Tag Archives: reviews

Switched On – Berndt / Schmidt – Cloud Machines (Thrill Jockey)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the first collaboration between John Berndt, the Baltimore band leader, and M.C. Schmidt, one half of the celebrated duo Matmos. Both have pooled their considertable expertise in avant garde and experimental music in celebration of the comic books of Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) and “the beautiful miniatures of the SKY Records Cluster/Eno/Conny Plank collaborations”.

The result is an electronic record looking simultaneously backwards and forwards.

What’s the music like?

Packed with incident across an eventful three-quarters of an hour. There is so much going on here that repeated listening is essential to absorb and appreciate the sheer scale of the pair’s inventions.

At times their music sounds like an update of Anton Webern or John Cage, so compressed is its thinking, while the pair cast the net ever wider in search of extra instrumental colour. Humour abounds, with witty thoughts bubbling under the surface as the music ebbs and flows. Especially notable are Our Theme, which behaves like the tuning process of an analogue radio, the descriptive Gecko Lazzaro, featuring trombonist Patrick Crossland and guitarist Owen Gardner, and The Analysis of Joel, a playful and colourful shredding of lines from guitarist Joel Knispel.

3000 is typical of the warmth coursing through the album, its percussion suggesting African influences.

Does it all work?

Yes, in a way that makes you want to return often to Cloud Machines to see what else you can spot. There are so many musical happenings it can be difficult to keep up at first, but as the secrets reveal themselves so too does the pair’s full invention.

Is it recommended?

Yes, without a doubt – fans of the pair’s previous work will lap this up. Be assured, the music is every bit as colourful and as far out as the wonderful cover art!

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Published post no.2,955 – Wednesday 22 July 2026

On Record – Emil Friis: Hollow Hands EP (FatCat Records)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

“She was my savior. And that was the problem. What was I to her? An empty prayer. A hollow hand.”

This quote comes from Kevin Brooks’ short film, For Goodbyes, and it resonated with pianist and producer Emil Friis, providing the inspiration and the title for this new EP of compositions.

As the press release describes, Friis uses “a carefully assembled recording chain consisting of Extinct Audio ribbon microphones, a vintage U47 and additional FET microphones — alongside processing through Moog filters and a Wellspring reverb unit”. To this he adds field recordings captured in Italy during the summer of 2025.

What’s the music like?

Hands, Hollowed proceeds with a steady toll from the piano, though surrounding it are clouds and watery ripples that reflect and refract the music. Some Fine Afternoon is drowsy in a really appealing way, a languid piano arpeggio dressed with something more ornate but equally calming.

Hands, Remembered is a slow memorial piece, stately in the progress of its piano chords but rather beautiful in the muffled chorale that surrounds them. As Sun I Meet You Now is an extended composition, which through its insistent electronic ticking initially sounds as though someone left a machine on by accident, at a distance of a quarter tone to the music. It introduces a blend of comfort and unease, resolved in the toll for the right hand with which the piece ends, a powerful and affirmative statement.

Does it all work?

It does – the four movements taken together provide a distinctive and valuable time out.

Is it recommended?

Yes. Dreamy escapism is on offer with this EP, but look closer and the detail is equally there to enjoy in subsequent listens. Recommended.

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Published post no.2,950 – Friday 17 July 2026

Switched On – Danalogue: Teleportations (Castles in Space)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the first solo LP from Dan Leavers, a founding member of The Comet Is Coming and half of Soccer96, better known as Danalogue.

That name implies a healthy sense of humour, though there is a serious point behind his debut, too, as the press release informs us. “Conceived as a continuous, journey-based piece, Teleportations is a warm, playful and immersive album that transforms endings, grief and personal upheaval into a vivid science-fictional voyage of escape, healing and renewal.”

It taps into a musical upbringing or enormous variety, while being inspired by a number of Science fiction sources, including “astral travel, theta brainwaves, collective consciousness, the artist Jean Giraud, the writer Ernst Bloch and the film maker Miyazaki”.

What’s the music like?

This is a really enjoyable album, and fulfils Leavers’ wish to make a positive, warm-hearted record. This one has a cosmic tint to it, as well, with a number of the tracks making room for semi-improvised thoughts that are given just the right amount of room to breathe.

