Next in our Director’s Series, Rebis label-heads Chris Miller and Jeremy Bushnell form Number None, presenting a full-length CD, 3” CDr, and a hefty comp entry:

Following my first encounter with Number None through their fourth proper release ‘Urmerica’, the band recalls those fresh-faced boys American Band and their ‘First Album’ (Blossoming Noise) reviewed here not long ago: cover artwork a violent collage of US iconography, the titles in stark European fonts, the dark realism of these titles, and a largely symmetrical aesthetic of digital/analog drones and dense noise figures. Further, both bands share a heavy cynicism and loathing toward the world’s ailing superpower, with ‘Urmerica’ conceived in those queasy moments following Bush II’s 2004 “reelection”; the serene, yet deviously stifling drone of introduction “Suggestion For A New National Anthem” strikes a particularly sensitive chord as during said same miserable period, I myself made a painting called ‘Suggestion for a New American Flag’ which attempted to illustrate the tediously maintained social dualism of elitism and incivility which pervades this government - a sympathetic notion located in the following expose, “Secret Handshake, Hidden Hand”. Rising seamlessly from its smoldering predecessor, “Secret Handshake…” reveals in effect those far-less seemly elements which attempt(ed) to creep into the National Anthem: slithering electronics and venomous rattles writhe in pools of acidic noise beneath a grey veil of drone pollutant. Like a field-recording from a shop floor, the 16 ½ minute “Compression and Radiation” most closely resembles American Band’s penchant for industrial-metallic noise, ushering in a shifting edifice of distorted percussion, wavered drones, and shrieking feedback; the piece comes informally coupled with vocal hum and detailed, concrète sound of the brief epilogue “Dent Magic”. Or perhaps an interlude? The slow-burning epic “Pacific Metals I” teases with a low rumble which never bursts, instead progressing through flute-like flurries of noise and huge glints of metallic vibrato, mid-way melding into a solid drone with drifts of hushed conversation and booming chant. Finale “Monster Lobe (Werewolf Corps Victory Theme)” presents a distinctly other, nearly playful voice (indebted to Throbbing Gristle for its cluttered bobble) which swirls like attenuating radio over an erratic electric percussion; the piece shifts into a few different configurations, holds, but the ultimate impression remains beyond the reach of the preceding album. Regardless this transgression, ‘Urmerica’ is a monster collection as fascinating and scary as its muse. Definite recommendation.

With greater abstraction of purpose and fewer deviations in theme, Number None’s ‘Nervous Climates’ 3” (on Mike Tamburo’s New American Folk Hero) has less the feel of an ‘album’ than of a ‘project’; like a commission for a soundtrack, it’s more deliberate and tied tighter to a recurring thesis. The howl of electronic wind forms the brief bookends “Chevy Hex Setup” and “Psychic Exhaust Vehicle”, between which the 4 minute “Nephophobia” and 11 minute “Polar Kraken” rest. The two tracks - in accord with the pseudoscientific meteorological artwork and the oddly-evocative titles - stress microtonal shifts of elemental drones: the first at a high, thin altitude, the second in the far more tumultuous troposphere (and highly reminiscent of Robedoor’s dungeon doom). Well executed and smartly presented, you only appreciate this disc more when juxtaposed against the very different ‘Urmerica’ as a testament to the band’s vision and ability. Sprayed black disc comes in a plastic sleeve with full-color insert, limited to 100 copies.

Finally, the compilation ‘Time and Relative Dimensions in Space’ is another chance for Number None to flex their authority both as label heads – taking the opening slot for themselves - and musically – proving that they deserve the opening slot. The subtitle for this seemingly already-subtitled disc is “Long Form Works”, which I like as a very apt definition for the 5 pieces of music presented here. Chris and Jeremy make their play with “The Pole I’m Furthest From”, casually pummeling the ear with accumulating waves of heavy static and vocalizations, layered to a climax free of restraint, the piece reaching a ceiling (release) which the aforementioned releases rarely approach. And what's more, there’s more: subsequent contributions from The Skaters (playing their murky spiritual of hand-percussion, deep, choral chants, flutes and feedback; at 15 minutes, a disc in itself), Jim Haynes (who I am mostly unfamiliar with; creating airy, low-frequency drones with an erasure of ambient and contact noise, aptly titled “A Sense of Levitation”), My Cat is an Alien (who I have heard plenty from and regret to report I have never been a fan of, though I promise I’ll keep trying; this one is called “Alien Substratum 1.0/1.2” and accumulates guitar-residue over a modest oscillation, subtly spiraling into the band’s signature cosmic vertigo) – wisely, the best comes last as Taurpis Tula submit “Lonely Woman”, a gorgeous send-up to Patty Waters, updated smartly with drone accompaniment and modern production: singer Heather Leigh (Charalambides, and on) simply owns the role, wearing the tune like a thin gown, playing her voice with ample skill and improvisation. An incredible piece, and as a whole, a very fine collection of long-form works with enough diversity and adhesion to justify buying it for any one of these tracks. Recommended. (Rebis CD, $14 HERE; New American Folk Hero 3” CDr, $8 HERE)

