from 'Systeme' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den381
available on all formats at http://denovali.com/bersarinquartett

Finally the 5th album of the imaginary German quartet - as always via Denovali. Although the title "Systeme" suggests a perhaps rather distant-cool album, it is the most personal and concentrated soundtrack so far created by Thomas Bücker from Münster in his "E-Smog-Playground" studio. In 2008, the quartet still flirted with cyrillic-mysterious melancholy and red wine-swilling trakl melancholy. 15 years and four albums later, it seems almost cynical to simply continue at this point. Because: late modernity delivers its very own complex tragedies - in real time.

This feeling of "Something's not right here" runs like a thread through the entire new album. While it still sounds popularly symphonic here and there, there are also many soundscapes that have an observing, almost unmasking effect. Microtonal shifts, polyrhythmic structures, tempo fluctuations and sound aesthetics torn out of context create a fragile, unpredictable foundation - as if Talk Talk, Tim Hecker and Skrillex were making music together and challenging our tolerance for ambiguity. Typical of the Bersarin Quartet: sparks of optimism shimmer through everything. However, sitting back and enjoying doesn't really want to work - necessarily. Because that makes it exciting without freezing in escapism - fortunately.

Systeme

Bersarin Quartett - Autopoesie

On August 27th 2023, I received the very sad news of the untimely passing of Brian McBride at the age of 53. There is so much more that I can say about the emotional turmoil that this has caused in me and the entire music community. But today, I won't talk about the darkness in which the world is left with one more going-out light. Instead, I'll celebrate his music, which is still among us, flickering with energy to light and show the way. "Far From Home" is the "Diminished Stories Mix" which Brian made for Kenneth James Gibson's Further Translations album, collecting remixes by the likes of Jack Dangers, Christopher Willits, Scanner, Awakened Souls, and a few others, reworking pieces from Gibson's previous albums (in this case, "Far From Home" appeared on his 2018 release In The Fields Of Nothing). Gibson met McBride in the late 2000s, and the duo started a band, Bell Gardens, in 2009, exploring "the realms of Americana, chamber pop, folk, and psychedelic pop." For this remix, McBride begins with shimmering waves of wistful strings, which, after their introduction, subside into a bit of darkness, maybe sadness, and introspective grief, the way my mood turns every time I think about this world without the many great musicians that we lost along the way. Or, is it possible that we mourn for ourselves, and music is the way to leave a piece of us behind and be immortal, even for a bit? In any case, I'll close my eyes and play this gorgeous music, and for a moment, I'll pretend that Brian's still around. To me, that is as real as the rest...

Further Translations

Far From Home (Brian McBride's Diminished Stories Mix)

TRACK PREMIERE : Kenneth James Gibson - Far From Home (Brian McBride's Diminished Stories Mix)

Purchase via: https://heliosmusic.bandcamp.com/track/soft-slowed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3k5FVP7XV0
http://www.holliekenniff.com/

Hollie Kenniff - Soft Slowed

Stream & pre-order the album: https://idol-io.ffm.to/byrdsong

Today Shards announce their new album Byrd Song, inspired by Renaissance composer William Byrd, due April 19 on Erased Tapes. The album consists of eight reimagined works by Shards and their de facto leader Kieran Brunt, featuring the already released Facta est deserta and Amen, amen, amen… With today’s announcement, the vocal group shares the deeply emotional Agnus Dei.

“Agnus Dei is a meditation on a tiny fragment – the opening five notes of the Agnus Dei from Byrd's Mass for Five Voices - which builds into a song that is emotionally raw and impulsive. It's the first time I've recorded a song in one take, singing and playing the Prophet synth at the same time; as a result the rhythm is quite volatile and the processed vocal part florid and improvisatory” — Kieran Brunt

To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the English composer in 2023, the broadcaster Elizabeth Alker commissioned a series of recordings and reworks of Byrd for a radio special on her BBC Radio 3’s Unclassified show. Kieran Brunt, who was in the midst of writing the new Shards album, contributed Facta est deserta, taking fragments from an original piece, adding autotune and distorted synths, painting a picture of a distant, broken landscape.

