I've mentioned it a few times around here, but the latest from Polish composer Michael Jacaszek is stunning, KWIATY, which translates to English as flowers, and that is also the title of the beautiful opening song, "To Flowers". I haven't been so taken with a new album for quite a while, maybe since the amazing Beauty Will Save the World in 2015, which lead me to initially post about it in my The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Beauty Will Save the World (2015) thread, and leads me to collect a few of the posts I've made in the interim here in this new thread It's a very melancholy album, but spiritual and uplifting, and so far, the most fascinating, compelling, intriguing, enchanting, and bewitching album of the year for me, with its atmospheric mix of experimental ambient, classical, electronica and jazz. The songs are inspired by an English anthology of metaphysical poetry from the 17th century by Robert Herrick (lyrics in the opener "To Flowers" by Virgil), with Jacaszek expertly weaving an electro-acoustic tapestry around strong vocal performances by Hania Malarowska (of the Warsaw-based rock band Hanimal), along with Joasia Sobowiec-Jamiol and Natalia Grzebala. It's really a mysterious and haunting work, quite beautiful... and quite addicting. The digital sounds good and shows DR9, I have the pictured clear vinyl on order so can't comment on that quite yet, but would expect similar sound, just more fun.
Mentioned the opener "Flowers" in the Earth Day thread yesterday, incorrectly identified as "To Flowers" in my first post, which is the way it is some places online, but the record shows it as just "Flowers" on the cover (and my copy does look identical to the picture above), which I guess makes it the title track, from a poem by Virgil, with vocals by Hania Malarowska ... And violets as well there are and wreaths Of golden flowers, and purple garlands twined With yellow rose, and lilies gathered from Her virgin river which the daughter of A river god in wicker baskets brought. And waxen are the plums from autumn days. And chestnuts, nuts as well, And apples blushing sweetly; And ruddy mulberries there are, And grapes in heavy bunches, from its stalk as well
Have you checked out "Insecurity Ward" by Kettenkarussell from Weimar? Ambient and a very good album. Double vinyl in textured sleeve, apparently a very small run. Recommended!
No, I haven't ... yet, but it does sound interesting, thanks. Must be a good one, I see you hit about three or four threads with it
Yeah I try to do this when I come across something interesting and more leftfield. I mean.... there is no use hitting threads with messages like "Uh, have you heard the new Slowdive?" I love "Slowdive" but people - especially people in here - are already aware of Slowdive. But with Kettenkarussell it might be interesting for certain members and apparently the vinyl is going quick so I try to alert the right people. And maybe help the artist.
Yea, it's definitely pretty great, though apparently doesn't have very widespread appeal, no matter, I'm still totally smitten, the vinyl even made a recent cameo appearance in ... The "Picture of your Turntable(s)" thread, Pt. 4
Eh, lots of great things have limited appeal, not a big deal. Hell, I find most things with wide appeal exceptionally boring, so it certainly works both ways!
I did a search for your "Insecurity Ward" by Kettenkarussell and got nothing but this thread. WTF? So I took off the quotes and found it's Insecurity Guard. There's even a review at Pitchfork from a couple days ago... Kettenkarussell: Insecurity Guard Album Review | Pitchfork Anyway, getting ready for a listen now in the digital world, will let you know if your hype is warranted Thanks again.
Another really nice new ambient release is by Japanese artist Chihei Hatakeyama. The record is Mirage, some 5 years in the making, inspired by his travels in Turkey, and the way sound travels and decays in the busy bazaar markets...
Still a really nice release that I play all the time, including today's get-ready-for-work music ... Just saw he has a new collaboration album called Legenda, not much in English about it, need to get a copy ...
Not the same as Jacaszek, this album is really special to me, incredibly moving and emotional, but if you're looking for another electronica fix in 2018, something a bit more along the modern Eno lines, definitely check out the new one from Rival Consoles, Persona, really nice... What artist are listening to for the very first time today? Best New Albums of 2018
This Rival Consoles Persona is a very nice album, seems it should get more attention, of course we say that often about so many new records, but especially love this sequence just after the middle ... Rival Consoles - Untravel (Official Music Video)
Still a very cool record, listening today after I listed it in the recent favorites of 2010s thread, Post your Top 10 albums from the 2010s! , easy to get lost in on a lazy Saturday afternoon. It always felt somewhat unique the way the ambience and electronics were weaved in with the vocals, reminiscent to the late and great Hector Zazou in my mind, and also some similarities to the very nice new Massimo Amato record that I love from this year too, didn't get much notoriety at the time, though did get a very nice 9/10 review at exclaim! ... Jacaszek KWIATY Anyway, just a long overdue bump for a somewhat overlooked record
Listening to the latest from Jacaszek today, Music for Film, released at the end of March, really nice album. Title says it all, these are songs that he's put together for a few past film and TV projects, it's dark and suspenseful at times, and more ambient and layered at other times, but very cohesively tied together, really surprisingly so considering the disparate sources and scenes the music originally accompanied. Like this a lot. The "November Late" song that comes near the end does sound almost like it could be from Kwiaty, which I guess makes sense as Rainer Sarnet's film November that it was composed for was also from 2017 ... “I didn’t write to particular scenes,” Jacaszek says of the latter. “[Director Rainer Sarnet] asked me to create a bunch of pieces for a dark fairytale-like movie about love in old Estonian pagan times — full of dark magic, strange beliefs, poverty, grit, and natural beauty.”
Just a quick followup on Music for Film, it is a gorgeous album, and the vinyl does sound very nice, though is a bit noisy in places, ticks seem mostly on right channel, especially toward the end of side B, so I think it's probably on the vinyl master as it was mentioned on the blue press in the comments on discogs too. I held off until it was repressed in black, but same issue. My first copy was very warped so I sent it back and got a new one, much flatter, but noisy. Such a beautiful record, I haven't tried cleaning it yet, though I don't think that will make a change, visually it looks near perfect. Anyway, album is highly recommended, easily one of my favorite listens of the year, the vinyl not as much, though I'm still glad to have it since it mostly sounds beautiful.
If you are a big fan of this music, definitely check out the album from Rutger Hoedemaekers this year titled The Age Of Oddities, beautiful music. Listened to both Music For Films and The Age of Oddities today, both will be with me for long to come ... Best New Albums of 2021
Few years down the line, and KWIATY is still a pretty amazing record. Listening today on repeat, and if anything, I like it even more now, just something really special to me, this and Music For Film often soundtrack my time around home. Looks like most of the videos posted above have become unavailable, but here's one of my favorites from the first side of Kwiaty, "To Violets" ... wow, looks like vinyl is still available for $12 from Ghostly, and Music For Film just a couple dollars more, obviously not universal blockbusters in sales
Michal Jacaszek has a new collaboration with Romke Kleefstra & Jan Kleefstra titled IT DEEL I. The underlying motive for the project is the disastrous ongoing damage to nature, in particular with regard to ancient trees making up the Frisian landscape, and surrounding Oranjewoud. Sounds at times a little like the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, really nice ambient feel with a sense of spirituality. The Kleefstra Bros are poet Jan Kleefstra and guitarist Romke Kleefstra. For IT DEEL I in 2021, they collaborated with the Polish composer, producer, and sound artist Michał Jacaszek, who creates electro-acoustic music in which electronic sounds are combined with acoustic instruments. Recorded at the St. Thomas church, Ketlik, the Netherlands, by Jan Switters, June 1-4 2021 Produced and mixed by Michał Jacaszek Mastered by Michał Jacaszek & Jos Smolders Vinyl mastered by Jos Smolders at EARLabs and comes in beautiful artwork from Rutger Zuydervelt.