Reviews by kuvien

If Soof were a poem, this would be the crossed out and edited manuscript as the poet, full of great ideas, is finding his voice. A voice that will one day soar and charm the hearts of millions.

This is really good right after some noise or industrial music. Recommend listening in that order. A lovely EP about the loneliness of childhood memories, doubts about the efficacy of prayer, and the resiliency of love against forces that would see it slaughtered. A series of existential crises have never been so beautifully and delicately rendered. I love how comfortable Sufjan is with using brass horns and then turning around and using glitchy/twee electronics and then turning around with some funky, squelchy guitar. This dude multi-wields. One last thing: why the fuck did he label this as an EP? It's an hour long!

Stevens is better when he’s delicate and introspective than when he’s rocking out to the lowest common denominator, like on “Changes IV”. He just strikes me as more sincere and legitimate when he’s being more mellow and poetic.

This recording is superb, equally comfortable with swirling dancing tunes and slower, nuanced meditations. Stelios Petrakis is a recognized master of the Cretan lyre, and he brings along musicians and singers into his quartet capable of keeping up with him on lute, mandolin, tambourine... and he even adds tap-dancing to the ensemble.

Another flute-driven jazz-rock album. I guess the year I was born was the Year of the Rambling, Vaguely-Psychedelic Flute. Even the cover of this one is a sketch of some dude playing the flute. I wonder how much of this flute obsession is due to Jethro Tull's influence, especially since they released four highly regarded albums between 1969 and 1972. Steig certainly does deviate from the jazz norm, however, with "Djinn Djinn", a nine-minute psychedelic mong-out. Also, props to the guy for continuing to play the flute even though a motorcycle accident left one side of his body paralyzed.

I hate myself for even giving this music a chance. To quote Big Joe from Reservoir Dogs, "I should have my fuckin' head examined for going ahead when I wasn't 100%."

Five-string banjo primitivism with a minimal amount of basic percussion as Stavis visits the works of Scruggs, Coltrane, Fahey, and Shankar. Stavis recorded this one while playing coffeehouses as a graduate student.

Props to this album for boosting my scrobble count.

Excellent for sleep scrobbling!

Those two dudes on the saxophones sure know how to make their instruments cry in some kind of panic. The jazz isn’t as free as I was expecting...definitely has some bebop feel to it in parts. Stańko, the composer, turns his trumpet into a weapon but doesn’t bludgeon you to death with it. Just gives you a bit of a push, letting you know what he can do with it. The title track clocks in at 16 minutes, and it’s wonderful. All over the place.

Oh my that violin on “Flair”! I closed my eyes and actually found the track rather frightening, two distinct musical voices/themes proceeding simultaneously at variance. At variance but working together perfectly.

Too many rules! Think I'll go sk8. Stop judging me! I hurt all over.

The meditative violin throughout often sounds like it could be the foundation of someone’s post-rock band. Soothing choral interludes follow with a focus on powerful organ playing. The violin intensifies in its discordance near the end of the work, and then all at once the music slips into a dream to close it out.

I'm not gay, but my dick turned over.

Yep. Springsteen still sucks.

snaps fingers

"Fetch me my crossbow."

Today I learned that St. Radigunds is a street in Canterbury. Makes sense. The sea is not far, so take to ship with this music. I’ve read more than one comparison to First Utterance--absolutely not!

It was chic to criticize war in the late 60s and early 70s, and this album is no different, kicking it off with a criticism of the typical soldier mindset. And in case you didn't know, liberty ≠ freedom. Sometimes you have to pull back and achieve a different perspective, though, and float among the violins far above the atmosphere, far from all the worldly strife. But ultimately we are wrapped up in our human concerns of sexual exploration, exams, and wondering whether we're queer or not. There is a running theme throughout this album of reality running at variance to the ideal.

Not afraid to take a whimsical chance on something enchanting, especially on the more delicate female-led tracks. Moments of real pastoral, faerie beauty. The male-led tracks are quirkier, in a weird Dylan-esque way.

wow I kinda hate this