I’ve long been a fan of the band. Way back in 2000, Steve Brydges of Copper Press turned me on to their debut LP, That’s Your Fire (also on Polyvinyl and well with worth seeking out!)

Back in 2000, Aloha often created a boisterous noise. Part of their sonic signature included copious vibraphone flurries, matched by experimental rock guitars and mathy time signatures.

Over the years, Aloha’s sound became more layered and progressive in presentation. One hesitates to say that their sound has mellowed, exactly; indeed Home Acres includes some of their most rocking music in a while. Mallet instruments remain an important part of their music-making; but on Home Acres, its often the marimba that takes center stage rather than vibraphone. Here mallet instruments and other post-rock gestures are integrated parts of the whole, rather than noticeable mannerisms.  And while there are catchy hooks aplenty, Aloha’s rightly vaunted instrumental passages are still given enough time to develop.

All in all, Home Acres is an excellent addition to their catalog.

For those who like to ‘try before they buy,’ Spinner is streaming the album in its entirety here.

Brooklyn Vegan has also posted a couple of songs for download here.

Q2 has posted podcasts about the recording project here, providing a preview and some context for this fascinating endeavor.

Over the years, Ethel has engaged in a number collaborations with Native American musicians. Here’s a video of them performing with Navajo singer James Bilagody.

I’m writing about their 3/11 concert for Musical America. Devoted entirely to the music of Terry Riley, it featured a number of new works by one of the founding fathers of the minimalist school of composition.

On Sunday I’ll be attending Kronos’ Music Without Borders concert, which features guest performers  Dohee Lee (Korea), rubâb master Homayoun Sakhi (Afghanistan), and Azerbaijani mugam performers Alim and Fargana Qasimov . The latter artists also perform on Kronos’ latest recording for Smithsonian Folkways, Music of Central Asia, Volume Eight (CD/DVD).

Duo for alto saxophone and piano (2009) had its beginnings in an earlier work for alto flute and piano. Substantially reworked and revised to better suit the sax, it still retains the same core compositional goals. Certain gestures – trills, angular melodies, and widely spaced arpeggiations – are set against more conjunctly articulated lines and stacked verticals. This gestural vocabulary evolves in its juxtapositions throughout the piece, providing a variety of vantage points. A plausible non-musical analog to its structure might be gradually unfolding an abundantly contoured map. (World Premiere, William Paterson University, 4/21/10)

Swedenborg Variations for violin and piano (2010) takes as its jumping off point my recent fascination with the works of 19^th Century landscape painter George Inness. In 2008, I wrote a trio (for clarinet, viola, and piano) based on his painting Sunset (1893). In addition to a series of musical reflections on this enigmatic and inspiring artwork, I also incorporated aspects of his working methods and artistic philosophy into my making of the piece. The latter concern drew heavily on both the writings of the Transcendentalists and on a spiritual approach to making art that reflected the tenets of Swedenborgianism. The violin-piano variations are a reworking of the last movement of the trio in a duo context, re-envisioned to better suit the virtuosic capabilities of both instruments.  (World Premiere, Connecticut College, 5/13/2010)

“A Bicycle Accident Concerning Aliens.”

Some feel that the knack for coming up with great titles is a genetic trait; either you’ve got it or you’d better stick with monikers like ‘Sonata #1.’ I’m not so sure on that score. But if anyone needs a good title for their piece, I’d suggest putting Halbstein on the case.

Hey, what do you know? I just popped over to their website’s bio, and it touts “music for an eternal springtime.” After the winter we’ve had here in the Northeastern US, I’m for it!

“I was meant to be a composer and will be I’m sure. Don’t ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football – please.” – by Samuel Barber

For some, he’s a guilty pleasure; especially when one reads comments by the big guns (notably Copland) who condemn him with faint praise.

But for those of us who want to sing and compose, Sam’s always an inspiration. Here’s his elegant recording of his own “Dover Beach,” for baritone and string quartet.

Eluvium’s new recording Similes is out now on Temporary Residence.

But they’ve really upped the ante with their latest video; easily the coolest use of Lego in an indie rock context thus far in 2010.