neoclassical
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Is it: “Everything new is old again?” or is it: “Everything old is new again?” Before I left for my visit to Japan, I was freshly reminded of this paradox by (friend of the blog) Chris Morris’s YouTube share of an autumnal neo-folkloric favorite of mine: Begoña Olavide’s Salterio – one I reminded myself to…
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It’s pretty hard to write about Fukushima’s Karak without not waxing a bit nostalgic. Over the course of two records – Silent Days (サイレント) and Flow (フロウ) – all the music they created hovers around a certain mood and a certain period. For me, their tracks like “明日ヲ見ル丘” and “ゆめのスウプ” instantly conjure up all these…
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It’s not often you recognize “genius” straight away, yet it’s not often you get to hear such precocious brilliance of the likes seen in Yukiyo Nakamura. From her debut in 1989 to her latest work, what could have turned out as a different kind of musician, blossomed into their own kind by finding her true…
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Isn’t it funny the things that make us emotional? For me — I’m unafraid to share — it seems it’s experiencing “beautiful” things. It’s something I’ve pondered lately: “Why do I cry when I hear music that’s, quite simply, beautiful?” It’s something that pulled me to create my latest mix for LYL Radio. In the…
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Stand By Satie? It’s pretty hard not to, when a whole slew of musicians – in all styles and genres – have been inspired by the late, great French impressionist composer. But how does one take the next step and actually attempt to interpret the man? It’s a question, I imagine, that was cycling in…
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Fall is something else, isn’t it? As beautiful as the season is – simply one look outside can affirm this – there’s always something in our communal, lived-in experience that’s tinged with a certain longing and/or nostalgia. Perhaps, it’s a certain realization that nothing is permanent and everything pertinent has an end. With this thought…
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Six years. Has it really been that long? Yes, it has been nearly six years since I first wrote about the late, great Masahide Sakuma. It was back in 2016 when all we’ve ever experienced from Masahide came from a certain light. And now, I feel it’s time to share with you something just as…
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Forgive me if I’m repeating myself, but if I haven’t said it bears I’m saying it now: sometimes I (just like each of us) is just a vessel for the greater good. In this case, it’s facilitating keeping a bit of music history alive. So, a huge thank you to both Victor Hsu Jui-Ting (who’s…
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Brace yourselves, let’s see how far I can take this review of Javier Zuazu’s Cuaderno De Invierno (or A Winter Journal). What was this album? 50-odd minutes of Spanish New Age that hovers from impressionistic piano-led instrumentals and wonderfully, minimal, warm and tender ambient mood music. Throw in one gorgeous ballad and once again, I’m…
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Be honest. How many of you know someone (or are friends or acquaintances) with a certain somebody that in the way they act, the way they dress or think, seem not of this era? I keep thinking of this thought when I go back to Toshihiro Nakanishi’s music and this selection: You Make Me Blue.…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental folk-rock fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic