Amoeba Music

Transcendent fuzz conjured by a song-smith who respects the power of dogs and love. Read more

In a world where Walk Hard and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping already exist it seemed impossible that this movie could add anything new to the farce biopic equation. But Weird Al has always been smarter than anyone has given him credit for so the level of quality and hilariousness here is a new escalation of the form. Otherwise unavailable on physical media! Read more

Staying Alive existing on 4K confirms we are living in a successful society and we are fully BACK post-pandemic. We did it! Read more

Unsung heroes who have already contributed some recent additions to the Greatest Songs Of All Time list are back again, and bringing it. Read more

Brand new 2023 release from this UK ensemble based in Edinburgh Scotland. This is their 4th album and the 2nd on Ninja Tune. It deftly fuses exploratory rock, soul, hip hop, and electronic music into a truly explosive, triumphant, and potent style of their own. While some of their previous albums have leaned more on the hip hop and R&B side of those influences, this one is probably more anthemic, high-energy rock than anything else, reminding me of experimental-minded indie / alternative acts like TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, & Radiohead. One new and unique element for them here is the overt influence of African music, which is certainly felt in some of the grooves and vocal styles. Lots of passionate, emotionally charged vocal performances throughout, showing the influence of the blues & gospel diaspora. The dense arrangements are euphoric, sometimes even channeling the intensity of industrial music. The intelligently poetic, sociopolitical lyrics by vocalists Alloysius Massaquoi & Kayus Bankole are also great, reflecting their experiences as a Liberian born POC & a Scottish-born POC of Nigerian descent, both now living in modern Great Britain. One of the most interesting and powerful albums I’ve heard so far this year. Read more

Fantastic new release from this instrumental funk quintet from just outside Melbourne, Australia. This is their 3rd album, and their first on US label Big Crown. The lineup is Lachlan Stuckey on guitar, Jethro Curtin on keys, Carl Lindeberg on bass, and Andrew Congues on drums, with new member Hudson Whitlock joining recently to contribute vibraphone, percussion, production, and composition on this record. Features lots of tight yet laid back grooves, with lots of funk! Fairly economic in terms of arrangements, but this helps to give it a nicely syncopated feel and works quite well for their sound overall. Read more

Brand new 2023 release with over two dozen tracks of traditional music by the Jola (sometimes Diola) people in Gambia and the Casamance region of Senegal. They call themselves Ajamat, which is their word for their specific ethnic group & culture as a people. These are wonderful, slightly raw field recordings with incredible musicians playing and singing folk music on a simple 3-stringed instrument called the Ekonting. It is a predecessor to the banjo, and you can hear the similarity in the timbre and also sometimes in the styles it is played. The music here is used for both high energy dancing and for storytelling purposes. These stories reflect on themes of love, heartache, spirituality, hardships, and more. This is truly beautiful stuff from a people whose music is rarely heard outside of this region in Africa, and we are lucky to have this wonderful collection, lovingly compiled and released on one of the most important US labels to ever exist. Incredible music, highly recommended! Read more

Brand new late 2022 album of complex cosmic jazz from the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra, still capably led by the now 99 year old Marshall Allen, who was by Ra’s side in the group for pretty much the entire duration of the influential founder’s life. Fusing Afro-Futurist concepts with bop, afro-latin percussion, modal structures, free jazz, and cutting edge electronic sounds, the band was often one of the most forward-thinking groups during the roughly 40 years that Sun Ra led them, up until his death in 1993. Allen took the reins in 1995, and over the last several decades, their trademark melodies, corresponding complex harmonies, dense arrangements, loping rhythms, group improvisation, and Ra’s ever-present celestial and intergalactic themes are all still present. These cuts are as lovely as ever, with the 19-peice group (wow!) romping through a set featuring 3 compositions by Allen, 2 from Sun Ra, and a couple of standards. Incredible, triumphant work, a fantastic new statement from a legendary band that has always defied easy classification. Read more

Debut album from this modern Belgian quartet from Antwerp. They fuse modern exploratory jazz with elements from psychedelic rock, soul, hip-hop, dub and electronic music. Mostly upbeat jazzy grooves, along with some straight up funky beats courtesy of drummer Klaas De Somer’s propulsive percussive pulses. His playing is anchored by Fré Madou’s bobbing bass, while Bram Weiters adds piano, keys, and synths. Group ringleader Andrew 'Chi' Claes (who is also a researcher & teacher at Antwerp’s Royal Conservatoire & Royal Academy of Fine Arts) plays sax, Electronic Wind Instrument, & synth, and also produced & mixed the album. Recorded in a few different studios and at a couple of live performances, the eight pieces feature an intensity that stems from their heady improvisations, which give it a special energy and a very spontaneous feel. A stellar first release from this crew, each of whom are active members in at least a couple of other groups. RIYL: electric-era Miles Davis, Yussef Kamaal, Makaya McCraven, The Comet Is Coming, Nubya Garcia, Kamasi Washington, & BadBadNotGood. Read more

