Center - Over The Stations
“They’re likely to let a single tone evaporate over the sound of recycled air or see what happens when you leave a guitar plugged in for over 24 hours… if anything comes close to a major chord, Center take lengths to disguise it. I suppose it helps to understand the rulebook if you’re going to throw it out a moving window, and as these three are more than capable of crafting orthodox guitar songs, it’s fun to hear them dissect and rearrange things so fully.”
Elkhorn - Distances
"Both Ian McColm and Nate Scheible’s presence help transform this particular incarnation of Elkhorn into, at times, a veritable psych rock behemoth and at others, eyes on the horizon custodians of Floydian space jams that truly exist in their own, richly detailed universe… If Arthur Lee was still with us, he would want Elkhorn for his backing band.”
- Moof Mag
“While they’re certainly no strangers to collaboration, Distances shows just how hard Elkhorn works to uncover the strongest possible magic that could come from combining their powers with that of their guests. This is a record of a heavily versatile band in full creative flight, completely confident and unencumbered.”
“The two percussionists perform the same kind of free-wheeling exchange as Sheppard and Gardner, with each other and with the two guitarists. They move in loose conjunction, sharing a beat, but seeing it differently, one walloping a tom while the other strikes shimmery, slither-y cymbal tones, one nailing the time with rimshots on snare, the other setting off wild, flaring fills. You can hear that there are two of them if you listen closely, but it’s hard to say where one ends and the other picks up.”
- dusted
Heart of the Ghost - Summons
“Fellow explorer Jaimie Branch calls Summons “punk rock creative moment music” and it’s hard to think of a better description, as Gilgore, Stewart and McColm bring about moments of spontaneous rapture — three musicians losing themselves and, in the process, finding an elevated plane. Wild abandon, yes, but with a sense of purpose and direction at all times, a beating heart leading the way.”
“Heart of the Ghost is one of the best trios on the planet, and on Summons, it’s lights out… Summons is alive with grooves galore and heavy, raucous cuts that move straight past the bone and into the flesh below. This is a real gut punch.”
“A rich and involved musical journey, Summons is a bold statement showcasing the power of spontaneity. McColm, Stewart, and Gilgore tap into and honor the spirit of the greats that came before them. The music here burns with great intensity and dedication to the art of improvisational exploration.”
Center - Contour Process
“…the trio sounds as if they considered every action completely before making it. By the time of the last and longest piece, the 11-minute feedback study “Hamden Plaza,” the spell that Center casts is nearly impossible to escape.”
“Absolutely brilliant new four track tape from Center, the luminous trio of drone-adventurists David Shapiro, Ian McColm and Stefan Christensen… The two big takeaways from this collection are tracks two and four, long-form, feedback-driven drone excursions that pulse with a rare emotion. Duchess, in particular, is a true highlight and my favourite thing i've heard from the trio, a slow-moving transcendent beast that's heavy in the best kind of way.”
Tashi Dorji/Ian McColm/Frank Meadows - The Power of Water
“On The Power of Water, Tashi Dorji joins up with longtime pals Frank Meadows on double bass and Ian McColm on percussion. The resulting session is a distinct and interconnected labyrinth. Throughout The Power of Water I am drawn to empty air. Dorji, McColm, and Meadows leave plenty of space for their collective sound to intermingle and hang, breathing in ways that are surprising and luminescent... Texture is the name of the game throughout The Power of Water as the trio uses a fairly minimal palette and creates an incredible, dense array of sounds.”
“Uncompromising, raw and beyond otherworldly, The Power of Water is without a doubt one of the most essential free improv records of 2021.”
Figured - Clehft
“Shrill, bawdy, & hypnotic, Figured (McColm/Rowden) deliver captivating braid after braid of feedback and bowed drone, paying homage to both Niblock and Pelt, drawing the raga’s waxy-resin’d entrails out into the ether, pulling its very essence taught, and mercilessly sawing away at it- and by the end of the cut, we, the listener, find we’ve been receiving these reverberations from the space-side end, and it’s gonna be hard to find our way back to solid ground.”
“A combination of both talent and wise choices, crafting beautifully rich sounds that hardly seem to try.”
Heart of the Ghost - II
“Heart of the Ghost are a top-notch free jazz outfit with a bottom-heavy feel that swings and grooves in all the right ways. Nuanced and technically excellent, this album is absolutely crucial for jazz fanatics.”
“DC-area free jazz trio Heart of the Ghost recently played at Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti, and they damn near blew the roof off the place. So much controlled, chaotic energy. This LP captures them at their peak powers. The tracks all bounce off in several different directions, from splattered, unhinged ecstasy to more spiritual pursuits to unexpected hypnotic grooves, and every path they take hold the audience in rapt attention. Simply unmissable.”
Zach Rowden, Jarrett Gilgore & Ian McColm - First Lapse
“Thirty minutes of sound divided into five tracks, there is enough energy on this album to power a small city for twenty three days.”
