Substak hails from Athens and has put out a lot of drone-flavored albums, many on Inner Demons Records. The label describes the album as “Voices in the static. Glass Whispers is a dark, immersive journey through pitch-shifted grains and infinite shadows.” Sounds like a good time, so let’s see what the voices are telling us this time.

“Glass Whispers” is one 19 minute track of heavy drone. There is a lot going on in this track, but it is subtle. This is like traveling in the cargo hold of a spacecraft. Dull machinery hum keeps steady, with only the pulsing sounds just below the surface that tell you when the engine is under load. Put this on and read your favorite dystopian science fiction. It will fit right in.

I was unfamiliar with this trio before it arrived in my mailbox, but KBD is a trio consisting of Michael Kimaid on Drums and Percussion, Gabriel Beam on Modular Synthesizer and Live Sampling, and Ryan Dohm on Trumpet, Sampler, and Tapes. They hail from Toledo Ohio (go Mud Hens!) and their website describes themselves as "a trio of musicians who perform long form improvisational sound pieces using electroacoustic instrumentation. This approach is experimental by both nature and design, and serves as a way for listeners to engage with deep and active listening." Sounds like a good time, so let's see what this trio has for us.

We kick it off with “At the Threshold,” which is a 32 minute track that sounds like noises heard through a large concrete irrigation pipe. Scrapes, thumps, and other noises with a bit of reverb. This gives way to some analog noises and other synth improvisation along with the ever present clatter. It seems that everything is grist for the improvisational mill, as cymbals, heavily processed voices, clock chimes, and what sounds like field recordings of a crowd all blend together into an interesting soundscape. At times it is chaotic and noisy, while going minimalist at others, but all rather engaging.

Turning over the tape, we have “On Waves, Under Stars,” which keeps the controlled chaos going with a bit more of a percussive feel. This is like listening to a toy factory after it has closed for the night and the toys are moving around on their own. Lots of movement and clattering noise, with woodblock, cymbals, creaking and scratching sounds, squiggly analogue noises, and turntable scratching, but this is much more restrained than the previous track. There is a whimsical quality to the track that adds a feeling of playfulness that was not as evident in the previous track.

In short, if you like it experimental and improvisational, this is one to check out. If you want something in your face, “At the Threshold” is the one to go with. If you want something that evokes a sense of being somewhere that you shouldn't, go with “On Waves, Under Stars.” Either way, you're in for a fun ride. This album weighs in at around 58 minutes.

I was unfamiliar with Roberto Bonati, but the website states that he is a “composer, double-bass player, orchestral conductor,” who hails for Parma, Italy. He founded the ParmaFrontiere Orchestra in 1998. This work is a recording of a concert dedicated to the Centenary of the Parma Barricades (1922-2022). According to the accompanying press sheet, “Bonati wanted to pay homage to memory and history, to those days in August 1922 when the people of the city of Parma rebelled against fascist violence and defended their freedom with tenacity and passion.” Google translate tells me that the title of this album translates out to “They had dressed up for the party,” so let’s put on our finest and see what Bonati has in store for us.

We start off with “Prelude,” which starts out quietly with bits of cymbal tinkling away. This slides into a piece reminiscent of a lullaby, with pleasant alto vocalizations over slow moving orchestra. This is suddenly interrupted by a few dissonant orchestra stabs. The track tacks between peaceful and dissonant throughout the rest of the track, but there is always some indication that beneath the smooth surface there's something lurking. Bits of percussion that are not quite smoothly in line with the rest of the piece, more orchestra stabs throughout. In short, we're off to a nice start. “Oltretorrente” is a slow jazzy number with Giulia Zaniboni using vocals much like an instrument. There are some trumpet and sax solos that are a little more frenetic that give it a nice sense of movement. The track is pretty, but it plays it a little too safe for my tastes. On “Voici le Soir,” the vocals remain but they're actually lyrics this time. Unfortunately, my grasp of the Italian language consists mainly of being able to find my way back to where I'm staying if I get lost, so I don't know much beyond what the vocals are like, but the lush vocals combined with music that has a slightly dark undertone due to its judicious use of dissonance provides an interesting juxtaposition. On “Marionette Nere,” you can tell we’re in for something completely different when it opens with a harsh music blast to your face. There's a lot going on in this track and you can almost think of it as several separate movements. At times it's loose and jazzy, at others it almost seems like a march. Also, I didn't have “guitar solo” on my bingo card for an orchestral album, but here we are and it works pretty well. “Barricate” likewise has a lot of going on in it. It begins with plucked bass and incidental noises, then a man starts talking over it all in Italian. Clattering noise becomes more and more intense over time until it suddenly stops and switches to female vocals over a slow moving composition. The vibraphone gives it a languid feel before it shifts into a syncopated piece with a driving beat. We then come back to mellow female vocals and reprise the syncopated portion. “Vincenti per tutta la vita” opens up with violin and keeps the slow moving female vocals. “Arditi” is a nice conclusion that brings in a lot of saxophone solo with female vocalizations over it. This is pretty calm music with no sudden movements. If you were looking for a break from the intensity of “Barricate,” this is it.

