Kristóf Hajós: Lazy Heart

photo: Jesse van den Berg

Kristóf Hajós has released another single from his forthcoming album 6:00PM. On Lazy Hearts he toys with the idea that it would be nice not to be such a caring person for a change, which would make his love life a little less complicated. Heartbreak would be breeze, right? The music was written by Stefan Breuer (The World of Dust), who came up with a relaxed, melancholic melody, tailor made for a slow dance as Hajós takes care of the words with an aloof disco-tinged delivery.

Sophia Djebel Rose: Blanche Biche

French singer and guitarist Sophia Djebel Rose has released a cover of Blanche Biche, a reworking of Veronique Chalot's folk song. She slowed it down quite a bit and turned it into a dreamy song, with ample room for Gothic post-rock diversions that bring the heyday of the 4AD label to mind.

Alan Lauris: Parades

Dutch composer and pianist Alan Lauris is quite content to be an outsider on his new single Parades. Why fall in step with everyone else when it is far more interesting to find one's way? It is a tender ballad that packs a punch, with guitarist Leo Sienot weighing in with a couple of well-timed flourishes. Nice touch bowing out with a folkish outro underneath the almost defiant wordless vocals that bring the track to a close.

Martin Kohlstedt: "LUVFLIMOD" live in Leipzig

Watch German composer, piano and keyboards player Martin Kohlstedt perform LUVFLIMOD at the Peterskirche in Leipzig on May 20, 2023. It can be found on his new Live 2LP: "Kohlstedt is always aware that the space between the notes is as important as the music itself and that repetition can induce a trance-like vibe that lifts him and the audience before he goes back to the earth with a choice melody. There is no applause between the tracks, which is a smart choice as it would take away from the quiet intensity and rip apart the illusion that he is playing just for you."

I am Oak: "The Way I See It" video

Thijs Kuijken has made a video for The Way I See It, the new single by I am Oak project; "a slow moving song, filled with melancholy as he tries to come to terms with false expectations and trying to find an open ear for his point of view. The delicate interplay of acoustic guitar and muffled drums is spot on as always".