The American musician, Saul Conrad plays „hard to categorize”, perhaps „experimental chamber pop”  or „other” music on piano and guitar with surprising key changes, nonsensical rhythmic shifts, overlapping melodies, and folk elements.

His third album (read about!) – which is more popular than previous two (listen to!) – was influenced by Kirkegaard and William Blake, Townes van Zandt and Blaze Foley, Harry Nilsson and Syd Barret, and more. Sycamore, from his 1st album

10/19 London, UK – The Windmill, Elliot Smith tribute night
10/20 Ford, Argyll, UK – Ford House   10/22 Avellino, Italy – Godot Art Bistro
10/23 Budapest, Hungary – Hátsó Kapu   10/24 Budapest, Hungary – Müszi
10/25 Vienna, Austria – Mo.e   10/26 Lyon, France – Kraspek Myzik
10/29 Hamburg, DE – Hasenschauke   10/30 Berlin, DE – Madame Claude
10/31 Leipzig, DE – HanDstand und Moral

Trouble Books are an Akron (Ohio) based experimental pop duo. Lejsovka & Freund are their side project. They play „DIY shitty classical” music with a little Michael Nyman feeling on piano, cello, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin, computer, synthesizer, and voice. „These pieces are made by and for the view from huge sunroom windows overlooking a wooded ravine. Hopefully that honesty comes through.”

Mold On Canvas LP on Bark and Hiss (US) & MIE Records (UK)

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The debut album of The Wtyhces  „Annabel Dream Reader” is among the most anticipated albums. Proto-metal grunge surf psychedelic noise rock from the English countryside

Annabel Dream Reader LP/CD/digital on Heavenly (UK), Partisan (US) & Dine Alone Records (Can). In July they are on US Tour.

Saul Conrad is a classically-trained American musician. Almost impossible to categorize his peculiar music: experimental chamber „pop” with surprising key changes, nonsensical rhythmic shifts, overlapping melodies, and folk elements.  His third album is more listener friendly than the previous two. There are easy melodies instead of experiments. But at the same time it’s a very serious album. Perhaps it’s more serious than the previous ones.

The non-musical influences: Kierkegaard. Especially his book about the despair, “The Sickness Unto Death.” Surprising or not, in Japan the book of the Danish existentialist philosopher is living its own renaissance as anime, manga and video game soundtrack. By the way, always the same thing occurs to me from Kierkegaard (1813-1855): during a night I read through his work titled Either/Or, then I vomited out of the window – but that is quite another story.

“The Four Zoas: The torments of Love & Jealousy in The death and Judgment of Albion the Ancient Man.” It’s a prophetic book by English romantic poet William Blake (1757- 1827). Conrad’s album title “A Tyrant And Lamb” references to a pair of poems of Blake: The Tyger, and The Lamb, about the dualism of nature and God. Conrad sings about alternation of this duality in the human sphere.

And now the gruesome list of musicians who have influenced on this album

Blaze Foley, the Duct Tape Messiah, country outsider, was „a genius and a beautiful loser” according to Lucinda Williams, was shot to death at his age of 39 in 1989.

Gram Parsons of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, alcohol, drugs, overdose, 26.

Townes Van Zandt, country music outsider, in the 70s, when the bigger part of his highly praised life-work was released he lived outside of Nashville in a tin-roofed, bare-boards shack with no heat, stayed almost entirely unknown until the 80s, when Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered one of his songs, which became a number one hit, and he played at dive bars and lived cheap motels invariably until January 1, 1997, when his femoral neck fracture and his delirium tremens were treated with vodka and weed for good, and stayed 52 for ever.

Harry Nilsson, singer/songwriter, nothing special except for his songs, but a heart attack, 52.

Syd Barrett, the most creative member of the early Pink Floyd, for the most part he wrote the first album alone, LSD, became unable to play in the group, two solo albums in 1970 and nothing more, but a nine parts composition by Pink Floyd to tribute to him in 1975, titled Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Died in 2006 at his age of 60.

Elliott Smith, singer/songwriter, alcohol, drugs, paranoia, suicide, 34. Strange fact, in 1997 he released an album titled Either/Or, which is based on Kierkegaard…

I’m sure, you are very curious

Saul Conrad – „A Tyrant And Lamb” album on Mountain of Leopards and Cavity Search Records. Buy LP or digital copy

Strid/de Heney/Norstebo

March 26, 20:00 > Budapest > Mika Tivadar Mulató> Facebook

Például Philip Glass, Steve Reich és Gavin Bryers nyomdokain haladó fiatal angol zeneszerző, Greg Haines ad koncertet május 29.-én Budapesten az Akváriumban. Minden bizonnyal most megjelent lemezét fogja bemutatni, mely szintetizátorokra és ütőhangszerekre épül. Kitűnő háttérzene íráshoz, olvasáshoz, főzéshez, sziesztához. S mivel ülő koncert lesz, csak óvatosan! Mert például:
– Hát te? Mi van a fejeddel? Hol törted össze magad?
– Greg Haines koncerten.
– Akkora volt a pogó, vagy mi?
– Elbóbiskoltam és lefordultam a székről.

The Whole from Where We Were LP

Greg Haines is a young English musician and composer, who follow in (for example) Philip Glass, Steve Reich and Gavin Bryars’ tracks. He gives a concert on 29 May at the Akvarium in Budapest. In all probability he will perform his new album which focuses on synthesizers and percussion. It’s excellent background music for writing, reading, cooking or siesta. The concert will be sedentary, so take care! Or else:
– What happened with your head? Where you broke yourself?
– On Greg Haines concert.
– Was the pogo so large, or what?
– I have dozed off and fallen from the chair.

You can find more dates on his site.

The Piano Interrupted started as a computer manipulated piano project. It has been completed with cello and percussion. The quartet is playing eclectic contemporary music. Three tracks of the LP have Tunisian feeling, because of they were asked to write the score to ‘Papa Hedi’ – a documentary film about the life and times of Hedi Jouni, the ‘Frank Sinatra’ of Tunisia. They had access to Hédi Jouni’s original recordings, and samples of his music were used as starting point for the compositions. One of these:

Bulbus from Two By Four LP by denovali

The Blackout Beach started as a solo project of the Canadian guitarist, Carey Mercer (guitar, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake). He has made this album with his wife (drums, Frog Eyes) and Dante DeCaro (bass, Wolf Parade). The atmosphere of the LP reminds me of the 16 Horsepower, but instead of the prairie here are mountains.

Blues Trip Lp by soft abuse