Paris and Stockholm-based ambient composer Kali Malone’s fourth solo offering, Burning Song (Ideologic Organ Music), delivers richly textured, unabating waves of sound. Much like how she has built her career, the album steadily grows and develops like flames reaching higher while the core burns brighter and brighter with every new movement.
When we look at bands with tenured careers who have put out an album every two or so years for the past two decades, the story is usually about continuing to innovate and grow as they find new ways to stay relevant. Like frogs constantly kicking their legs to find purchase in the treacherous bucket of life, bands are reaching for anything they can hold onto: burnt-out rockers taking early slots on main stages of corporate punk festivals, hologram tours of everyone and their uncle, and of course The Lars Ulrich Revue plodding through their set surrounded by AI animations in a giant sphere owned by Harvey Weinstein’s bestie. Continue reading
Rapidly Aging is a new post-project of Shalor Howell, the guitarist for Atlanta sludge metal band Canopy. If you are not familiar with the band, it’s not a requirement to enjoy this album, but they are certainly a recommended listen if you are into sludge. You’re Not Yourself Lately (Fig On Wrist) is an instrumental album that creates a narrative voice by using samples from the 1974 film “The Man Who Sleeps.” Howell has excelled at capturing great guitar tones that ooze with a depth of feeling. This succeeds in making the emotional connection that vocals normally would in your average rock band scenario. There is pedal steel guitar layered over the song “Fleeting Moment,” adding more sonic texture to the picture the guitars are painting in your ears.