Bird By Snow is in essence one character, Fletcher Tucker. Partaking in the great Northwestern tradition of solo singer/songerwriters like Thanksgiving, Phil Elverum, Little Wings and so forth, sharing their influence and their influences. However, there are a lot of natural themes in his music which give it a certain mystical air separate from the others' overtly social themes. Tucker’s voice is rather erratic: often understated, his words sound stuck in his throat (à la Hayden), which at times distracts from the song, but mostly the converse. BBS is built on solid melodies, maintaining a classic stance, with smart variation in timbres and instrumentation to keep things fresh and interesting.

The First BBS release, an LP, 'Antlers and the Sun and All the Things that Grow Old and Pass Away', opens with a few chords of organ, then banjo, then – whrrr – the track stops, and a lone acoustic strums “Exhaling Lungs”, a melancholy song of guitar, banjo, and Tucker’s repeating wounded-bear plaint “with exhaling lungs” over his own harmonizing hum. “Great Glower and Gloam” makes brilliant use of whistle and sparse hand claps to give a single repeating verse depth like it were recorded on a canyon, and not in a bedroom. The instrumental “Sea Lion” is surprisingly up-tempo, and totally disrupts the albums early tone by switching to a quartet setup with alto sax, bass, drums and guitar. This sort of flip ingratiates BBS to the beard of Little Wings, as “Fat New Born Baby” follows right behind, back in the blue, though with a programmed beat and strokes of (auto)harp inserted as samples in a pop-savvy love song, K Records style. Side B opens with the dark, banjo-centric “I Will Age 1,000 Years and Not Improve”. Filled with organic noises, plus well-placed tape and guitar interventions, the song recalls rarer moments of Songs: Ohia or perhaps more accurately, Woven Hands, who I think has used the same exact riff (though maybe not on banjo). “Please Favor Me World” is both lyrically and musically Thanksgiving, with the pleasant addition of a higher-register harmony and a pretty-decent acoustic solo. It’s an interesting layout, as the last three tracks end with the same dark tone with which the album began, with the nice addition of a small backing-choir on final track “Antlers and the Sun”.

BBS’ second LP ‘Sky’ conscientiously comes with a CDr version, which means I can put the portable away for a minute while I write. “White Sky” opens the thing off, and by the third note it's clear that Tucker’s been practicing his art. Concocting a nice mix of nylon and electric strings, he uses each instrument’s part with greater attention to composition - giving ‘Sky’ a greater complexity. Most of all, his voice sounds surer and his words bolder, synthesizing a sincerity which pushes his songs closer to those of his aforementioned compatriots. The album is united with a central string/scrape sound like that of piano strings. I imagine this is the dulcimer that appears in the notes of each song; to be bowed or plucked, the instrument lends the songs a simultaneously sinister and mythic inflection, particularly when coupled with the song’s feedback blasts and picked guitars. “Black Elk in the Mountains” has a swaying acoustic plucking and refrain that momentarily recalls folkier rock like Joni Mitchell or Cat Stevens, though with an overt darkness that would never fly in such mainstream recordings; “Plato’s Cave” is more like Nick Drake than not, and is followed by a nice wilderness field-recording/ukulele song called “( )”. “The Sound and the River within the Sound” is one of BBS’ best compositional moments, with the repetition and harmony “there is a sound/and there is no sound” skillfully laced across layers of banjo riff, accordion, stick and bell percussion, and various manipulated adornments. Final tracks “I am not the Moon and neither is the Moon” and “Animals Calling” again parallel much Thanksgiving, though with the severe sentimentality and melodramatic optimism that informs the majority of Tucker’s lyrics thus far.

It was a surprise to see that ‘Industrial Collapse’ was recorded after both BBS LPs, as it is a pretty low-maintenance 7”, with rougher production and slightly silly lyrics on the two songs. However, listening to it now, I recognize a maturity in the songwriting, as the A side “No Beard Now” moves from a demo of single acoustic and voice to a full electric band (who Tucker appropriately credits as his “very own Crazy Horse”). Dual guitars (equals dueling solos), hand-clap percussion, and big, fuzzy bass-line, the song comes in nice contrast to the finger-picking B side “Chew Your Fucking Legs Off (If you have to)” – a track recalling a melody and harmony of Granfaloon Bus, with additional woodsy hand-drumming and other exotic timbres.

Fletcher releases Bird By Snow on his own Gnome Life Records, where as CEO he enjoys carte blanche to make his records as fucking sexy as he wants. Both LPs come pressed on heavy red- and blue-transparent vinyl; all of the handsome art is block-printed by the man himself, and each record has extensive, hand-written liner-notes. All three releases are limited to 300 copies and remarkably affordable (save that international shipping - maybe a brave distro will step up?). Definitely recommended! (Gnome Life LPs ‘Sky’, $12(US)/$20(World), and ‘Antlers…’, $10(US)/$19.5(World); 7” ‘Industrial Collapse’ $5(US)/$9.75(World) – samples and such at the WEBSITE)

The latest installment from the always gracious Root Strata:

Pete Swanson - 'Static Space' CDr $6(US)/$8(World)
"As one half of the noise/drone/skree duo Yellow Swans, Pete Swanson has spent the last few years traversing the globe splitting brain cells in two with a table full of electronics and a microphone shoved deep in his mouth. Not nearly as caustic as some of the Swans' jams, 'Static Space' is a slowly shifting neon sculpture filled to the brim with interweaving feedback and billowing static. Each one comes with a unique oil/acrylic painting. Edition of 100."

Gregg Kowalsky - 'Tape Chants A Million' CDr $6(US)/$8(World)
"Recorded live on KFJC radio, 'Tape Chants A Million' is another smoldering slow burner from Oakland based Gregg Kowalsky. Running a small battery of acoustic instruments through his laptop, Gregg creates what The Wire magazine calls "...gorgeous electronically treated drones that seep into the listening space on a cloud of softly clashing microtones and teased out harmonics..." Yea, that sounds about right. Each one comes with a QSL Amateur Radio card from somewhere in the world other than the USA. Edition of 100."