Homeboy Nate made us all a new label with three huge releases that have no business being on a label so rookie... This is Abandon Ship:

ASR001 (VxPxC) - 'Reticent To Manifest' C40 $6(US)/$7(Canada)/$9(World)
"Reticent to Manifest was made on a cold summer's night in Los Angeles... High on salsa verde and the thick brown air, three men went in and one long string of sound came out. (VxPxC) has been known for pulling some legs and some hair in the past, but this tape is the start of a very long apology of sorts... a way to say "Hey, we like music too... maybe just not the same stuff as you, but you know..." Not a particularly heart-felt apology, mind you, but a start..." (VxPxC) - We're sorry!
Cassette Edition of 100.

ASR002 Spectre Folk - 'Papa Smurf' C40 $6(US)/$7(Canada)/$9(World)
"Papa Smurf... was recorded last year at my summer palace in Bushwick Brooklyn... It was part of a new experiment I was doing with recording digitally straight to disc burner...and multitracking on disc... I recorded 2 songs from a Don Cherry disc my friend David Sauter, an avid bootleg disc trader, made for me... It's apparently from some Italian t.v. show in the 70's... The next track is an experiment with amp feedback ... plugging a lead from a headphone out jack to the input of an amp... through some pedals and manipulation the pure line feedback.. I recorded this digitally and added noise guitar and tape effected drums digitally as well... The last song is my best take of a popular Byrds song... a poorer version of which ended up on my Ming Aralia cd... This Disc is dedicated to my friend David Sauter who passed away last year on the 4th of july... and to his wife Aleve and son Otis... Papa Smurf smiles down on you from heaven..." - Pete Nolan
Cassette Edition of 100.

ASR003 Quetzolcoatl - 'Vast Eternity Bridges' C52 $6(US)/$7(Canada)/$9(World)
"3 long pieces, 2 meditations. Recorded in Dublin 2006 - 2007." - Tim Hurley
Cassette Edition of 100.

Get UP! on the WEBSITE

Here’s a new theme for you: a Director’s Series; releases by label-heads. Following the recent Una release by First Person boss Andy, today’s feature comes from (VxPxC)’s Grant Capes, proud new father of Phantom Limb Recordings and the impressionist behind Sleepwalkers Local 242. The 3” CDr ‘Things We Put Our Friends Through’ is a sockful of eight 2- and 3- minute guitar-centered miniatures ranging from Tarentel (“Period of Grace”) to Mogwai (title track, “On Drowning”) – which I realize is not much distance – to Burning Star Core (“Feet Planted Firmly, Head Down”); outlier “Vox Sutra” is that and more: distorted breaths above a droning pitch, huff-boxing a trip-hop beat. My favorite is “Tempted by Promises”, which follows a familiar set of folk-rock chords into unfamiliar territory, spooked then pushed through a fuzzy-haze distortion like a Neil Young or Jason Molina solo seen in the waves off hot asphalt. There’s not a lot left to be said but there is beauty in simplicity. Disc comes in a plastic clamshell with a thick, Keroppi-cute insert, the whole deal sprayed like puffy white clouds. Limited to 90 copies. (Phantom Limb 3” CDr, $4(US)/$6(World) HERE)

New discs from the Students of Decay:

SoD-22 Glass Organ - 'Our' CD $12(US)/$14(World)
"Glass Organ is the Minnesota duo of Justin Meyers (Devillock/Tone Filth) and Tom Helgerson. "Our" is their third release, following tapes on Tone Filth and Twonicorn (which have recently been released together as the "Two Tapes" LP), and constitutes a formal peak for their unmistakable sound. Helgerson's utterly blasted guitar spurts smoldering static drones which are stalked and devoured by Meyers' rumbling tapes and electronics. Broken plumes of charred, oceanic rumbling, and gorgeous vistas of saturated analog gliss." 500 copies.

