The April Flash-Cult Digest
What is this thing?
Welcome to "Flash-Cult", swift insights for the advice-averse!
Each month, join us on a journey from the electrifying strums of rock to the soothing melodies of jazz, from the serene waves of ambient to the pulsating rhythms of electronic. No need for long reads—just a quick, fun glimpse and an invite to explore the best tunes we've discovered.
Flash-Cult choices of the month
Our special selection of great music released during this month.
Shabaka
Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace
Spritual Jazz
Dive into the mystical jazz universe of Shabaka's latest album, where flutes rule and tenor sax cameo is as rare as a comet sighting. This isn't just a shift from brass to woodwind; it's a full-blown spiritual awakening, complete with a roster of guests who blend into the tranquil meditative soundscape like stars in a clear night sky. With Shabaka steering the ship, the album sails smoothly from spiritual practice to a lush, genre-defying musical expedition, proving that sometimes, less sax is more magic.
Flash Advice Song: As the Planets and the Stars collapse.
Vampire Weekend
Only God Was Above Us
Indie Rock
Ezra Koenig kicks off Vampire Weekend's fifth album, "Only God Was Above Us," with a whisper to a lone listener amidst a backdrop of hums and hesitant strums, setting a tone that's part confessional, part eerie prelude. The album dives into a melodic introspection, weaving nostalgia with fresh anxieties as it remixes their signature eclectic beats into something both hauntingly familiar and intriguingly fresh. With each track, the band unpacks their storied past, turning inward to scrutinize their own legacy—musing over lost New York days and ghostly legacies—with a mix of indie déjà vu and sharp, self-aware introspection that marks their most candid work yet.
Flash Advice Song: Classical.
Sinkane
We Belong
Black music
In the cauldron that is black music there is room for an almost infinite amount of hybridization and experimentation. "We belong" takes the best of black musical production of the last 80 years and merges it into a harmonious, electrifying, engaging, spacey whole. At his service, a completely crazy production with bass and drums mixed and enhanced in an exemplary way: is it pop? is it electronic? is it funk? is it reggae? is it dance? is it gospel? who cares! Follow the beat, pump the bass and dance!
Flash Advice Song: Come together.
Fabiana Palladino
Fabiana Palladino
Pop
80s synthpop produced a lot of crap, but also impressive peaks: Fabiana Palladino took only the best from this tradition, putting together great vocal quality with an unexpected arrangement, which mixes pop with blues lines and funk. The production is incredible and out of scale for the Italian market and the general sound has an international taste - and it convinced even a 90s-fanboy like me! Ok, it's true that the '80s revival lasted longer than the '80s themselves, but every now and then gems emerge that make it worth keeping it going a little longer.
Flash Advice Song: Can you look in the mirror?
Cosmo
Sulle ali del cavallo bianco
Songwriting
Cosmo manages to take the spirit of the Italian songwriters of the 70s and transfer it into a mix that is both dance and minimalist, intimate and universal. A wonderful album, in its concept and its lyrics, with incredibly intense sounds and never intrusive production, which manages to make you dance and think: as the author would say "it's all a mess", but it's a beautiful mess... as is growing old next and together to the people you love.
Flash Advice Song: L'abbraccio
Pinhdar
A sparkle on the dark water
Dark-wave
Dreaming synths, guitar loops, a delicate voice and cloudy thoughts: that's darkwave, lads. Faithful to the line of never trivial minimalism, Pindhar create a very solid album, full of reflections and ruminations on the "dark paths" we're crossing these days. Darkwave had different incarnations in time, but always that attitude to discover the "unheimlich" in everyday life: if we're swimming in dark waters, at least we have the voice of an angel guiding our thinking.
Flash Advice Song: In the woods
[Ahmed] أحمد
Wood Blues
Jazz
On a brisk spring night in 2022 at Glasgow's Glue Factory, the jazz quartet أحمد [Ahmed] transformed a single composition by Ahmed Abdul-Malik into a nearly hour-long musical odyssey. Their rendition of "Oud Blues" evolved into an avant-garde jazz session, marked by improvisation and a fierce, energetic performance that bent the original tune into new, unrecognizable shapes while keeping its spirit intact. This monumental performance, captured on the album Wood Blues, epitomizes the group's commitment to both preserving and radically reinterpreting jazz history, leaving both the players and audience utterly transformed by the experience.
Flash Advice Song: Wood Blues
Beyoncé
Cowboy Carter
Folk, Pop, Country
Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" spins from her 2016 album "Lemonade," carrying the theme of empowerment and defiance into new territory as she taps into the roots of country music, reclaiming its Black origins. The album stitches together diverse musical styles, from Americana to classic country, with Beyoncé using her experience at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards as a catalyst for exploring and asserting the often-overlooked contributions of Black artists to the genre. Through "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé challenges genre boundaries and historical erasure, creating a dynamic celebration of heritage and resilience while showcasing her unmatched vocal prowess and creative vision.
Flash Advice Song: SPAGHETTII
Historical milestone
Every month, a fresh milestone from music history served up for you.
Keith Jarrett
The Köln Concert - 1975
Jazz
Keith Jarrett's "The Köln Concert" holds a seminal place in jazz history due to its extraordinary circumstances and groundbreaking impact. Despite initial setbacks including a substandard piano and Jarrett's physical ailments, the concert, recorded in Cologne in 1975, turned into an awe-inspiring display of improvisation and resilience. This recording not only captivated audiences but also solidified ECM's status as a leading contemporary label, showing how Jarrett's artistic vision and determination could transform apparent disaster into a revered classic in jazz lore.
Flash Advice Song: N. A.