Also available (for a few minutes), a repress of John Davis' 'At Home & Afield' 3" CDr; "Metallic drones for the nature set", revived in a second edition of 50. $6(US)/$8(World)

Run along to the WEBSITE for samples, ordering, and other such relevance.

Finally, the man with the wrenches, Jef Cantu-Ledesma, has a number of new releases enummerated on the above website, as well as a handsome new blog for music reviews, found HERE. Take it like a supplement, but don't forget your protein!

Maybe I've fallen into a niche (or was I pushed?). From Arbor:

Arbor29 Ghosting - 'Live/Oakland+' C40 $6ppd
"This Portland drone duo manages to create lengthy tracks with a psychedelic precision that makes you forget what time is/was/will be. This tape contains a track from a live show in Oakland with bustling airy drones and the dinging of bells luring the ears to go to places they have not been before. The track progresses thoughtfully with exact subtleties building to a climax only to come tumbling down with that exact progression. The B-side is a deja-vu conjugated burner starting where the other side ended. In a numbered edition of 100 copies with individually inked and sprayed tape labels in a silver sprayed case and ink drawn cloudscapes."

WEBSITE

Robedoor lite? Sure! I’ll take it. Title jam “Proceed the Weedian” is all like BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!, stomping out dark, rolling clouds of dread, but sharp and persistent beams of light cut across it like an Archon unicorn, soon drowning-out the low end as it fills your brains (the clouds eventually burst and only light remains). Sounds exactly like a Buddha Machine, if the Buddha Machine could manage any bass. Flipside “Oaxacan Pollen” has a distinct tribal beat – possible dual-drumming - layered with a high, sustained pitch, and a high-frequency, almost Sun City Girls-like chant/singing. Like the A-side, a pretty consistent piece in its repetition, with a steady rhythm and something verging on melody; like other Robedoor tapes, two distinctly different tracks that are totally worth your time. On spray-painted green tapes with paper inserts in a plastic case. Limited to 50 copies. (Buried Valley cassette, $6 HERE)

Also new from Buried Valley, ‘Age of Quandary’ by Insaniacs is the completely sanctioned unity of Britt from Robedoor and Roy from Changling playing muddy-as-fuck warehouse death rattles (the sound a warehouse makes when it dies) - considerably heavier on the Changeling tip, if that makes a difference to you.

New badassness from No No Diversión:

Horse Head - 'The Defeatist' CDr $5
"For a while it looked like OC loners Horse Head were gonna follow the path out to pasture and never look back. Their Birds and Bees tape (Arbor) was pure nature, a feathery field recording of grassy, buzzing bliss, and even the singer/songwriter folk diaries of Make It Something Else (also Arbor) were pretty unplugged and barefoot-vibed. However: NEVERMIND, cause The Defeatist fucks this theory/trajectory to hell. Gone is the wind-in-yr-hair acoustic delay, the whispery poet croons. In its place? Total teenage guitar trash, exploratory garage chaos, psychedelic puberty. Percussion like metal shelves full of wrenches being kicked on to concrete. Pissed kids scream-talking at dry walls. Uncomfortable and ugly. Maybe this is a concept album? Hand-stamped CDRs in blurry woven fiber paper, with one-of-a-kind collaged wooden horses, and a hand-numbered insert. Limited to 64."

A++/Soft Shoulder - 'Live' CS $5
"The holidays are supposed to be AWESOME. You wear crazy scarves, hang out with weird cousins, and secretly spike the eggnog (with soy-nog)!! Another good thing to do is play shows with your friends and go crazy. That’s why this applause-heavy C30 is PERFECT. A++ are the trumpet/drums pop-monster duo starring Grace from Foot Village/Gang Wizard and their side documents an Il Corral show from 2006 summertime. They pass out trivia questions, yell about animals and sneak attacks, and even cover some 80s song. The sonic equivalent of rainbow confetti exploding in yr face. Tempe, Arizona’s hardest working posi-wave trio Soft Shoulder shred sax, riffs, and drums across the B side, which is culled/compiled from a trilogy of early December shows in Phoenix and Flagstaff. Their jump-cuts from angular feedback action to beatless skronk drift keeps you (and the crowd) guessing. Good luck! Printed-label tapes in stapled, spray-painted cardstock fold-over cases. Googly-eyed horn-blower blob beast art by Manda. Hand-numbered, and limited to 100."

WEBSITE

An impeccable live recording, this document of a night of Anakrid is as clear and dynamic as any home/studio-recorded tape could hope to be. Presented without titles, each side of this C31 appear as a single track, ending abruptly when we run out of tape, sort of like moebius strip of music. As a three-piece, I suppose there’s a need to stay on mark, but these guys just sound straight tight with a composed-yet-easy style which lands right in the sweet spot. Side one starts as a bouncy, bubbly keyboard line over a wall of metallic shrieks and clattering, sounding like a soundtrack to some 80s sci-fi/horror film (may I recommend ‘Scanner Cop’?). The keys drop away, leaving the shimmer of automated metallic doom, much reminiscent of the fantastic HsDOM CDr of a few weeks back. Each time the slide-whistle electronics come back, they bring along a new batch of clanging noises which hang out after the lead disappears again. No signs of vocals anywhere on this thing – a nice change. The flipside has some crazy electronic rhythm going with a clanging of what sounds like church chimes attempting to stay in time; accordion (!) jumps in there too, and all the sounds sort of phase in and out of a polyphonic pattern that’s quite remarkable. More 80s/90s sci-fi here, kind of like ‘Aeon Flux’ and the like, fading into sparser moments of bizarre sounds surely originating from a weird grab-bag of instruments. The extensive use of synthesizers make moments like the tape’s last few minutes sound damn near prog, as a drummer appears and astro-jazz saxophone carries the thing off to the mothership. This superior recording means there’s no mistaking every move these guys make, and while I’m not totally sure what they’re aiming for, I really enjoy their sound and the guessing. The nubile Black Horizons is setting the bar for rad packaging with this one: tapes have gorgeous printed labels and come in plastic cases with a color transparency riveted (!) onto a fancy, printed card with stamped numbers. Limited to 80 copies.

