Harmonious

National Health – National Health

National Health was a continuation of Canterbury supergroup Hatfield & the North, bringing over essentially everyone from that project, except Hatfield’s bassist Richard Sinclair (Caravan), including Pip Pyle (Gong), Dave Stewart (Egg), Amanda Parsons, and Phil Miller (Matching Mole). Unsurprisingly, the LP is packed with warm, playful virtuosity. Overdriven bass takes the helm for most of the themes, locked in with propulsive grooves and shifting time signatures of Pyle’s drums. The space fills out quite colorfully with harmonious waves of electric piano, woodwinds and Moog synthesizer. When things need to be taken up a notch, Miller comes in with some triumphantly energizing guitar solos. What really makes this album special though are Amanda Parson’s vocals, which work both as a wordless instrument within the polyphonic arrangements, and as a unifying, lyrical force during the album’s most epic moments.

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Rafael Torral – Spectral Evolution

LP, Moikai / Drag City, 2024 Recorded 2020-2022 Style: Progressive Ambient, Experimental Electronic Vibes: Ethereal, Luminous, Patient, Nature, Birds, Blissful, Meditative, Abstract, Airy, Bright, Hypnotic, Mysterious, Soothing Musical Qualities: Loops, Lush, Textural, 432 hz, Harmonious, Droney, Suite, Extened Technique, Instrumental, Slow, Improvisation, Layered Instrumentation: Electric Guitar, Electric Bass, Homemade Electronic Instruments

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Merope – Vejula

Behind a luminous, translucent veil, we find ourselve immersed in ethereal, electro-acoustic sound worlds emerging from fragments of Lithuanian folk songs. With blissful instrumental contributions from Laraaji, Shahzad Ismaily, Bill Frisell, and Craig Taborn, the duo delicately weave celestial zithers, otherwordly vocals, warm guitar melodies, glitchy electronics and softly blooming synth pads into a colorful, healing cocoon full of harmonious secrets.

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