Nickie’s Niches December 2022

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1. 

   The Lost Vision of The Chandoo Priest

   by The Lost Vision of The Chandoo Priest

   favorite track

   Droplets

   Hailing from Milan, Francesca Zanetta and NIccolo Gallani have teamed up and created lovely psychedelia, which is often eerie and phantasmagoric. Both are multi-instrumentalists, utilizing various guitars, keyboards, synths and flute to create transportive and evocative delights, most of which are primarily pastoral in feel

   1. 

      Polarchoral

      by GRICE

      favorite track

      Saviour

      This is the latest from GRICE, which is the vision of this mysteriously named composer. Richard Barbieri assists on a track here, along with many other musicians providing a variety of classical and even ethnic instruments. GRICE himself handles vocals as well as being a multi-instrumentalist on various guitars, keyboards and synths. Plenty of washy vocals and murkiness create a dreamy sonic landscape, which is moody and melancholic.

      Not on Bandcamp: Loga Ramin Torkian & Azam Ali “Samir (Original Soundrack) I love lots of soundtrack music and music with Middle Eastern flavour. Hoping to find a new release from Azam Ali, I stumbled on this lovely soundtrack. All of the atmosphere one could wish for, dark, moody and menacing. Torkian has designed and created his own musical instruments such as the acoustic bowed Kamaan and a quarter-tone guitar with moveable frets. He is often heard playing the Guitar Viol. Azam Ali does play the santour, but is primarily known for her superb vocals. During her varied career, she has sung in several languages, including the fictional Fremen, from Dune. Favourite track: End Title, which is the longest of the pieces and most indicative of what you will hear in it’s entirety.

      Not on Bandcamp: Loga Ramin Torkian & Azam Ali “Samir (Original Soundrack) I love lots of soundtrack music and music with Middle Eastern flavour. Hoping to find a new release from Azam Ali, I stumbled on this lovely soundtrack. All of the atmosphere one could wish for, dark, moody and menacing. Torkian has designed and created his own musical instruments such as the acoustic bowed Kamaan and a quarter-tone guitar with moveable frets. He is often heard playing the Guitar Viol. Azam Ali does play the santour, but is primarily known for her superb vocals. During her varied career, she has sung in several languages, including the fictional Fremen, from Dune. Favourite track: End Title, which is the longest of the pieces and most indicative of what you will hear in it’s entirety.

      1. 

         Return to Arda

         by Dave Brons

         favorite track

         When the Snow Thaws

         Another Tolkien-inspired release from guitarist-extraordinaire and composer Dave Brons. He brings in some heavyweights along for the adventure, including Dave Bainbridge on keyboards and Sally Minnear providing vocals. This is Celtic prog rock at it’s finest, utilizing electric and traditional Celtic instruments, as well as orchestra and choir. The solo piano track, “Into the Woods of Lothlorien,” is pure elegance, and Sally’s vocal piece is achingly gorgeous.

         1. 

            ARBORIA – II

            by ARBORIA

            favorite track

            Tonight at Rodon [ parts 1 & 2 ]

            Ambient psych jazz outfit from the UK here with fabulous musicianship at the fore. Entirely instrumental, this group moves readily from acoustic to electric, with transcendent melodies, weaving a rich story within each piece of music. Unusual in that there are no sweeping epics here, just concise worlds which are introduced and then gone, like fragments of rich and colourful dreams.

            1. 

               The Quiet Noise

               by Grackle

               favorite track

               Persephone

               A 6-piece band hailing from Louisville, KY, Grackle plays dreamy, misty and restrained indie/prog, with some forays into chamber music. Instrumentation consists of piano, drums, bass, violin, sax, flute and cello. Vocals are presented by Steve and Joanna Katsikas. The vocals are a bit back in all of the mixes, which adds to the mysterious feeling of the music emanating from long-trailing mosses, babbling brooks, and hidden glades

               1. 

                  Narrow is the Road

                  by Compassionizer

                  favorite track

                  Black Sky White

                  Thoughtful progressive avant chamber music outfit is the latest brainchild of Roz Vitalis’ Ivan Rozmainsky. A vast array of instrumentation, comprising the usual electric suspects as well as strings, clarinets, marimba and many percussive elements bring the sometimes dark, yet mostly hopeful compositions to life here. All proceeds are going to Ukrainian refugees living in Hamburg, Germany

                  1. 

                     the Outland

                     by Gleb Kolyadin

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                     favorite track

                     Apparatus

                     Here, Gleb is joined by numerous classical and progressive heavyweights, producing a modern contemporary classical feast for the ears. His scintillating, and effortless fluidity as a pianist and keyboardist and inventiveness as a composer all are presented here in spades. The music moves deftly from acoustic to electric and blends them exquisitely with the help of his able cohorts