Changeling is weird: I find it hard to differentiate between releases, yet paradoxically, each consecutive release seems better than the last. In fact, I can hardly point out the differences between each song on ‘Deep Reflection’, yet I think it’s great and certainly the most vital Changeling thus far. [post-script: the label site has it ‘Deep Reflections’ plural, though I believe this to be a typo - I mean, come on, right?] One thing’s for sure: the mix on this tape is the best to date, dynamic and rarely muddy (my only qualm with past releases), and even then, only in the right ways. The fact that this is also the longest Changeling thus far bids well that Roy is headed in the right direction. “Bowing Mass” is what we call it when the evil heat turns on, wafting upward in thick, howling drones of vocals and indefinable guitar/bass (?) swells. The consistency of repetition in the vocal drones creates a static effect, making for more nuanced shifts in the layers of Om. While prior Changeling tracks came labeled with vivid title imagery (“Sanctuary by the Sea”, “Astral Arch”) for a narrative reference, “Bowing Mass” and the following shorter track, “Shut” utilize a more abstract approach, leaving room for open interpretation - as well as space to get seriously lost. Side two’s “Veils of Mist” returns with a more concrete vision while the track moves beyond the fog of the previous tracks. The voices have become louder and more distinct, as though we are getting closer to something, and little points of high-frequency light begin to pierce through the deep rumble; this appears to be an illusion, and in the end, the groan is subdued yet the voices remain. Brilliantly labeled-tapes, in a plastic case with incredibly-printed heavy J-card, stamped, and printed in color on one side. I am beside myself (Hi, me!). Limited to 66 copies. (Black Horizons cassettes, $6 HERE)

release the bats #18: NONHORSE - 'HARAAM, CIRCLE OF FLAME' CD
"Nonhorse is the solo act of Gabriel Lucas Crane from Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice and this is his debut album. On Haraam, piles of mysterious old cassettes are used as source material to create magic in a stunning way over 42 moody minutes. Different audio fragments on top of each other, over and over again, hand-mixed and orchestrated at what feels like must have been ritualistic tape laborations taken place somewhere where the sun never shines. Various echoes from the past are buried under layers and layers of manipulated voices, train signals, animal sounds and god knows what. Abrupt endings which burns like fire in your head. Churches in flames, the soundtrack to The House With The Laughing Windows played backwards, alien autopsys, cemetery fog, total devestation... Haraam is a beautiful junkyard nightmare, a horrifying and atmospheric album. 13 songs. Mastered by Pete Swanson." 500 copies

WEBSITE

Nuevo de Spacelessjam:

crank sturgeon - 'glory tape and trough of beslubbering fish' c48 $5
"typical crank crunk. old reel to reel recordings from 2003-2004 dumped clean onto 100 tapes for your pleasure. rough and gritty junk. adsfjlk;agjhljgaljdlkjalg;jljglajdg. stop, im serious. limited edition of 100, comes with nice handmade drawings and typewriter'd inserts."

WEBSITO

Fresh freshness from Arbor:

arbor09 Dead White - 'Holy Deprivation' CDr 7$ppd
"Dead White is a one-man dream team comprised of drone maker/dreamscaper, Andy Brack. Whirling loops of sound bounce off of the walls this dude creates with his voice and guitar. Too many muted fire alarms must blare through Andy's hallway while he is snoozing. Three tracks and just short of forty minutes, this recording splatters the sound canvas with aural landscapes; evoking images of really big bird cages and sacred Tibetan caves. Comes in six color silkscreened fold out posters by Belgian wizard Jelle Crama. Keep (dead) noise alive(in an edition of 130).

Arbor21 Empty Vessel - 'A World Of Dew' C-12 5$ppd
"Ah man, you know that feeling when you wake up early in the morning and walk out hazy-eyed into the hazy world to pick up the newspaper? It's a trip. Empty Vessel is Roy Tatum of Quintana Roo, Changeling, Black Monk, etc. Electronics sweating with overdrive. Transcending the aural spectrum with a dew inducing haze of harsh drones. The ebb and flow of a confined stream; tranquility turned up to 11. In an edition of 100 numbered copies."



Arbor 32 Pocahaunted - 'Native Seduction' 3" CDr 5$ppd
"Recording? Compact disc? Before the arrival of the white man to the new world, these two tribal sisters would chill out, harvest grains, and participate in drum circles while creating smoke signals. The white man introduced the electric guitar and microphone as well as recording technology. The girls turned in their primitive gear to go analog! Vocal chants for a good harvest. Guitar strums coupled with bass drum dreams to protect oneself from the evil spirits. Backed behind a teepee of protective electronic hum. All is good. In two color silk-screened sleeves with splattered disc dot/ enchanted feather print keeping the cd in its place, all tucked in a plastic sleeve. In a numbered edition of 100 copies."

Order, etc. at the WEBSITE

Pocahaunted is a deceptively dark/jokey name for this sunny/legit band. From what I’ve gleaned, they are a duo of young ladies, at least one of which has been installed within the Not Not Fun regime (high-bias(ed) production by NNF/Robedoor generalissimo Britt). The twentyish minute ‘What the Spirit Tells Me’ cassette is (I believe) only their second release (new CDr soon on Arbor), but they have their sound pegged. “The Waking Wind” features a light, simple drum beat and picked guitar riff as sweet, lofty, wordless singing floats over like heat off grass, behind which a swell like PA-vibration throbs from some invisible bassist. Midway, veiled trumpet comes in like a crossed frequency, like it’s summer and the windows are open and the curtains are thin. Though titled as a sequel, “And How It Carried Me Away”, forms no more of a narrative than its prelude – instead it carries on the same optimistic lethargy, though with a more active band stomping-out a mid-tempo with reverb-warmed guitars and little blips of strings or keys or something tag along in rhythm. The female voice on this side is of the same open-mouth sort, though this time with more variation and the addition of a deeper (male?) harmony or two towards the end. There are strong similarities here with mid-90s indie/shoegazer/bliss-out bands like Ganger and Eleventh Dream Day, though this seems very likely accidental. A great tape with lots of character, I’m eager to hear what these two do with a full-length release. Sprayed and spayed purple cassette with heavy-stock, (kind of boring) glittery J-card in a blue case. Limited to 50 copies. Get this! (Buried Valley cassette, $6 HERE)

I’ve been hearing this album for a couple weeks now and have had no idea who it was. Now that I’m sitting down with it, I say “Oh, great!”; "Oh, great!" because I like it. This is Root Strata’s second pressing of ‘Eastern Light’ by Starving Weirdos, an apparently prolific, though somewhat elusive duo from North California. From the start this can be an imposing package, as you open it to find five tracks sprawled across two CDrs. This is certainly not a deliberate listen (if that makes sense), but more of a soundtrack for doing low-impact daily chores (i.e. reading and writing). It is a very sparse, leisurely affair, rarely requiring immediate attention, though with scattered reference points through which to enter the recording when you feel like it – sort of a psych/noise Boxhead Ensemble.

