Liminal is the much anticipated new album from multi-instrumentalist and composer Poppy Ackroyd, and one that sees her bringing piano and violin together again. Following the sublime ‘For Those Who Wait’ and the beautiful and wholly enveloping ‘The Unknown’, Ackroyd is enticing us again with a third single from the album, the immersive and radiant ‘Shimmer’. The track is offered with an accompanying video and you can watch it below.
Photo: Sam Lee
We started the month with wonderful news from Jeff Parker, who announced Happy Today, the third album with his ETA IVtet, comprising Jay Bellerose on drums, Anna Butterss on bass, and Josh Johnson on saxophone. Happy Today features two long-form pieces, and the incredibly talented, versatile and prolific guitarist and composer had already enticed us with an excerpt from the utterly delightful and stunning ‘Like Swimwear (Part One)’. As we near release date on May 15th through International Anthem and Nonesuch Records, Jeff Parker ETA IVtet have shared an excerpt from the second album gem, ‘Like Swimwear (part two)’. The single comes with an accompanying video, previewing an album-length concert film by Charlie Weinmann, which is set to released on May 29th, with premiere screenings taking place in Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. Watch the video below.
Photo: Amic Bedel
Earlier this month, Cocanha announced the release of their third album, Flame Folclòre, arriving on May 15th through Bongo Joe. The duo of Caroline Dufau and Lila Fraysse, who hail from Toulouse and sing in Occitan, bring a new energy into French trad music. They had already shared the enthralling and ecstatic lead single ‘Clam‘, and now they are teasing the upcoming album with new single ‘Remenanuèch’. Refering to a group of women from Toulouse that take control of a mythological horse whose back magically stretches with each new ride, ‘Remenanuèch’ honours the 1970s feminist marches La rue, la nuit, femmes sans peur, that spoke out against sexist and sexual violence. As the press release describes, it “celebrates the fundamental right to move freely, alone, without fear or protector”. Take a listen below.
Two singular artists, drumming wizard, improviser and composer Booker Stardrum and acclaimed composer, drummer, DJ, and producer Evan Shornstein aka Photay, have announced details of their first collaboration, OOPS!. Set for release on June 5th through Sudden Quarterly, it marks the second release on the label founded by Spencer Zahn. OOPS! came to life following an invitation from Zahn for the two to create a collaborative full-length album. Stardrum and Shorntein have worked together creatively for years, but OOPS! is their first record as a duo.
Alongside the album announcement, the pair have shared the gently groovy and undulating title track. Speaking about it, Stardrum says:
“The way that we compose as a duo is by improvising and allowing ourselves to create the grounds for happy accidents. ‘OOPS!’ exemplifies that ritual and reminds Evan and I not to take things too seriously, and follow the unplanned detours to their destinations.”
Evan Shornstein also had this to say:
“When Booker and I get together, we make music out of quick impulses. I’m usually multitasking as both a player and a producer. This time, with Spencer Zahn at the helm as producer, I was able to lean even deeper into my playing and set aside any expectations of where we might end up.”
‘OOPS!’ is offered with a video directed by Spencer Zahn. Watch it now.
Following the brilliant and infectious ‘Awaken The Insects’, Northern Irish composer and producer Hannah Peel and Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang are offering another glimpse into their upcoming debut album The Endless Dance. The pair have now shared ‘Offerings To The Beast’, an exhilarating track radiating a bouncing energy. Listen to the single below and grab the album when it drops May 22nd through Real World Records.
Photo: Swan Studio
Hailing from Seoul, Leenalchi are a seven-piece outfit led by bassist and composer Jang Young Gyu. The group is well known for their distinctive sound, reworking pansori, a traditional Korean form of musical storytelling, into a striking rhythm-driven format. Pansori, which dates back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty in the 17th century, is typically performed as a dramatic narrative art form, often telling stories of love, conflict, and folklore. Leenalchi reinterpret that tradition through a stripped-down but unusual setup featuring two bassists, drums, keys, and four vocalists, with no guitar, placing emphasis on voice, texture and pulse.
Leenalchi have a new EP on the way, Here Comes That Crow, set for release on June 12th through Luaka Bop. To herald the announcement, the band shared the title track. ‘Here Comes That Crow’ draws from a historical pansori narrative tied to the story of Chinese warlord Cao Cao. Reimagined by the band, the track uses layered vocals and driving rhythms to frame a tense scene about life’s precariousness. The band wrote a poem to help explain the song’s meaning:
도용도용은 작은 배가 물위를 떠가는 모양을 그린 말이다. 조조도 조자룡도 쫓기는 자도 쫓는 자도 멈출수는 없다.
판자때기 아래가 저승인데 어느 누가 멈춰 설 수 있겠는가!Doyung doyung goes the small boat seen floating down the river.
Whether the chased or the chaser, no one can stop—just beneath the boards lies the underworld!
‘Here Comes That Crow’ comes paired with an accompanying video, and you can watch it below.
