Posts about Metallic Life Review written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
Posts about Necessary Fictions written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
8 posts published by postrockcafe and JB during June 2025| a closer listen
Posts about NMC Recordings written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
Posts about Clare O’Connell written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
8 posts published by JB, postrockcafe, and gianmarcodelre during September 2025| a closer listen
Without wishing to generalise, reviewers prefer covering debut albums. Introducing a fresh artist’s music to a new group of potential followers provides a mild fillip for the writer who can say that they have been on board from the start.| a closer listen
Exactly one year ago today, Hurricane Helene hit an unsuspecting Asheville, North Carolina and a swath of surrounding areas, causing momentous flooding and devastation. To mark the one-year anniversary, Asheville imprint Ceremony of Seasons releases a massive 30-track, 3 hour, 20| a closer listen
We have covered releases by both William Tyler (as recently as 23rd April this year) and Kieran Hebden (as Four Tet), but even so, this is a surprising collaboration that originally appeared on the single “Darkness, Darkness” / “No Services”| a closer listen
What’s black and white and red all over? The entire history of the webuildmachines label up to this point, which makes the new color palette of Personas all the more striking. Ryan Miller is the label’s founder and flagship artist, typically| a closer listen
When your musical identity changes, are you still you? This is the question faced by Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel, whose first ten years of recording as Grandbrothers were marked by a singular approach: every sound in their music, direct or indirect,| a closer listen
Today is the first day of fall, which means the air should be growing slowly colder in the Northern Hemisphere. And yet, year to year, the air is growing swiftly warmer around the world. This is the impetus for forms| a closer listen
And we’re back after the Summer break with another packed episode from the four corners of Ukraine. We start off in Kyiv (via Baku) addressing anxiety with äsc3ea a common feeling for many Ukrainians; in Kryvy Rih, we meet ДЖАП| a closer listen
In standard verbiage, light tends to glow, to shine, to radiate. In summoning an image of light as something that might flow, London-based cellist and curator Clare O’Connell evokes a subtle tensio…| a closer listen
Approximately 4000 instrumental albums were submitted for review this year, nearly half of them ambient. To reach the summit is like climbing up the hill on the cover of Hollie Kenniff’s For…| a closer listen
The tone is ambient, the timbre electronic; Loula Yorke’s modular synthesizer compositions create a trancelike state that is eminently relaxing, especially now that the occasional drums of Fl…| a closer listen
Posts about The Book of Commonplace written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
8 posts published by Joseph Sannicandro and postrockcafe during December 2023| a closer listen
The unusual, the odd, the exciting, the weird: outliers converge in our Experimental section, which gathers those with avant leanings under a single banner. From music that is creative yet accessib…| a closer listen
Posts about David Boulter written by postrockcafe and Garreth| a closer listen
Posts about Clay Pipe Music written by postrockcafe and Garreth| a closer listen
Posts about Hollie Kenniff written by postrockcafe and JB| a closer listen
The music is calm, the cover is calm, the effect is calm. After releasing four singles over the course of spring, Harbors (Hollie Kenniff & Goldmund) is releasing When We Are Free in the heart …| a closer listen
Posts about Prasens Editionen written by postrockcafe and ukstratboy| a closer listen
a home for instrumental and experimental music| a closer listen
Whatever the Weather II’s opening track, “1°C,” samples a voice that observes, “Bit chilly, innit? […] Can’t wait for it to be summer.” It’s the voice of the artist, Loraine James, or Whateve…| a closer listen
Autumnal weather reminds us of the nordic concept of hygge, which is not completely translatable but refers to a certain mood of comfort, coziness, and togetherness. Hygge, which became an internat…| a closer listen
Many cultures associate felinity with femininity. That is, people tend to think of cats as feminine, as opposed to dogs which are associated with more masculine traits. Cats are reserved, mysteriou…| a closer listen
Coumarin is a sweet, fragrant compound that many plants release when their leaves or flowers begin to wilt. The opening track of Tristan De Liege and NoKillShelter’s EP is, like its namesake, delic…| a closer listen
In June, we listed “In Re Budd,” the first single off of Rain Before Seven, in our article Ten Tracks that Sound Like Summer. When Penguin Cafe released the full album, it became clear that the ear…| a closer listen
