cd/cd-r
Aan: Elaman Kevät (Foxglove cd-r, lim. 100)
If you weren't already aware of Aan, here is another project to add to your already mile long Finnish freakout list. Aan is a duo comprised of the main player behind the amazing Uton project, and one of the members of Vapaa. The duo have released a number of limited and no doubt impossible to find discs over the past 3 years, this being some of the last copies of their debut.
10.00
Acre: Painless (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
Blazing power drone! Acre has quickly developed a name for himself as evidenced by his follow-up CD on Isounderscore. Painless serves to fill a sort of middle-ground that is often lacking in this type of music- long form and embracing works that can either serve as pleasant dozers or blaring dazers depending on your current mental state and stereo volume. An very nice stepping stone in the quickly expanding Acre discography, and certainly not one to be overlooked.
10.00
Ajilvsga: Asleep Amongst The Thick Weeds (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
10.00
Alu: Autismenschen (Crippled Intellect cd)
10.00
RESTOCKING
Ashley Paul: To Much Togethers (REL cd, lim. 300)
A very impressive sophomore album, and possibly my favorite title so far from REL. Notably more subdued than her duo performances with Eli Keszler, Ashley Paul seems to have really found her solid ground here. Using a variety of reeds, strings, vocals and percussion Paul creates a series of eight miniatures, most of which fall into the 'perfect song' length of 3-5 minutes, Layered ethereal clatter with an emotive and almost conversational pacing, making this a great disc for anyone who tends to shy away from long or meandering work. Balanced albums that are challenging or engaging without being outrightly confrontational can often be hard to come by, making this one a real attention grabber. Comes packaged with REL style silkscreen covers and inserts along with a sticker.
14.00 RESTOCKING
Blowhole: Billowing Sheen (Apraxia/Animist cd)
With material that has ranged from avant-metal to pure free-skronk, to the more subdued and focused, Blowhole has been all over and back. This disc sees a wide mix of styles being displayed by various combinations of rotating members- Key Ransone (Small Cruel Party), Patrick Barber (Apraxia label), Jeph Jerman (Hands To, City Of Worms, etc), Ernst Karel (EKG), and plenty of others. A great starting place for exploring the wide world of Blowhole.
8.00
Brendan Murray: Wonders Never Cease (Intransitive cd)
Five pieces of beautiful electronics built out of a series of live recordings. The blending of Murray's performances, room tone, and post-production assembly gives Wonders a more organic feel, something seriously lacking in most contemporary“laptop”music. Naturally, Murray's emotive drones are the centerpieces of the album, found here with a slightly glitchy/blown out edge (think Alexander Rishaug). Really great material finding a home somewhere in the live/studio limbo which we may have otherwise not had the good fortune of hearing.
13.00
Christof Migone: South Winds (Oral cd)
15.00
Concern- s/t (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
First release by this project of Gordon Ashworth, previously known for his work as Oscillating Innards and head of the Iatrogenesis label. This disc marks a drastic but not completely surprising departure from the Oscillating Innards project, leaving the harsh noise element behind for purely organic drones coaxed out of various acoustic sources. An extremely strong debut album, particularly not to be missed by fans of the OxI Drone Seas series.
10.00
CJA: Ironclad (Digitalis cd)
Although CJA may not be some 60's acid-fried recluse whose private press LPs are worth more than your month's rent, this is still one of my favorite 'lonerfolk' albums I have come across. Exhausted sounding guitar strumming accompanied by melancholic moaning/singing that leaves you feeling damp and alone. Not a far cry from the oppressing/depressing sounds of fellow NZ acts such as Gate. Except now that tortured junky sound is coming from an acoustic guitar instead of a wet cardboard box amplifier, making you feel haunted by something you don't even know you did.
8.00
Dave Phillips: The Golden Age Of Denial And Avoidance (Recordings For The Summer 3”cd-r)
Aggressive slamming, harsh noise, animal sounds, and shouting, cut up and contextualized. Another strong statement both compositionally and no doubt ideologically from solo artist/actionist/activist Dave Philips. Noted absence of any sort of re-worked Fear Of God material with a stronger focus on physical actions mixing with space/silence instead of looping. Distilled and concise.
7.00
David Kirby: The Scythe (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
One of two curators behind the Homophoni net label, David Kirby returns to the SoD label with a nice dose of electronics and concrete music. The Scythe opens with a minimal tones and quiet organic clatter that sounds straight off of a Faraway Press disc with the occasional horn making its presence known before slowly branching out into more collage friendly territory ala Nurse With Wound. Kirby's rather minimal leanings seem to guard the piece from heading into corrosively silly dada-mustache territory, remaining focused and direct.
