Digital Rabbit's Music Blog

I believe I first happened upon the work of Aksatzul while in a deep dive into YouTube, but I cannot currently find the original. However it happened I was immediately entranced by the dark, ambient, black metal-esque nature of this Finnish musician. It was difficult for me to choose between Mirrorsphere  and their other album Noneverse (linked below) when I was preparing for this blog post. Both albums are spectacular. Noneverse  encompasses more of the ambient-noise-music feel on which I normally focus while Mirrorsphere  drifts closer to the industrial and black-metal genres. Overall, I tend to describe the music of Aksatzul as akin to being back stage at a concert and listening to the glorious haze of music drifting in through the walls.  Mirrorsphere by Aksatzul Mirrorsphere has a sense throughout that the standard timbres of a metal band (guitars, bass, drums and perhaps keyboards) are all present but go through significant levels of distortion, to points ...

Jason Adams, performing under the name Rumori developed Deviance from live performances and has really made some amazing music in this album. In the description of the album on BandCamp, the composition of the pieces is described where "Each piece of music works to create its own unique environment, minimal melodies laying a foundation for complex textures and exploration." Each movement follows this structure incredibly well, but they all are so much more complex than the description implies. Pieces like "Shrouded" and "Deviance" emphasize this minimal melody creating significantly more complexity through the polyphonic behaviors of the music. The use of effects also expands on the depth of complexity by allowing expansion into sonic realms the cello cannot reach on its own.  Deviance by Rumori "Tarantula" leads the album though deep floating lines with heavy use of delay to allow the cello to build a sense of deep foreboding. The first section ...

 Here in the U.S. we recently "celebrated" the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown. This past year, has been the most ... I don't even have a word to describe what I would like to express. While the past 12 months have simultaneously been horrible for the families of over 500,000 people, disastrous for so many whose very livelihoods have been pushed towards utter annihilation if not put them at significant risk (many of whom are friends of mine, more on that below), and completely bewildering for so many others; this period has also seen societal push for racial justice, LGBTQIA+ equality, and a drive for the rights of humanity like access to healthcare, a living wage, and support during times of extreme crisis ... While I personally have not suffered much during this year, I know so many who have. We can make this world better, but we must fight for that everyday. But I digress. Just over a year ago I attended what would be the last in-person concert I would go...

 Eidolon by Nervous Doll Dancing is an album I have had for many years; one I've listened to dozens of times but which still pulls out that sense of beauty and newness for me.  Eidolon by Nervous Doll Dancing It was 2013, I had the chance to spend the summer in a study abroad program in Prague. The Prague Fringe Festival was occurring during the first week or so of my time in the city and I tried to attend every musical performance I could. I met Francesca Mountfort at this event. With no prior knowledge of what to expect I was greeted by a cellist on stage, solo, with her instrument and a couple of guitar pedals. I, needless to say, was floored. On her website  the tour, of which this performance would be part, is described as having an award winning cinematic show; but for the life of me, I only remember the music. All of the music for this album was composed, produced, or performed by Francesca unless otherwise noted. Eidolon is defined as a phantom or an idol, and thi...

This was originally going to be an artist spotlight on one of the two musicians who make up the ensemble Fermented Brain, but their self titled album released through Full Spectrum Records on December 31st of 2020 is so full of amazing music that I am wary of my ability to maintain brevity. Fermented Brain is a duo composed of William Corrigan and CC Sorenson, the latter of whom is the artist I intended to spotlight. William is based out of Lubbock and CC is based out of San Antonio, both are dear friends of mine and are amazing musicians, composers, and sound artists on their own. I have had the luck of seeing Fermented Brain perform live as the duo and also as an expanded ensemble. The music is always amazing and deeply meditative; enveloping the listener in masses of sound. However, listening to their self-titled album led me on a deep meditative journey that I, frankly, wasn't prepared for. Llano Discs: Fermented Brain by Fermented Brain Track "I" begins with a medita...

Let's get this started with an album that is easy to write about.  The Thousand Birds in the Earth, The Thousand Birds in the Sky by Andrew Weathers Ensemble With nods to to Riley/Reich style minimalism, Bluegrass inspired rock, drone, jazz, and a plethora of other styles and genres The Andrew Weather's Ensemble's final release "The Thousand Birds in the Earth, The Thousand Birds in the Sky" is a true tour de force of new music. From the very onset of "A Mountain of Snakes, The High Plains, A Knee in the Earth" we can hear a simultaneous slow drone of harmony holding deep the musical motion while above it saxophone, piano, percussion, guitar, and a whole orchestra of sounds build into an impressively complex but simultaneously simple sonic environment. Imitative of one's feeling standing in the openness of nature with the depth of stability in the ground below while life and nature move all around you. The orchestration is phenomenal and the blending...