Malaysia has significant populations of Malay, Indian, Chinese, and indigenous peoples, and as such the country embodies a diverse mix of cultures. Complicated by race, religion, and politics, the …| a closer listen
Posts about rival consoles written by mayarose and postrockcafe| a closer listen
Posts about Erased Tapes written by mayarose and postrockcafe| a closer listen
Less than a year after Rival Consoles’ last release comes his newest album Now Is, which marks the artist’s third LP since 2020. The prior two (Articulation and Overflow) were released at pandemic …| a closer listen
Posts about Gonçalo F Cardoso written by postrockcafe and Joseph Sannicandro| a closer listen
Posts about Discrepant written by postrockcafe and Joseph Sannicandro| a closer listen
Posts about Ten Tracks That Sound Like Summer written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
8 posts published by postrockcafe during August 2025| a closer listen
Changsha, China post-rockers Summer Fades Away released their first album in 2011 and their second in 2012, with an expansive sound that was often compared to that of MONO. But just as the quintet…| a closer listen
Nao Kuroda’s debut EP is a reminder of the soft spaces to which one might retreat to find restoration and rest. Stillness is a series of vignettes, separated by silent intervals, which allow…| a closer listen
The Erosion/Disappearance EP tells a true life tale in abbreviated form, tracing the slow disappearance of land in Atafona on the north coast of Rio de Janeiro. Over the last sixty years, 500 build…| a closer listen
Tament is a personal translation, an audio diary of sounds created and heard. Glinca calls it “the audio of the everyday.” The timbre is warm and welcoming: the tenderness of thumb pi…| a closer listen
Given the fact that Matteo Pagamici and Michael Künstle have already composed for TV and film, it’s no surprise that their debut album is cinematic. The bonus is a 92-piece orchestra, which …| a closer listen
Time is a Succession of Such Shapes, declares Loula Yorke. But what shapes? The answers can be found within this double disc, which includes a hard copy of June’s exquisite The Book of Comm…| a closer listen
One feels compelled to read the news in order to stay informed, but the news can be overwhelming. The North Yorkshire coast offers a different kind of news: time and tide, bird and brood, beach an…| a closer listen
Early summer is filled with anticipation, while late summer is graced by a sense of melancholy. We’re in mid-summer now, caught between the two extremes. These dog days are characterized by…| a closer listen
Posts about Oscarson written by postrockcafe and Garreth| a closer listen
Posts about Dalton Alexander written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
8 posts published by postrockcafe, jennifersmart58, and gianmarcodelre during May 2025| a closer listen
8 posts published by postrockcafe, Joseph Sannicandro, gianmarcodelre, and captainfreakout during April 2025| a closer listen
8 posts published by postrockcafe, gianmarcodelre, and mayarose during July 2025| a closer listen
tedzi تدزي’s Mn Dehab may begin and end in drone, but there’s a lot of anger in-between. The Lebanese artist, now located in Berlin, uses the liner notes to express what is not explici…| a closer listen
Yoichi Kamimura must have had a sinking feeling when local elders informed him that despite all his hard work and years of field recording, he had failed to capture the true sound of Ryūhyō-Nari (d…| a closer listen
Lots of in depth interviews this month mostly recorded back in May in Ukraine which you can both listen to and read. In Dnipro, I reconnect with old friends Roman Slavka, Eugene Gordeev and Igor Ya…| a closer listen
Start with mid-period Sigur Rós, blend it with early Morr Music and múm, add a touch of Where the Wild Things Are and you’ve got Disiniblud, the brand new duo of Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith.…| a closer listen
Rival Consoles (aka Ryan Lee West) is a prolific artist, typically releasing consecutive full-length albums with less than a year’s time in between. Landscape from Memory comes after somewhat of a …| a closer listen
Imagine you are on an island: an imaginary island comprised of pieces of all the islands you’ve visited and dreamt of visiting. This is the vision created by Impressões de Várias Ilhas, the …| a closer listen
On a record-breaking 106F/41C afternoon this June, I walked by Carvel Ice Cream and saw something that looked like this album cover: a dairy product that had just given up. Fortunately, no real ic…| a closer listen
This month marks the five-year anniversary of Portland, OR’s Errorgrid Records, and to celebrate the occasion, they have teamed up with Heterodox Records to produce Tension/Release 2, a seque…| a closer listen
The languid, nostalgic side of summer is reflected in these eleven tracks from around the world, each one inspired by a summer memory, with words from the artists and a matching photograph. While …| a closer listen