10.00
Devillock: Cold Room (Gameboy cd-r, lim. 100)
10.00
Devillock: These Graves (PacRec cd)
8.00
Dion Workman: Ching (Antiopic fan-cd)
10.00
Eli Keszler/Ashley Paul: 1-5 (REL cdr, lim. 100)
Debut recording for improv players Eli Keszler and Ashley Paul as a duo. A great disc showcasing their respective signature playing styles seamlessly integrated together. Scrubbing metal and bow hairs, scattered frantic percussion, and note bending horn squelch, all with just the right amount of punctuation. A very well constructed and refreshing disc. Recorded (I believe) right before a week-long residency at the Issue Project Room, and an excellent prequel to the duo's first LP. Packaged as all REL releases with silkscreened art on vellum and heavy paper.
10.00
Ernst Karel: Heard Laboratories (and/OAR cd)
There have been whispers in the woods about this series of field recordings for some time now, so its a real treat to see them finally revealed courtesy of and/OAR. Ernst Karel (one half of the EKG duo) has been working to sonically document the operations of various research laboratories at Harvard University. The typically custom built and often frightening looking highly complex machines found in the labs seem to leave a much more factory/machine shop sonic footprint (at least at these amplified volumes) than one might expect, filling the air with motor hum, electricity, and magnetism. Importantly, Karel does an accurate job of accurately portraying the locations of these machines too- they are in labs, occupied and highly active spaces. You not only hear machines being engaged, but shuffling, phone rings, conversation, and other daily activities that most phonographers seem to go to almost any length to eliminate, often sterilizing and disembodying the very object or process they are attempting to document. Karel's goal is to do much more than get us to listen to a series of sounds. Heard Laboratories seems to be an attempt to point out that we often forget about the amount of human interaction and toil that is involved in even the most microscopic level of scientific development, a reclaiming of our own technology. A strong statement to make both in or out of a laboratory environment.
10.00
Evol: Punani Shell (Scarcelight cd)
5.00
Haare: Ceremony (Foxglove cd-r, lim. 100)
A few final copies of this early disc from Haare. Not exactly ambient sound, not exactly noise... Haare exists as something all its own with one foot seemingly in the Zero Kama ritual territory with its intention. While there is certainly a noisy element at work, it comes across as more of a psychedelic haze than anything remotely aggressive. Imagine some sort of hybrid monster combining Hum Of The Druid, Double Leopards, and The Rita. This disc is a great place to start for those unfamiliar with the project, and will no doubt also please fans of the rest of the discography.
10.00
Howard Stelzer: Bond Inlets (Intransitive cd)
Massachusetts cassette manipulator Howard Stelzer finally delivers a new full length solo album after 10 years of limited releases and impressive collaborations (Guisepe Ielasi, Franz De Waard, Jazzkammer, etc) . Emotionally evocative and slightly melancholy, Bond Inlets constantly bends and reels on itself with new recordings continually clawing their way out of piles of hiss and distortion, yet never quite coming into focus. The long form solo material captured herein reveals elements of Stelzer's work that seem to really shine when isolated, but might get obscured in group settings, never being overly noisy, but always attention grabbing at the simplest moments. The cassette medium certainly leaves its mark on the album complete with all its beautiful artifacts and losses, which Stelzer seems to wield with the utmost respect and unparalleled ability. Easily his finest recorded moment and one of the best albums of 2009.
Recommended! 13.00
Jazzkammer: Sound Of Music (Ohm, 3”cd)
7.00
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: Shining Skull Breath (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
Buried hazy melodies coaxed out of clouds of analog buzz from the head of Roots Strata and member of Tarentel. Nu-age melancholics.
10.00
Jeph Jerman: 19'25”For Adam Kalmbach (Jeshimoth Entertainment 3” cd-r, lim. 50)
Beautiful and somewhat haunting drone from the ever productive Mr. Jerman. A simple recording of a steel ball and brass bowl that sounds like hundreds of church bells resonating from miles away, or a pile of grandfather clocks being pushed down a stairwell into an echo chamber. Producing a completely suspended feeling this great little disc is a drone you could live in for days on end (although its length keeps you from getting exhausted mid-listen and coming back for more). Further proof that Jeph is a master of simplicity and finding the great in the small. Highly recommended for fans of halting time.
