Eleanor Friedberger - Epitonic saki Session (2011)

Epitonic

8.8

/Alternative rock, Singer-songwriter, Live session/

Comment: Eleanor Friedberger (born in 1976) is one half of a famous family duo, called The Fiery Furnaces. who this time provide her 7-track set within the frame of Epitonic saki Sessions. In comparison to the aesthetics of her parental group EF`s sound is more simplistic - it is without orchestrated bores, sonic tricks and sound effects and conceptual frameworks. In a word, she is a singer-songwriter now. Nevertheless her songs are poignant, dashing and tumultuous. And by its lyrics it includes the hint at Soft Machine, the legendary art/avant-rock band coming out of the so-called Canterbury Scene.

Pillars & Tongues - Epitonic saki Session (2011)

Epitonic

9.4

/Slowcore, Drone pop, Alternative, Americana, Live session, Avant-pop, Experimental indie, Psychedelic pop, Ethereal pop/ 

Comment: this set of 4 tracks does build on a highly enjoyable live session for a fascinating music site, entitled Epitonic. However, Pillars & Tongues` soundscape consists of soothing drone undercurrents, dreamy pronounced singing and soulful vowel effects and loosely throbbing rhythms below the two firstly named constituents above. The last track (which will be finished off at the length of 16 minutes) seems to be biased more toward improvised elements, i.e fusing the elements of buzzing minimalism, slight Americana-related touch and expressive ethereal pop, a subtle batch which in the last section evolves into man and woman mixed vowel experiments involving both shamanic and hypnagogic elements.

Marissa Nadler - Epitonic saki Session (2011)

Epitonic

9.6

/Dream folk, Alt-folk, Singer-songwriter, Indie folk, Folk indie, Live session, New Weird America/

Comment: this set of 7 tracks is an amazing live session by Marissa Nadler whose profoundly dreamy yet somehow powerful reverberations backed up by lone, clear-cut string chords do immerse the listener in fill. Her aesthetics reminds a little bit of Vashti Bunyan if to hint at her precursors.