Balaclava: What A Regular Day

It looks like Queens has spawned another nice punk band. Balaclava may hide themselves behind the masks, buit the cat is out of the bag with What A Regular Day, a rambling garage rocker that offers two sides of the coin of an ordinary day in NYC. It is all about perspective and make the most of it. Yes, the Big Apple is a mess, but it is also beautiful, vibrant and alive. Who would expect to hear a garbage man complaining about a lack of trash?

Abîmes Marécageux: Noroít

French post-rock multi-instrumentalist Abîmes Marécageux found the inspiration for his new Noroít EP close to home. He only had to leave his house on Oléron Island and wander around on his own in the salt marshes close to the Atlantic to come up with four tracks trying to capture the loneliness, but also the beauty and the sound of the ocean. With guitar parts acting as both gentle breezes and gushing winds he explores the softer sides of noise. Nature can be overwhelming - there is always something going on - but it can also act as a safe haven away from the hustle and bustle of humanity.

He sets up a conversation with himself, using bass, percussion, guitar and synths as his partners in crime. It is easy picturing him staring at the sky watching the clouds drift by while small creatures at his feet go along with their business. The tension and release by stacking long drawn out notes on top a dry back beat guarantee and immersive listening experience, best enjoyed in solitude in a bespoke music room (or go for the cheaper route donning a pair of decent headphones).

Marc Soucy: Refraction

Boston-based composer and producer Marc Soucy came up with a subtle mix of jazz and funk for his instrumental Refraction. It starst at a leisurely, but gains traction as the track progresses, giving it a '70s soul-flavoured vibe on top of shifting textures.

A rare treat to experience an easy on the ears track that never gets boring. It surely will get a thumbs up for fellow musicians and listeners who are willing to dive in repeatedly in order to find things they might have missed the first time around.

Phish 2026 Fall tour SBD + torrents: 2026/10/04 Atlantic City, NJ

Atlantic City, NJ 2026 poster by Brian Blomerth

Phish
2026/10/04
Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, NJ

Set 1:

1. David Bowie
2. The Moma Dance
3. Sigma Oasis[1]
4. Blaze On
5. Halley's Comet
6. Wilson
7. The Squirming Coil[2]

Jumble Hole Clough: The Sandman of Aberystwyth

Avant-garde musician Colin Robinson kicks off The Sandman of Aberystwyth , the new album by his one-man project Jumble Hole Clough, with the a '60s baroque pop title track, but the music soon gets weirder after that, because, well, he can't help himself diving into arcane subjects like vintage bubble cars, Orson Wells at garde game and unexploded bombs near a chips shop.

He has a sharp eye for architecture (Iconoclasm Here), technology (Launching the Puddling Boat at Nob End, English Electric) and of course the weather, everybody's favourite bit of small talk (I went to Skipton and it rained). Robinson's knack to find inspiration from pretty much anything he comes across and mixing it up with glee - like inserting a line from a famous William Blake poem into a song about writer Rudyard Kipling - is on a par with his musical eclecticism. There is Robert Fripp-inspired guitar in 40 days & 40 nights, quite a bit of Zappa obviously, and skewed homemade motorik drum parts.