SoD-33 Taiga Remains - 'Crushed Radiant Deities' CD $12(US)/$14(World)
"Luminescent, wrecked shards of overtone drones merged with zoned and disembodied choral whispers and ribbons of pure white electricity. "Crushed Radiant Deities" is the first widely available Taiga Remains release, bundling remastered versions of the two tracks from the long out-of-print "Paper Lanterns" EP with two new longform works to form a dense, polyphonic fugue of dynamic collisions and endless collapses. Artwork by Justin Meyers." 500 copies.

Samples, ordering at the SoD WEBSITE.

Big surprise: the Time Life affair of Heidi Diehl and Lucas Crane from the Vanishing Voice is amazing. ‘Gripstone’ is two side-long tracks of terse avant-psychedelia and Dark ambience in the quasi-gothic order of Diamanda Galas or a darker, guitarified Cocteau Twins, recorded with terrifying depth to maximum intensity. “Omari Bull”: Diehl’s breathy, operatic vocals extensively manipulated like a punk(er) ‘Philomel’ with clackety guitar plodding along like a piano amid a thick atmosphere of tape drones and other sourced ornaments; “Chalice of the Smokies”: a wall of heavy guitars and smoky vocal drones enclose crisp programmed beats, the Roxy Music alter at which Diehl chants in rich melody with the accompaniment of a nearly invisible baritone. Unlike the other Night People cassettes that get a pass on brevity based on their multiple offerings, ‘Gripstone’ features just two tracks, and though these tracks are huge in every respect, they lead the greedy to believe there is a stash somewhere teasing us as it is painfully teased out. Cassette comes labeled on one side in a sealed case with a heavy insert screened with rad Shawn Reed art. Supreme Recommendation! (Night People cassette, [normally] $5 HERE; try mail-order from DNT, Tomentosa, or Time-Lag in the US/Volcanic Tongue or Release the Bats in Europe.)

New from Black Horizons:

BH-07 Medroxy Progesterone Acetate - 'Supplications' C78 $7
"A reissue of a tape that was initially an edition of only 5 copies. Blending homemade synths, field recordings, and vocals, an epic recording that requires a closer listen. Buried under the tape hiss and piercing highs there is many details that could easily be overlooked, minimal beats, cryptic vocals, radio interference and insect song. Isolationist psychedelic noise. Color cover on black shimmer cardstock, with an insert containing texts / collage, on silver paper, clear labels. Hi-bias chrome tapes in an edition of 56." HERE

In the maximalist tradition of Double Leopards (et al.), Leeds outfit Lanterns offer two tracks (mixed by First Person boss Andy), gumming the boomy “Sick in the Thicket” from start to finish with a droning overture of carefully-shaped feedback over deep bass Om, tonal-shifts lighting from harsh to smooth over the course of 10 minutes; “Static Off” [which my media player references as “50percent Compgate” by Piano Dentist (?/!)] opens two channels of feedback upon each other over a high-note drone, with what could be vocal drones sporadically materializing in the background. Most popularly recalling Matthew Bower’s Sunroof!, the piece begs an active ear to parse and path this amalgamate sound like a Rorschach challenge.

As Saboteuse, Jarvis pairs off with Joincey (that’s all I know) for a tribute to “The Drum”, though a gesture which would go unnoticed were you unfamiliar with the group’s previous (percussion-free?) releases. At the length of a single Lanterns track, ‘Una’ is certainly more direct a statement, as is the immediacy of the central thesis: percussion as sound of the rawest code. Track “Una” coats a thin track of distorted, cymbal-heavy drumming with a thick swath of bass (guitar?), the mass growing denser as new layers composed of drum sections are introduced, pushing the ceiling of the two-minute mark until the last two minutes when layers are peeled away. The peaked composition of this track permits a comfortable view of the shifting mass, while at the same time creating bait for a sleight-of-hand through which the layers become magically rearranged. “Indocrinatrix” is a much airier and consistent piece comprised mostly of organic sampling and hand drums, the depth of which is boldly enhanced by a drone of dry, rough static. Third and final entry “Barely Illegal” is a terse one and a half minutes of tom-tommy free-drumming and vocal samples manipulated in demented argument.

Both 3” CDrs come housed with white labels in First Person’s trademark acetate covers, printed with a logo and track list; the Saboteuse disc includes a brief poem (?) entitled “Except the Voices”. (First Person 3” CDr, £3/€4.5/$6 *OR* 4 for £10/€16/$22 HERE)

From the Skulls of Heaven power circle:

Trollmann Av Ildtoppberg - 'Live at the Tut n Shive' CDr $8 (SoH /monolith)
"Mindblowing document of first ever live action from the infamous UK duo of Trollish sound wizards. Raw and dank tones crawling to a slither with arcane troll melodies haunting the murk."

