Now Playing on The Tonearm:
Plush Life — The Soft Resistance of Green-House
Olive Ardizoni and Michael Flanagan of the LA-based electronic duo Green-House talk imaginary video games, Sanibel Island shells, a stuffed sloth named Flanby, and the gentle stubbornness behind their new album on Ghostly International.
Friction, Overtones, and the Fluent Pedal Steel of Sam Wenc
Sam Wenc spent thirteen years recording as Post Moves before putting his own name on 'Language at an Angle,' an eight-part tone poem for pedal steel and piano that reflects his extended techniques, his meditation practice, and the defiant spirit of the late Susan Alcorn.
Juanma Trujillo — A Cantaclaro in Barcelona
'Música Para Quinteto: Live at Jazz Cava' captures Juanma Trujillo's Barcelona quintet at full burn, following a prolific decade of recordings and a deliberate exit from New York for a life the Venezuelan guitarist believes feeds the music.
In Dialogue with the Forest — Isabel Pine's 'Fables'
The classically trained string player recorded her new album across 15 wilderness locations in British Columbia, embracing imperfection, improvisation, and the unpredictable feedback of the natural world.
'Chasing Shadows' and the Ancestral Frequencies of Nubiyan Twist
Tom Excell talks through the making of Nubiyan Twist's fifth record, 'Chasing Shadows,' a collision of Afrobeat, jazz, dub, and hip-hop fueled by a rotating cast of collaborators and a growing unease with the forces pulling music away from the people who make it.
This Week's Episode of The Tonearm Podcast:
Bellbird: Montreal's Jazz Collective Heeds the Call
Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici of Bellbird talk about the bird whose recorded cry became the foundation of 'The Call', the chordless sound that defines the quartet, and the political commitments embedded in the music.
The Hit Parade:
“"The newly rejuvenated [Kronos Quartet], still under the durable leadership of violinist and founder David Harrington, appears to be having more fun than ever. And it shows in these performances of whimsical and socially conscious pieces." ❋ “There is no Paul Motian Way in Philadelphia, nor is there likely to be. While his legacy as a drummer, composer and bandleader is secure — perhaps even more since his death in 2011 than it was during his half-century career — he left town before forming any attachments.” ❋ “Originally published in 2007 issue, Terry Hall, Jerry Dammers and more on [“Ghost Town”,] the final, epic single by the band’s original line-up: 'It was about the state of the nation . . . and the state of The Specials.'" ❋ “Príncipe has been championing marginalised Afro-Portuguese electronic producers from the Lisbon suburbs since 2011, knitting together the threads of the country’s myriad Afro-diasporic rhythms – and bringing the city’s post-2000 club soundtrack to the attention of the global stage as a result." ❋ “The Nigerian entertainment company broke the Guinness World Record for the largest orchestra for an Afrobeats concert. It’s just the beginning of what they hope to accomplish." ❋ “Brubeck sold records by the crate, yet was steadfastly held in contempt by a demographic that could hardly do otherwise. There was something fundamentally tribal about the whole business, as would soon be all too readable in the new sociology of the assembling Sixtiespop culture." ❋ “[Dubstep] more or less began at Big Apple, an unassuming record shop tucked away on Surrey Street, Croydon, where a dedicated group of vinyl lovers would convene each week to buy new tunes, swap production tips, and plot their next trip to FWD>>, the primary club night to incubate the style." ❋ “Their guest mix includes Flow State favorites Vangelis, John Carroll Kirby, Ariel Kalma, Nala Sinephro, Nico Georis, and Photay. It also includes new-to-us artists like Milan Pilar, Keisuke Sakai, Hand Habits, Mark Duggan, and Eric Vann …"
New Music Recommendations: Ben McElroy — Allotment Tapes #3: We Are All Visitors Here (RIYL: Looped field recordings mixed with ecological spoken word, Chris Watson) ❋ DJ Nobu — Shō (RIYL: Glassian minimalist repetitions, schaffel-meets-stroboscopic-disco) ❋ Fabio Anile — Minutiae (RIYL: American minimalism meets Swiss precision, Nik Bärtsch, Don Li) ❋ Pan•American — Fly The Ocean In A Silver Plane (RIYL: “ambient beauty meets desolate Americana,” Stars of the Lid) ❋ Simon Hanes — GARGANTUA (RIYL: Edgard Varèse colliding with Led Zeppelin and Behemoth, maximalist swings between transcendent beauty and corrosive noise) ❋ Stuck — Optimizer (RIYL: Chicago post-punk, egg punk, the Albini extended universe)
The Deepest Cut:
I’m writing this from a hotel room in Knoxville as I ready myself for the last day of the Big Ears Festival 2026. So, there’s no newsletter interview this week, but, in its stead, I’ll happily list some of my highlights (so far) from this gathering of niche-obsessed music nerds and psychedelically-inclined jazzbos.
- Mary Lattimore and Julianna Barwick performing almost all of Tragic Magic in a church. Can one be consumed by gorgeousness? (This pair will be on the podcast soon so stay tuned.)
- A screening of the excellent documentary Ellis Park, followed by a Q&A with Warren Ellis hosted by friend of The Tonearm Blake Leyh. Ellis gave one of the most generous, impassioned, and vulnerable (in his openness) sessions I’ve ever seen.
- A ‘secret gig’ with Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson playing off each other for an hour. After one particularly unhinged song, someone from the back shouted, “That was really weird.”
- John Zorn conducting Cobra for thirteen musicians. I was grossly mistaken that I’d perhaps figure out at least some of the gameplay by the end of the set, but I did have a huge smile on my face the entire time. Check this out.
- Lucretia Dalt, who seemed genuinely surprised at the audience’s adoration, playing a delightfully slinky set and also managing to have the nastiest guitar distortion of the festival.
- The Saami Brothers featuring Ustad Naseeruddin Saami at St. John’s Cathedral. I’m told everyone has a gig at Big Ears they wander into with no idea what it’s about, and then it turns out to be one of the best things they see of the festival. This was mine.
- Here’s a guide I put together a week ago of The Tonearm’s Big Ears recommendations. I’ve been trying to catch as many of these artists as I can, even if it only means seeing song a two. It’s seriously like that here.
And there’s more, but my brain is fuzzy and I need to get this newsletter out as I have a date with Lou Reed’s drones.
Run-Out Groove:
Next week: Lots of good stuff! Seriously, when I get home tomorrow night I’m going to be scheduling stories for The Tonearm by the seat of my pants.
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Thank you for reading! We'll see you again next week. 🚀
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