Abzu Looks

It all sounds fantastic too, I think the combination of the playing and the production means that something that could sound really muddy... doesn't. Expect it to show up on best of 2026 lists.

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#nowplaying #newmusic #jazzsky

Notionally released Feb '26 but my CD arrived in the post today. Reid/ Halvorson/ Roebke/ Fujiwara all in killer form, lively and vibrant. All the individuality and quirkiness you expect but, like "3+3," really coherent and easy to connect with.

Wikipedia says Hiroa pulled back from the band in May 2024, his last work with the band seems to be the track "Burning." Ex- Chai drummer Yuna not only took over live duties but plays on most of the new album.

Hopefully he's doing OK.

YouTube video by 羊文学 羊文学 - ひつじのショーン（Life's a Treat）[English Cover] (Official Music Video)

#nowplaying #jpop

Hitsujibungaku - Shaun the Sheep

Maybe not quite as preposterous a cover as you think, guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka plays a nifty riff on this. Coincidentally (?) roughly corresponds with the time drummer Hiroa Fukuda seemed to withdraw from the band.

youtu.be/iC1Z2aO4SdA?...

The rest of Gen Hoshino's stuff skews closer to pop/soul, but eg "Comedy" is a track Don Fagan wouldn't be ashamed of and "Life" is as good as any classic 70's piano-based rock track. "Create" has an almost Zappa-ish intro so for a pop album there's a good mix of influences.

Well the three guests are American... the two Sams have made or played on some great jazz/ adjacent stuff, and Louis Cole (also the drummer here) has a vibrant career with Knower and his solo stuff- eg check out his album with Metropole Orkest.

Hi! It's the @theguardian.com here! We've just published a new article! You have ten seconds to post an opinion before we close off comments...

Completely agree with your comment on Patricia Brennan. I never tire of her playing.

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#jpop Gen Hoshino's album "Gen" was a solid pop/soul effort, for me not every track landed but the great far outweighed the lesser and I enjoyed it a lot. Worth buying for "Mad Hope", "Comedy" and "Life" alone.

YouTube video by 星野源 Gen Hoshino 星野源 - Mad Hope (feat. Louis Cole, Sam Gendel, Sam Wilkes) [Official Video]

#nowplaying #jpop #musicsky

Gen Hoshino - Mad Hope

It's "best music of the year time" and so this was my favourite song this year. Louis Cole provides a surprisingly direct and sincere lyric and the two Sams (sax and bass) add some magic.

Superb video from aRuFa too.

youtu.be/J0ben1SI4QY?...

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#nowplaying #jpop #newmusic

TOMOO - Dear Mysteries

New album from Japanese female pop singer/pianist/songwriter. Like the previous "Two Moons" a bit ballad heavy, but loads of great songs and real craft in the arrangements. I went for the 3 disc version with her fab Budokan concert.

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#nowplaying #jazzsky

Colin Steele Quartet - The Blue Nile

Scottish quartet (trumpet/piano/bass/drums) and it's exactly what it says on the tin- jazz interpretations of the Blue Nile songbook. My fave track is my fave BN song- "Heatwave"; it's all quietly ingenious and sympathetic to the originals.

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#nowplaying #jazzsky #newmusic

The Dam Jawn feat. Jeremy Pelt - Triphasic

Always enjoys an alto/tenor/trumpet front line. Guitar/bass/drum section also very fine. Having recommended this yesterday, giving it another listen this morning. I still really like it.

The album is called Triphasic and the band is The Dam Jawn featuring Jeremy Pelt

This one just out. It's terrific.

Good article. Humiliating Marles is the best thing that could have happened.

Hopefully the US will keep doing it.

Maybe one day he'll learn.

It's an underlying thread in several of Higashino's "Detective Kaga" series.

Give yourself time to grind down obstacles.

God, if Barnaby finds out, he might start drinking again.

Would I be right in guessing you haven't be to Australia?

Our birds scream blue murder.

I love Kaohsiung, glad you got to make it there.

Off to Alishan?

The Southern Extension of the National Palace Museum is a short shuttle bus ride from the HSR station; I liked it a lot.

Worth a trip: Yinhe cave+waterfall, it's a 2 km walk from the top of the Maokong gondola.

(went to Taiwan for 6 weeks last year)

Now that Labor's win looks to be comprehensive, is it to much to ask that Albo gets a spine?

On the other hand, it's always hard to tell the difference between complicity and cowardice.

The electorate has shown it doesn't want RWNJ rubbish; teals did well= mandate for more climate action.

Good to see that Monique Ryan has definitely held Kooyong and it looks like- for now- Zoe Daniels has held Goldstein.

Unfortunately Tim Wilson's primary vote up slightly and I'm sure he's narcissisic enough to see that as an endorsement and that he should try again.

Early days in Gilmore with only 8% counted but Fiona Phillips well ahead- on primary votes too. Constance -10% on primaries I suspect climate independent Kate Dezarnaulds may have eaten some of that.

Maybe now we can have a sensible discussion on offshore wind.

Doesn't quite fir the rubric because I have, in fact, just started reading (2 books down): Agatha Christie.

Author that definitely fits your description: Len Deighton

So good luck! If someone with as limited Mac experience as me can do it I'm sure you'll be fine.

I'm running Piapro/Miku with Cubase on an M1 with no issues. This includes transferring the license from my old Windows machine.

I also ran the Vocaloid V6 demo with the Miku and it worked fine. I just didn't like it and ended up sticking with Piapro

Non fiction:

Louise Milligan - "Cardinal"
Your country is likely to have your own version of this book. Many countries will.

Some good news about the pope dying: George Pell is already dead, so there will be no rubbish about him being a possible replacement.

I speculate it was because McCT was signed to Impulse at the time. (He went to BN later on I think?)