Political

Moor Mother – The Great Bailout

Sonically, this suite continuously transforms by folding different time-spaces on top of each other. Funereal keyboards and ethereal harp echoes give way to haunting trumpet improvisations over stark trap beats; choral spirituals emerge from gritty bass drones; spectral strings are set against glitchy samples. But this is not just music. This is quantum physics; temporal alchemy; ancestral communion; vibrational magic; spirit channeling. These sounds & words are ultimately an act of liberating history from the colonial clutches of a linear timeline, whose violent inertia charges forward to a hegemonic and apocalyptic horizon.

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Elucid – Revelator

Style: Hip-Hop (Abstract, East Coast, Experimental), Illbient, influenced by Post-Punk, Noise Rock, Industrial

Vibes: Cryptic, Visceral, Menacing, Surreal, Philosophical, Brooding, Gritty, Raw, Futuristic, Haunting, Cerebral, Introspective, Rebellious, Dystopian, Eerie, Conscious, Abstract, Dark

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Mount Eerie – Night Palace

“Recorded music is a statue of a waterfall”

Style: Experimental Songwriter, Drone Rock, Avant-Folk, Post-Rock, Slacker Rock, Black Metal-Influenced

Vibes: Animist, Foggy, Forest, Majestic, Intimate, Expansive, Poetic, Nocturnal, Windy, Oceanic, Epic, Winter, Raw, Mystical, Eclectic, Introspective, Reflective, Bittersweet, Cold, Rainy, Conscious, Sensual, Melancholy

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Bruce Cockburn – In the Falling Dark

LP, True North, 1977, Canadian Pressing Recorded September-November, 1976 Style: Singer/Songwriter, Jazz-Folk Vibes: Uplifting, Nocturnal, Spiritual, Personal, Passionate, Reflective, Romantic, Christian, Compassionate, Contemplative, Mystical, Triumphant, Conscious, Intertwined, Poetic, Intricate, Autumnal Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Upright Bass, Flute, Drums, Dulcimer, Percussion, Trumpet Musical Qualities: Lyrical, Progressive, Melodic, Technical, Polished

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FYEAR

Style: Liberation Music, Industrial Jazz, Slam Poetry, Avant-Prog

Vibe: Dystopian, Rebellious, Anxious, Communal, Poetic, Bleak, Apocalyptic, Determined, Powerful, Conscious, Dark, Industrial, Intense, Winter, Climactic

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BOOK REVIEW: No Spiritual Surrender: Indigenous Anarchy in Defense of the Sacred (by Klee Benally)

“A reverberating despair echoes through dry canyons and off distant concrete walls filled with ancestral subversions, it is the far crying conspiracy of anti-colonial dissonance. It is the conflict of Settler cognition in discord with itself, resonating against its contours and contradictions. It is the overbearing sound of desperation and failure weaponized into a pedagogy of negation. Our defiances, our subterfuges, our anti-colonial antagonisms all have a natural resonant frequency. This is the indelicate strategy of breaking glass with sound. This is part of how we make sense of this world, again. I offer that it is the responsibility of those who wage anti-colonial struggle to break the static infrastructures of settler colonialism.”

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Robert Wyatt – Cuckooland

LPx2, Domino Recordings, 2003 / 2008 repress featuring Karen Mantler, Annie Whitehead, Gilad Atzman, David Gilmour, Brian Eno, Paul Weller ON THE SURFACE Style: Progressive Pop, Jazz-Rock, Canterbury Scene Vibes: Surreal, Sombre, Conscious, Dystopian, Ethereal, Ominous, Absurd, Colorful, Gloomy, Mournful, Plaintive, Restrained Themes: Liberation, History, War, Political (Anti-imperialist Critique, Socialism), Existential, Philosophical Instrumentation: Vocals, Keyboards,

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Different Every Time – the Authorised Biography of Robert Wyatt [book review]

This review was recently published as part of Bedcrumbshow newsletter (issue 002), follow them on substack to get updates from our music & radio community “How long can I pretend that music’s more relevant than fighting for a socialist world?” -Robert Wyatt (from Matching Mole’s “Gloria Gloom”) In this thorough biography on the influential singer

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Ilhan Mimaroglu – Sing Me a Song of Songmy

Style: Avant-Garde Classical, Electro-Acoustic, Tape Music, Creative Music, Third Stream

Vibes: Ominous, Sombre, Anxious, Cinematic, Dystopian, Surreal, Poetic, Chaotic, Cold, Complex, Eclectic, Exploratory

Themes: Political, Colonialism, War, Death, Liberation, History

Musical Qualities: Orchestral, Collage, Polyphonic, Dynamic, Spoken Word, Dense, Progressive, Sampling, Choral, Improvisation