"I think the key word here is focus. At any point they seem to have ears only for their fellow musicians so to act and react accordingly but without preconceived ideas. The three instruments seem so intensely close to each other that you could say all were performed from the same person.”
Nagual & Stefan Christensen - Third
“I’m impressed by the restraint wielded by all three players, as no one ever rips out and goes for it, preferring instead to fully extend their tones to the brink of feedback but never past it.”
“Lou Reed may have composed something along these lines which, to be honest, is not really my cup of tea (not even as a ‘get out of a record deal joke’), but in the case of this trio I very much enjoyed these guitar blasts. Probably not as loud and mean as Reed, but on a similar level howling around in an endless space, like a guitar solo getting stuck on a single note times three guitars.”
Nagual & Zach Rowden - Self-Titled
"The first side cuts the constructs mental fabric. Sustained notes and feedback at a pitch burrowing straight through the any tranquil hand holds. The entire side somehow epitomizing experienced laid back delirium. Nothing seems overdone or forced. The second side begins with a slow resonating build up with droning bass. Menacing guitars circle like birds of prey as the bass emits a sonic resonance all are attracted to. The attack tears into all who listen, leaving thoughts exposed to decomposing forces."
Nagual - Florida
"In a past journey, Nagual made their way through Florida. Like the thick humidity in every part of the state, their sounds saturate the entire listen(ing) spectrum. Two tracks on this compact disc, one recorded live in Miami the other live in Gainesville. These populated nodes becoming focal points for wildly glowing energy from ancient times."
"The tremendous stereo space of both “Miami” and “Gainesville” ensures that Florida will immerse you in its world for all of its 60 minutes. Nothing ever drastically changes, but the sound elements emerging from different places, twisting in and out and around each other like lazy cosmic snakes, give the album a special magnetism."
Elastic Arts' Exposure Series 2018 - A Report
"Heart of the Ghost, a sax-bass-drums ensemble from Washington, D.C., played ferocious, dynamic free jazz with exacting precision. Their lightning shifts and hyper-speed runs betray hours spent playing together, on and off the road, and if you want to hear something that just works, they deliver in spades."
- dusted
Heart of the Ghost - Heart of the Ghost
"Since 2016, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore have been haunted by saxophonist Jarrett Gilgore, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Ian McColm. Their collective conversations meander through and beyond all tropes of free jazz and free improvisation. All three simmer and rage, at times channeling the fire of late-sixties skronk-fests. But the group can also pull out something much more melodic and sweet, with the storm forever there in the background, barely contained. Their new, self-titled cassette is a master class in finely honed explosions, with bleating saxophones, pointillistic drumming, and ranging bass lines."
"The trio of alto saxophonist Jarrett Gilgore, bassist Luke Stewart, and percussionist Ian McColm is something of a trinity of the finest free jazz improvisers in the region. If you've seen Heart of the Ghost in concert, then you know—Gilgore, Stewart, and McColm's performances feel like a kind of séance, with the trio locked into a musical conversation with one another. It's a language that has a "you had to be there" feel to it... Together, Heart of the Ghost's vibes fits into the lineage of free jazz established by greats like Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, and Archie Shepp. Dive in.
"If you have a chance to hear Washington, D.C. trio Heart of the Ghost, rest assured that you’ve found another portal into the creative vortex that spontaneously lifts hearts, minds and bands off the stand. Their freewheeling improvisations tap into the same defiant spirit decanted by Mingus and the Minutemen..."
Nagual/Tongue Depressor - Split
"The noisy, clattering guitar and effect interplay between Nagual’s David Shapiro and Ian McColm is chaotic, violent even; but it’s also inexplicably warm, and magnetic. The way these musicians sculpt string buzzes, rattles, angular notes, and hypnotic loops into detailed soundscapes is truly amazing."
"David Shapiro & Ian McColm have found a sonic plateau none have uncovered. A place where sounds cruise with menacing fortitude. Listen through and hopefully your consciousness won't get pinned under falling decibels."
Washington City Paper Critics' Pick: Nagual at Rhizome DC
"Each album is more meditative and introspective than the last, as they push the boundaries of sound through guitars and a swath of effects pedals. On their last release, II, a collaborative tape with experimental musician Stefan Christensen, the three players manipulate squealing feedback from distortion pedals, sending listeners into a different astral plane. Both McColm and Shapiro are accomplished musicians on their own, but together they push each other’s musical abilities to truly far-out territories."
- Matt Cohen
Xenga/Zach Rowden - Split
"For musicians to thrive in the fringes, where music becomes chaos, it is truly amazing to see two connect so tightly. These sounds alone hold mayhem and sharp bites, but together they are there for each other. Balanced intensities falling from crescendos and climbing mountains together. A sonic mixed drink that goes straight to the bloodstream."
Nagual - Clear III
"Warmth is the feeling most imparted by Nagual. Like the friction from gears in a wristwatch, small parts moving in a hidden harmony. Faintly heard when the world is quiet, but working ever loudly when the mechanism is pressed for audio clarity. Energy in motion and moving forward, sounds rattle and fill thoughts with infinite wonder."
