From the grey, white, and red geometric design on the front and its inversion on the back cover, to the full-color self-portrait of Bill Dixon inside the gatefold, Weight-Counterweight is a beautiful object assembled from thick cardstock and 220 gram vinyl. Each improvisation occupies one side, leaving ample space before the run-out groove; this physical separation mirrors the amount of space within each piece, matching medium to content. The short walk to the turntable and back prepares the listener for the next side and allows for a brief pause in which the sounds seem to both settle in to one's mind and evaporate from the room. .. review :: by Howard Martin

I've only heard recently of the demise of the band Yellow Swans. I remember a few years ago, when they started to garnish media attention at a fast pace, it made me really curious to see what it was all about. Lots of good things were said on this band and they deserve every good word there was (matter of fact, their latest album on Type is amazing). But I never got into their music before now. It's an acquired taste, and I'm just beginning to drench my taste buds in this. There's some elements that makes me salivate, familiar flavors of the new psychedelia, but at the end of each songs, I'm just glad it's over. I can't endure a whole album of noise. .. review :: by Frédérick Galbrun

Cold Cave…is there really a need for an introduction?!!! Cold Cave is everything I love in a band: moody, experimental, forward-thinking, diverse, and utterly poetic. I just can’t believe that Wes Eisold—the man, the myth, the legend—of some great leading and influential hardcore bands like Give Up the Ghost, American Nightmare, XO Skeletons, and Some Girls would have arrived at this flavor of music-making. But, I am absolutely thrilled that he has! Cold Cave is undoubtedly his destiny. I’m not sure it can get much better than this. I mean, I have become a drooling fan that cannot stop daydreaming about getting near a stereo and popping this in. .. review :: by Dave Miller

To most of the population, the record player is a means of reproducing music recorded by others. To Switzerland native Christoph Hess, it's a way to create... review :: by Robert Oberlander