New Music Releases - May 2020: Pt. 1

First roundup of new music coming out this May – compiled with a little help from our followers!

Okkyung Lee – Yeo-Neun (Shelter Press)

Springing from a decades deep body of work, defined by a rigorously singular and adventurous approach to sound, cellist, composer, and improvisor, Okkyung Lee, returns with Yeo-Neun, her first outing with Shelter Press, and arguably her most groundbreaking and unexpected album to date.

via David Grubbs

Polyorchard – ink (Out and Gone Music)

As sculptors of sound, listening to these gentlemen might make you wonder what the aroma between two halos smells like, the nonphysical, psychical space where your sensory experience has no bounds. You might hear a phantom door open or the sound of bees. Menestres’ ballooning is akin to the musique concrète of Pierre Henry on “Variations for a Door and a Sigh.” Yet, the album is acoustic with no manipulation or application of audio effect. As it decays, Bishop’s playing in the last track “genesis of the blue cell” becomes a voice. Something has come forth, an emergence. The album cycles and begins with breath in “early blooming parentheses.” The ouroboros eats its tail. – Emily Leon

The Chisel – Deconstructive Surgery EP (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Explosive new music from The Chisel bringing the edifying and restorative powers of the great British folk tradition back to the table for a staggering next pint. Just when you thought you were fucking full, your mouths been winched open and gallons of shards of broken glass guitar, thick bass, and burning howling bilious guts gets poured down your maw. The speed of UK82, the terror of punk, the solid mass of Oi!. Like a bar stool breaking through a bus stop, there’ll always be THE CHISEL. (Jonah Falco)

EOIJONESYBOI via Zachary Lipez

Jordan Reyes – Closer (American Dreams)

Surprise! “Closer” is available to hear in its entirety from @AmerDreams. Six songs from the “Close” sessions that didn’t make the album that I rediscovered and wanted to share. CDs next week!

Recovery Girl – S/T (Deluxe Edition) (Orange Milk Records)

“recovery girl” is the quickly growing side project of visionary galen tipton. Their debut EP was explosive and high energy, and is now being fleshed out into a full deluxe edition album featuring the single gross/scratch + remixes by MAXIMAL LIFE, P H Y S A, Mariode, Space Candy, Braz_OS, and bean boy. Digital release May 1st, & cassettes coming soon ~

“As recovery girl, Tipton has created pop music for dancing back from the cliff’s edge, taking despair and anger and fear and turning it into a healing potion, an extra life when one is most needed.”

via Good Willsmith

Tidiane Thiam – Siftorde (Sahel Sounds)

Fingerpicked acoustic guitar with intricate syncopation, a technique inspired by the four-string hoddu, with melodies that go back centuries, from the Almoravid dynasty to the Mali Empire.

via Greg N.

EXE2MP3 – Infinity (Faceway Records)

Debut album Infinity out on @facewayrecords on the 8th of May. Two tracks streaming right now check them out!

Hailing from Australia, exe2mp3 takes on dark, synthetic form of both visuals and music. Heavy, dragging pads and light, fluttery melodies, combined with hard-hitting beats creates the experience and realm of “Infinity.”

via vylter

Natasha Giordano – Trilogy of Disjunction (Inside Out Records)

Trilogy of Disjunction is an emotive collection of three ambient drone tracks composed by Italian multi-instumentalist Natasha Giordano. They feature a minimal combination of analog synthesizers, classical violin recordings and haunting vocals by Natasha.

via Soundtrackingtv

Asbestos Lead Asbestos – Empty Message (Self Released)

Just listened to ’ (@pureguavabyween) upcoming EP, Empty Message. If you love the first Crystal Castles album, Throbbing Gristle, and Xiu Xiu at their most dissonant, you may want to check this duo from Chicago out #industrial #noise

via Andy Mascola

Scott Worthington – Works By John Cage (Self Released)

made a thing & next friday you can hear all of it 🙂

via Nat Evans

Fools – Fools’ Harp Vol. 1 (Music from Memory)

New Age/ambient album by Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear (Music From Memory)

via Bill Barnett

Dalham – Alderson Loop (Castles in Space)

The album was inspired by reading Carlos Castaneda’s “The Art of Dreaming”. Are there multiple planes of existence that we filter out? Can we re-enter them through a conscious effort? The Alderson Loop is one of these.

Rupert Lally – Visions e.p. (Self Released)

Flunkie – Pure Optimist (Forged Artifacts)

Flunkie makes a beautiful lo-fi bedroom pop with heart-wrenching vocals. The words are useless to describe it, so just hit the play button and listen to it in full. – Start Track

TALsounds – Acquiesce (NNA Tapes)

For an artist whose career is almost entirely improvisational, TALsounds has refined a stunning style of music that sounds as meticulous as it does surprising. Since picking the moniker nine years ago, Natalie Chami has been flitting between experimental electronica, mood-driven minimalism, and classically trained choral singing as a solo artist in Chicago. On her fifth album, Acquiesce, she dives inward without constraints and invites the listener to do the same, to lose track of time, and to let emotion dictate what happens next.

Saw Black – Horsin’ Round (Warhen Records)