NUOJUVA: The Natural Sound Of Decay
Interview with Oli Aarni by themilkman
Finnish Oli Aarni first appeared a couple of years ago as Ous Mal on Australian imprint Preservation, but after just one album, he decided to pull the plug on the project and start anew. His new album, once again published on Preservation, was released as Nuojuva, and while it shares a certain feel for ghostly aesthetics with some of his compatriots, his work is undoubtedly personal. Here, he discusses the reasons behind his change of name, why he keeps vocals to rather enigmatic textures, and how he feels about the Finnish music scene.

ALOG From The Ground Up
Interview with Espen Sommer Eider and Dag-Are Haugan by themilkman
In the fifteen years since they formed Alog, Norwegian musicians Espen Sommer Eide and Dag-Are Haugan have released some extremely original and fascinating records, made from a vast array of acoustic and electronic instruments, most of which they build themselves, With their new album, their fifth, they have worked with a number of other musicians and involved them in the creative process. In its complete version, the album stretches over four LPs and two and a half hours. Here, Alog talk about their formative years, how the new album came together, working with collaborators and how playing live has to be approached very differently.

WELCOME TO NORWAY
Phaedra/Jenny Hval, The Borderline, London, 19/3/2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Both responsible for two of last year’s most stunning records on Rune Grammofon, Phaedra and Jenny Hval finally came to London to showcase their very different and individual sound.

OF MACHINES AND MEN
Tom Arthurs/Simon Vincent, Tom Arthurs/Ollie Bown/Isambard Khroustaliov/Lothar Ohlmeier, Kings Place, London, 30/1/2012
Reviewed by themilkman
British experimental trumpeter Tom Arthurs partners with Simon Vincent, then with Lothar Ohlmeier, Ollie Bown and Sam ‘Isambard Khroustaliov’ Britton for two performances in which he confronts acoustic and electronic and explores the possibilities of improvising with machines.

DEAN BLUNT & INGA COPELAND Black Is Beautiful
HDB012 Hyperdub Records 2012

Reviewed by themilkman
After a handful of releases as Hype Williams, Dean Blunt and Inna Copeland step out as themselves with their convoluted, obsessive and dreamy debut album for Hyperdub.

PHILIPPE PETIT & FRIENDS Cordophony / PHILIPPE PETIT Eugenie
HOMEN035 Home Normal 2012 / ALRN029 Alrealon Musique 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Über-prolific Philippe Petit returns with his most ambitious record to date, Cordophony, for which he works essentially from string instruments, and a worthy companion EP, Eugenie.

SUSANNA Wild Dog
RCD2128 Rune Grammofon 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
With her fourth solo effort, Susanna Wallumrød focuses entirely on her own material and produces her most confident and interesting record to date.

LUCA SIGURTÀ Bliss
FRATTO017 Fratto9 Under The Sky Records 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Luca Sigurtà’s latest offering is a particularly stark and at times bleak soundtrack which requires to be understood fully before it can reveal its inherent nature, but doing so proves extremely rewarding.

SIMON SCOTT Below Sea Level
12K1071 12K 2012

Reviewed by themilkman
Simon Scott’s first album for 12K pays homage to The Fens, an area of marshlands in East Anglia where he spent part of his childhood, and which serves as the source of inspiration for his third album.

LAST STEP Sleep
ZIQ303 Planet Mu 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
A side project from Venetian Snares’ Aaron Funk, Last Step focuses on more controlled acid house which is stripped bare for this third album, infused with themes relating to sleep.

SQUAREPUSHER Ufabulum
WARP228 Warp Records 2012
Reviewed by themikman
Following his Shobaleader One experiment of a couple of years ago, Squarepusher is back in action with his thirteenth album, and if his drill’n’bass is once more operational, it is to back up his most overtly electronic record to date.

PHON.O Black Boulder
50WEAPONS07 50 Weapons 2012

Reviewed by themilkman
Berlin-based Phon.o returns with his third album, his first for Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons, and here, he demonstrates a much sharper and focused sound, feeding on both minimal techno and dubstep.

THOMAS BEL Innerly
ANNEXIACD09/ANNEXIALP02
Annexia Records 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Toulouse-based musician and sound artist Thomas Bel returns, three and a half years on, to the dark introspective soundscapes and moods of his debut.

RUMPISTOL/RED BARON Floating
PMC096/PMC097 Project: Mooncircle 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
After three albums of increasingly tight and incisive electronica for Rump Recordings, Danish artist Rumpistol, aka Jens Christiansen, has teamed up with LA-based Danish-born vocalist Red Baron for his latest offering and has migrated to Project: Mooncircle for the occasion.

EX CONFUSION Embrace
MD196 n5MD 2012
Reviewed by themilkman
Hailing from Japan, Ex Confusion makes deeply atmospheric, warm and textural ambient from processed guitar and piano. This is his second album, and his first from n5MD.

SIMON SCOTT Depart, Repeat
SEVENPIECESPIECEONE Sonic Pieces 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
Simon Scott delivers a couple of beautiful folk songs for the first in a new seven-part seven inch series from Sonic Pieces.

DADAVISTIC ORCHESTRA Dokument.01
DUSTV024 Dust Science Recordings 2011
Reviewed by themilkman
The Black Dogs team up with former members of Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia to form Dadavistc Orchestra and deliver two utterly essential slices of the finest ambient electronica.

SEEFEEL Faults
WAP299 Warp Records 2010
Reviewed by themikman
Faults marks the long awaited return of one of the most influential and respected bands to have emerged in the nineties. With new members on board, Seefeel have created another masterful timeless piece of abstract contemporary music.

KHALIJA Khalija EP
FINT000 Force Intel 2010
Reviewed by themilkman
Kicking off the catalogue entries of newly formed iimprint Force Intel, Los Angeles-based musician Khalija presents a particularly varied self-titled EP.

AUTECHRE Move Of Ten WAP505 Warp Records 2010
Reviewed by themilkman
Barely a few months after the release of their tenth album, Autechre return with this sister EP on which they consciously breaks down the melodic aspect of Oversteps and drag it down into the gutter.