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El-P – Fantastic Damage

featuring Aesop Rock, Vast Aire, DJ Abilities, Cage, Ill Bill, Camu Tao, Rob Sonic, Mr. Lif, C-Rayz Walz, Nasa

Style: Hip-Hop [Experimental, Hardcore, Industrial, East Coast, Abstract]

Vibes: Rebellious, Dystopian, Futuristic, Urban, Sarcastic, Rebellious, Aggressive, Chaotic, Surreal, Angry, Industrial, Confident, Political, Science Fiction, Energetic, Sexual, Colorful, Messy, Apocalyptic, Disturbing, Raw

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Nicholas Jaar – Sirens

Style: Ambient Pop, Progressive Electronic, Sound Sculpture, Downtempo

Moods: Urban, Surreal, Nocturnal, Cryptic, Mysterious, Retro-Futuristic, Hypnotic, Introspective, Motorik, Ethereal

Musical Qualities: Vocal Manipulation, Studio-as-an-Instrument. Rhythmic, Atmospheric, Lush, Sampling

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Henry Cow – Unrest

On their second LP, Henry Cow weaves together elements of eerie chamber music, free improvisation, and deconstructed prog to create something that seems like the missing link between the Canterbury jazz-rock of Soft Machine and Gong and the dissonant avant-rock of This Heat.

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Tom Rapp – Stardancer

Style: Folk-Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Acid Folk, Country-influenced

Moods: Autumnal, Moody, Sombre, Bittersweet, Conscious, Eclectic, Melancholy, Political, Mellow, Morning, Mournful, Retro, Psychedelic, Rebellious, Warm

Instrumentation: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Flute, Piano, Organ, Dumbek, Bongos, Drums, Congas, Cello, Vibraphone, Harmonica, Banjo, Mandolin, Wind Chimes, Vocal Harmonies, Bells

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Anguish – Anguish

Anguish is a collaboration between German improvisers Mats Gustafsson & Andres Werliin of the Fire! Orchestra, Hans Joachim Irmler of FaUst, and Will Brooks & Mike Mare of industrial hip-hop legends Dälek.

Style: Industrial Hip-Hop, Dark Jazz, Post-Industrial, Experimental

Moods: Dystopian, Aggressive, Urban, Poetic, Political, Revolutionary, Cerebral, Existential, Sombre, Dark, Depressive, Cold, Mechanical, Heavy, Apocalyptic, Moody, Brooding, Conscious, Abstract, Cryptic, Industrial, Nocturnal, Ominous, Raw, Philosophical

Musical Qualities: Beats, Dissonant, Noisy, Improvisation, Rhythmic, Studio-as-an-Instrument

Instrumentation: Rapping, Sampler, Tenor Saxophone, Synthesizers, Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Electronics, Effect Processing, Vocal Processing

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Exhaust – Exhaust

Style: Post-Rock, Avant-Dub, Experimental

Moods: Deconstructed, Urban, Motorik, Mechanical, Dystopian, Political, Moody, Raw

Musical Qualities: Loops, Noisy, Sampling, Repetitive, Atmospheric, Dub, Instrumental, Dynamic

Instrumentation: Drums, Electric Bass, Bass Clarinet, Sampler, Field Recordings, Tapes

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Jackie-O Motherfucker – Bloom

“I am not me” the chorus sings repeatedly, a spell to dissolve the ego and deconstruct the myth of American individualism, leaving fertile ground for a collective vision of abundance to bloom. The open-door band of multi-instrumentalists shakily weave through a suite of haunting drone seances, raggedly tender folk sing-a-longs, liberated group improvisations and triumphant post-rock discord. Once again Jackie-O Motherfucker continues their forward march to a beautiful anarchic world without losing touch with its roots in the weird American underground.

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Audio Liberation Technologies (Reflections of Dystopia) [Moon Glow Radio | 04.02.2023]

This brooding mix of gritty, nocturnal electronics, de-constructed experimentation, and post-industrial beats conceptualizes music as a liberation technology, channelling vital information & powerful energies within its sonic codes. Artists such as Dälek, Moor Mother, The Knife, Joe Rainey, & Efrim Menuck draw from theories of de-colonialism, marxism, Black Quantum Futurism, free jazz, anti-imperialism & anarchy to illuminate & confront oppressive systems as they really are, inspiring collective resistance, and illuminating new pathways forward.