Despite the insert’s assignment of a disc one and disc two, there appears no deliberate order to these tracks, let alone from one disc to the next. Regardless, “Plastic Gagaku” opens the first with a nice organ and horn (?) overture, echoing into the ether of erratic, organic percussion and whispy, droning winds. The horror-movie soundtrack of “Sea-Foam at Midnight”, likely recorded at a show, oscillates between severe, metallic shrieks and simmering ambient noise, including what sounds like venue or intercom chatter. The effect is kind of spooky, as the noises are all so nondescript that you cannot discern real noises from recorded ones, so the question: does the music become daily milieu or does it absorb it? “Quiet Shit” carries this theme, though with a more persistent rhythm which breaks into some strings, xylophone. At 42 minutes between these last two tracks, you may want to break before leaping into the second disc; conversely, if you want two solid hours of study/psych time, play them back to back. Disc two’s two tracks are dominated by the 44 minute “Recital Hall” – a most lively affair of tribal drums, shakers and rattles, soon overwhelmed by tape loops and ambient noises, and some far-off trumpet player; sounds like Afrobeat practice, where all the players are screwing around with jazz timbres before the singers arrive. There’s some pretty great acidic guitar doodles in the last five minutes, leading out and into the conclusive “Bro-In-Out”, a 20 minute track of loops and mechanical sounds, creating a rhythm over which wails of electric guitar and puffs of flute and/or sax are laid. The rhythm drops out after the first third, leading into a segment of solo, weaving brass – some clean, some disfigured – and then into a gamelan of chants, chimes, and assorted glints of anonymous sound. Reminiscent at times of No Neck Blues Band, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and probably several other bands with long, bizarre, possibly alliterative names, these weirdoes create provocative, often hostile pieces of voodoo, and always to maximal length.

Counter the insert’s claims of varied recording sessions, I imagine the band collects a variety of instruments and non-instruments that make good noises, throw these in a big room, and hole-up for a weekend with some friends. The recent, very-fine works by (VxPxCx) come to mind, as both bands share a loose form, creating large, variegated sound “spaces” with a variety of foreign “instruments”. And sure, in general things could logically be shorter and more focused, and likely no one would want to play editor with these massive tracks, but I imagine this is a concerted decision which will likely reveal its logic through repeat listening. Two somewhat-annoyingly-blank CDrs in a gatefold sleeve with the always delightful Root Strata spray and paint job making each disc unique; mine looks like a cinnabon! Limited to 150 copies. (Root Strata dbl-CDr, $12(US)/$16(World) HERE)

At it again! More from Fuck It Tapes:

FIT037 WOODS - 'At Rear House' c44
"Limited to 100 with hand painted cassettes. CD on SHRIMPER (jan 8th) /LP on WOODSIST (soon) another batch of folk fucked gems by the woods family. more songs this time around. keep it on!"

FIT030 SWORD HEAVEN - 'Fan Death' 2003- 2005 c60
"Repress with one extra track. Monolithic epic metal/doom/lumber ala Swans/Speed Trials era NY scum from a group that enjoyed an excellent split LP with 16 Bitch Pile-Up a while back. Excellent package and limited as usual."

What a great year for comps (cite your own examples). Arbor’s first release, like most, is a compilation mixing regulars and well-wishers of a more-or-less friendly disposition. However, unlike many early label-comps, ‘Arbor 01’ is long, lean, and covered in jewels - just like a tennis bracelet. 17 tracks, all 80 minutes. Nestled inside a handsome 18-page, full-color digest with art contros from each band, this CDr is littered not only with top-form submissions from each band, but also huge production quality and thoughtful editing so the tracks flow with little incident. I almost fear that these songs aren’t originals, like this is a sampler (is it?) or something equally misleading. That would be disappointing, because it’s just so huge (think Polyamory’s ‘New Skin for the Old Ceremony'):

Sneaky Pines play “Ice Age” which opens the comp with an all too brief Thanksgiving/Palace piece which drops off after the first refrain. Hannu Karjalainen flips it for real with some Ui/To Rococo Rot-skills; not just some immature experiment, this song cycles through breathy, glitchy beats, toy-piano melodies, and assorted layers of whispy-thin samples, including some exotic, thieved monologue. Futurians whip-out “NEON”, a straight-forward, mid-paced garage romp with reverb like the singer’s drowning. Bagels and Cream Cheese play some blown-out bubblegum instrumental, totally demented for its complete lack of irony. e*rock’s “Waves” is a little collage of gentle noise creating a soundscape of real and abstract liquid imagery – a classy exercise which seems to be all but forgotten lately; in related news, Treetops’ “Laffy Taffy” is a skilled composition of found/nature sounds, metronome, improvised sax (?), and sheets of heavy metallic textures. Pow - Raccoo-oo-oon are at their most heavy-handed and reckless on the thinly-veiled drum solo “Dust March.” The whole kit gets a workout in this quasi-free jam, backed by feuding brass and chants. The longest track thus far, it is a nice, deep side-trip to split up the comp journey.

