New music
Joe Arroyo, 1955-2011Saturday, 13 August 2011
News about the death of Colombia's greatest salsa singer, Joe Arroyo, has sent shock waves through the salsa world and fan bases internationally, and it brought in streams of digital messages. On the morning of his death two weeks ago, the President... Read more... |
CD: Grumbling Fur – FurrierSaturday, 13 August 2011
Calling Grumbling Fur a supergroup would be pretty over the top, but the name does corral five distinctive musicians that usually follow their own paths. There’s a pair of Finns from the legendary drone outfit Circle and the challenging metallers... Read more... |
Teddy and Kami Thompson, Jazz Café CamdenFriday, 12 August 2011
These days Teddy Thompson seems entirely his own man. In fact, mentioning his family connections seems almost gratuitous. Last night, however, the son of Richard and Linda shared the evening with sister Kami and nephew Zak for a family... Read more... |
BBC Proms: Ensemble Modern, Steve ReichThursday, 11 August 2011
One thing became clearer to me last night – just how much Steve Reich has borrowed from world music in his compositions – we had the flamenco-tinged Clapping, Electric Counterpoint, using Central African guitar lines, and Music for 18... Read more... |
My Summer Reading: Musician Gary KempWednesday, 10 August 2011
Next in theartsdesk’s series of recommended summer reads is musician Gary Kemp, guitarist with Spandau Ballet, five working-class boys from north London who emerged from a surfeit of floppy fringes and pantaloons to become one of the most successful... Read more... |
CD: The War on Drugs – Slave AmbientWednesday, 10 August 2011
Bruce Springsteen and Krautrock might not seem obvious kin, but the second album from Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs brings them together. It’s not clear what’s coming as Slave Ambient opens, but this is a dizzying, audacious and supremely... Read more... |
Neon Indian, ElectrowerkzTuesday, 09 August 2011
Obviously, minds are on more important, more urgent matters and this is a tiny facet of the effect of what is going on. Was looking forward to this tonight, and was going to review it. But it - like no doubt other shows and events of all types... Read more... |
Riot music: we should have listened harderTuesday, 09 August 2011
I'm not claiming some major prescience or insight here. I am as guilty as anyone of dipping into the music of the sink estates for a small dose of frisson then returning to art and music that confirm my own worldview. But maybe, just maybe, if we... Read more... |
CD: Taranta Container – Nidi d’aracSunday, 07 August 2011
The title in part refers to the container ships that as well as bringing food stuffs etc, to many of the world’s ports, also bring people and their music. But this album is far from just another melting-pot fusion of all the usual styles - Balkan,... Read more... |
CD: JD Souther - Natural HistorySaturday, 06 August 2011
Having arrived in the Golden State via Detroit and Amarillo, Texas, John David Souther became one of the architects of the Californian soft-rock sound. It didn't hurt that he shared an apartment with future Eagle Glenn Frey and lived upstairs from... Read more... |
Interview: Bombay Bicycle ClubSaturday, 06 August 2011
If Bombay Bicycle Club had been born on America’s West Coast, their music would no doubt soon be all over the soundtrack of the next big teen drama. All the ingredients are there: the artiness, the phlegmatic cool, and the tunes that form a natural... Read more... |
ReAnimate: a clever, confusing night out at the NPGSaturday, 06 August 2011
With ReAnimate, the National Portrait Gallery’s Late Shift team were aiming high. The event sought to bring a free sensory experience throughout the entire building, promising to enchant the hordes away from Trafalgar Square and into a visionary... Read more... |
