Oliver Arditi

Blog archive

  • Simon Little – Rejectamenta (ambient/ jazz)

    Simon Little – Rejectamenta (ambient/ jazz)

    This is a five track collection of material Simon Little elected not to include on his forthcoming second album. These decisions were not made because the tunes didn’t make the grade, but because he felt they weren’t a good fit: they are, however, a good fit with each other, and represent a convincing development of… Read more

  • Monday Musings: Is The Meaning In The Lyrics Or The Music? and my weekly news roundup

    Monday Musings: Is The Meaning In The Lyrics Or The Music? and my weekly news roundup

    A few of the recordings I’ve reviewed lately have challenged me to think about the relationship between words and music, and the location of meanings in vocal songs. I’ve never shied away from discussing music with a lyric in a language I don’t understand, but I’m always aware that I’m missing out on a whole… Read more

  • Bing Ji Ling – Shadow To Shine (funk/ soul)

    Bing Ji Ling – Shadow To Shine (funk/ soul)

    This is a record drenched in the seventies, literally dripping with honeyed, soulful, in-your-face, grinning disco lurve. I mean, look at the cover. Quinn Luke is a man who lives his creative convictions (or knows exactly how to give his audience the impression that he does). These songs are full of that wonderful fusion of… Read more

  • Caustic – The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit (electro-industrial)

    Caustic – The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit (electro-industrial)

    The difference between the electro-industrial and powernoize genres can sometimes be no more than the degree of distortion involved. Much of this album’s beats and song structures could have sat quite happily on Matt Fanales previous Caustic release …And You Will Know Me By The Trail Of Vomit… Read more

  • Eleanor Williams – Orange Peel And Paper (acoustic/ singer-songwriter)

    Eleanor Williams – Orange Peel And Paper (acoustic/ singer-songwriter)

    Naplew Productions, 2010, DD album, 29m 8s, £name your price (all proceeds donated to the charity Women’s Aid) http://m-s-b.bandcamp.com/album/orange-peel-and-paper I’ve been lucky enough a few times recently to find myself reviewing music that’s motivated by a creative generosity. This is not to say that it involves any expectation of gratitude, but simply that it is Read more

  • Tim Oehlers – Guitarisms (acoustic/ improvisation)

    Tim Oehlers – Guitarisms (acoustic/ improvisation)

    This bold, confidently gestural and slightly glitchy visual design seems to represent in a very appropriate way the sounds it promotes: even the title perfectly evokes the assembly of phrases that the album contains, and with it’s echo of ‘truisms’, its creative intentions, if I read them right. Read more