Michael Brook – Cobalt Blue / Live At The Aquarium https://freq.org.uk/reviews/michael-brook-cobalt-blue-aquarium/ he instrumental energy of these compositions is off the scale. Instinctively light and airy, their complexity playful, imaginative; everything […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Mariam Wallentin and Vestnorsk Jazzensemble – Spring Flood https://freq.org.uk/reviews/mariam-wallentin-and-vestnorsk-jazzensemble-spring-flood/ The group, rather like Mariam’s voice, has a mind of its own and the way the two interact is pretty special. They […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Espen Berg Trio – Entropies https://freq.org.uk/reviews/espen-berg-trio-entropies/ ..some four years after 2022's Fjære [Entropies] finds Berg plus bassist Bárður Reinert Poulsen and drummer Simon Albertsen sketching more #postjazz backdrops for Espen's vivid […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Various Artists – Pet Sounds / Undulating Waters 10 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/pet-undulating-10/ ..there is still space for the defiantly valiant art of assembling thoughtful standalone #compilations... replete with choice contributors at their fingertips […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Fjall – Helt https://freq.org.uk/reviews/fjall-helt/ With flutes, harps, psalteries, melodica, organ, electronics, tabla, bells, drums, percussion and further assorted treats, you could be forgiven for thinking this would be an overwhelming barrage of noise […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The Telescopes – Static Charge https://freq.org.uk/reviews/telescopes-static/ The constant evaluation and reworking of The Telescopes' sound is what keeps them relevant and yet oddly existing outside time. Nobody really sounds like them and hasn't done for […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Luke Bainbridge – Petstep https://freq.org.uk/reviews/luke-bainbridge-petstep/ ..taking a crack at palindromic composition on Petstep for an assembled quartet that is a fascinating combination.. a delightful selection, brought vividly to life by musicians who […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The Taps Of The Holy Trinity – Customs And Rituals Of The Taps Of The Holy Trinity https://freq.org.uk/reviews/taps-trinity-customs/ Otherworldly and oblique in equal measures, this is a curiously compelling conception overall, that signifies either just the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Supergirl https://freq.org.uk/reviews/supergirl/ The uncluttered plot has a stronger throughline than in many such superhero epics, demonstrating commendable reluctance to pin the fate of the entire universe on her admittedly invulnerable shoulders. #supergirl #superhero #superheroine #filmreview

Clock DVA – Thirst https://freq.org.uk/reviews/clock-dva-thirst/ The noir-flushed disquiet of "Uncertain" limping into a scattering post-rock pulmonary, Adi Newton’s voice a looming vulture shadow-brambled in ambiguity. This album is still a keeper some forty […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

BMX Bandits – Duglas Stewart’s Frankenstein / Age Of Chance – BBC Sessions 85-87 / The Fizzbombs – Janice Long Session 01.07.87 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/precious-june-2026/ ...it’s back to core archival business once again with three further releases […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Butthole Surfers – After The Astronaut https://freq.org.uk/reviews/butthole-surfers-after-the-astronaut/ ..everything changed because this record is the one they recorded after Electric Larryland. It is from the '90s and it is exactly the Butthole Surfers […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Caktus x Ojkos – Øyeblikk https://freq.org.uk/reviews/caktus-x-ojkos-oyeblikk/ ..the Caktus sound is swollen to include four reeds players, two trumpets, three trombones, two bassists and two drummers; but although this may sound a lot, the overall effect is sleek and subtle. #jazz #musicreview

The Testament Of Ann Lee https://freq.org.uk/reviews/testament-ann-lee/ ...this time their epic, sprawling mode of storytelling details a real life – that of Ann Lee, eighteenth-century founder of the #shakers religious sect, whose dramatisation here borders on fundamentalist propaganda. #filmreview

Sara Parkman – Aster, Atlas https://freq.org.uk/reviews/sara-parkman-aster-atlas/ ..effortlessly seems to draw from the last thousand years of musical progression, yet somehow manages to be its very own thing driven by her personal observations. #swedish #folk #musicreview

The Early Years – Modern Moonlight / Pye Corner Audio – More Songs About The Sun https://freq.org.uk/reviews/the-early-years-modern-moonlight-pye-corner-audio-more-songs-about-the-sun/ As some of Sonic Cathedral’s fledgling artists have left the fold of late […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Leverton Fox – Eternal Gong Bath Of The Sunbed Mind https://freq.org.uk/reviews/leverton-fox-eternal-gong-bath-of-the-sunbed-mind/ ...based on recordings that they had completely overlooked, so there is a feeling of reinvention here as well which -- along […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

