Marc Barreca - The Empty BridgeWith The Empty Bridge, Marc Barreca again exploits his distinct talent for translating landscapes into sound. The music was created in and reflects the influence of contrasting environments the beauty and stillness of the Cascade Mountains and the muted industrial nightscape of the Duwamish Waterway, complete with it's massive, now condemned, empty freeway bridge. The pieces are sculpted from layers of synthesized and sampled instruments, field

his scores themselves stand out as exciting and original examples of the variety of contemporary developments in musical notation

The score is for large forces including an extended orchestra

but also two bassoons and two cellos

they are currently believed to be the first published work by the composer

vast and towering

the Santa Fe-born Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000) opens this record

lean and hungry and generate an onstage charismatic cool that as well as weirdly predating their punk/new wave detractors also displays the theatrical playfulness of a band who instinctively know they're on form

Norway's Wøllo transforms the abstract concept of time into nine compositions of thoughtful and seductive ambient electronic music with melodic soaring themes

and Director of the Japan Coma Society

SATAN'S HOST

they've also been known to tap into the more songwriting-oriented side of those forebears

Cooper introduces us to Marshall Watson