Before embarking on listening to In Circles with Self from Abstract Black, you must prepare yourself for a bit of a meditative experience. These are longform, looping, compositions that build upon themselves through saxophone, clarinet, bells, percussion of various varieties and repetitive vocal clips.

The history of the record is revealing of this intentionally focused experience:

After witnessing the Sun Ra Arkestra in Memphis October 2018, I used the month of November to create these compositions, quick mantras really, which focus on using the sound circle (loop), to reimagine an ensemble, in the tradition of Great Black Music ensembles like the aforementioned and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, yet comprised of self solely. This recording stands to document my adherence to the practice of sonic improvisation in the out of doors.

It’s a refreshing break from the world of rock, indie rock and pop structures. Clearly there’s a bit of Jazz Thinking underlying some of this but the influence goes back much further. These songs, at their most skeletal, harken back to drum circles and communal music making experiences but the usage of modern instrumentation, samples and the occasional squelching keyboard (see “E(WI) Ring“) make for a more contemporary experience.

Speaking personally, albums like this can be a hard sell with the blinders I generally wear for the rock world but it’s an enjoyable experience to step outside of that realm and immerse yourself into a world of slower, building, changes.

David Mead recently announced his first new solo album in eight years, entitled COBRA PUMPS (all caps). Along with the announcement, he provided a little insight into the hardships he encountered in trying to figure out how to release it. Here’s a snip:

When it came time to figure how to release COBRA PUMPS, I needed money and, out of habit, approached a few different music business people for help. After a few slightly bizarre meetings in which algorithmically-induced metrics and social media compliance were discussed with a ferocity once reserved for killer hooks and Led Zeppelin, I deduced that I simply don’t fit into the industry anymore, if I ever did. It now requires very different skill sets than the ones I have spent my life attempting to master. And that is OK with me…

Along with that insight is an announcement that he’s releasing the album for free, track-by-track, starting tomorrow. If you want to get in on it, you can simply sign his mailing list on his website and you’ll receive them via email.

But here’s the thing. The first released track, “Bedtime Story“, is not some oddball outlier. It’s a full-on rock track with a pleasant hook carried by Mead’s distinct voice, making it a memorable offering. I’m not sure what level of berating he has undergone to perceive his music as being a bad fit for music listeners but this track simply doesn’t fit that narrative.

Time will tell what the rest of the album holds – which we’ll discuss here once it’s released – but I’m actually more intrigued now than I may have been otherwise.

I’m a sucker for many many things when it comes to music but if you’re album art is a highly stylized illustration of some celestial realm and your album title is some ambiguous reference to The Next Something or Other, I am going to be immediately intrigued. With that in mind, upon seeing the latest release from doo. with a cover depicting a saturated warrior type against a spacey background entitled AstroBeing The Next Aion, I was locked in.

Within the EP are four tracks of instrumentals pulsing along hip-hop beats and lathered in drawn out space-y keyboards. It’s certainly the kind of soundtrack you could put on for zoning out but it manages to be peppered with just the right amount of samples and somewhat ominous flourishes to keep it from being complete background noise.

If there’s an accompanying epic tale that goes with this, I wouldn’t be surprised but, for now, we’ll just have to leave it to our imaginations.

When we last heard from le skunk they had released their near-anonymous EP of infectiously catchy pop songs, Putter. Since that time it has become clear that le skunk is not a “they” but, rather, a singular entity. I’ll keep their identity shielded but it’s nice context to know this is an individual rather than a band.

With that in mind, the undertaking has released Red Heat (The Songs of Jim Pang), an EP of songs leaning much harder into the realm of folk and Americana influenced but not abandoning the pop sensibilities of the original EP. The songs are catchy, sure, but there’s also twinkling guitar on the title track “Red Heat” and an Elvis Costello like howl on “Stereo Night.”

le skunk is a bit of a mystery but it’s clear that there’s a diversity in the style of songwriting that makes them worth keeping an eye on.

Despite being only one song, there’s a lot to cover with this new release from Ornament. First and foremost, it’s the second official release from the band; available as a 7″ on the Official Memorabilia label. It hasn’t made its way to Bandcamp or Spotify yet but if you hit up DRKMTTR on January 18th, you can snatch it there. It’s safe to assume if you go see them on tour, you can get it at any of the shows.

More importantly, the song builds on the delightfully pleasant 60’s vibe they’ve come to perfect. It’s breezy, catchy, a bit melancholy and filled with subtle flourishes; a little bass highlight, some heavenly layered vocals and a one-off drum fill Ringo would envy.

Which brings us to the video; an ode to The Beatles if ever there was. It’s filled with goofy gags like the band eating beans and toast, running around in meaningless circles with sped up Super-8 footage, mugging at the camera and playing music together with the most positive energy one could muster. It’s not derivative nor heavy-handed, it’s a pleasant nod and absolutely fun. It’s worth watching thrice, at the very least.

In early January, Skyway Man released a collaborative EP with Teddy & The Rough Riders entitled The Lagniappe Sessions (okay, it was really released in early December via Aquarium Drunkard but wasn’t on streaming services until 2019). The EP is four cover songs from the likes of Eliot Eidelman, The Faces, Big Kitty and an old one from Skyway Man himself, James Wallace. Yes, he covers himself.

The track for “Aliens / Magic Sofa Reprise” – two mashed together songs originally from Big Kitty – is now available as a wonderful 70’s style karaoke video. Skyway Man’s music has always had a vintage sci-fi skew to it, so these analog graphics, faux 3-D animations and low resolution imagery fits the vibe of the alien love song perfectly. I’m not clear on who contributed what to each track but the whole affair feels fleshed out and energetic in a different way than previous Skyway Man releases, so there’s clearly a wonderful collaboration happening here with Teddy & The Rough Riders.

Learn more about the video over on the Cream premiere page and then do yourself a favor and listen to the original songs from Big Kitty. “Aliens” is taken from A Legend in the Field of Entertainment and can be heard here, while “Magic Sofa” is taken from Recordings of Ferns, which can heard here. Once you’re done with all that, go listen to the full collab EP over on Spotify.