YHWH Nailgun – Magazine https://freq.org.uk/reviews/yhwh-nailgun-magazine/ A raucous revelry that burns solidly throughout, pokes the post-punk corpse, churns wildly industrial, sounds that hold well to that roughly-hued head of the cover that scars darkly […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Meatshell – The Elevator Child https://freq.org.uk/reviews/meatshell-elevator/ ..at about twenty-three minutes is over before you know it; but the ride is well worth the effort. Meatshell's ideas are varied and their vision limitless, and the fun they appear […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Jan Bang and Arve Henriksen – After The Wildfire https://freq.org.uk/reviews/bang-henriksen-wildfire/ ..takes the familiar drifting folklore-influenced #soundscapes and merges them with strings and voices for an unexpected journey. The album uses the live […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Linden Pomeroy – The Cat Sang Out https://freq.org.uk/reviews/linden-pomeroy-cat/ ...couches his clear, upbeat style over seven varying pieces that range from two to nine minutes and encompass blues, slide and Spanish inflections within a landscape of wide-open desert spaces. #guitar #musicreview

Is This Thing On? https://freq.org.uk/reviews/is-this-thing-on/ ..operates on a smaller scale than previously, dealing with #standup comedians as opposed to rock stars (A Star Is Born) or master conductors (Maestro). Thus it feels like a return to the roots […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Mattias De Craene | Black Koyo – Mattias De Craene | Black Koyo https://freq.org.uk/reviews/mattias-de-craene-black-koyo-mattias-de-craene-black-koyo/ Mattias brings his trademark textural sax and synth backdrops while Black Koyo bring the ritual chants […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Masters Of The Universe https://freq.org.uk/reviews/masters-of-the-universe/ To their credit, the film-makers at least try to build a more interesting arc for its central character than the simplistic 1980s cartoon ever bothered with; then it blows up his […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Hilary Jeffery – Green Prism: Music By Keith Tippett https://freq.org.uk/reviews/hilary-jeffery-green/ The initial impetus for Green Prism came from composer Hilary Jeffery asking the late Keith Tippett to compose some music for Berlin-based group Zinc & […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band – The New Atomic https://freq.org.uk/reviews/fergs-atomic/ With getting on for forty people lined up to play covering trumpets, trombones and horns as well as reeds, viola, percussion and keyboards, their first album, The New Atomic […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The Loft – Badges https://freq.org.uk/reviews/the-loft-badges/ The last forty years seem to have treated the members of the Loft well and with their musical history put through a prism of those years, the quality of the song-writing and playing shines through […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Swallow – Blown https://freq.org.uk/reviews/swallow-blown/ I knew I’d love this even before listening and when played its bleached-out summery disposition wove quite a spell, blistered with unexpected alt-pop moments that ear-wormed in the there and remained […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Hytta Trio – Vindespel https://freq.org.uk/reviews/hytta-trio-vindespel/ They wish to bring these classic folk forms into the twenty-first century and although there is still something ancient in the tone, there is enough modern inspiration and desire for […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

EarthBall – Actual Earth Music Volume 3 & 4 / Outside Over There https://freq.org.uk/reviews/earthball-actual-34-outside/ Both sides show the band working well but in different ways and the more you play, the more you discover... with five members bringing […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Dowser – Schema 1+2 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/dowser-schema-12/ ...plasticised blurs affixed to a melodic underling. Enveloped and overlapping textures feed in some nice weirded-out drone candy, slamming to full-on rock-out surprise before getting softly […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Desertfest London 2026 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/desertfest-london-2026/ ...it’s time to commence one of the best weekends in London for lovers of all that’s loud and #heavy, as #Desertfest celebrates fifteen years of taking over Camden venues and turning […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Distant Birds – Vol 01 and Vol 02 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/distant-birds-1-2/ ...they have constructed four pieces over two volumes that use rhythmic repetition and respectful interplay to propel the listener into previously unconsidered realms. With […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Jarboe featuring Joy Von Spain / Dawn Terry / Sade Arellano (live at Strange Brew) https://freq.org.uk/reviews/jarboe-strange-brew/ Strange angels pouring into the on-screen fractal shapes and patterned orbits. Jarboe silhouetted, long hair flowing over her […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Season 2 – Power Of Now https://freq.org.uk/reviews/season-2-power-of-now/ ..the perfect encapsulation of their ability to wrap the elements of boredom and frustration in a fizzy coating that makes the truth easier to swallow. The whole album can be taken in […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Brown Spirits – Vols 1, 2 and 3 https://freq.org.uk/reviews/brown-spirits-vols-1-2-3/ ... it’s hard to advise against grabbing all three of these quite limited Brown Spirits reissues in one go. Whilst your bank account and storage space might not thank you in […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

