Acclaimed director and musician Jim Jarmusch and experimental lute player and composer Jozef van Wissem met nearly 20 years ago, forming a close bond after they ran into each other on the streets of New York City. In 2011, they began performing and producing records together. The follow up to 'American Landscapes ' entitled 'The Day The Angels Cried' releases June 6 and coincides with a world tour. The duo weaves an intricate lute and guitar string tapestry of droning, minimal free-folk compositions destined to captivate listeners with their dark hypnosis. This time vocals and electronics are added as well. Van Wissem’s work comes from a tradition of avant-garde minimalism and lends itself well to the director’s stark cinematic works. Jarmusch has played guitar in bands on and off since the late ‘70s. Van Wissem’s compositional style involves hypnotic circular musical phrases that allow for a lot of contemplative space between the note

Well, that's the promo text, but here's the review. 'The Day The Angels Cried' is a brief album of 7 tracks, barely 35 minutes. Beginning with "Concerning Celestial Hierarchy," a stylized atmospheric lute instrumental, it sets up a Gothy neo-folk ambience. Next, the title track has heavily chambered speak-sung vocals plucked strings, kind of a Current 93/Death in June vibe. If there was such a thing as doom-liute playing, "The First Language" would be a prime example. Lower string chords and scrappy electronics gives this track a folk-industrial bent. Sounds like there's some Tibetan horns in there too, but likely a combo of other similar sounds. Mournful, for sure. "She Burns in Devotion, Her Virtue Sweet Like Honey" is the most melodic track so far; lute and ambient bass riff on a chord progression. Not bad, but it repeats too many times and doesn't evolve. Something different with "There Is No Answer" - experimental light noise ambient drone, then, later on, a lengthy (film) dialogue sample. The longest track (8:17), "To Those Who Mourn" is very slow psychedelia that might sound like the Grateful Dead at 16 rpm. Final track "Concerning The Law Of Angels" has processed vocals over guitar and lute, acoustic and electric, atmosphere over compositional concessions, abstract and amorphous in content. I'm sure there will be many who love this album for its dark, murky ambience, but I was hoping for a bit more substance. I think Jarmusch's name may be its strongest selling point considering his following. Limited to 1,000 vinyl, 500 CD.

I have to say, I was a bit skeptical when I received this album from a PR outfit that sends me a lot of promos to review, a fair number of which aren't a match for the genres that Chain D.L.K. covers. On the accompanying one-sheet (actually a 3-sheet) it cited the genres as math rock and psychedelic rock, and for fans of Pelicans, King Crimson and The Fucking Champs. The genres seemed like an interesting combo (perhaps creating something new and rivetingly experimental in the process) and of the FFO, Only King Crimson I know. The other two seem to be guitar-heavy, often sludgy instrumental outfits steeped in doom and stoner metal. Not a bad thing if you like that sort of stuff, but strictly speaking, we don't cover that here. KC, of course, is another story but we don't cover progressive rock either. Perhaps I should mention now that We Contain Multitudes has two members from Bitch Magnet - Jon Fine (Ex- Bitch Magnet, Vineland, Don Caballero), Orestes Morfin (Ex-Bitch Magnet, Bored Spies, God Rifle, Walt Mink) and Simon Kobayashi (Smallgang, Hurtling, Splintered Man). Those roots are likely telling, and how they guys got from BM to WCM remains to be heard.

First, 'Minako' is all instrumental, and a double album at that, but only 7 tracks. Beginning with the title track "Minako," there is a repeating effected guitar loop, drone guitar (Frppertronic-like) with slow-beat drumming and loping bass, a musical mandala with obvious psychedelic overtones. There is a simple, improvisational quality to this track that might appeal to stoners, Dead-Heads, and experimental rock enthusiasts alike. Be warned though, this goes on for over sixteen minutes and gets heavier as it progresses. "Can We Just Not?" is an oddly-timed number with a break or chorus of the type you'd usually only hear in prog rock. I don't know, but to me, this songs screams out for vocals that just aren't there. (Keyboard might have been nice too, but I guess that's altogether something different.) Acoustic guitar at the end was kind of nice. Nice fancy bass work in "D9" but once again this song needs more. Good guitar work but I'm losing a bit of interest.

Well, who can't grok a title like "We Are All Fucked," and this one's just crazy with its not easy to follow chord progressions and oblique timing, then neatly two minutes in it shifts gears entirely into a medium measured post-rock groove where it remains for the rest of the song. (I could hear Lou Reed or Ian Curtis singing over this one...rest their souls.) "Bathroom Drugs" begins with a repeating guitar riff you might associate with any hard rock band, but the counter guitar part just takes it to another level. (I think if Beck and Montrose were still around and tempted to do something new, it might sound like this.) The track has a very live sound, and likely goes over great live too.

Quite unexpected was "Jeitinho" with samba-style drumming, toned down guitar, and very active bass. When the drumming changes to a more conventional rock style I was beginning to tire, but just as I did, Jon threw in a cool guitar break and all was well again. A bit to repetitive but still enjoyable. Final track, "Atkins," is a 9 minute opus that begins by following the familiar repeating chord pattern progression, then then throws curve balls into other directions, yet manages to return to its base. Midway through we come to an overdriven guitar drone extended halt, the progression gets deconstructed and Fripp-style sustained guitar provides a lovely melody as the pace has slowed considerably. This goes on for a good while, finally winding down. I'd say that 'Minako' is a better album than I thought it might be before I heard it, but considering the talent and musicianship of these guys, I think it could have been better. Considering Jon live in New York City, Orestes live in Tuscon, AZ and Simon live in London, UK, the album is still quite a feat. Absolutely worth a listen, and I think the vinyl is going fast.

The followup to his 2024 album release, 'Tarnished Tapes,' London, UK electronic composer Mike Lazarev continues the sonic journey he explored in that previous album with 'Tarnished Tapes and Saturated Signals.' This is reflected not only in his production process, where he carefully sculpted each sound within a heavily layered texture, lo-fi aesthetic, and analogue recording, but also in the central idea behind each piece. (To Mike) "This music brings to mind the hazy memories of playing an old cassette found in the back of my car, its tape warped and distorted by the heat of that last carefree summer, floating on empty roads towards the sunrise, a ringing in the ears still present after a warehouse rave. This blend of deconstructed electronica, cinematic ambience, and modern classical composition fuses a mesmerizing combination of expansive nostalgia, reductionist pianism, and deep emotional atmosphere, evoking a sense of loss, disintegration, and the fragility of our temporal selves."

That's a rather heady, personalized description but you need to know what the artist was aiming for. This is thickly layered ambience that has its fair share of noise, but also explores unexpected regions. There are 8 tracks totaling 48 minutes on 'Tarnished Tapes and Saturated Signals.' A good amount of them are somewhat heavy and oppressive atmospherically, but nevertheless interesting. It is not what I'd call dark ambient, but is certainly more distinct than grey ambient. Largely comprised of drones and sustained synth pads, you never know when some sonic event might occur, like a wild arpeggio synth loop, noise in various forms, Berlin school sequencing, and other sonic delights. My favorite track on the album is "Buried Riddles Under Broken Glass," the only one with a drum/rhythm track. It's less abstract than most of the others and while repetitive in its percussion, arpeggiated sequencing and melody, it has a certain nostalgia that I still hold dear. The sparse piano and muted trumpet (or similar horn) on "Faded Glimpse of Drifting Sundays" is another track that conjures a certain sentimental feeling of days gone by. This is one of those albums that requires more than just a single listen to absorb, which is great for replay value. It also might lead you to explore Mr. Lazarev's other works, which there seem to be plenty of.

I thoroughly enjoy reviewing new music but sometimes gathering all the necessary components (photos, links, contact info) takes a lot of time and energy to research. Few artists/labels put together all the info we reviewers need here at Chain D.L.K. and time that could have been spent listing and reviewing ends up going for playing detective. I got lucky with this one. Musician, composer and synthesist Simon Ferris (from Devon, UK) began creating music with tape machines and keyboards in 1989. Since then he's had a slew of releases under the name zYklen of which 'Desire Paths' is the latest. Unfortunately I have not heard any of his previous efforts, but if 'Desire Paths' is indicative of his earlier work, then I'd definitely recommend a stroll through his back catalogue. This album consists of eight ambient high quality soundscapes, broadly cinematic in their scope. A quote from zYklen's Bandcamp sire may provide some insight into the album's concept. "The human obsession with exploring; risking life — whether to establish a name, expand human knowledge, or simply discover what’s over the horizon. A theme repeated by civilization over thousands of years. Our planet-wide presence is evidence of our compulsion to explore and fulfill our desire to create paths. It will continue for as long as we remain curious."

