New York-based composer Andrew Violette (b. 1953) has written some extremely unusual works... The cello and clarinet sonatas heard here are quite a bit more conventional, but they still fall into an experimental and somewhat mystical strain of music that appeared in different places and times in the 20th century but still seems linked together.

Post Rock project from Lakeland, Florida. One dude, lots of tunes. "As Seas Exhale is my Post Rock project. Since most of my time is devoured by work, art, commissions and GOTA I rarely get time to work on anything else so ASE is a bit neglected but there’s still a few tracks you can check out! If you like bands such as This Will Destroy You, Explosions In The Sky and Caspian, this will be right up your alley (albeit poorly produced and nowhere near as good). As Seas Exhale Bandcamp." Stephen Craft

One of the most intellectually fascinating recordings from recent years, getting beyond the creativity of programming is the fact that Jeremy Denk is such a superlative musician. These works all ring with technical finesse while simultaneously creating moments of beauty. A most satisfying recording!

Music played by the Spanish singer Montserrat and directed by Roberto Menestral, Spanish musician also (one of the great Brazilian music). The CD comes from a Menescal idea of capturing a marriage between bossanova and bolero. Great bolero themes are implemented and interpreted as bossa honoring this Brazilian rhythm. The strong, striking and authentic voice of Montserrat loved Menescal to play his arrangements of the 12 tracks included on the disc. The result of this interpretation of boleros with bossa rhythm reduces the drama contents of the boleros and brings them a calmer romanticism and more decorated swing.

...there is an element of anarchy in the music of Normandeau (b. 1955)... It appears here in a piece like Jeu de langues, which uses breaths and whispers and sounds like a piece of erotic sound art — a genre that hardly exist (which Normandeau finds odd, since its regular to be found in literature, painting and cinema). It’s easily nicest piece on this CD.

Recorded before a sold out hometown crowd at the historic Atlanta venue. The two sets, one acoustic and one with an all-star band, showcase songs spanning the entirety of Shawn's illustrious career. Included amongst the selections are Shawn's biggest hits "Lullaby," "Beautiful Wreck," Shimmer," and "All in My Head," along with fan favourites such as "Twin Rocks, OR" and "Gulf of Mexico," and a stunning rendition of "House of the Rising Sun." A must have for any Shawn Mullins fan, Live at the Variety Playhouse is a comprehensive document of a truly special evening.

A coherent, innovative collection of avant-garde music and sonic pieces created over the past few years, its essence is calm mindfulness, of simply listening with minimal analysis, hearing sound as sound, musical sound...Carl's (b. 1954) very fine album is a musical metaphor for Buddhist meditation; it provides an appreciation of the Japanese ethos and art.