Excellent new collection of rare, exploratory music from France in the 1970s and 1980s, featuring a dozen eclectic tracks that incorporate elements from spiritual jazz, earthy afro-latin percussion grooves and tribal drumming, esoteric asian & middle eastern stringed instruments and reeds, progressive rock, psychedelic folk, and hints of electronic / synthesizer music. A couple of tracks have vocals, but most of the pieces here are all instrumental. Lots of incredible work, most of which defies proper classification. A wonderfully compiled selection of original music that still sounds fresh and exciting today. Read more

Wonderful late 2022 release by this Ukranian-born jazz harpist based in London, on her third solo album and first with the HipHarpCollective ensemble featured here. She arranged and produced all the tracks here, a nice mix of originals and classic covers, with soulful, funky jazz grooves and excellent interplay from everyone involved. All instrumental except for a couple of tracks with vox. Highlights for me include tracks originally penned and performed by fellow jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby, John Coltrane, and Duke Ellington, though her own tracks are all quite nice too. Very fluid playing throughout the session by her talented band, and a beautiful sounding recording too, with lots of dreamy jazz harp action. Read more

Incredible collection of the 3 classic mid-70s albums by this incredible Afro-Latin spiritual jazz ensemble with ties to the local SF community. Formed in 1972 by Idris Ackamoor, Margaux Simmons and Kimathi Asante (all students of Cecil Taylor at Yellow Springs Ohio), they later moved to the SF Bay Area before breaking up in the late 1970s. These records feature dynamic, African-inspired jazz akin to the The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, and other similar groups with global influences and free jazz elements. Lots of flutes and thunderous tribal percussion, super cosmic stuff! All 3 albums here are great, and the bonus disc with a live recording from the KPFA studio is excellent too. Ackamoor remains active in the SF art & music community, and he also restarted the Pyramids group in 2011 with mostly new personnel. Incredible music from a legendary group. Read more

Gorgeous, stately new release of Indonesian traditional folkloric music, performed by this excellent Sundanese ensemble featuring some talented artists from West Java. Reminds me of both Javanese Gamelan music and Indonesian Kroncong music, especially the vocal style, instrumentation, and the scales played by everyone involved. The lovely, lilting vox here are by the renowned singer Ani Sukmawati, performing here in the classical style of Tembang Sunda. Yusdania plays Kacapi Indung, and Dede Suparman plays Kacapi Rincik (these are both zither like instruments from Indonesia which are used especially in this kind of music). Burham Sukarma plays the suling, a bamboo ring flute from Sunda (aka Western Java) in Indonesia. He was also the musical director behind the session, and actually lives in San Jose and leads the great local Degung ensemble Pusaka Sunda. Overall, this is a beautiful album of languid tunes in a traditional style, lovingly performed with passion. Read more

This single CD issued in late 2022 compiles the 2nd and 3rd albums (Dost 1 & Dost 2) by this talented artist with Turkish roots who is now based in Berlin, Germany. She (Derya) sings and plays the saz (a long-necked string instrument aka bağlama), which is also used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk, and music from Azerbaijan, Syria, Iraq, & the Balkan region. She and her ensemble create psychedelic Turkish rock songs with great grooves and nods to the 1970s classics of the genre like Erkin Koray, Ersen, & Baris Manco, plus modern groups like Altin Gun. Lots of saz melodies and solos, some fun synth leads, groovy bass and drums, along with some truly gorgeous vocals, sung in Turkish. Read more

Modern, finely crafted French music with a retro flair, composed and recorded by self-proclaimed “studio rat” Emile Sornin. This is his third solo album, with obvious nods to notable pillars of the classic French pop tradition of the 1960s and 70s, but with a few modern twists in the production department. Brings to mind Serge Gainsbourg’s classic Histoire De Melody Nelson (and Jean-Claude Vannier’s other adventurous work as producer & arranger), along with other fellow innovative French composers like François De Roubaix & library music studio wizard Bernard Estardy. There are significant contributions from drummer Vincent Taeger, bassist Maxime Daoud, and Sami Osta, who helped to produce and mix the album. Lots of brass and a full string section are present in the dense, expertly layered arrangements, along with many keyboards & synths, but it all gels quite well. Read more