Gastric Female Reflex get nuts with some plundercomic/thrash vérité, preparing the ear’s delicate palate for the incredible “Light Feelings” by Horse Head. A gorgeous guitar piece with tape accompaniment (or perhaps just recorded to recycled tape), the song is almost flamenco for its clapping, swaying pace. These guys (?) have long-evaded my stereo, but I will be immediately pursuing more in the hopes that their other releases are even in the same arena as this. Joe + n rocks it doom-lite, verging on that Shipping News/Bitch Magnet sound, though unfortunately distracted by some high-end (intentional?) loose-wire/tape distortion. The Goslings pick up le pace with the 8-minute epic “Sanibel”, yet keep the doom with a huge wall of fuzz-gloom and pounding war drums – the wash unexpectedly pierced by high, angelic vocals, making me think of what Lush would sound like if they grew up with Sabbath instead of The Slits. Speaking of Lush, “The Upstairs Room” by Ethelscull sounds like some 90s 4AD/Brit-pop which has had all its over-produced color burnished-down to a nice dusty-glow, and mastered to be just-inaudible (I’d say a bit too much so). Silver Daggers play some full-band post-ska (yeah I did), first with a skronky/brassy up-dance-beat, then a dark, free-jazzy down-stopdancing-droopy beat, filling out the back-half of its 8 1/2 minutes in a tense state of dirty breakdown and full-band harmony. My boys Robedoor do not disappoint with “Coma Toes” (cuute!), a buzzsaw and bass slow-burner lathering into Pruriential orgasm, hissing as it sinks into the lake of hell and black make-up. Barrabarracuda “Wiretap-tap-tap” out a sloppy no-wave party jam with great group vocals and wicked back-end reprise. Haunted Castle pick up their junior Wolf Eyes-badge with “Killer (rad) Bees”, a track that has less to do with bees than it does barfing quivering laser beams into a wall of staticky TVs. Loopool cap this fucker off with a mystic jazz of trumpet, clean keyboards, and funky bass; and like the intro by Sneaky Pines, “River of Muck” starts going somewhere rad, then evaporates – leading back to the beginning in a cycle of awesome fucking music.

I suppose the word just isn’t getting out there, but I find it incredibly aggravating that there are still copies of this available. For anyone apprehensive about the multitude of releases out there these days, this is an ideal place to find your bearings. Recommended like a motherfucker. Limited to 200 copies. (Arbor CDr, $8 HERE – a fucking steal!)

Damn. I thought I could get away with skipping a year. Check out this desert storm:

Subscribers get 12 tapes over the course of 2007, each with 2 acts delivering 9 to 10 min long epic songs. The first tape ships in Jan. If you subscribe after Jan your first shipment will include all the tapes you've missed, then you will recieve one tape per month till the end of the year. These are the 24 acts providing exclusive material for the tape club:

Deerhoof, Fat Worm of Error, Black Pus (member of lightning bolt), Can't, Extreme Animals (members of powdered wigs & paper rad), lazy magnet (member of dynasty), Torturing Nurse, Realicide, Social Junk, Robbin Williams on Fire, Robedoor, Unicorn Hard-On, Dave Kendall, Unnessesary Surgery (member of Captain Ahab), Foot Village (member of friends forever), shearing pinx, child pornography, Abe Vigoda, No Age (ex-wives), tik///tik, Kitty Midwife, Oscillator (member of To Live & Shave in LA), Honed Bastion, Toecutter

In addition to these 12 tapes, subscribers can pay a little extra to get 6 bonus tapes currated by Jessica Rylan of Can't. The acts that Jessica has confirmed so far are:

Captains of English, Julia Holter, Timeheater, Three Bees, Secret Diary, Milkhorse, David Payne, Crystal Cocks over Canada

Deathbomb Arc Tape Club, Year Three - $40(US & Canada)/$60(World) or $50(US & Canada)/$70(World) for the 6 bonus tapes (18 tapes ÷ $50 = yeah!). Word has it they're adding cases and artwork this year as well - the only thing that sucked before (you try stacking 12 tapes with tea-bag labels and no cases).
*Discounted price for renewed subscriptions, EMAIL for details. Check the WEBSITE for more.

From Important Records:

Ocean - 'Fork Lashing Eye' LP $14
"Ocean has pressed their original demo recordings on vinyl and packaged it in deluxe foil printed jackets hand made by Ocean's Reuben J Little. These two tracks total 36 minutes and it was this breakthrough recording that set Ocean buzzing. This record is limited to 500 copies. We have 60 copies of blue vinyl, 60 copies of red and 100 black copies. The first 120 orders will receive color. You can find more info about this on the news page of our website. The limit is 3 per customer. If you order more than one copy your first record will be color and the rest will be black."

Important has perhaps the most convoluted ordering system available. Go HERE and figure it out for your damn self.

‘Embarrassment of Riches’: The album’s short (6 songs), but the songs aren’t (all around 5 minutes). Elephant Micah are playing straight-forward, Midwestern-folksy rock songs – did you say “Free Country”, Elephant Micah? I’ll buy that. Fancy psychedelic guitar-work under tight, full band melodies make this disc killer. Very pleasant, understated vocals as well. Surprisingly well-crafted tracks considering the rough collage of the cover (which is awesome, by the way; unique, chromatic cardstock in a plastic gatefold sleeve with a sewn-in lyric booklet). Serious Neil Young all over this thing, particularly the first track, “Feedback, so long”, a sad duet about kids getting old. Mid-era Songs: Ohia is another suspect. “The Ecstasy” could be a Molina/Low collaboration, moving from a rusty guitar-line into another double-mid vocal duet. “Events Near Dove Cottage” features dynamic shifts from vocal/guitar to full band, and accessing nostalgia for Beck’s ‘Sea Change’ (sorry, my references suck right now). “What Directions” is perfect Midwestern “alt-rock” (Canyon, maybe?) with those rustier colors that rarely translate across the divide. I detect hints of the Verlaines in this album, though having not heard the Verlaines in over a decade, this means nothing. Kingsbury Manx just came to mind on “Red Roving”, Jeff Buckley on “False Aspirants”. I wouldn’t be surprised if these folks have been courted by the Secretly Canadian syndicate. [post-script: they’ve got a CD out on Bluesanct - Fuck yeah! Maybe I’m not so off today.] Lovely stencil job on the CDr. Recommended. (Self-Released/LRRC CDr, $9 HERE)

