THE 2011 REVIEW

themilkman on Dec 22nd 2011 12:59 pm

The 2011 Review

As another year folds out, it is time once again to look back and take stock or the highs and lows, before a fresh year rolls in. 2011 has had its moments and has overall been a rather good year, and trying to extract a list of twenty albums from the hundreds, thousands possibly, that I have listened to, loved, hated, reviewed or not, tried to make sense of or misunderstood seems a pretty restrictive effort at best. Still, it is always good to look back and realise that some records have made more of a mark than others, some almost imperceptibly. So, here is, in twenty records, what 2011 was made of…

Jenny Hval: Viscera1.

JENNY HVAL
Viscera
Rune Grammofon

 

Review:
There is such urgency throughout this record that it is quite astonishing how Hval manages to retain any lightness in her music, but she does, and [Helge] Sten picks up on just enough to bring it all to life in sprightly bright colours and tones. Continue Reading »

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PEDRO SOLER & GASPAR CLAUS: Barlande (InFiné)

themilkman on Aug 15th 2011 01:03 am

Pedro Soler & Gaspar Claus: Barlande

PEDRO SOLER & GASPAR CLAUS
Barlande
IF1015
InFiné 2011
08 Tracks. 45mins40secs

Amazon UK: CD US: CD

Barlande is an extraordinary record on many levels, but one of its most fascinating aspects is that it is the meeting of a father, one of the most revered flamenco guitarists alive today, and his son, a cellist who has for most of his career favoured experimenting with other musicians rather than following a formal classical path. The project came out of the first InFiné Summer Workshop, a week-long residency curated by the label in a disused quarry near Poitiers, France, during which a host of artists, from the label as well as guests, are invited to create music on site and perform live each evening, and is released just on time to coincide with this year’s edition. Continue Reading »

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