• Music

    Musala nan Eilan – Glossolalia

    May 7, 2024 - By 

    This is a charmingly freakish album from the French band Musala nan Eilan which has the audacity to combine post-rock with Celtic music, among other genres.  From the band’s Bandcamp site: “Five musicians who don’t know each other, coming from different musical worlds, finding themselves under the same roof for some weekends. Discovering each other, trying to understand each other, making everyone’s tastes and expectations collide. From these moments shared together a sort of musical glossolalia was born. A language specific to the five musicians, which none of them really understands. A clumsy praise to the clash of influences. An…

  • Music

    Dirty Three – Love Changes Everything

    May 6, 2024 - By 

    After a long, rather painful, but necessary break, we are back!  Thank you kindly for your patience. We start off with an album I’ve anticipated for awhile now, as I have been immersing myself in the works of Dirty Three’s leader Warren Ellis and his collaborations with Nick Cave as well as Warren’s own solo soundtrack albums.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Dirty Three Ahoy! Appropriately disheveled, the Three emerge from the unending waves of time to pick up their guitar drum and viola/violin/piano/synthesizer/loops/percussion for their first album in a decade. Their playing encompasses ALL – from the original fury…

  • Personal

    Steven Michael Shore (1943-2024)

    April 16, 2024 - By 

    In the about section, you will see two names referenced as being responsible for Music You Need To Hear: myself and Steven Michael Shore.  I met Steven in 1991 along with my brother, Ralph, and my friend, Brian, as we studied at a place called Trebas Institute after I had left Chino Police Department wondering what my next career step would be. Steven was somewhat larger than life by reputation (though you wouldn’t know it by talking with him), having worked with a couple of bands who left a sizeable mark on the new wave scene, as well as having…

  • Music

    Opa – Back Home

    April 15, 2024 - By 

    Far Out Recordings graces us with yet another vital release out of South America.  This one by Opa is a little treasure out of Uruguay, not exactly known as a hot-spot for jazz fusion (at least not when compared to Brazil or, maybe, Argentina).  This record, shelved for reasons unknown, has finally seen the light of day.  There will be no digital release of the album (only vinyl and CD), but you can hear a slice courtesy of Youtube.

  • Music

    Floreana – Floreana One

    April 12, 2024 - By 

    I don’t do top tens, but if I did, this album might be EP of the year.  It’s that good.  Imagine early Brian Eno or Tuxedomoon with a sound updated for the 2020’s.  Yes, these names are the ones I’m happy to drop for this release.  From Floreana’s Bandcamp site: “Floreana One, is the first installment of a three-part series, captures tones reminiscent of early Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, exploring themes of isolation and idealism through tape-saturated woodwinds, hazy synthesizers, and vintage drum machines. Features appearances from her father- David Mordoch, John Carroll Kirby, Nico Georis, Shags Chamberlain, and Daryl…

  • Music

    Various Artists – G.O.D. RECORDS (Garden Of Dreams): Mondo Farfisa Garage Psycodelico

    April 11, 2024 - By 

    I was a big fan of bands like The Bomboras and The Lords of Altamont during their heydey in the 1990s and 2000s, but there is such a deep, rich reservoir of farfisa and hammond organ-based garage rock that it boggles the mind.  The ever-excellent Greek record label G.O.D. RECORDS (Garden Of Dreams) offers what ends up being about fours albums’ worth of fuzzy organ music to whittle your day away with.  A solid compilation all the way through.

  • Music

    Azymuth – Carnival (Original Full-Length Unedited Mix)

    April 10, 2024 - By 

    Brazil’s finest fusion band return with a reworking of their legendary hit! From the promo pack: Celebrating 30 years of Far Out Recordings, Azymuth’s biggest club track from their groundbreaking 1979 album Light As A Feather is reissued on 12” vinyl, in its full length unedited form. When it was originally released, Azymuth’s disco fusion worldwide hit “Jazz Carnival” stayed in the UK top twenty for eight straight weeks. It was used as the theme music for national broadcasts in Italy and even made it onto Top Of The Pops in the UK. Since then the track has become a…

  • Music

    Khruangbin – A La Sala

    April 9, 2024 - By 

    There is almost nothing I can add to the lore of Khruangbin except to say that, despite me occasionally talking about albums which are fine for nighttime listening, this one belongs to the sunrise.  It has the feeling of an album you would play after an intense night out on the town, and coming down from the high of people around way too many people for too long.  From their Bandcamp site: “The title makes it clear. A La Sala (“To the Room” in Spanish), the fourth studio album by Khruangbin, is an exercise in returning in order to go…