Theo Travis and Robert Fripp improvise, but not in ways that fit the typical narrative. No hothouse, smoke-filled jazz club. No porkpie hats and double-breasted suits. Instead, they’ve more often co-mingled in glacial, cerulean placity You May Also Like: Soft Machine – ‘Live at the Baked Potato’ (2020)

I’m often amazed at the technique displayed by some of the world’s finest guitarists, but over time, I’ve also come to appreciate the sounds wrung from a guitar by some of the more out-of-the-box practitioners of the instrument. You May Also Like: Carl Weingarten – An Endless Premonition (2016) CarlRead More

When first writing about composer, bandleader and drummer Tim Kuhl two and a half years ago, I took note of his diversity within complex, abstract and challenging styles. You May Also Like: Tim Kuhl, “The Neon Design” from Sky Valley (2018): One Track Mind Tim Kuhl – Sky Valley (2018)

Ambient music can often be fascinating for a variety of reasons, but there’s an extra layer of intrigue when it’s performed live. That might be because there’s less contemplated beforehand than in a sterile, studio setting You May Also Like: Jeff Oster – Jeff Oster Live! (2016) Carl Weingarten –Read More

Benocchi, Budd and Guthrie isn’t so much a trio as it’s a partnership: Harold Budd taps out sparse, ethereal notes from his classical piano, Robin Guthrie surrounds it with supplemental instrumentation (mainly guitar and keyboards) and sound architect Eraldo Bernocchi plays electric piano and along with Guthrie applies the finishingRead More

Brian Eno’s first vocal, “pop”-based album since 1990’s overlooked classic (in my opinion) Wrong Way Up with John Cale and also to Nerve Net, Another Day On Earth found Eno in much more ambient territory than one might expect from the description. Comparisons to 1992’s Nerve Net are likely moreRead More

My first thought upon listening to Warm Winter by Memories Of Machines was that it’s very similar to Steven Wilson’s softer side. My second thought was that the vocalist sounds an awful lot like Wilson’s old No-Man partner Tim Bowness. Turns out, it IS Tim Bowness singing. He formed thisRead More

Some days, it’s a song; some days, it’s an entire album. There’s been more “album” days than “song” days lately, possibly because much of the stuff I tend to listen to doesn’t work well as single tracks. You May Also Like: No related posts.

I excitedly ordered a copy of this collaboration between Robert Fripp and Brian Eno when it was released as an import through Fripp’s DGM records in the U.S., and I unfortunately cannot say I recommend it. For two geniuses of ambient, this was incredibly boring, and this is coming fromRead More

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, mostly because the chance of completely (or even partially) following through is pretty much near zero. Some people get angry at the mere mention of these resolutions You May Also Like: Jon Anderson, of Yes and Anderson Rabin Wakeman: Something Else! Interview