After finishing the commission, Brunt found himself distracted and followed his curiosity and delved deeper into Byrd’s compositions, which have long played as an inspiration for him as a composer. Expanding further on this, Brunt says “I’ve been singing Byrd’s music since I was at school, and sang a lot while studying and singing in my college chapel choir, which I did daily for three years. His music has endured for centuries because of its beauty, complexity and intense emotion“.

William Byrd was a devout Catholic in a Protestant England, much of his work was composed illegally at the time and performed in secret. “There’s a real sense of every note and word of text having extreme significance,” he adds.

Having the opportunity to bring new life to Byrd’s music through his own renditions and with the use of electronics, Brunt says “it has been so enjoyable to return to his music and reconnect with it with the tools I now use for my own compositions. I hope that by reimagining it with new timbres and the precision of effects like autotune I can illuminate certain details and shed a new light on its intricacies”.

Shards’ Byrd Song will be released on April 19 via Erased Tapes.

Byrd Song

Agnus Dei

Shards - Agnus Dei

Purchase: https://ampl.ink/RmwBz
https://www.instagram.com/mintjulepband/

Mint Julep - All Summer Long

Following the 130701 imprint for over two decades has been a rewarding experience. After all, this is the same offshoot of FatCat that brought us the best of Max Richter, Hauschka, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and yes, even introduced the world to Sigur Rós. This is what a label does best - it puts a "label" on its output, essentially a stamp of approval, if you will, of what it is excited to support. And this is why I hungrily continue to consume pretty much everything in its catalogue, especially by artists previously unknown to me. [And, secretly, I hope that you can say the same about the purpose of my words]. Today, I'd like to share with you a track by the Danish composers Emil Friis and Patricio Fraile, who are best known for their film and television scores (again, mostly for the Danish audience). For their collaboration titled The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music, the duo composed eleven vignettes with minimal piano melodies supported by a string quartet and solo cello performed by Joe Zeitlin. "The album's layered and intimate sound, along with its ability to encourage contemplation [...] reflect the duality of life, encompassing both the major and minor moments." This is a perfect soundtrack to wake up to and start a brand new day, bringing forth some optimism, serenity, and hope... even as it's mostly based on minor keys.

The Expected Sounds Of Minor Music

Minor Music

TRACK PREMIERE : Emil Friis & Patricio Fraile - Minor Music

Music possesses transforming powers. By moving its sound waves in time, it's able to guide us through the past and the future. For example, it's been nearly eight years since I listened to the Daughter's 2016 release, Not To Disappear - an album that was tightly intertwined with a particular set of circumstances and some potent feelings in my life. An album which I purposely buried deep in my memory [and some cardboard boxes] so that, at last, I can breathe. The other day, I uncovered this snapshot of time and relistened to it in one sitting. And all of the walls I've built fell apart, and all has returned, once again, with those feelings. It's good, and it's bad, as music can heal, but it also can pick at the scabs with its incessant weeping. And so, instead, I pick out a brand new release, one which I use like a thick coat of paint to brush over the wounds and repair. In this particular case, the remedy comes courtesy of Glowworm, a duo of guitarist Kevin Scott Davis and pianist and vocalist Asia Dojnikowska. That healing begins from the very first track, as the soft, warming tones wash over the edges. From the deep-heated bass to the light-whispered voice, every guitar strum, and each piano key, the music of Harvest is an instant relief for the wandering mind. And even though I admit, I take some sort of unexplainable pleasure in melancholy, darkness and gloom, I also enjoy to be basked in the light of a particular type of wistful, positive, and powerful music. If you are a fan of Hammock, Slow Meadow and Sigur Rós, then you'll know what I mean and will instantly appreciate the sound of Glowworm.

Harvest

Sierpień

TRACK PREMIERE : Glowworm - Sierpień

In the fall of last year, I was asked to participate in Bigo & Twigetti's fifth volume of the Perceptions compilation series, which explores various approaches to piano music. Complimenting the sound of the solo piano, these compositions also utilise nominal processing, sound effects, synthesis, and binaural recording techniques, all aiming to create an immersive listening experience while still showcasing my beloved instrument. As the clock ticked away and the deadline approached, I realised I hadn't found time to compose my contribution. For a few weeks, I've experienced a gnawing feeling of self-imposed pressure, mixed with anxiety and procrastination, that looped on itself and left me fatigued. I'm sure plenty of composers who are reading these words, especially those working on a deadline (like film soundtracks), know what I'm talking about. This, in itself, gave me a taste of this process at work. I learned that I simply cannot try and force things or make them appear. For me, music, as Victor Hugo once said, "expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent…" I needed to have something special to say...

