Articles
2008 Ten Favourite Labels
Ten Questions Celer
Ten Questions Deadbeat

Albums
Anzio Green
Ariel Abshire
Osman Arabi
Arastoo & AEMAE
Asymmetrical Head
Benoît Pioulard
Bohren & der Club of Gore
Matt Borghi
Celer
Cubenx
Anders Dahl
Davis & Roux
Deadbeat
Feu Follet
Formication
Generic
Stefan Goldmann
Gultskra Artikler / Lanterns
Hauschka
Hexes & Ohs
Koen Holtkamp
I Am Robot And Proud
Illusion of Safety
Integral
Koen Park
Akira Kosemura
Koushik
Library Tapes
Lineland
Mamiffer
Melodium
Moon
Oppressed By The Line
Pillars and Tongues
Rumpistol
Kamran Sadeghi
Sans Serif
Signal Deluxe
Skogen
Saul Stokes
Matthew Sweet
Tapage
Thursday / Envy
Windy & Carl

Compilations / Mixes
An Taobh Tuathail II
Chaos Restored 2
DFPRMX
Kuniyuki
Message Subatomic World
Pero es olor en el cuarto...

EPs
Canyons!
Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
Cubenx
Dokuro
Fraction
Lee Holman
Ikonika
King Midas Sound
Michael Lambright
Library Tapes
Lilienweiss
MRK1
:papercutz
Spencer Parker
Poratz
Spartak + John Chantler
Andy Vaz

Michael Lambright: Allumwandlung
Michael Lambright

If the name Michael Lambright isn't familiar, the name of the gypsy-esque quartet he leads, Madagsacar, probably is (Lambright also contributes to the folk group The Big Huge). The Baltimore-based accordionist steps out with a self-released debut solo collection titled Allumwandlung which not only serves as a half-hour showcase for his enjoyable playing but also a compositional style that leans heavily towards the melancholy Eastern European side of things. The accordion functions as a better solo instrument than many since it offers multi-melody and -chordal voicings plus a broad timbral range, aspects Lambright exploits to good effect in the EP's six pieces. It's an intimate recording too, in the sense that during the pauses (in “Zahorecz,” for example, which Lambright dedicates to Baltimore figure Peter Zahorecz who died in 2006 after suffering head-related trauma from a skateboarding accident) one hears the wheeze and snap of the instrument and other ambient noises. Such pauses aren't heard always, however, as the off-kilter polka “Poirot,” with its deranged, even drunken feel proves. The material ranges from the melancholy waltz “Razumov” to the meditative “Y'vonim” (based on traditional Yiddish melodies) and aggressive drone “El-ahrairah.” Fans of Dino Saluzzi's and Astor Piazzolla's works should find much to like about Allumwandlung, and note also that it can be purchased from Lambright's site but is also available as a free download under a Creative Commons license.

November 2008