New Music From Ofir Ganon and Advance Base PLUS music we love from Phish and Ragnarök, and more.
On the 16th season premiere of Discologist, Eduardo and Kevin reunite after the winter break to dive into an exciting lineup of new music. Tune in to hear them discuss guitarist Ofir Ganon’s latest album Same Air, Advance Base's 2024 album Horrible Occurrences, an essential track by the jamband legends Phish, some mind-bending psychedelia from Sweden and much more.
Featured Albums
Same Air
Ofir Ganon
The jazz/ambient world can seem daunting for many music fans, but there is an increasing amount of access to these vibrant art forms for curious listeners to explore. Enter Ofir Ganon’s Same Air.
On his latest LP, out now on Island House Recordings, the celebrated guitarist sets a tranquil mood through simple instrumentation, often just his guitar, and compositions that exist to simply “be” rather than to make some grand statement. Ganon’s clear tone and precise articulation often recall the works of Bill Frisell and Al Di Meola, but the infusion of his North African and Middle Eastern influences makes the songs undeniably his own. This record is an absolute gem, offering listeners a brief and enriching escape from the chaos currents of daily life. — Kevin
Horrible Occurences
Advance Base
Owen Ashworth, better known as the driving creative force behind Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, has been recording under the Advance Base moniker since 2013. On 2024’s Horrible Occurrences, he brings us forlorn slices of life from the fictional town of Richmond, and in doing so, reminds us that sometimes simplicity and directness are the best tools in a songwriter’s kit. “How You Got Your Picture On The Wall” plays like a sweet short story that is just bursting with detail and information. — Eduardo
“Harry Hood”
Phish
Is there much left to be said about Phish, especially in light of the extensive press and exposure from last year? Well, Condè Nast at least seems to think so - keep your eyes open for a lengthy Amanda Petrusich article in a future issue of the New Yorker. But I think so too, because after nearly thirty years of seeing this band, I got something recently during their 12/30/24 performance at Madison Square Garden I had been chasing forever: a version of Harry Hood that that evokes the greatness of 1994/1995. Whether you want to watch that even go back to the version included on 1995’s A Live One, you should probably be listening to a “Hood” right now. — Eduardo
Ragnarök
Ragnarök
The broad genre of psychedelia ranges from in-your-face fuzz explosions to acid meltdowns and back again. One of the more intriguing corners of the psychedelic universe is centered around folk music. A close cousin to folk horror – no proper folk horror film could exist without it – this music builds on folklore and tradition, then ever so slightly twists it into something that is immediately appealing to the headier segment of music fandom.
For the uninitiated, the band Midlake provides one of the best recent examples of this genre. Their 2006 album The Trials of Van Occupanther, besides being a classic in the genre, also serves as a great starting point for a journey that will invariably lead you back to the Swedish band Ragnark’s self-titled 1976 debut. Ragnark, the album, is a lush, proggy excursion through the Swedish countryside. Free-flowing, sonically exhilarating, and even slightly menacing, it not only is an obvious influence on bands like The Amazing, Wilco, and arguably King Gizzard, it’s a transmission from that time when it’s not quite dark, but not yet light, where magic exists just out of sight from our direct gaze. — Kevin
Show Notes
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