The music of Theresa Stroetges (Golden Diskó Ship) is beautiful, beguiling and bold.  Why can’t more pop music be like this?  Simultaneously more accessible and intricate than 2012’s Prehistoric Dance Party, her latest work cements her reputation as a dynamic composer.  The “one girl orchestra” does it her way, and her talent pours from these grooves.  Invisible Bonfire is lush and intimate: complex in design and personal in nature.

While Prehistoric Dance Party included one obvious single (“Girl in a Slower Ghostship”) among a host of pleasing concoctions, Invisible Bonfire works better as a full album.  After a few plays, potential singles begin to stand out; after a few more, one realizes that nearly every track has a sneaky sensibility, with at least one segment that works its way into the subconscious: the late guitar riff of “these thoughts will never take shape” (4:44), the onomatopoeia…

I think it’s fair to assume that if you follow this blog you will know what a soundwalk is. But for those unfamiliar with the term: this fun and interactive practice essentially involves a small group listening, and sometimes recording, while moving through a physical space at a slow walking pace.

Soundwalks can be powerful tools when used in creative and educational contexts, as they take everyday elements such as familiar soundscapes and the action of walking, and focus the attention of participants to events and structures (be it geographical, architectural or even social) that are often ignored. I like to use them often in my work, and also find myself going back to soundwalking even just to rediscover sounds I feel I’ve grown too accustomed to.

It can easily be argued that there are as many soundwalk styles as there are recordists, but recently I have come across a couple of interesting variations on the theme, which…

MonoLogue is just one of the many projects of Rosa Maria Sarri (Marie e le Rose), who works as a sound designer and in music and art therapy in addition to producing lovely music. It seems to me that her professional activities lend a sophistication and a sensitivity to her musical compositions.  At its best, her music remains organic and free flowing without being aimless, rooted in the particular concept of each project. We last heard from MonoLogue on Orlando, her collaboration with Con_cetta on a unique soundtrack to Virginia Woolfe’s novel of the same name.   This year has also seen the release of The Twilight Tonecassette from her Moon Ra personality, a lunar/feminine counterpoint to the sun god’s cosmic excess, a bedroom synth heavy trip of somnambulant hallucinations.  Such electronic excursions are well executed and often deeply engrossing, but Sarri’s work is most affective…

Kate Carr‘s spring trip to Iceland has given the artist new energy and inspiration, along with a new instrument (the langspil).  In addition to her new album, a combination of field recordings and additional layerings of music, she’s also been recording a new guitar piece every day.  (See Carr’s blog for details.)  Another reason to visit the artist’s site is to hear the original Icelandic field recordings and to compare them with the finished works:  “Slowly melting snow” has become “melt”, “Geese take flight” is preserved in its original form, and so on.  (Note to the artist: please release the originals on a CD3″!)

It’s easy to see why Carr has extended these recordings.  Sometimes a snippet is not enough; for example, the 1:06 of “Ice lake groaning”.  What artists hear on location is not all they experience, remember or hope to capture.  Carr’s re-workings can be considered translations…