>Hoahio - Ohayo Hoahio
>Art Pop/Experimental
Unassuming chamber pop with Koto (Yagi Michiyo's work) and other acoustic strings, some synths, and Sachiko M doing her thing in between tracks. Haco's voice is relatively nice, and I was happy to see John Zorn having produced this.
I suppose the main pull is how Haco seems to drift between Sachiko and Michiyo's instruments on a spacious stage. Jellyfish and Happy Mail are the best of the pop, and Sea Wall III is a fluffy breakdown of all 3 musicians doing their thing.
Doesn't leave as much as an impression as I hoped it would.
5/10
>Julius Eastman - Unjust Malaise
>Modern Classical, Minimalism
Stay On It isn't attempting to progress the melody, it's trying to... stay on it. The ensemble's vibraphone, marimba, and strings eventually break away from the first movement's riff. I can't tell if the performers are intentionally fucking up about 5 minutes into the song.
If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich?, an introductory trumpet climbs up chromatically. The ensemble bastes in brass drones, and once again attacks the chromatic scale, each instrument attempting to go as high as possible. The chimes summon imagery of a maddened event like The French Revolution alongside the heavy horn blasts, and eventually a very violin joins the turmoil.
Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan D'Arc (1981) and its followup are excellent examples of maximal minimalism. The jump between the two is jarring in a good way.
Gay Guerrilla comes off as a disturbed Philip Glass using only pianos, and is the most accessible and thrilling composition. What begins as heavy atonal chords, turns into heart-wrenching single note strikes.
A conductor occasionally corrals more pianos in the final track, as they restlessly wander into light-adorned halls and hidden passageways.
A shame that a brave composer such as Eastman wouldn't see to produce more.
7/10