Brand new gem from Brazilian singer & songwriter Roger José Cury. After a pair of solo albums in 2014 & 2018, and two collaborations (one with Seu Jorge from 2020 & one with Arlindo Cruz from 2015), this new 2023 album is a real masterpiece, a classic sounding Brazilian album in the spirit of the early samba-funk & MPB of the 1960s and early 1970s. The funky acoustic guitar playing and vocal stylings of Jorge Ben looms large as perhaps the biggest influence here, along with some similar material from that classic era. The album also features expertly crafted string arrangements by the legendary Arthur Verocai. Overall, a killer record that feels timeless. Lots of perfect grooves and a very positive, upbeat vibe to most cuts. RIYL: Jorge Ben, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Arthur Verocai, Seu Jorge, Tim Bernardes, Sessa.  Read more

Highly percussive afro-latin music from the islands of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, recorded by a small group of elder statesmen from the region. Songs & lead vocals are by Moise Polobi, a 69 year old singer & drummer who has played the djembé-like Gwo Ka drums since his childhood. He was especially inspired by the drums of the léwoz, traditional rural music from Guadeloupe & Martinique. All the tracks here were produced & mixed by Liam Farrell, a French-Irish musician who drummed with some notable French bands in the 80s (Les Rita Mitsouko, Les Wampas, and Taxi Girl). He produced hip hop & trip hop during the 1990s & 2000s, including a dozen solo albums as Doctor L, and worked with Fela’s drummer Tony Allen on the Psycho on Da Bus project in the early 2000s. He also produced and mixed Congolese group Mbongwana Star’s From Kinshasa in 2015, and Les Amazones d'Afrique’s Amazones Power in 2020. Similar, spaciously produced modern global jams here, this is an excellent recording of percussive tunes. Read more

Cool compilation of work from this French composer, dating from 1974-1991. Lots of robotic sounding electronic drum machines and cosmic synthesizer work here that evokes outer space. There’s a notable Library Music vibe to much of this, with some traces of classic sci-fi soundtrack music, psychedelic rock, funk, disco, & quirky electronic pop. Mostly instrumental, with vox on one space-disco cut. Overall a really fun record. RIYL: Italian library composers like Pierro Umiliani & Alessandro Alessandroni (among many others), the electronic side of Krautrock (Cluster, Kraftwerk, Klaus Schulze & Tangerine Dream), modern 1990s electronica like Mouse On Mars or Aphex Twin, or that recent collection by French disco-funk producer Daniel Vangarde (Vaults Of Zagora Records Mastermind). Read more

Fantastic new album of ambient electronic music from this duo. Kokubo is a Japanese sound designer and composer of ambient & new age music who has been active since 1980 and has over 50 albums to his credit. He has worked extensively with synthesizers and various environmental sounds. Esperti is an Italian-born Swiss trombonist now living in Japan, whose music touches on jazz, classical, ambient, & world music idioms. This is their first collaboration, yielding some phenomenal ambient soundscapes & cosmic synth workouts blended with breathy flutes, ethereal trombone zones, cosmic chimes, & what occasionally sounds like some sort of space frogs or a powerful galactic wind blowing through the universe. Some of it reminds me of Budd & Eno’s lovely collaborations on Plateaux of Mirror or The Pearl. RIYL: Midori Takada, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Eno & Budd, Light in the Attic’s great Kankyō Ongaku comp, along with ambient and new age music in general. Read more

Excellent collection of classic instrumental cumbia, chicha, and salsa from Peru… lots of incredible, fun, upbeat, groovy tunes with amazing lead guitar work! Top reissue label Analog Africa compiles a winner again as expected, and their liner notes are super detailed too, as usual. Also includes some great archival photos of the artists included and various album covers & ephemera of the time. A handful of tracks have some brief spoken vox (all in Spanish), but even those are mostly instrumental overall, aside from a few seconds here and there. Truthfully, there’s not a bad track on the disc, and the mastering sounds bright and clean throughout despite the occasionally substandard recording technologies that were used to record them at the time. RIYL: that great recent Saturno 2000 collection on Analog Africa, The Roots Of Chicha comp from Barbès Records, or classic latin music in general (salsa, cumbia, chicha, merengue, etc.). Killer stuff! Read more