by eyes cast down | Feb 14, 2011 | Album Reviews
Rudy Ensueno’s long-form Burundanga plays like a film-noir soundtrack. Juggling a small number of elements to carve out his piece, Ensueno builds a series of scenes, ratcheting up the tension and letting it fall, carrying us along as a great film always does. He...
by eyes cast down | Feb 7, 2011 | Album Reviews
Longform pieces and albums abound, but this is only the second album that I’ve heard of featuring more than one longform piece. This by itself is merely eyebrow-raising; the real astonishment is the music presented by Steve Brand in his double-CD Coniunctio (Relaxed...
by eyes cast down | Feb 3, 2011 | Album Reviews
The music of Chris Russell and Disturbed Earth (Dean Richards) on their first Relaxed Machinery release, The Approaching Armada (RM0008) fully lives up to any expectations created by such a compelling and dramatic title. This album is beatless, atmospheric and...
by eyes cast down | Feb 1, 2011 | Album Reviews
Glancing over the notes I made while listening to this album for the second time, I felt disoriented. The materials used by Bob Ohrum on his third full-length release are minimal; my notes hardly amount to anything. I glanced at them and wondered: is that it? The...
by eyes cast down | Jan 28, 2011 | Album Reviews
The old truism about an artist’s first album embodying his entire life’s musical quest up to that point certainly holds for this first effort from åpne sinn (Geoff Small). Espiritista (Relaxed Machinery 0015) explores a fine range of styles, weaving a rich tapestry...