Opening with "The Lost City" I get the impression of lazily drifting over a landscape unto the the repeating but melodically subtle theme emerges, becoming more forceful as it evolves. It eventually declines, subsides and disappears. "Pytheas and the Frozen Ocean" does sound frozen its own way, and features wordless female vocals that enhance the atmospherics. "Legend of Cape Bojador" explores a rather obscure place, a headland on the west coast of Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. It was historically known as the "point of no return" due to its treacherous navigation conditions and the fear of the unknown beyond it. Sailors believed it was the edge of the world, with legends of boiling seas, sea monsters, and insurmountable currents. From there we journey to the "Canyons of the Escalante" in southern Utah. This piece has somewhat of a melancholy and oppressive theme, possibly due to the heat? (Keep hydrated when listening to this one.) Next stop is Alaska to visit "Aniakchak Caldera," a raw and rugged volcanic feature located in a landscape that is, because of its remoteness, little affected by human occupancy. The slow beat measured at first by gentle noise pops, taken over by bass forms reminds me of certain 70's electronic music albums along the Tangerine Dream lines. I'm not sure if "Roanoke" refers to the city in Virginia or not, but it's an exceptionally sad piece. Mountain climbing time with "Denali Ascent," so it's back to Alaska we go. Mount McKInley to some, Denali is considered the tallest mountain on Earth from base to peak. This track has mysterious and dreamlike elements, but I was surprised to not find any indication of motion in it. Perhaps the view from above? Last on our world tour of strange places is "Lop Nur," a now largely dried-up salt lake formerly located within the Lop Depression in the eastern fringe of the Tarim Basin in the southeastern portion of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, northwestern China. More mysterious cinematic ambience. Definitely a worthwhile album, but I would have liked to have heard a bit more motion here and there.

With Open Arms is a new collaborative project between electronic music producer Dan Robertson (known for his solo projects Trice and Arkayik, as well as being one half of the drum and bass duo Head Space) and ambient musician Ben Rath (also known for his acoustic lo-fi project Slow Heart Music and the electronic project Astral Harmonies). Old friends from a previous time, now living in different parts of the country, both artists re-connected over a shared love of electronic ambient music. Collaborating together for the first time, the project started as an experiment in sound collage, inspired by the likes of Klara Lis-Coverdale's ‘Grafts’ and Sean McCann's ‘Music for Public Ensemble’. Both artists contributed to a shared library with a variety of different loops, samples, audio recordings, and snippets of ideas composed and recorded in isolation from each other. These were then used as building blocks for compositions, playing with combinations and arrangements, trading ideas back and forth, until a coherent structure started to emerge.

This work comprises a forty-minute-plus journey of multiple intersecting parts, beautifully mastered by George Mastrokostas (Absent Without Leave), that charts a trajectory through atmospheric ambience, electronic composition, subtle rhythms and melodic phrases, field recordings and looping guitar drones. The overall effect is ambient music that works as accompaniment but also yields rewards from attentive listening, moving through shades of light and dark, at times soothing and at others stimulating and emotionally affecting.

'Some Place Like Home’ is what I would term active rather than passive ambient, passive being more Eno-like wallpaper ambient comprised mostly of drones and synth pads, not to say there isn't any of that here; this album just has more moving parts. The opener, “Rough Waters," begins with barely audible low rumble but a twinkling synth sequence rides high over the droney pads. Seamlessly it move into elongated synth arpeggios in the brief "Kindness of Strangers," then it’s the motion of a gentle pulsing progression on "Warehoused" that brings us through the swirling "Hopo and Tender Longing" with the abstract melodicism of smooth synth pads. Some tension as well as noise arises in "Desire's Endless Burning," the most unsettling track on the album. Next, we get to visit The Mountain "Y Mynydd (Fersiwn Llywd)." perhaps a place in Wales, with a little Berlin School synth sequencing over synth atmospherics. "Sankofa" brings ambient rain over backwards synth loops fostering a feeling of nostalgia and longing, somewhat psychedelic, and keeps intensely building until its eventual fade. "Transient Ephemera" is a delicate piece that conjures dancing faeries from a wispy dimension. "Ode to Quiet Living" offers some breathy, puffy ambient clouds on the horizon. An arpeggiated toy piano sequence is the introduction of "Some Stubborn Embers Burn On," employing natural sounds, loops and drones. Another Welsh mountain ahead with "Y Mynydd (Fersiwn Glas)" with ringing bellish tones, pulsing bass, and twisted, exotic sting instrument loops. More synth sequencing and percussion sounds enhance this track, making kind of s world music psychedelic stew. Rarely do you hear a track this brimming with musical possibilities at the end of an album, but I'll take it for what it's worth. 'Some Place Like Home' is a remarkable ambient fantasia, and we hope to hear more from the duo of Robertson and Rath, collectively known as With Open Arms. Limited to 200 copies in the usual SIS packaging, which you should be well familiar with now.