Sep 15, 2011

the family elan


Fusion is a dirty word, implying clinicism and a dry sense of conscious matchmaking. “Bow Low Bright Glow” is a more a communal excavation and re-presentation of buried European folk and
sufi-hearted music than any form of experiment. Family Elan are alone in their field. Here, Chris Hladowski has put together a collection of original numbers, visions created from lost/found tapes and traditional pieces (including a absolutely gorgeous “The BlackPlanets Of Her Eyes”) that are a fitting companion to Family Elan’s “Stare of Dawn” debut.

Alongside Hladowski’s voice, there’s the vocal input of Nalle’s Hanna Tuulikki – a voice as easily capable of gentle Qawwali as it is folk song. This is a record of heavy treble intricacy, Hladowski’s saz and bouzouki playing encompassing drones, folk, dervish progressive work and a woozy shimmer over and through the entwining melodies. Family Elan are more than just a project or a band, Hladowski has endowed the music here with a such a unique voice that shaky shorthand comparisons would be pointless and a short sell. Music that hints at the devotional rarely feels as inclusive, as communal and as enjoyable as this.

Abandonado Locust y tras tres años de larga espera, el proyecto de
Chris Hladowski y Hanna Tuulikki, una debilidad personal, regresa al traditional-folk del Eastern Europe y lo rodea de múltiples referencias, drones, una sensibilidad más propia de Clive's Original Band e intricadas melodías al saz y al bouzouki que revolotearán sin cesar en tu subconsciente.

Sep 3, 2011

georgia's horse


This five track EP features the skewed and magnetic vision of singer/songwriter Teresa Maldonado but her brittle and skeletal songs are fleshed out by multi-instrumentalist Tiziano Hernandez (bass/guitars), Brad Thomason (drums) and Melly Rose (cello). But thats not to say that this recording sounds like it was handled by some kind of your mothers your brother, lives in a barn hillman. Their recent collaboration with hotly tipped Pitchfork favourites and electronic/dub step pioneers Various Productions (As It Stops Raining, Fire Records) has certainly influenced the group the title track and Snake & Sparrow, creak and echo as if recorded in a haunted house, on haunted equipment. From the most basic of set ups, a deeply affecting and subtle beauty is achieved.