An open call from Italy’s Biodiversità Records has led to an incredible array of soundscapes; the fourth in a biennial series, 14 Soundscapes takes listeners around the world to enjoy a varie…| a closer listen
We can’t believe Josh Tabbia’s Already Dead Tapes is 15 years old, because we can remember when it was born and now it’s almost old enough to drive! Moving around a bit, from Chi…| a closer listen
This year, A Closer Listen received thousands of submissions and reviewed hundreds; today our international staff chooses twenty. Three former chart-toppers appear on this year’s list, while…| a closer listen
Those of us who are musically inclined find it hard to resist tapping on an empty pipe or an exposed bell, just to hear the sound. Matmos (Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt) have been doing such things…| a closer listen
In 2023, GoGo Penguin responded to an onslaught of losses with Everything’s Going to Be Okay, a sentiment extended on their seventh album and the trio’s second with drummer Jon Scott. …| a closer listen
While preparing to release her new album, Time is a Succession of Such Shapes (August 6), Loula Yorke has provided fans with a delicious first taste. The Book of Commonplace is as personal as they…| a closer listen
This year’s Top 20 list is noteworthy for its variety, a reflection of the wealth of music on the market. For every 200 albums submitted to ACL, only one makes our final list. This makes it…| a closer listen
2023 was an extremely healthy year for post-rock, which takes up half the spots on this year’s list. The surprise is that some of the biggest names in the field didn’t make it, while n…| a closer listen
Ben Chatwin has taken a new approach in 2025, releasing a double-A side single followed by an EP, each boasting visuals from Morgan Beringer. These audio-visual works are meant to be experienced i…| a closer listen
With The Weiertal EP, Martina Lussi has performed the highly unlikely feat of extracting singles from a soundwalk. The Swiss artist, known for her music, field recordings and installations, has co…| a closer listen
Seeing the “devotional” tag sneak back to the top of Grails’ Bandcamp list, one knows to expect another shift. Since 2003, the chameleonic band has kept fans interested in their …| a closer listen
Posts about Maya Merberg written by mayarose and postrockcafe| a closer listen
Warning: Contains minor spoilers! It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen the film, and one week since I’ve seen the film again, and I can’t get the music out of my head. Ludw…| a closer listen
If the album title looks slightly but not completely familiar, it’s because we reviewed Almost Home If I’m Still Alive last year. That LAAPS LP included Dalton Alexander’s entire…| a closer listen
To many, the notion of frailty will immediately evoke sorrow, suggesting something diminished, a back bent toward the drawing down of a life. But its richness of meaning can also unfurl as layers o…| a closer listen
Traditional Irish folk music has withstood the test of time. Its origins predate written records, and many of the basics of the genre’s form have remained since before the 17th century. Some aspect…| a closer listen
Poet Wendell Berry writes of having “the wisdom to survive, to stand like slow-growing trees on a ruined place, renewing it, enriching it.” On his four-disc set The Pines, Joshua Bonne…| a closer listen
The delightfully different Staraya derevnya, now seven strong, returns this spring with another unusual album. The first sessions took place in London, later recordings were made in Bulgaria, Isra…| a closer listen
Posts about Various Artists written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
Posts about Temporary Residence Ltd. written by postrockcafe| a closer listen
Some bands change intentionally, while others have change thrust upon them. Over the course of the past ten years, this Belgian band first changed its sound subtly, then dramatically. Witness the…| a closer listen
Four continents, seven tracks, eight guest stars, twenty-two minutes of music: Worlds: Collide is a crash course in ambience, the tonal opposite of the 1951 sci-fi film it references. The music sh…| a closer listen
All Mogwai albums are good albums, and some are great albums. Is The Bad Fire one of the greats? The answer may depend on how many of the eleven the listener has heard, as well as the age of the …| a closer listen
Subminiature gives us a new way to appreciate Hour. The live album collects performances from multiple locations in a spoke radiating around the ensemble’s Philadelphia home. Five tracks ar…| a closer listen
Are you ready for Carnaval? We know we are. When the landscape is barren and the air is bitter cold, we yearn for color and warmth. The sounds of last year’s Carnaval in Cajamarca, Peru ha…| a closer listen
Post-rock returned with a roar this year as three of the scene’s stalwarts, with discographies stretching back 20, 25 and 30 years, proved that they remain relevant. But this article celebrat…| a closer listen