Showing off his versatility – though not for the sake of it – Leavers includes a slow, yacht-rock inspired jam (Far Beyond The Sun) and colourful, funky poolside house (Moebius Triptych) in the album’s early moments, allowing room in the latter for more extensive synthesizer noodling. Arrival At Rho Ophiuchi could be the theme to your newest sci-fi binge, while postlude Earth Remembrance Day is a deep blue ocean of sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HvuDDxA15I Theta Wave Convergence is especially good, a warm bath of minimal keyboard riffs tripping along on the deeper side of house, the synths bubbling just beneath the surface. In fact the Danalogue house credentials are strong, as the ebullient Onto The Next Dimension shows.

Theta Wave Convergence is especially good, a warm bath of minimal keyboard riffs tripping along on the deeper side of house, the synths bubbling just beneath the surface. In fact the Danalogue house credentials are strong, as the ebullient Onto The Next Dimension also shows.

Does it all work?

It does – and proves equally enjoyable when enjoyed in snippets or in one single span.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. A reminder that electronic music can be a lot of fun, delivering more endorphins than we have a right to expect from a debut album. Music to put a smile on the listener’s face!

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Published post no.2,946 – Monday 13 July 2026

Switched On – Pye Corner Audio – More Songs About The Sun (Sonic Cathedral)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The second Pye Corner Audio studio album for the excellent Sonic Cathedral label is a sequel to Let’s Emerge!, the long player with which he took his bow in 2022. Martin Jenkins, the prolific writer behind the pseudonym, moves further into Balearic warmth with the addition of guitars by Andy Bell, whose work has been enjoyed in this parish for a number of years.

Talking about the album, Jenkins says, “I wanted the whole record to be awash with distortion and saturation, but not in a blown-out guitar amp kind of way. Almost every element has been subject to some form of saturation.”

What’s the music like?

As you might expect, heat-soaked! The album is an ideal blend of electronica and shoegaze, topped off with some restrained euphoria in the form of vocals from Andy Bell and Ian Rankin. Bell proves an ideal match for the dreamy textures of Analogue Dreams, while Cycle goes through the gears with a strong electro bassline. Bell knows when to add propulsion in just the right measure, with a touch of Krautrock here and dubby house there.

Rankin’s involvement is a joy, his spoken word bringing a real frisson to The Breath Of Now, with its low-slung groove right out of the early 1990s. Towards the end of the album the temperature dips, the music cooler to the touch and exploring more shoegaze territory, but the move complements the first half nicely.

Does it all work?

It does – with More Songs About The Sun proving the ideal counterpart to its predecessor.

Is it recommended?

For sure. A hot weather beauty!

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Published post no.2,941 – Wednesday 8 July 2026

Switched On – Marconi Union: Multiforms: Ambient Transmissions Vol. 3 (Just Music)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Marconi Union add another notch to their Multiforms: Ambient Transmissions series with a third volume, accompanied by a full-length A/V visualiser.

It is now 23 years since the Manchester group gave notice of their talents in ambient music with Under Wires and Searchlights. Yet it is 14 years since the second in their Ambient Transmissions series, Weightless – itself a year after Beautifully Falling Apart. In the words of the press release, “There are no standout tracks by design; instead, the album invites full immersion, encouraging the listener to drift through shifting atmospheres, serene soundscapes and quietly evolving emotional states. It is both expansive and intimate, designed for deep listening.”

What’s the music like?

Very easy on the ear. Marconi Union’s music takes its own sweet time to volve, shifting gradually but steadily into live. With warm ambience, Multiform I sets the scene, before Multiform II gets real depth with a sonorous bass note. The progression is smooth, through to Multiform V which provides the sonic equivalent of warm water lapping at the shore of a sandy beach, with nobody in sight. As idyllic as it sounds. The final movement of the suite, Multiform VI, returns to earth with soft piano chords.

The visualiser, which you can watch below, provides the ultimate calming experience.

Does it all work?

Yes, with plenty to spare – and with minimum effort on the part of the listener!

Is it recommended?

It is indeed – Marconi Union devotees will not be hesitating, and neither should the rest of us! Providing the opportunity to pause for thought, Multiform is the ideal comedown from busy times.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,938 – Sunday 5 July 2026