Peter Broderick - Three Film Score Intakes

Genre: Neo Classical, Piano
Label: Schedios

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Released on 3” CD, the three tracks on display here combine piano, strings and field recordings. A signature of the Broderick classical sound is his ability to take a minimalist approach to composing and through his blending of pre-recorded sounds or looping his own instruments he adds significant complexity to his music. So, for example, “Part 1” in essence a fairly simplistic, but nonetheless beautiful piano composition is supported by undertones of violin and given a distinctly gritty edge through the recorded sound of a train passing by. “Part 2” which seamlessly integrates from the first track, gives the strings a more prominent role and the resulting sound is an emotionally charged, melancholic one. “Part 3,” reverting to a greater piano focus again, is the most melodic of the three tracks yet Broderick again through his ambient intuition, ensures there is not an overriding burden of romance to the composition. There is a narrative link between the tracks, the title of the EP alludes to a cinematic quality, and as with the film scores we are accustomed to seeing on the silver screen, the three tracks here certainly feel connected. Despite its micro nature both in the few tracks at hand and the small physical format it’s released on, Broderick as ever succeeds in creating an expansive and complex, yet immediately accessible selection of recordings. With only 200 copies, make sure you are quick, as this is a necessary addition to the music collections of any musical enthusiast.

Ous Mal - Nuojuva Halava

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Genre: Ambient, Experimental, Neo Classical
Label: Preservation

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Ous Mal is the recording project for 22-year old Olli Aarni. With previous CD-R releases for both Finland’s 267-Lattajjaa and the UK’s Under The Spire, Ous Mal has already gained fine notice for his expansive sound, further developed in widescreen ways on Nuojuva Halava, his first full-length.

Finding common ground between the dusty tenor of old-school hip hop cassettes and the fog of deep ambience as a base, the music of Ous Mal also takes on an ingrained influence of traditional Finnish folk for an epic, otherworldly take on sound and song. These atmospheric pieces can slowly swell into ecstasy or settle into hazy shades and spring into moments of joyful pop abandon. That line back to tradition – with some pieces using the age-old Finnish stringed-instrument, kantele and others drawing from old Finnish hymnal albums - makes for a lyrical imagery that evokes an elusive sense of place. It’s a sound with the lingering presence of the past but with one eye set firmly on taking it into the future. Roughly translated, ‘nuojuva halava’ means ‘swaying bay willow’. The way things in nature change through time and surroundings is a recurring inspiration for Olli’s music, heard especially in the way he often takes his textures towards compelling points of decay.

Michael santos - Memory Maker

Genre: Ambient, Drone
Label: Home Normal

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London-based artist Michael Santos, whose name you may recognise from works for such fine purveyors of electronica as Benbecula, U-Cover and Baskaru. One of the first things to strike you about Memory maker is the unusually physical presence it has: 'Alphaville' for starters feels like a gust of hot air, full of blustery drones and tactile crackles - it's a great way of announcing yourself. From here onwards you might notice a counterpoint between the album's all-round mellifluousness and the recurrence of a kind of intensive, buzzing belligerence that recalls the aesthetics of certainRaster Noton records, or the more stringent moments in Steinbruchel's catalogue. One or two shorter pieces lodged into the album's centre offer an oasis of out-and-out loveliness, with the natural harmonic plucks and floating tones of 'Magenta Dayline' sounding sufficiently blissful and summery to have hayfever sufferers sneezing with delight. 'Slowdance' and the exquisite 'Hollowing Out' represent two late, long-form highlights, purveying yet more needling and pristine digital timbres once again striking up that deftly ambiguous balance between absolute ornamental loveliness and intrepid sonic experimentation.

Larkian - Un Disque Pour Ne Pas Danser

Genre: Ambient, Drone
Label: Cathedral Transmissions

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Tracks based on the saturation of various effects using a guitar mixed with drones, field recordings and some beats. Nice recording with a light atmospheric sound.

Tim Hecker - Apondalifa 7''

Genre: Drone, Experimental
Label: Room40

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