Author Archives: Todd B. Gruel
When Push Comes to Shove: Do We Tug? Or Do We Poll? (United States Midterm Elections List, 2018)
So, what is the cost of freedom? Granted, we’ve all heard the line before, perhaps by a well-meaning, though humorless, high school civics teacher. Between clouds of pulverized chalk, there was likely more than a little reverence shown towards the
When Push Comes to Shove: Do We Tug? Or Do We Poll? (United States Midterm Elections List, 2018)
So, what is the cost of freedom? Granted, we’ve all heard the line before, perhaps by a well-meaning, though humorless, high school civics teacher. Between clouds of pulverized chalk, there was likely more than a little reverence shown towards the
David Vélez ~ The Things That Objects Can Teach Us About Ourselves
Some people seek comfort in music. Others seek questions. Traveling far beyond the sofa, sound artist David Vélez probes the unresolved. If to extend oneself requires risk, listening to his compositions requires leaning into space, surrendering to a balance that is
David Vélez ~ The Things That Objects Can Teach Us About Ourselves
Some people seek comfort in music. Others seek questions. Traveling far beyond the sofa, sound artist David Vélez probes the unresolved. If to extend oneself requires risk, listening to his compositions requires leaning into space, surrendering to a balance that is
A Gene from a Genome: The Transient Tapes of Muzan Editions
Named after a portmanteau fusing the Chinese characters for “dream” and “mountain,” Muzan Editions is a small-run cassette label based in Nara, Japan. Its artists span the rainbow of contemporary electronic music, pursuing a dream of technology within the mountain
A Gene from a Genome: The Transient Tapes of Muzan Editions
Named after a portmanteau fusing the Chinese characters for “dream” and “mountain,” Muzan Editions is a small-run cassette label based in Nara, Japan. Its artists span the rainbow of contemporary electronic music, pursuing a dream of technology within the mountain
Birds of Passage ~ The Death of Our Invention
Alicia Merz cultivates wilderness within vulnerability. The New Zealand singer-songwriter known as Birds of Passage pens faded folk frayed by silvery drones, attic songs whispered while one’s parents quarrel downstairs. But The Death of Our Invention doesn’t sag with what’s
Birds of Passage ~ The Death of Our Invention
Alicia Merz cultivates wilderness within vulnerability. The New Zealand singer-songwriter known as Birds of Passage pens faded folk frayed by silvery drones, attic songs whispered while one’s parents quarrel downstairs. But The Death of Our Invention doesn’t sag with what’s
Yann Novak ~ The Future is a Forward Escape Into the Past
The Future is a Forward Escape Into the Past vibrates ever so slowly, dilating like a time-traveler’s portal. Listeners reaching deep into the crackling speakers will watch one’s body dissolve into sound waves, emerging in a universe resembling our own, in
Yann Novak ~ The Future is a Forward Escape Into the Past
The Future is a Forward Escape Into the Past vibrates ever so slowly, dilating like a time-traveler’s portal. Listeners reaching deep into the crackling speakers will watch one’s body dissolve into sound waves, emerging in a universe resembling our own, in
Pecking at Borders with Corvo Records
Corvo Records‘ mission is best expressed by the label’s animated logo: a black vinyl disc blinking beside a record player’s arm. As Corvo’s owner Wendelin Büchler explains, the icon shares the profile of a black-faced bird (in Italian, corvo means crow):
Pecking at Borders with Corvo Records
Corvo Records‘ mission is best expressed by the label’s animated logo: a black vinyl disc blinking beside a record player’s arm. As Corvo’s owner Wendelin Büchler explains, the icon shares the profile of a black-faced bird (in Italian, corvo means crow):
CC ~ AM
Haunted by what never was—and yet will always be—AM gathers ghostly sounds from radios commonly used in Cold War espionage. Copy or not, CC plays crackerjack sleuth to perfection. Across 30 short tracks, armed with antenna for magnifying glass, the
CC ~ AM
Haunted by what never was—and yet will always be—AM gathers ghostly sounds from radios commonly used in Cold War espionage. Copy or not, CC plays crackerjack sleuth to perfection. Across 30 short tracks, armed with antenna for magnifying glass, the
Patkus ~ Alyosha
For those caught in thunderstorms without a coat, science suggests that one weighs more when soaked through with rain. And yet, what if the same tears from bruised clouds could bridge body and spirit? In a flash baptism by blizzard,
Patkus ~ Alyosha
For those caught in thunderstorms without a coat, science suggests that one weighs more when soaked through with rain. And yet, what if the same tears from bruised clouds could bridge body and spirit? In a flash baptism by blizzard,
a closer listen 