Posts tagged "avant garde"

Album artwork of 'Low' by David Bowie

Low David Bowie

Bite-sized servings of vintage Bowie glam-rock combine with brooding instrumental soundscapes to make Low a truly special album.

Album artwork of 'Divers' by Joanna Newsom

Divers Joanna Newsom

A world both wonderful and despairing. Such dainty music will inevitably turn certain audiences away, which is a shame because, frankly, Divers is a triumph.

Album artwork of 'Skeleton Tree' by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Skeleton Tree Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Tension lingers in every song. The record is defined by its desolate atmosphere, underlined by instrumentals featuring elements of ambient and drone music.

BioShock-themed ink and pencil artwork

State of Rapture: the music of BioShock

Splicing classical arrangements with avant-garde experimentation, Garry Schyman’s soundtrack reflected the game’s grand, warped, doomed vision of a new world.

By Frederick O'Brien

Album artwork of 'Tago Mago' by Can

Tago Mago Can

The record listens like an all-night jam at an impossibly cool bohemian gettogether. It’s funky, relaxed, audacious, exhausting... but above all, it’s brilliant.

Musician Cosmo Sheldrake standing in a forest wearing a boat hat

Cosmo Sheldrake transports listeners to warmer, wilder climes with the birdsong of ‘Wake Up Calls’

Using recordings from birds (mostly) on endangered lists in Britain, Sheldrake layers and manipulates birdsong to produce music as calming as it is beautiful.

By Andrew Bridge

Album artwork of 'G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END!' by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Another commanding and deft iteration of Godspeed’s lauded post-rock style. Although lacking the range of previous records, it still offers space to think.

A monochrome shot of Max Richter standing looking to the left.

Max Richter’s evocative activism soothes the soul

Deep, lush composition meets powerful spoken word delivery in Max Richter’s latest project, producing a potent, uplifting concoction.

By Andrew Bridge

Album artwork of 'Sinner Get Ready' by Lingua Ignota

Sinner Get Ready Lingua Ignota

Uncompromising, and very brutal indeed. Some listeners will struggle to see it through to the end, whereas others will feel oddly comforted by its harshness.