As the end of the year approached, I found myself in that "usual space" of December, where the dark and the cold seemed to mix with my mood, and I recount the days and the moments of passing. There's always reflection on what I've achieved, and of course, I look back at my favourite albums of the year. Somewhere around this time, I arrive at the acceptance of failure, preparing to message the label and withdraw from the project. I think I'm too busy with "all other stuff". Perhaps I'll start over as the new year turns. Perhaps I'll become a bit more organised or not commit myself to the deadlines. In the very last days of the year, I find myself investing time in consoling my friend whose mother has passed away. As always, besides the grief for another, we find ourselves reflecting on our own mortality... and the meaning of it all... As the clock strikes midnight, I am deep asleep. But the morning comes, as it does every morning. And we're at it again, starting fresh and anew. The windows open, and we breathe in and out. Maybe this time, it will be slightly different. Maybe this time we have learned... On the morning of January 1st, I find myself sitting at the piano and playing this simple melody. I hope that you'll hear what I'm saying in music...

Perceptions Vol​​​.​​​5

Morning, January 1st

Mike Lazarev - Morning, January 1st

This morning, I am blissfully spending my time in the company of Swedish composer and pianist Matti Bye, who first appeared on these pages back in 2017 with a video that I premiered titled Melt. Having scored more than a few films and being awarded Sweden’s prestigious Guldbaggen for Best Original Music for Faro, Bye knows exactly how to paint deep atmospheres full of mystery and awe. Listening to his latest album for my beloved Denovali, I am transported into a shadowy speakeasy full of jazzy notes and curling smoke. I find myself comfortably sitting in a corner, sipping on Glenfarclas while Matti plays the piano, just for me. Capri Clouds is the third album in the trilogy, which began with Bethanien (2020) and This Forgotten Land (2020), and until this one drops later in the spring of this year, you may want to start your journey there. All showcase somewhat nostalgic, slightly haunting and serene imagery, barely jazzy, neo-classic, and lo-fi. Today, I am premiering the title track for you, which I hope you enjoy… rain, birds, a bit of chit-chat and all…

"These songs go straight to the heart and to the senses, and create images in your head. Stories from your own memory bank, as well as new visions – music to lean into, meditatively and hopefully longing. But there is also an undertone of something dark and desolate."

Capri Clouds

TRACK PREMIERE : Matti Bye - Capri Clouds

This may be the first time that Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea are officially appearing on Headphone Commute, but I assure you, I have been listening all along, starting from their self-titled debut release on Past Inside The Present to the more established Liberamente out on Jonas Munk's (aka Manual) Azure Vista imprint in 2019. Of course, besides the solo works by these monumental ambient composers, Zach Frizzell (aka zakè) and Damien Duque (aka City of Dawn) have previously collaborated together, and their 2023 album on PITP, Ash, was picked as one of my favourites of the year. Here, they are joined by Marc Ertel to round up the project, which appears to spearhead the "dronegaze" genre, this time forward driven by orchestral textures, guitar swells, and bass ("Cadere" is my particular favourite piece). Today, I am sharing the last track from their upcoming new album, Reveries, rounding off three-quarters of an hour spent in tranquil waves, sunny rays, and drifting bliss. It's an overall positive and soothing experience, approaching cathartic and restorative treatment as if pointing something towards your entire being, which releases vital healing energy and something you can drown in, becoming one with everything at once. Maybe "curegaze" or "ambientonic" is a better term for that...

Reveries

Aufero

TRACK PREMIERE : Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea - Aufero

Piano tribute to my all-time favorite movie screen Woman actress, Ava Gardner.

Ava Eternal

some original solo piano pieces...  some mixes from my podcast... some exclusive track premieres...  and some tracks from the albums I review for Headphone Commute... Enjoy!

TRACK PREMIERE : Matti Bye - Capri Clouds

Headphone Commute

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