RecommNeds | Mark McGuire, Woodsman & Stein Urheim

The age of miracles, the age of sound…

Mark McGuire : Along the Way

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we are in a golden age of instrumental music. A prime example is Mark McGuire whose Along the Way combines the experimental with the accessible, the crushingly beautiful with the thoroughly mind-probing. Each composition is a tangled, layered soundscape, delicate guitars of various tones interacting on all levels. A mirror to reflect your mood, or to invert it; a drug to alter your mind and body; a feeling of warmth and well-being. In a word, this album is stunning.

Spotify: Mark McGuire -Along the Way
Rhapsody: Mark McGuire -Along the Way

Woodsman : Woodsman

Did you know that woodsman is an intercollegiate sport, kind of like competitive forestry? Strange and awesome. I have a feeling that the dudes that “play” this sport probably don’t listen to too much Woodsman the Brooklyn-based galactic-rock trio who bend two guitars and drums around the space-time continuum to dizzying effect. Strange and awesome. Their newest self-titled release is instrumental psychedelic noise jamming at its finest.

Spotify: Woodsman – Gravelines
Rhapsody: Woodsman – Gravelines

Stein Urheim : Stein Urheim

According to Wikipedia, Stein Urheim is a “Norwegian jazz musician (guitar).” Listening to his new, self-titled, album, though, it’s clear that “jazz” doesn’t quite do the job to describe the music. Guitars of all types: slides and steel and more traditional, weave together to create slowly shifting sound collages. There are multiple influences buried within each instrumental piece: jazz sure, but blues and bluegrass; ambient and noise, Western and world. Compositions develop along the way, as new themes bubble up and then float away. This is patient, beautiful music. Enjoy!

Spotify: Stein Urheim -Stein Urheim
Rhapsody: Stein Urheim -Stein Urheim