Sax Madness x 2, Tech Metal from Tasmania & Art Pop Glory

With this heatwave lingering over Europe, how about some ultra slow experimental Doom Jazz to just lie there and stare into the void? Dutch pioneer Jason Köhnen (also Celestial Season, The Answer Lies Within The Black Void and many more) has metamorphosized his Bong-Ra outfit after 20 years of Breakcore madness into a ritualistic, doomy darkjazz ensemble and “Meditations” is the second album of that era after 2018’s “Antediluvian” and it’s got everything I love about this underground subgenre: spacey-jazzy drums, wailing saxophones, an Oud for those oriental desert vibes and the gnarliest bass tones. Slow, slower, Bong-Ra. Dark, darker, Meditations. Come stare into the black void with me. Maybe the answer lies within? Dario

More weird saxophone madness? More weird saxophone madness! Way less doomy than Bong-Ra, way more schizo, but not any less ritualistic, the grooves are just a tad more uptempo and the void feels a lot more colorful. Sensory overload trigger warning though: the strobes might be a bit much if you’re still accustomed to the big black nothing just sitting there all calm and void. With “Deus”, the newest EP from the crazy Odd Circus trio we dive into 8 mostly improvised sketchy drafts circling into a world of sociopathy and derangement. What else could you want from a visit to the Odd Circus? Dario

Hailing from Hobart, Tasmania, one of the most remote places one could think of (at least from a European perspective), technical death metal giants Psycroptic are at it for more than 20 years already. Now, they present us their 8th studio album that goes by the name “Divine Council”. The average speed is probably 5 times the ‘speed’ of the Bong-Ra album highlighted above and the thrash-inspired riffs are delivered with razor-sharp precision. Infused with subtle orchestrations that never take away from the heaviness but add a wonderful momentum and melodic threads weaving through the guitars during the choruses, the four Aussie horsemen are riding a perfect balance not all tech death bands manage to hit. Well done. Dario

To round things out and to calm down on another sultry summer night after this vicious onslaught we have “Butterfly Mind”, the new solo album from Tim Bowness. Tim might be best known for his work with Steven Wilson in No-Man, “Butterfly Mind” is his seventh solo album overall though and his 40th anniversary release at that. It’s a haunting collection of 11 songs that oscillate between Art Pop/Rock, Electric Ballroom Glitter and sensuous ballads infused with a very british post-punk that adds an element of unpredictability and surprise here and there. The music on “Butterfly Mind” can welcome you in a familiar cloak at times while other parts are rather harsh and jarring in contrast, or dark and dystopian which makes for a good and dynamic contrast and highlights Tim’s songwriting prowess. Noteworthy among the numerous guest musicians is Nick Beggs, whose bass playing is as flamboyant and exciting as ever and the sudden cameo of ex-No-Man violinist Ben Coleman in the album closer ‘Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 2’, ending the album on a high note. Exquisite stuff for the Art Pop connoisseurs. Dario