The 2013 self-titled debut album from the 1975 is a superb album that finds the Manchester outfit poised on the brink of stardom. When rock guitars meet dancefloor synths, '80s influences become hard to deny, but while the 1975 definitely have a retro vibe (hence the name), the alchemy of how they bring those influences to bear is totally contemporary.

‘Vertical II’ is an EP and contains three original songs and a remix of ‘Vicarious Redemption’ done by Justin K. Broadrick. The anticipation for the EP was high, if we consider how powerful record ‘Vertical’ was. The theme is exactly the same; the movie ‘Metropolis’. However, ‘Vertical II’ sounds far more futuristic in my ears, than ‘Vertical’. The song ‘Light Chaser’ is the one responsible for my opinion. Again, there are lots of machinery sounds. Sounds like steam machines are all over the record. There are also keyboards additions to ‘Vertical II’ as in ‘Vertical’. The record sounds like a continuation of their previous one and it is as passionate as ‘Vertical’.

Vladimir Scherbachov was a big name in his day, at least in the Soviet Union. It is easy to dismiss his work today as run-of-the-mill Socialist realism, but the two works on this disc show the composer at the top of his game, and while there is a slight tendency toward officially sanctioned blandness, they are still well worth a listen. The Fifth Symphony is completely tonal but it is quite a roller-coaster, two quite lyrical movements, the first and third, are all elegant woodwind solos and calm string passages, while the second and fourth are in a more dramatic/heroic mould. The stylistic influences and constraints on this music are quite difficult to pin down. The Socialist realism policies of the Soviet Union led to music emulating the styles of the Russian late-Romantics. While this was anachronistic for composers of Shostakovich’s generation, …….

Gavin Dixon @ musicweb-international.com

Based on an idea by outstanding guitarist Marc Sinan and author/director Marc Schiffer who has written the text, Fasil tells of the life of Aisha, the great love and youngest wife of the prophet Mohammed, in the course of a brilliant song cycle. The improvisations take as their inspirational starting point fragments of recitations from the Koran recorded by Marc Sinan in Turkey. Together with Julia Hülsmann's songs they form an Ottoman suite, a Fasil. Highlights in this transcultural project include exceptional performances by Sinan himself, and by Yelena Kuljiæ in the role of Aisha. The singer was recently described by the Frankfurter Rundschau as "the most thrilling new voice in the current jazz scene."

Ludwig van Beethoven - Trios pour pianoforte, violon et violoncelle op. 1 n°1 & n°2
Patrick Cohen / Erich Höbart / Cristophe Coin
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 274 MB | Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMC901361 | Country/Year: France 1991
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period

Christophe Coin (born 26 January 1958) is a French cellist, viola da gamba player and conductor active in the field of historically informed performance. He is the cellist of the Quatuor Mosaïques and is the director of the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges.

Marc Ribot is one of the most inventive guitarists of his generation the discreet legend of the New York scene, the composer, improviser and accompanist is sought-after by the biggest international pop stars.

Schoenberg's Spanish pupil Roberto Gerhard, pulled off a substantive comedic success with his setting of Sheridan's THE DUENNA. The music, often gossamer light, perfectly suits the text, although it too has some very dark edges. At key points Gerhard inserts Spanish rhythms, and creates fascinating pseudo tonalities. This is a remarkably inventive score. The performance is first rate……..

James S. Eisenberg @ amazon.com

Henri Dutilleux's "Ainsi la nuit" (1976) is a modern classic, and it's easy to see why. This is a work that parodoxically combines impressionist lushness and total transparency, surface attractiveness and deep mystery. Ravel meets Bartok? The work is in seven movements, which each have their own particular concern, though there are "parenthetical" moments that interlink the entire piece. "Nocturne 1" is a mysterious static soundscape periodically fractured by outbursts………

Christopher Culver @ amazon.com