Best Albums of 2018 List Soon

A lot's been going on recently. Been busy but hoping to cover some albums from 2018 I really enjoyed, excluding those I reviewed already. Also find me at http://www.freejazzblog.org/ . I'm writing there now too

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Jo David Meyer Lysne & Mats Eilertsen Kroksjø     ★★★½   Jo David Meyer Lysne and Mats Eilertsen are two Norwegian musicians who have come together once more, on the Hubro music label (also originating from Norway). This encounter seems to place focus on the textural environment and less so on the improvisation techniques of Lysne (on acoustic guitar) and Eilertsen (on bass). The title Kroksjø is the Norwegian word for an oxbow lake, in which a "U" shaped lake is formed after being cut off from a river. Lysne has stated that these geological formations helped inspire this endeavor and that he views them as a symbol of the artistic effort, being impermanent and forever changing. Hypnotic motifs are lost and found on this record, and with the help of a turntable, the comfort of physical home audio is brought forward. Sounds from the natural world and folk musings seep through to the heart of this record, providing points of focus that solidify t...
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Jason Lescalleet The Pilgrim ★ ★ ★★ Everything I've been listening to has been really great recently. This is a very heavy and somber record by Jason Lescalleet. Part of the newer cohort of abstract electronic music, he's known for working with people like Graham Lambkin and Kevin Drumm. This class of individuals have been creating intense and vivid textures in their music with the help of outside sources, mostly field recordings. That concept is also utilized here but not in the usual manner.  Summed up, this album is about the relationship Jason had with his father, and a sort of memorial in remembrance of his passing. It's not easy to create an artistic project like this for anyone, in any medium or platform. Especially not in the niche and sometimes conceptual subgenre that Lescalleet resides in. But he does it beautifully and in great effect. The album starts off with a spoken introduction bye Lescalleet describing how his father felt about his mus...
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Michael Galasso Scenes ★★★ The only release by Galasso on the ECM label, and one of the few releases he's ever put out. This isn't like a lot of other ECM albums from that time, stylistically and instrumentally that is. A single violin, while using overdubs, can create atmospheres that would be hard even with a quartet or full orchestra.  This is in the stream of minimalists that were thriving during this time, especially the New York scene. This seems perhaps a bit more accessible however and not really in a bad way. More like classical and minimalist music for the every-man.  These surface level emotions though limit the potential of not only the musicianship here, but also Galasso's own emotions and techniques. It may seem very complex and deep but honestly I think that feeling is thanks to the electronic overdubbing.  Not to say that this is bad or mediocre, it's actually really enjoyable and if you take it for what it is, thi...
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