Rafael Toral - Spectral Evolution LP

Using an array of his own hand-built synths and some droning guitars, Portuguese electronic music maestro, Toral, has crafted this sublime album from rhythms gleaned from Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Bach. Shaping the melodies with oscillator squawks, yearning waves, and machine-like nature sounds to create something that resonates on a semi-conscious level but remains surprising and, at times, a bit confusing. Jim O'Rourke was definitely impressed, opening the doors to his Moikai label for the first time in almost 25 years to release it, and that's a pretty good recommendation as far as I'm concerned.