‘The Lark’: This album is even shorter, burning through 10 tracks in 20 minutes. Not all are songs, however, as entries like introduction “Invocation” are more like excerpted experiments, fully-realized though kind of a tease for not playing longer than 30 or 40 seconds. Microwave Background evoke the song and voice of early-to-‘Thief’ era Destroyer, as well as early 90s Merge like Butterglory. I think the band is from Indiana, though this is not the only reason I recognize sounds like Drunk and Bevel in 'pop' modes; particularly on track three, “Ocean Floor”, all melancholy sunshine, like beach music for September. “Returning Dash” is like an upbeat Johnny Marr instrumental, with rockabilly lead guitar and skittery drums. “Many Chosen Few” is a great lo-fi Pop song with twiddling guitars and rapping beat – International Pop Underground style, Built to Spill, and so forth. The “Dance Intermission” leads into another sort of Smiths homage (Pernice style), with the sappy/ironic ballad “Stuck in the Ballroom”. Fun album, with no string attached. Features perhaps the best spray-stenciled CDr I have yet to see. (Passing Tone Recordings CDr, $8 - available from LRRC)

New from Below PDX:

BELOWPDX08 Argumentix – 'Nightmarcher' Cassette (25 min) $6
“Life in the Pre-Apocalypse brings Argumentix time of leisure to reflect on the immediate. The newest album joins pain and sorrow knuckle scraping on cement floors. A smashed throat spurting grunts, moans and crooning thorns against tape loop manipulations, sequencer configurations, and urban field recordings. A departure from previous albums with focused anger and reluctance to acknowledge the future. Existential crisis has never felt so optimistic. Cover art by Shoosha screenprinted by Nick Bittakis on wallpaper samples of various colors and patterns. Limited edition of 94." Mp3: "Industry Standard Massacre"

BELOWPDX09 Argumentix + Ghost to Falco – 'Widow Masters' CDr (41 min) $6
“We first found these two soldiers experimenting with extreme art punk hardcore band Alarmist. These days find the two bare souls strutting their solo projects, but this collaboration doesn’t sound too much like either while retaining some familiar elements (argumentix vocals/sample/loops and ghosttofalco guitar, synth, vocals). There’s real bells, there’s a song composed, practiced and recorded over 2 hours and the rest is improvised. James Squeaky (ARG) and Eric Crespo (GTF) are very close friends and this CD is a great exploration of the love and intimacy that they share, totally without boundaries of self-consciousness. In jewel cases with stencil spray paint on case with art by Eric Crespo. Limited edition of 100” MP3: "WIDOW MASTERS"

(WEBSITE)

I have no damning proof, but I get the impression that Tawee is fucking weird (check out his website). He does multiple "editions" for his releases, such as this "Special Second Pre-Release." I don’t fault him for it, though. I find it fun. He’s way into splattered paint, and everything he touches gets some art on it. And his music is pretty good, too. The impossibly-titled ‘Interdimensional Kaleidoscopic Vortex Viewfinder’ CDr is all about the 50- minute, incredibly dense “Voice of Space-Time (Unfolding <A Glimpse of Infinity>)”. My referents are still out to lunch, but I know I’ve heard the theme of this track elsewhere. Maybe CAN? Maybe Eno’s Ambient series? It’s like a really long build-up to a rad acid jam, something in the Tokyo/Berlin Axis of the psychedelic rock grotto. A choir of (sea?) birds and elemental nature sounds create the canvas of this track, over which crackling hiss and giant cylindrical drones roll. Very capable crybaby guitar fries in the background as various ambient ornaments take turns at the front of yr ear. Organ, timpani and a variety of plucked acoustics make appearances (real or imagined), and over time, some strings and maybe even some brass litter the soundscape. Tawee’s got a good sense of timing, as he understands perfectly the life-span of his sounds, cutting the tracks nice and lean. While this could easily be a one track release, the three surrounding tracks on this disc are nothing superfluous: each is a smaller - yet distinguished - creation, worthy of your attention. They all can’t be an hour long, crazy jerk. With kaleidoscope-labeled CDrs in a stickered jewel case, with a completely awesome piece of original (splatter) art. Limited to 60 copies. (Evolve CDr, HERE [it's in there somewhere])

From Brad and co. over at Digitalis:

Hey everyone - We're finally moved and unpacked and just when things seem to be returning to normal, we get a foot of snow in december. in tulsa, that's unheard of. but i'm not complaining since it shut down the city for two days and i spent the weekend in my pajamas because of it. awesome. anyway, a couple new foxgloves in time for christmas...

foxglove143: ghosting - 'fox glove' CDr $7ppd (world)
"the seismic ripplies that ghostings drones are sending through the rose city are taking flight and planting seeds all over the globe. this group of sonic harbingers haunt the cracks and crevices of a world that seemingly only exists deep under water where life is a barely-there flicker amongst the murk. but ghosting's haunted aural landscapes are a beacon, like a lighthouse sunk below miles of the icy ocean, offering a glimmer of warmth in hostile waters. this trio continues its journey through the fuzz and static, and once again emerges with wings unscathed and silver skin."

foxglove144: grey park - 'time on wings of spit' CDr $7ppd (world)
"grey park have continued flying under the radar for the past couple of years, despite the seeming-obsession with all things finnish. that this is the case is criminal. "times on wings of spit" is their first release outside their own label in a while, and these massive drone attacks are taking the quickest route to your skull. shards of glass cut deep into your psyche while the molten-lava tones pour in. few groups can build as much tension and simply make it disappear into a wash of field recordings and japanese samples like this. it's like being thrown out of an airplane at 30,000 feet; total chaos until you pierce the cloud cover and fixate on the canopy of trees below. you know it's going to hurt, but at least you've got the best view."

foxglove145: the solo joint - s/t CDr $7ppd (world)
"following on the heels of the cd-r from raro & apenino comes another talented spaniard by the name of toni ruiz aka the solo joint. ruiz crafts bare-bones folk songs using an arsenal of acoustic guitar, various flutes, some meandering vocals, piano, and minimal, ramshackle percussion. these sketches are a canvas dipped in wax, where all the colors chase each other around until finally falling off the page in a glorious suicide plunge. the solo joint's songs float on a magical carpet on an express route to the third eye. viva españa."

foxglove146: mason jones - 'dimly recalled' CDr $7ppd (world)
"mason jones has been releasing and creating spaced-out bliss music for over 15 years under the moniker trance, and now under his own name. "dimly recalled" compiles two live performances from april in davis, california. these 10 tracks of solo electric guitar are mind-bending. they are like ivy climbing the walls, searching out solar flares with their skybound tendrils. half these songs were recorded in an abandoned bunker, and the exquisite natural reverb is beautiful. the music moves slow and as it unfolds, creates a sense of urgency that the end is coming, but there's still so much left to say. jones never leaves a note or idea behind, though. his talent keeps everything in check and flowing like a sacred river of ice."