6.00
Jim Haynes: Sever (Intransitive cd)
Seriously eerie and unearthly textural work that sounds like recordings of strange alchemical research, or an abandoned mineshaft being investigated at a microscopic level. Although the sound sources on Sever are pretty obscured, I would not be the least bit surprised to find that most of them are in fact derived from various metal/chemical sources given that Haynes' visual art is also based on processes of rust and oxidation (equally fascinating stuff worth looking into). Very deep explorations (or conjurings) yielding detailed and delicate work with a very distinct 'ghost town' sound. And while I am hesitant to even mention the term for a number of reasons, its worth noting that dark ambient fans who are sick of rehashed albums built from digital plate reverbs and cliche bass pads really need to perk up their ears to what is being done here.
13.00
Jos Smolders: Habitat (and/OAR cd-r, lim. 100)
12.00
Kapotte Muziek: Praag/Rotterdam (PacRec/Chondritic Sound cd)
Two great live recordings from this long standing sound group. If you don't own a subwoofer- get one. Then use this record to shift the tectonic plates under your house. 8.00
Komissar Hjuler and Mama Bar: Asylum Lunaticum (Intransitive cd)
Given Hjuler and Mama Bar's propensity for the ridiculous it would only follow that their releases be a collectors nightmare; issued in difficult to acquire, confusingly small editions, sometimes with alternate covers, strange objects, and possibly not even being playable. While well worth tracking down individually, Asylum Lunaticum saves most of us a huge headache offering a nice overview of the Danish duo's bizarre world. Cut ups, field recordings, and spoken word with subjects such as the reform of the Dutch police system, time travel, riding a bicycle, or running into a field of cows. Total mastery of everything that shouldn't work.
13.00
Lethe: Catastrophe Point #5 (Intransitive cd)
Kuwayama Kiyoharu has spent the last decade honing his craft of exploring decommissioned industrial spaces through acoustics. Catastrophe Point #5 was recorded at an abandoned pier warehouse in Kiyoharu's home of Nagoya. The industrial detritus found at the site were struck, bowed, and scraped as the resonant triggers for the reverberant space, accompanied by cello and horns (very Craig Kupka evil twin sounding). While I doubt Kuwayama has any sort of political intention here, the Catastrophe Point series does pose some very interesting questions regarding use of abandoned spaces and industrial development. The concept of space as instrument is also really appealing here given that it tends to gravitate more towards the approaches of folks like Tsunoda or Tonutti, opposed to the somewhat exploitative approach taken to 'field recording' work which seems to be becoming more and more common.
13.00
LHD: Young And Restless (Blossoming Noise cd)
8.00
LHD: Curtains (PacRec cd)
8.00
Lionel Marchetti: Knud Un Nom De Serpent (Intransitive cd)
Reissue by popular demand of this cult musique concrete album from 1999. A bizarre conglomeration of ethnic pop music, field recordings, spoken word, extended vocal technique and animal sounds spliced up and reconfigured. While I am still not sure I quite grip Marchetti's shamanistic concept and how it applies in this context, its hard to argue with the results of this album. Knud seems to rely on an almost random synchronicity somehow culminating in an actual narrative- like pulling messages out of random newspaper clippings or channel surfing for leitmotifs. A challenging disc that is sure to reward the focused listener.
13.00
Lionel Marchetti and Seijiro Murayama: Hatali Atsalei (Intransitive cd)
Another radio drama/concrete ritual assembled by tape shaman Lionel Marchetti, this time assisted by vocals from Seijiro Murayama (of Fushitsusha and A.N.P.)
13.00
Mike Bullock: [There The Eye Goes Not;] (Tautology cd)
10.00
Mike Shiflet: Ko (Small Doses 2x3”cd-r)
A conceptual double disc set based around the Japanese game of Ko. One noisy disc, and one on the more static side (although still not exactly easy listening). Mike Shiflet's work seems to always be back and forth, crossing a line between the soothing and abrasive, analog and digital, always with pleasing results. It seems to only make sense that he would finally deliver a release specifically focused on duality. Discs come in a slipcase with classy double sided silkscreen art.
8.00
RESTOCKING
Moniek Darge: Soundies (Selected work 1980-2001) (Kye cd)
Seven pieces from a twenty year span presented in chronological order from dutch multitalented violinist/performer/assemblagist and sound artist Moniek Darge. While this is the first non-Lambkin related release on his Kye imprint, Soundies speaks strongly to the label's sonic theme. The contained pieces are built out of animal recordings, street noise, violin, and spoken elements with a strong emphasis on the live aspects of each composition and the idea of the sound as both event and object. Whether accidental or precisely timed, each moment tumbles into another seemingly haphazardly but somehow always resolving, usually in a disarming off kilter anti-climax. Very unique work that bridges the gap between electro-acoustic composition, performance art, and sound poetry.