One Leg One Eye – Crone https://freq.org.uk/reviews/one-leg-one-eye-crone/ @davros23: "..an agricultural #dystopia with #drones derived from snoring livestock and battered tractors to create an otherworldly sonic texture suggesting sleeping #horrors to be awakened." #folk #musicreview

Juli Deák – Brisk https://freq.org.uk/reviews/juli-deak-brisk/ Recorded at the Church Of The Immaculate Conception in Budapest, this suite of pieces fuses circular breathing techniques, intense rhythmic attack and percussive textures into a whole that […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Let Spin – I Am Alienhttps://freq.org.uk/reviews/let-spin-i-am-alien/ lulling you into calmer waters after the frantic pace of the preceding tracks. Once again Let Spin show how much life there is in this #postjazz world, twisting the vaguely familiar into new and compelling shapes. #musicreview

The Stargazer’s Assistant – Modular Fields https://freq.org.uk/reviews/the-stargazers-assistant-modular-fields/ ...hiccuping hypnotics and slivering interchange shot through with darkened instabilities. A heady otherness The Stargazer’s Assistant have been […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Gnod / Vanishing (live at Strange Brew) https://freq.org.uk/reviews/gnod-vanishing-2026/ @REEL They don’t let the intensity dip; they just hurl themselves at their instruments and search for each others’ groove. They find it, and then they keep going. We want […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Wartel / Landæus / Wartel Collins / Wartel – Celebrating Live https://freq.org.uk/reviews/wartel-celebrating-live/ Between them they bring a wealth of experience in the free improv scene, but the first effort for this line-up is a forty-six minute journey […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Bhajan Bhoy – Meditations https://freq.org.uk/reviews/bhajan-bhoy-meditations/ These pieces are meant for immersive listening rather than dancing; Saggar calls them prayers, tying their purpose into the meaning of bhajan, the Sanskrit term for a devotional […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Kenny Wheeler Sextet – What Was https://freq.org.uk/reviews/kenny-wheeler-sextet-what-was/ ...an album that sees the light after thirty years and not before time, Kenny perhaps at the peak of his later and smoother era, playing with friends and concocting a […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Coup Dur – The English Want… Coup Dur https://freq.org.uk/reviews/coup-dur-english/ Everything about this nineteen-minute selection is indeed just a joy — from the neat inviting 10” vinyl presentation right down to the deep hooks embedded in its actual grooves. #indiepop #musicreview

The Love That Remains https://freq.org.uk/reviews/love-that-remains/ From the very first shot, the director/cinematographer wreaks destruction upon the sanctity of the family unit, even affronting his own characteristic practice of telling his stories through […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

A Lilac Decline – Eternity Bores Me https://freq.org.uk/reviews/lilac-eternity/ Whilst the somewhat murky mix and generally unhurried pacing dissuade instant gratification, the slow burn approach of Eternity Bores Me will reward those already in thrall to the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Guttersnipe – Extinction Burst! https://freq.org.uk/reviews/guttersnipe-extinction-burst/ @REEL "...like other ‘#noiserock bands but also strangely unlike most of them in that, even at this early stage, it felt like every note was deliberate. If it sounded […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Bristol New Music Festival: Ghost Dubs/ Emptyset / Cara Tolmie and Rian Treanor / Frankie and Kelman Duran (live at The Lantern) https://freq.org.uk/reviews/bristol-new-music-2026-2/ The people on the bill tonight feel like threads from the same dark bass […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Seefeel – Sol.Hz https://freq.org.uk/reviews/seefeel-sol-hz/ It is this evocation of distance and stretching of time that Sol.Hz manages so well, pushing us out of a recognisable orbit; yet it engages and moves in equal measure. #electronica #musicreview