Tabs Out: Top 200 Tapes of 2017
#165: Nagual – Scraps: Southern Tour
Daniel Bachman / Elkhorn - Rhizome, Washington, DC, June 10, 2017
"Here, (Elkhorn are) joined by drummer Ian McColm, who gives The Black River tunes a wonderfully restless undercurrent. Don’t know if he’ll be collaborating with Elkhorn on future recordings, but on the strength of this set, it wouldn’t be a bad idea!"
Jazz Right Now's Best Live Concerts of 2016
Editor's Pick: Heart of the Ghost, New Revolution Arts, March 17
I.G.M/Lugweight - Seven of Clubs
"It’s spectacular. Just massive. It sounds like if you saw Sunn O))) and they were standing miles from each other and somehow filling the space and enveloping everything in between."
"Torche took stoner rock, right, and just shoved a molten cone of neon-pink cotton candy right through its heart. In this manner, so too does Ian G. McColm, but with doomy, blackened noise."
Bachman-Toth Band at the Three-Lobed Day Party, Hopscotch Festival 2016
"As with everything these players do, this was done with spirit, turning this into one of those off-the-cuff, daring improvisational moments that have come to define what is always the highlight of this music festival."
The Greenville Journal's Sound Check
"Perhaps “soundscape” is an overused term, but it’s difficult to think of any other word to apply to the music of Alexandria, Va.’s Ian McColm, aka I.G.M. His massive compositions hang in the air like storm clouds, mixing eerily calm, almost ambient, passages with sudden, jarring slashes of noise. Rhythm isn’t the point here; mood is king."
Paperhaus - "Silent Speaking"
"This dizzying new single from the DC-based Paperhaus, led by Alex Tebeleff, is a fierce, propulsive showcase for guest drummer Ian McColm."
I.G.M/Diego Garcia - Split
"Waves of harsh static create a vacuous sense of doom which nearly overwhelms you, but flows into moments of poignant and harmonious tones; a moment of respite amidst the discord like the second of silence between the flash and subsequent roar of a sonic boom."
DC Jazz Photography Artist Profile: Ian McColm
"Ian’s music is intense, beautiful, and deeply layered. His journey in this art form is just as unique."
Nagual - String Music for the End Times
"Whatever your preference, and even if you feel like post-apocalyptic times have become too commercial, the musicianship here from the layers on Side A to flat out guitar perfection on Side B should have you listening to this if only because it has guitars (as well as other strings) doing what you (and I) might not have thought possible once before."
I.G.M - Inside Aquila
"The album moves through some frigid fright-fests, humbling, beyond beautiful balladry, but it’s the substance beneath all that that keeps this guy on repeat..."
"This is definitely utility music to an extent, a great tape to throw on to zone out or to put yourself in a sort of mental stasis."
Nagual & Carl Mitchell - Improvisations I & II
"Their two sides of improvisational free-jazz are the stormy stretches and midnight bellows of a cat taking over the house after the masters have fallen asleep on guard duty"
Nagual - The First LP
"A studied, stunning work of loops and zonular textures galore. It's worth a listen if you wish that Kranky's golden era featured Keith Rowe."
"Their tools are more varied than what you might find on a Pandit Pran Nath record, but Ian McColm and David Shapiro’s aim is trained on the same trance-inducing throb."
"Nagual’s first LP has some seriously In Den Gärten Pharaos moments, but where Florian Fricke was a water-baby hippy at heart, McColm and Shapiro are more than happy to hold you under the bath’s surface."
"Nagual is an intricately crafted, heady album, internal, shifting and at times voluptuous in its fecundity and fastidious attention to detail. Every second of it reverberates with the experience of the musicians, and also a timelessness that implies a vast ocean of ideas coming to fruition as sounds."
"Bright timbres are continually tossed onto a gentle harmonic base until the brightness turns glaring, the placid turns frenzied, and the drone reaches the tense outer-limits of the psychoacoustic spectrum."
"It’s as if they extracted only the most malevolent distortions from Terry Riley’s dervishes into a negative image of new age faithfulness."
"This is the type of record that builds up tension in your chest, and makes you take a pause and exhale when it's over."
"This is a must own for anyone who wants an audio representation of tragic humanity. I love this."
"Intelligent, intuitive experimental music that incorporates elements of psychedelia, noise, free-jazz and world music made by dudes you can have a beer with."
"A stunning collection of electro-acoustic drone noise, utilizing guitar loops, pianos, electronics, and drums."
"An excellent record with on one hand the more or less fixed notions of drone music, but also with some fine additions to slowly alter the idiom of that on the other side. That makes me curious to see where they would head next."
"It’s a record of a subtle, haunting escalation – energy rebounding back inwards without a point of exit, accumulating in clouds of light and perspiration in the centre of the recording space."
I.G.M - Virgin Skins
"There’s one thought the listener is left with after Virgin Skins, though: McColm isn’t just a good drummer, but a great performer in general."
Nagual - Clear One: Ether(s)
"Seriously. This tape is gorgeous."
-dead formats