14.00 RESTOCKING
Nerve Net Noise: Dark Garden (Intransitive cd)
Since this homebuilt synth duo's reputation no doubt precedes them, let it be known that Dark Garden is a far more listenable outing than the legendarily painful Meteor Circuit. Rhythmic in focus with almost boggling simplicity and a very 'automatic' feel. Grids of electrical pulses shift over each other with almost undetectable phasing and/or jumps. Fans of Hecker's more stripped down work, Mark Fell, Pietro Grossi, and similar artists should really enjoy this one.
Recomended! 13.00
Niellerade Fallibilisthorstar: Halrum (SNSE cd)
CD version of this now out of print LP with some additional material from this cryptic Swedish collective. An excellent album of what could simply be described as ritualistic industrial music, but is far more interesting than anything such a genre has produced in years. At times very reminiscent of classics such as Organum and Ferial Confine, or stronger outings from Troum. Dark, atmospheric, but still highly composed utilizing both environment, instrumentation, and electronics.
10.00
nmperign: Ommatidia (Intransitive cd)
13.00
nmperign and Jason Lescalleet: Love Me Two Times (Intransitive 2xcd)
The epic result of 6 years worth of collaborative work from tape loop master Jason Lescalleet and the duo of Bhob Rainey and Greg Kelley. Given the length of the album alone, not to mention the wide diversity of material on it, this one is sure to be a slow burner requiring some serious time to fully digest. Basically, the type of album the world needs more of. Amplified and acoustic horns, nearly fried electronics, public TV stars, and cryptic/dark jokes galore all presented in varying fidelity for extra confusion.
18.00
Origami Subtropica: Ultimatum (3”cd-r, Locus Of Assemblage)
6.00
Pit Noack, Michael Barthel, Eric Boros: Hudge Koi Fish Jazz (Recordings For The Summer cdr)
Live tour recordings from these three improvisors. Liner notes include a brief tour diary and an explanation of a 'hudge'.
7.00
RESTOCKING
Pulse Emitter: Meditative Music (self released cd-r)
7.00 RESTOCKING
Pulse Emitter: Meditative Music Vol. 2 (self released cd-r)
7.00
Pulse Emitter: Meditative Music Vol. 3 (self released cd-r)
7.00
Pulse Emitter: Meditative Music Vol. 4 (self released cd-r)
7.00
Quest: Hic Locus Quest (Noise Museum)
Project of Frans De Waard. Re-issue of the G.R.O.S.S. cassette from 1995 along with some new material. (goth side fact: Noise Museum was run by the head of L'Invitation Au Suicide who issued material from Christian Death and The Virgin Prunes)
10.00
Raglani/Scenic Railroads: split (Gameboy, Pegasus Farm)
5.00
Rudolf Eb. Er.: 666 Music For Francis Bacon (Destructive Industries 3”cd-r, lim. 100)
A stunning little disc. More narrative than most of his work, 666 is an incredibly dark and morbid electro-acoustic work that sounds like Francis Dhomont doing sound design for a slasher film. Screaming, snarls, unanswered telephones and pounding mix with tense silence in Rudolf's trademark hyperactive editing style. Most of the vocal sounds are pitch/spectrally shifted so you are never certain whether what you are hearing is male, female, human, animal, or rabid- very fitting music for Mr. Bacon's paintings. Not one for the squeamish, and a hard one to justify to anyone who overhears it. While the gruesome macho aspect of 666 is sure to be its main appeal to some, it more than stands on its own merit as one of the better discs released in 2009, and one of the most intriguing titles in Rudolf's discography.
Highly Recommended!9.00
Seht: The Green Morning (Digitalis cd)
Simple, subtle, and beautiful. While Seht's beat oriented material is well made, it has never struck me quite the same way as his other work, demonstrated here in top form. One of Seht's finest and most restrained moments.
10.00
R.Y.N.- Astral Death (Unrest Productions cd)
First full length (following a 7”on Drone) of heavy hypnotic drone slabs from the UK. Dense and psychedelic material with a heavy industrial influence that is closer to a jet engine blast or close mic'ed motor than your typical airy guitar work. The duo's backgrounds lie in the harsh noise and metal territory (Romance and Marzuraan respectively) explaining the rather bleak/blackened nature of this heady disc. One of the better examples of 'metal' oriented drone I have come across with a clear focus on sound over image, eventually bearing little to any semblance of its potential inspiration. Transmogrification and transcendence.