Checka checka check it out!

I find much of aMute’s aesthetics befuddling - from the names of his songs to the imagery on the cover (a seahorse with a businessman body? Whatever!), it’s all weird and European in a way I will never get. The music makes much more sense to me, though even then, this guy Jérône Deuson makes some odd compositional decisions – what I will call “euro-choices” – which often result in great, though unusual, tracks. These are ambient, guitar- and vocal-based songs founded on that glitchy, Euro/electronica-tinged shopping music that’s so hot all the time; sort of soft, a lot like Fennesz, Tim Hecker, and pop acts like Notwist. Produced by Québécois/badass Harris Newman, ‘The Sea Horse Limbo’ owns through Constellation-realm additions which make the better-half of the record *pop* major. The album’s crowning jewel “Hit My Country” piles on layers of disparate sounds through a heady, simmering remix build-up, rising to dark strings and guitar layers like the more spacious moments of Do Make Say Think. When the song emerges, it brings a straight-forward beat and riff with relatively upfront, hushed vocals sounding like recent Hood. The key to track’s charm is Polmo Polpo-grade layering of manipulated electronics and sliding guitar, adding the color and dampness of ‘Future Days’ to the pop element. Tracks like “The Floating Boat”, “Disco Flags Are All Around You”, and “Seahorse” are spot-on DNTEL collaboration from that album with Brian McMahon on it, with a lady singing hushed (always hushed) over gentle guitar sweeps and fizzy electronic swells. The 11 ½ minute “Oh! Le Zeppelin” is full-on Mogwai (it’s even got the Frampton robot-voice for effect) turning into Rumah Sahkit and the like, with great big drums by a guest/live drummer - and one of the few instances of additional help.

It’s not that this record is ground-breaking for each of its elements, but the originality of the total concoction and deftness of production makes it something super special. Sprinkled with ambient segues like “When Cyclic Brussels Gave Up[…]” and “Limbo”, the album feels very large and cohesive, while all the while light weight and listenable from front to back. Comes in a vibrantly-printed paper sleeve with a stitched-in envelope, the likes of which I have never seen. Very nice. (Intr.Version CD, $14 HERE, or FOR WORLD)

New from 267 Lattajjaa:

LTJ-55 Leafy Green - 'Songs' CDr $8/6€
"Ten songs from an American summer, stripped down and slowed down to the bare bones. Ten pieces about lost friends, angels, ghosts, and mountain gods. Recorded in a cold room during a hot week in a southern town."

LTJ-56 Ghosts Brâmes of the Cerf - 'Quotidian Furtivian' CDr $8/6€
"Two French guys, Jacob Garet and Florian Tositti playing beautiful improvisations with theremin, oldcrock, guitars, harmonica, effects, percussion and flutes. Limited edition of 61 copies in handpainted art sleeves."

LTJ-57 The Grand Hotel - 'The Upper Reaches of Wind River' CDr $8/6€
"From folk-inspired sounds to ritualistic psychedelic drones, a wonderful new album from this duo from USA."

Plus the always insane 267 catalog! Check out the WEBSITE to order, etc.

**Special offer during December: any 4 titles for 20€/$25 postage-paid!

With all due respect to Gary at Animal Disguise, or whoever wrote this one-sheet, but what the fuck is going on here? This is the debut album by Sic Alps, recorded in 2005 - okay so far - and now finally getting the proper treatment courtesy of Animal Diguise. “Finally”? Really? Wait: This is their “lost” masterpiece and defining document of modern garage-psych-rock circa 2005 San Francisco. I am not picking on ADR, the band, or whoever else – everyone’s guilty in this - but “lost”? Come on. From 2005? “Circa”? Doesn’t - or, more accurately, Shouldn’t - the “circa” of 2005 include 2006, a.k.a. Right Now? Rather than take this as an ironic statement (which I hope it’s not since it isn't particularly sharp or humorous), I take this as a sign that things are getting out of hand; we’re still putting out CDs with promotional literature; we’re still taking weeks to record; we’re still setting “street dates” weeks and months in the future; and we’re still listening to relevant music from five or more years ago (check out Last.fm, skeptics) – do we really want to accelerate this process? It’s got to happen either way, but do we really want to play into this; to induce cultural apocalypse?

Sic Alps have (re)launched the latest salvo in the battle for psych/garage/noise greatness, ‘Pleasures and Treasures’. It’s something of an anomaly in that it feels like a much bigger and more spacious album than it should (12 songs/26 minutes). I had intricate expectations for this album (if you have yet to pick up ‘Hip Hop Shop Sweepers’, do it for the Sic Alps contribution alone) which were quickly dismissed on first listening. I think I expected something more to grab onto, more hooks; the elements are there, yet the whole album floats like a phantom just out of reach - a marvel of idiomatic production, and definitely not the garage-jam record you thought you wanted. Way psych, “Down Comes the Perm” officially opens the vortex, banging in the red like we’re hearing a pirate transmission through a mono speaker; the TV’s Solid State with a burned-out tube, but we know these are some shaggy folks. “I Know Where Madness Goes” strums a nihilist blues, like a live demo for ‘Morrisson Hotel’ on stepped-on tape; “I am Grass” moves in a zombie haze with incredible, vertigo-inducing dynamics that could just push you to barf on the thick carpet and wood-paneled space they create. “E.R.Q.” is the first hint of an early-mid Sonic Youth sound: a solo guitar/voice/channel transition experiment, likely Ranaldo; indecipherable lyrics, just the spookier qualities of the voice endearing us to the guitar. In fact, for all the inclination to reach for something older, SY is my preferred referent for this record. “Surgeon and The Slave” is brilliant – sounds like 80s Thurston Moore wrote it for a faux-Dylan tribute album. The song totally counters my claim above, flexing a fat anthem/hook combo, huge drums and ancient lyrics for a heavy nod-along. “Morning Waltz” and “The Wanderings of Our Drummer through Hell” bleed together as two largely-unstructured tracks of creepy, bad-trip noises and thwarted jams, yet curiously brief; the latter in particular could sprawl out much longer than its 26 seconds. Last track “Stories” is the most straight up, good-time garage jam of the album, with a simple riff on repeat, two beats, and snotty vocals – real mix-tape material.

