Hell Yeah Italy レコード& CD

Review: Both "Corner Song" and "The Flying Man" were first featured on Tempelhof and Gigi Masin's second collaborative album, 2016's arguably overlooked album Tsuki. Both are naturally worthy of a single release, though, as they deserve wider recognition. Both are quietly beautiful, drowsy and hazily picturesque, with gently percussive opener "Corner Song" just edging out the beat-less brilliance of "The Flying Man" - in which Masin delivers a weary and heart-aching vocal - in the "best track" stakes. On the flip you'll find a radical re-interpretation of "Corner Song" by New York producer Jex Opolis, who wraps Tempelhof and Masin's glistening guitars around a wonderfully colourful and tactile Balearic boogie groove.

Review: Gary Irwin's musical journey since 1990 has been long and varied, with spells as an in-house engineer at various studios being combined with occasional releases, mostly of a Balearic flavour, as the Vendetta Suite. The Kempe Stone Portal is his first album and draws on a vast archive of tracks built up over 20 years. Musically, it's subtly diverse in the best possible way, with Irwin delivering colourful, atmospheric and emotive cuts that variously draw influence from ambient, new wave, synth-pop, new age, mid-80s AOR, library music, post-punk, dub, shoegaze and much more besides. That it all not only hangs together but also makes perfect sonic sense is testament to Irwin's skill as a composer, musician and producer. Well worth a listen.