10.00
Seht and Stelzer: Exactly What You Lost (Intransitive cd)
Playing like an actual collaboration, rather than two artists simply playing together, Seht;s usually more on the serene extended tones benefit quite nicely here from Howard Stelzer's analog grit. Decayed loops and environmental sounds collide in a rather noisy way with some nice subtle stereo shifts. A very successful balancing act capping things off with a 26 minute epic finale with an industrial-informed edge (I'm talking Zoviet France here mind you, not Sutcliffe Jugend). Really the icing on the cake.
Recomended! 13.00
Sparkling Wide Pressure: Touching Pasture (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
Pure sonic nostalgia from Tennessee. Sparkling Wide Pressure creates beautiful and emotionally evocative songs recalling grainy super-8 home movies, family photo albums, and every pang of your teenage heart. Utilizing both traditional instrumentation and a wash of electronics, Touching Pasture is the perfect soundtrack for the fall's always enjoyable gloomy-joyous mood swings. Very reminiscent of New Zealand experimental-song acts such as CJA, Anthony Milton, and Pumice.
10.00
Sparkling Wide Pressure: Time Travel Melody (Kimberly Dawn 3”cd-r, lim. 40)
Frank Baugh's seems to have had an extremely productive 2009 with his unique SWP project gaining some well deserved attention, and starting up his own miniature imprint Kimberly Dawn. While SWP seems to have drawn a close association to Digitalis and associated camps of freeform pasture-wha?? sounds, this disc seems to be more focused and composed than a majority of Baugh's contemporaries. Revisiting a particular melody from his childhood, Baugh opens the disc with somber guitar, keyboard, and vocals, quickly degrading into a misty sprawl of resonance and feedback. A very nice little disc.5.00
Stephan Mathieu: Kapotte Muziek By (Korm Plastics cd)
8.00
Tom Hamilton: Pieces For Kohn, Formal & Informal Music (Kvist cd)
Good news for everyone: a double CD reissue of two highly collectable electronic music classics for only 15 bucks! Before becoming involved in the NY downtown scene, Tom Hamilton attended a lecture by Ussachevsky, prompting an interest in pursuing electronic music. Hamilton went on to built and operate out of the Washington University electronic music studio equiped with ARP 2500/2600 synthesizers as well as a Moog and Serge system. Pieces For Kohn is clearly steeped in the 60s analog synthesis tradition featuring four pointillistic synthesizer compositions based on paintings by Bill Kohn. The influence of early academics such as Ussachevsky, Stockhausen, Varese, and others are palpable here, but the slightly less academic orientation and penchant for boggled rhythms could easily be mistaken for Nik Pascal. Disc two features two extended pieces for electronics and additional instrumentation, Formal & Informal Music and Crimson Sterling. Strikingly different work with a much more free/improvised feel heavy on the reeds and percussion. The discs also includes a booklet with background information on Hamilton's initiation into the world of electronic music written by the man himself. Sure to be one of the essential reissues of this year, and quite possibly the best priced one to boot!
15.00
Tore Honoré Bøe: Suave Siesta (Purple Soil cd)
7.00
Treetops: In The Everglades (Students Of Decay cd-r, lim. 100)
The Everglades is a pretty mystical and swampy place deserving of some swampy sounds, dished out here by Arbor headmaster (no pun intended) Mike Pollard. For those who don't already know the drill you get yourself some lovely 'verb-drenched nature dirges complemented by swirling zombie moans, all packed up with a nice little bow of tape saturation to set the whole thing off. Its no surprise that Pollard has established himself as both the gatekeeper and watchdog of the landscape and geometrically obsessed followers of the Casio+DL4 school.
10.00
V/A: Paper And Plastic (Suitcase 2xcd)
An excellent double disc compilation showcasing some of the mid 90's finest. Featuring Ios Smolders, Yeast Culture, Small Cruel Party, Rudolf Eb.Er., Emil Beaulieau, tac, Kapotte Muziek, and plenty of others. Most of the content seems to revolve around prime era acts from Anomalous, Apraxia, and Petri Supply's rosters. Equally as well compiled as curated, Paper And Plastic plays like a composition all its own with each disc flowing seamlessly from one track to the next (a rather lofty task for a double disc set featuring such a diverse array of sounds). Packaged in a painted DVD case with booklets and printed inserts by Incubator.
20.00
V/A: The Nature Of Systems (Carbon cd)
Features Pelt, Charalambides, Bardo Pong, Pengo, Loren Mazzacane Connors, and a slew of others...
10.00