Overall, this is pleasant listening but for the listeners of Chain D.L.K., it may not push the envelope quite enough. I do appreciate what Bonati is throwing down though. He seems enamored with the idea of opposites. Smooth and rough, slow and pizzicato, dissonant music and lilting vocals, etc. I also like that Bonati is not afraid to mix it up. Often with this kind of music each track is confined to a particular movement, but this has a lot of shifts in style within the same track. I also appreciate the sentiment of remembering those who fought against fascism (the included photo was a nice touch) and, sadly, this sentiment is as timely as ever. For music that kind of pushes the envelope, to me the standout tracks are “Barricate” and “Vincenti per tutta la vita.” If you have someone who's a fan of orchestral music and want to give them a kind of gateway to more experimental stuff, this would be a nice one to throw their way. This album weighs in at around 64 minutes.

I was unfamiliar with this Trio until it arrived in my box but this consists of Brian Stark on tenor saxophone, Irish flute, and souvenir flute; Adam Larison on guitars; and Richard Gilman-Opalsky on drums. This was recorded live at DIM Art House in Springfield, Illinois. The press sheet that came with the disc states that “Freedom Therapy Trio takes listeners on a journey of instantaneous composition, traversing sonic terrains from textural, minimalist sound paintings through fleeting passages of swinging jazz to the outermost limits of ecstatic collective improvisation.” Sounds like a good time, so let’s get in and see where they take us.

We kick it off with “Searching for the Healing Force.” I once went to a percussion master class and the visiting scholar had an interesting remark; she said that when she pays for a drum, she wants all of the drum, and proceeded to demonstrate everything she could get out of the drum. I get the sense that Gilman-Opalsky has the same sentiment with it comes to cymbals. I was amazed at the kind of different sounds he can get out of them. It sounds like he has 70 different cymbals, but he probably really only has three or four. That said, he vacillates between coaxing out as much sound variety as possible and beating his drums like they owe him money. Indeed, this entire track, if it has a central theme or groove, it's not readily apparent. In some ways it sounds like three different musicians all taking solos individually or sometimes all at the same time. It's chaotic, but hangs together cleanly. It's not noisy at all. Loud, yes, but not noisy. Really good improvisation, and the fact that it hangs together well is a testament to the skill of these musicians.

“Reject the Alien Uniformity” starts out with a sparse composition that's whimsical in feel. This would be right at home in a Looney Tunes cartoon. The spring-like sproinging sound of the guitar calls to mind Wile E. Coyote setting up his trap for the roadrunner. But then it settles into a grooving composition where you can almost see this as a continuation of the story where Coyote is chasing the Roadrunner through the desert. Overall it's a fun piece.

At 26 minutes there's a lot to go over on “Cost of Living.” In this track the winds take center stage with Stark trying out different themes throughout. It almost sounds like he is coming up with stuff on the fly, but because of certain elements it's clear that's not the case (such as the staccato pounding in one portion of the track where they all are hitting in unison). Either that or Larison and Gilman-Opalsky are the best followers in the music business (which may very well be the case). Stark alternates between saxophone and flute with different feels throughout. One could almost think of this track as having multiple personalities as it ranges between freak out jazz that's completely chaotic to peaceful, languid jazz to everything else in between. Sometimes it's sparse, sometimes it's dense, but it's completely interesting as it moves along.

Compared to the previous three tracks, “Crack, Sizzle, Bounce” is downright normal. Now don't get me wrong - this isn't going to be played on your local "smooth jazz" station anytime soon. But if you were to play this track for a person who's used to mainstream jazz music they would accept it as a standard jazz track, perhaps a bit more improvisational than they may be used to. It has a theme and it sticks with it. In short, it's a nice closer to the album.

I'm a big fan of freak out jazz so this was definitely right up my alley. If you like your jazz chaotic, this is definitely worth picking up, but this isn't just random. It's clear that this trio not only knows how to improvise but also how to work well with each other. This album weighs in at around 61 minutes.

Sound_00 is the work of Macedonian artist Toni Dimitrov, who also used to record under the name Every Kid On Speed. Lefterna is the work of musician, writer, and translator Boban Ristevski, who works mainly in ambient / drone and industrial / noise music. I was familiar with Dimitrov’s work as he had been on a few compilations that I put out, but this is my introduction to Lefterna’s work. I am always interested to see how collaborations leverage each other’s strengths, so let’s dive in and see what this one brings.

This is one 33 minute track of interesting drone. The base consists of a repetitive drone theme, but there is are other elements here to keep it interesting. Static that sounds like rain at times and heavily reverbed warbling sounds keep it from getting too repetitive. The overall effect is relaxing; this would be a good choice to put on and read a good book. This is well worth picking up, and name your price is about as good of a price as you can get, so it is completely worth the risk.