To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, composer Steve Reich is releasing an album fittingly called WTC 9/11, recorded with the Kronos Quartet. According to Nonesuch records, the composition also features recordings of voices belonging to NORAD air traffic controllers, "as they raised the alert that the airplanes were off course; FDNY workers on the scene... and women who kept vigil, or Shmira, over the dead in a tent outside the Medical Examiner's office." (The voices are "elongated in a stop-motion sound technique.") Yesterday the album's cover was released; as you can see here, it's a pretty literal representation of Reich's themes, but it strikes some as tasteless. more ›

Not too long ago Ronen Givony started the Wordless Music Series, which is pretty much just what it sounds like it would be. Sonic worlds collide and fuse classical with indie, jazz with electronic and listeners with instrumental-only music. In the next week audiences will enjoy the sounds of Do Make Say Think and Beirut from an intimate setting for just such an experience. more ›