Throughout the album, drums are consistently awesome, and electronics are all about texture, made-up as blown transistors and other analog creatures. As the unifying theme, blown-out guitars reach across the duration, audibly stretching, as though soaked then left in the sun, mic’d to capture the wood swell and the strings go taut and snap. On this album: folks from Erase Errata and the Hospitals, but doesn’t sound like either. Well, maybe Hospitals. I can’t remember. And yes, there is a Coachwhip in the band now, but he wasn’t there for this album; so why does it sound like he’s there? WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE HE’S THERE?? [post-script: Apparently he was] A provocative record, demanding more than you’d think, and certainly worth your time. I want more. (Animal Disguise CD/LP, $10/$11 HERE)

New from Students of Decay:

Imperfect Masters - 'No One Knows Why' CDr $7ppd (US)/$9ppd (World)
"Hot on the heels of their FANTASTIC "Strike Out" album, released by Foxglove earlier this year, Robert Horton and Dan Plonsey return with another brilliant set of dialogues. On "No One Knows Why," Plonsey handles reeds, brass, and fiddle primarily, while the ever-wiley Horton makes use of his seemingly limitless bag of soundmaking devices, both musical and non-musical alike. The sounds here range from zoned, post-ESP Disk jazz to gorgeous, overtone-laden, intricately textured string/reed drone workouts. Ultimately, these recordings feel like earnest conversations between two old friends whose effortless rapport can come only from years and years of dedicated and impassioned collaboration. We're lucky to have the privilege of eavesdropping. ltd.100"

Andy Jarvis - 'Tectonique du Corps' CDr $7ppd (US)/$9ppd (World)
"More simply stellar solo endeavors from UK underground stalwart Mr. Andy Jarvis - proprieter of the consistenly fantastic First Person imprint, member ofSculptress, and Phil Todd co-conspirator in Warm Palindrome. Those familiar with Andy's stunningly evocative acoustic works are surely in for a surprise here. "Tectonique du Corps" is a blast of crackling feedback, beautifully wrecked percussion, gorgeous analog dronefests and hypnotic low-end shuffle. Absolutely essential. ltd. 100"

Uton - 'Ground's Dream Cosmic Love' CDr $7ppd (US)/$9ppd (World)
"Once again, Finland's Jani Hirvonen pilots his Uton vessel through majestic, organic vectors of ur-drone bliss. These subterranean landscapes both threaten and beguile, with oppressive hum and hiss giving way to distant lullaby melodies that sound like they're being transmitted live and direct from some primitive metropolis whose inhabitants have never seen the sun. ltd.150"

Heavy Winged - 'Taking the Veil' CDr $7ppd (US)/$9ppd (World)
"Another slab of sheer, remorseless destruction from Brooklyn's finest face-melting psych warriors. "Taking the Veil" was originally released by the band in a micro-edition of around 30 copies for Terrastock '06. Far too beautifully ugly and perfectly brutal to bless so few, here we have two 20+ minute tracks brimming with cascading streams of sick tonal lava, thumping low-end shitstorms, and a barrage of utterly wrecked, carnivorous bombast that'll have you running, tail-between-your-legs, back to your PSF and Alchemy collections to rest your shattered cochlea. ltd. 100"

Taiga Remains - 'Ribbons of Dust Pt. 3' 3" CDr $7ppd (US)/$9ppd (World)
"orphan vapor trails for thunderhead dusks. ltd. 100"

Order, samples, and more HERE. SPECIAL! $30(US)/$40 (World) postage-paid for the whole batch - CONTACT if you want in.

[Trumpet noise] Not Not Fun is over the hill:

NNF050 'Siked Psych: NNF Gold' CD $8
"Dig the past and look homeward, angels. This many-months-in-the-making comp collects 21 old-school obscurities and raw gems scattered across Not Not Fun’s first 50 sonic statements. Sadly, current compact disc technology maxes out at roughly 75 minutes of audio action (get on that, scientists!), so tons of equally beloved but lengthier genius jams and beautiful sprawlscapes could not be included (maybe subsequent volumes should be released on microchip instead of CD?!). Siked Psych’s visionary visuals are courtesy of NW color wheeler Devon Varmega aka Hair Party, and his lettering, lines, layout, etc are a dream. Discs come with a dizzying double-sided six-panel photo-collage tribal/trip-out poster, celebratory shredded neon foil, and are banded with 1 of 10 retardoid band comics by Britt. Hand-numbered, and limited to 500."

On the PRESENTS page [Trumpet noise]

I love Robedoor. Every tape is a treat, every tape is badass. And right on schedule, something new and totally necessary appears in the box every couple weeks. “Stoner Reaper” is a rather unexpected Growing nature drone (circa 2nd LP), with the fluttering bass, soothing cascades of feedback - plus the delightful addition of field-recordings (yeah?) and ‘Low’-style chants. The track gradually grows darker, easing into the brief track, “Opiate Cloak”, with darker machine drones and a howling chant in a more familiar Robedoor style. “Nightmare Traverser” is side B – about 22 intense minutes – and features multiple dark chants over deep, Thulsa Doom drums and metal dagger cages; some of the drones blow-out a bit (likely unintentionally), but this doesn’t distract as much as startle since it sounds like the shit is right in your ear. A nice journey to read by or to blast with the lights out. Formidable artwork from Fuck It honcho Jeremy Earl; likely limited to no more than 100. (Fuck It Tapes cassette, $6(US)/$7(Canada)/ $9(World) HERE)

As an aside, the Family Underground tape ‘Future Bread’ which Fuck It released just before this is insanely great (rad art, too) and worth tracking down. It’s already gone from the label, and I have yet to absorb its massiveness entirely, so I won’t go into any detail... take it as a heads-up, for what it’s worth.