienting visual metaphor for an album that dismantles traditional notions of drumming. Here, drums are not rhythmic anchors but vessels
Riccardo La Foresta ~ ZERO, 999…
The cover of Riccardo La Foresta’s ZERO, 999… depicts an impossibly tall spiral tower vanishing into the sky, an aptly disorienting visual metaphor for an album that dismantles traditional notions of drumming. Here, drums are not rhythmic anchors but vessels
ACL Weekly Newsletter
After years of inquiries, we started a newsletter for A CLOSER LISTEN at the start of 2022. Compiled by me, Joseph, it’s mostly been a digest of what’s been on the blog, as well as an archive for our constantly
ACL Weekly Newsletter
After years of inquiries, we started a newsletter for A CLOSER LISTEN at the start of 2022. Compiled by me, Joseph, it’s mostly been a digest of what’s been on the blog, as well as an archive for our constantly
Ziad Nawfal, Nour Sokhon and Stefan Christoff present Signals and connection [mix]
Early this year, we reviewed Nour Sokhon‘s Beirut Birds, which Richard Allen found to be “teeming with urgency, … an example of an album released at exactly the right time.” Another recent record, Beyond All Borderlines, is an evocative collaboration
Ziad Nawfal, Nour Sokhon and Stefan Christoff present Signals and connection [mix]
Early this year, we reviewed Nour Sokhon‘s Beirut Birds, which Richard Allen found to be “teeming with urgency, … an example of an album released at exactly the right time.” Another recent record, Beyond All Borderlines, is an evocative collaboration
Jeremy Young presents “With all our knowable ills, in airs thickened by electricity, we reset our chessboards.” [mix]
We’ve been fans of Jeremy Young‘s work, as a solo artist and band member, for as long as we’ve been doing this blog; we reviewed a Sontag Shogun split and a solo szilárd record way back in 2012, and before
Jeremy Young presents “With all our knowable ills, in airs thickened by electricity, we reset our chessboards.” [mix]
We’ve been fans of Jeremy Young‘s work, as a solo artist and band member, for as long as we’ve been doing this blog; we reviewed a Sontag Shogun split and a solo szilárd record way back in 2012, and before
a closer listen 