Beautiful whorls of saxophone, skittery, feathery drums, soulful guitar -- so glad I bought a late-in-the-day ticket for Zoh Amba/Chris Corsano/Farida Amadou at Cafe Oto last night (from lp on 577 Records: 577records.bandcamp.com/track/three-fl…)

This is record is as ace as anticipated. Feels as cool/other as when a new Tortoise lp arrived 30yrs ago; 𝕯𝖗𝖆𝖌 𝕮𝖎𝖙𝖞 ambarchiberthlingwerliin.bandcamp.com/album/ghosted-…

'Sounds . . . grow and wither like plants' -- Rafael Toral. Missed this first time around (1998 was the year the kids were born); v. happy to have this fine Black Truffle Oren Ambarchi reissue now rafaeltoral.bandcamp.com/track/cycloram…

Described by Honest Jon's as one of the heaviest dubs going, excellent speaker muffling version here from Trevor Byfield on Digikiller/Fox Fire dkr.bigcartel.com/product/trevor…

Avoiding all football and getting lost in Eivind Lonning's trumpet in the Japanese Mountains (w/ Jim O'Rourke on Smalltown Smalltown Supersound ) boomkat.com/products/most-…

Digging the slight Innocence Mission vibe to the new Cara Beth Satalino lp on a gloomy Sunday afternoon (on Worried Songs) worriedsongs.bandcamp.com/track/listen-t…

Quintessential wet Bank Holiday Monday brightened up by Jessica Pratt's new 1960s trip jessicapratt.bandcamp.com/track/life-is City Slang

Hard to pick out an essential couple of Steve Albini recordings when so many have soundtracked the various stages of yr life. Pulled these two off the shelf last night bit.ly/3USQEsH; bit.ly/3MHkVDE then remembered this bit.ly/4bqidyO this morning. RIP

Could have listened to Willy Vlautin & Gideon Coe shooting the breeze -- discussing life, music, songwriting, tequila, Nevada, the working-class vote -- all night (at Earth in Dalston last night). Included fine versions of richmondfontaine.bandcamp.com/track/lost-in-… & thedelines.bandcamp.com/track/the-oil-…

Probably my favourite album of May -- the always excellent Tidiane Thiam sahel sounds. This track a northern Senegalese wedding song tidianethiam.bandcamp.com/track/yangue

Chest infection notwithstanding, the blue lights, dry ice machine, super-cool bass & The Reds, Pinks & Purples et al all conspired for an excellent Reds, Pinks & Purples gig at the Lexington last night; the perfect balm theredspinksandpurples.bandcamp.com/track/what-is-… Tough Love

Takes something for me to wrench myself away from Spain v Italy -- something like the excellent Ryan Davis, solo complete with housey/techno interludes & Augustus Pablo melodica, at Servant Jazz Quarters last night/inc excellent version of this toughloverecords.bandcamp.com/track/flashes-… Tough Love

Cool father's day present of tickets to see Ustad Noor Bakhsh tear up Cafe Oto last night. From the fine recent lp the Invisible honiunhoni.bandcamp.com/track/maanj

Sadly never caught them at the Fulham Greyhound (or somewhere in 1986), but was at Tufnell Park Dome ten years ago for a great gig. RIP Martin Phillipps 🙏 thechillsmusic.bandcamp.com/track/night-of… Fire Records

Couple of tracks from this round-up Caught by the River David Boulter Clay Pipe Music claypipemusic.bandcamp.com/track/plantage…; Natalia Beylis on Outside Time claypipemusic.bandcamp.com/track/plantage…; Memotone The Trilogy Tapes memotone.bandcamp.com/track/rain-bel… thanks for reading

Super-cool Heavenly Social The Social gig last night with infectious Melbourne punks Delivery Heavenly Recordings deliveryband.bandcamp.com/track/digging-… and the truly excellent Expiry, who need to release something soon/one lp sold here

The world needs more solo guitar gigs. Excellent night at Cafe Oto with Chicago luminary Bill MacKay last night billmackay.bandcamp.com/track/keeping-… billmackay.bandcamp.com/track/joy-ride dragcity & C Joynes cjoynes.bandcamp.com/track/mapperly…. Only regret is: forgot to buy some chutney at the end.

Last-minute venue switch/distraught to discover that Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou were no longer the support due to burst sewer pipe - but Portland folky Jeffrey Martin was excellent/have been spinning this on Loose Records since bit.ly/4egZIyp (plus TM/HL retrospective bit.ly/3Zio5HB