5:4

An album i’ve kept returning to in recent weeks is Albumin, the latest collaboration from Jim O’Rourke and Jos Smolders. There are various reasons for that, but perhaps the primary one is its gripping spontaneity. The cover artwork is a telling analogue: a large red environment (clearly evoking the title),…

20 years ago, during an especially fervent time of musical discoveries, i encountered a musical project, and creative identity, that beguiled me in an entirely unique way. i’ve often wondered who’s behind the nom de guerre At Jennie Richie – Discogs (un)helpfully describes them as “the culmination of Happiness and…

First thing this morning i’m flying off to Croatia for a vacation. Back later next week.

In recent years i’ve been increasingly impressed at the amount of radical musical invention coming out of Iceland. Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir, Hekla Magnúsdóttir, Áki Ásgeirsson, Þóranna Björnsdóttir, Bára Gísladóttir, Berglind María Tómasdóttir, Davíð Brynjar Franzson, Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir, Ingibjörg Ýr Skarphéðinsdóttir, Sóley Stefánsdóttir – these are just some of the compo...

Almost everything i’ve explored hitherto from the 2026 ISCM World New Music Days has been music submitted by sections and individuals to be considered for the festival. But one of the great advantages of WNMD – and there are many – is the way it provides an opportunity for the…