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Pearls Before Swine – One Nation Underground

Style: Acid Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Chamber-Folk

Moods: Surreal, Philosophical, Pacifist, Eclectic, Medieval, Cryptic, Melancholy, Spring, Morning, Conscious, Moody, Whimsical, Protest, Political, Psychedelic, Acerbic

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitar, Harpsichord, Organ, Autoharp, Banjo, Mandolin, Vibraphone, Audio Oscillator, Electric Bass, English Horn, Clavioline, Sarangi, Finger Cymbals, Swinehorn

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Horse Lords – Comradely Objects

Style: Experimental Rock, Totalism, Math Rock

Influences: Tishoumaren, Krautrock, Free Jazz

Moods: Triumphant, De-Hypnotizing, Propulsive, Knotty, Angular, Kinetic, Energetic, Dancey, Embodied, Tangled, Communist, Chaotic

Musical Qualities: Polyrhythmic, Complex, Dense, Just Intonation, Instrumental, Uncommon Time Signatures, Microtonal, Dissonant, Polyphonic, Technical, Repetitive, Drones

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Moor Mother – Jazz Codes

Style: Jazz Rap, Great Black Music, Experimental Hip-Hop, Future Jazz

Moods: Conscious, Surreal, Futuristic, Mystical, Uplifting, Warm, History, Cryptic, Poetic, Storytelling, Spiritual, Ethereal, Eclectic, Sombre, Summer, Political

Musical Qualities: Lush, Lyrical, Suite, Beats

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Moor Mother – Circuit City

Style: Future Jazz, Free Jazz Theater, Jazz Poetry

Vibe: cathartic, cerebral, dystopian, energetic, futuristic, bombastic, intense, noisy, passionate, poetic, political, powerful, rebellious, urban, heavy, AfroFuturist

Musical Attributes: Complex, Conceptual, Dense, Dissonant, Spoken Word, Theatric, Progressive, Polyphonic, Improvisation

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Irreversible Entanglements – Open the Gates

Style: Free Jazz, Future Jazz, Jazz Poetry, Liberation Music

Vibe: Ritualistic, Triumphant, Aquatic, Communal, Futuristic, Philosophical, Poetic, Anthemic, Cerebral, Confident, Conscious, Determined, Epic, Existential, Groovy, Healing, Heavy, Liberation, Political, Powerful, Rebellious, Evocative, Mystical, Intertwined

Musical Qualities: Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Acoustic Instrumentation, Spoken Word, Progressive Structures, Rhythmic, Polyphonic, Dynamic, Complex, Dub Fx

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Swamp Dogg – Rat On!

Style: Country-Soul, Funk

Vibe: Anthemic, Bittersweet, Triumphant, Political, Satirical, Playful, Groovy, Sunny, Conscious, Heartfelt, Warm, Sentimental, Rebellious, Philosophical

Musical Qualities: Lush, Rhythmic, Polished, Melodic, Lyrical

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Robert Wyatt – Old Rottenhat

Style: Experimental Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop, Canterbury Scene, Jazz-Rock

Vibe: Political (Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialist), Satirical, Conscious, Melancholy, Hypnotic

Musical Attributes/Instrumentation: Sparse, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Layered Vocals, Digital Keyboards, Drum Machines, Percussion, Synthesizers, Piano

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Horse Lords – The Common Task

The Common Task is an incessant barrage of jolting polyrhythms that simultaneously hypnotize and disorient.

Style: Experimental Rock, Math Rock, Post-Rock, Totalism
Vibe: Hypnotic, Surreal, Triumphant, Complex, Political
Musical Attributes: Microtonal, Polyrhythmic, Repetitive, Odd Time Signatures, Saharan Africa-Influenced, Technical, Instrumental

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Jamila Woods – Heavn

Style: Soul, Art Pop

Vibe: Confident, Heartfelt, Introspective, Colorful, Triumphant, Uplifting, Urban, Loner

Lyrical Themes: Conscious, Poetic, Political, Personal, Black Pride, Love, Feminist

Musical Attributes: Groovy, Lush, Headphone Album, Polished, Catchy, Technical

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Stereolab – Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night

Style: Progressive Pop, Space Age Pop

Influences: Kosmische Musik, Bossa Nova, French Pop, Lounge

Vibe: Spacey, Lush, Retro-Futuristic, Catchy, Groovy, Motorik, Nocturnal, Uplifting

Musical Attributes: Melodic, Headphone Album, Odd Time Signatures, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Progressive, Lyrical

Lyrics: Philosophical, Political, Communist, Bi-Lingual (English and French)

Instrumentation: Synthesizers, Vibraphone, Drums, Electric Bass, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Brass, Strings, Keys (Organ, Clavinet, Harpsichord, Wurlitzer)

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Irreversible Entanglements – Who Sent You?

Irreversible Entanglements follows up the scathing fire music of their debut with regenerative and ritualistic earth music. “Who Sent You?”, is a record that looks not only to the violent “rhythms of oppression”, past and present, that need to be burnt to the ground, but to a future built from the ashes of these unjust systems. Irreversible Entanglements are simply one of the most powerful bands in existence, building their symbiotic improvisations with fervent passion, hypnotic rhythm, and urgent truths.

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