Trollmann Av Ildtoppberg - 'Live at the Tyne' DVDr $8 (SoH / monolith)
"Unusual visual document of live show. Though you might only imagine the Trollmenn be haunting dark galleries and deathtrap basements, this video has them performing on stage, outside, during the day! They do seem to be under some sort of bridge or in a tunnel and the sun is setting, so there the atmosphere does play a unique role in this performance. Bass, keyboard, vocals and demontrance caught live on a handheld video camera by a giddy drunk. Not for the weak."

The Zodiacs - s/t CD (Holy Mountain) $13
"1%er scuzz rock. One beast of a record, these crude fuckers fall flat on their faces, blacked out in patched denim false doom. Sick grease monkey rock and roll explosion. Like a live fire on qualudes, let's not leave these gentlemen alone with your women. Totemic neanderthal slow-ride rituals from cerebral underground odd-men-out. Think of Les Rallizes Denudes forming a Davie Allan and the Arrows tribute band."

Burial Hex - s/t LP (SNSE) $13
"Oppressive necro electronics. Finally after a year of sustained suspense, full length debut LP by Burial Hex has opened it wings and taken to the sky. All earthen remains left behind turned to black!"

Burial Hex - 'The Felon Wind' $5 (cult cassettes)
"Limited to 55. EP of sick graveyard electronics. Two part divinatory tale commited to magnetic manifesto, hardened criminal cult act Burial Hex wraps sensory overload and occult overload into one breathtaking series of audio hallucination."

Dead Reptile Shrine - 'Sabbat' $5 (cult cassettes)
"Only about 32 left. Another episode of crude and cruel action recordings from Finnish magic group Dead Reptile Shrine. Now unleashed is the Sabbat cassette, a ritual noise follow-up to the rare black ambient Isth Narai Ja cdr and a climatic turn in the eclectic voyage of Dead Reptile Shrine's musical output. The latest offering, a tape called Sabbath, recalls the ancient torments of the witches, their allegiances to demonic forces, and their baptisms, through pure noise terror."

Hail to the blasphemous Intent!

Like the cassette-heavy bulk of the Night People catalog, this CDr by Tent City is a fat-free delicacy leaving you both satisfied and eager for the next course, be it digital or analog; in fact, at 21 minutes, if it wasn’t for the disproportionate track-lengths, this surely would’ve been conceived as a cassette [wish it was - I’ve already scratched mine to shit from so many listens]. A live recording from Summer 2006, mic’d to perfection, ‘Cascade Trinkets’ is in essence one piece in three tightly-wound segments; reflecting the title, the 5-minute introduction introduces the orchestra of wind-chimes (of wood and metal), clicking and clattering with loose rhythm amidst a deliberately free-form beat. Following a brief segue of (live?) loops and bare percussion, the 15-minute core of the disc begins in similar fashion, yet with proper space to unfurl into a sooty storm of earthen harmonies: comprised at its base of whistling wood-winds, thumb pianos, and hand tom percussion, the track accumulates a mass which like-minded free-formers (No Neck Blues Band, Sun City Girls) often skirt, layered through wisps of voices, electric guitar, and one sly saxophone flagging musical roots in the elusive jazz of Sun Ra, Don Cherry, the Art Ensemble. A superb performance, breathing with a life this disc can barely contain. Stamped/labeled disc comes in a heavy-plastic sleeve with card insert, screened with Shawn Reed’s unmistakable hieroglyphics. Highly recommended. (Night People CDr, $6 HERE. * Again, I’ve moved too slow for this beast and the label is all out; try mail-order from DNT, Tomentosa, or Time-Lag in the US/Volcanic Tongue or Release the Bats in Europe.)

New wax snax from Release the Bats:

XIU XIU & GROUPER - 'CREEPSHOW' 12" EP
"A beautiful exploration in ambience and darkness by Xiu Xiu and Grouper. This 5-song collaboration was created out of a shared childhood trauma involving some horror film from the 70's. The recording is ranging from melancholic, cryptic passages to lush soundscapes, all the time with a weird cinematic feel to it. 500 pressed. Originally released on cd as a part of States Rights Records & Slender Means Society's Pregnancy Series." 8.5€ HERE

From the one-sheet to the websites to reviews of Mise En Abyme’s past releases, the buzz-word is inescapably “Eno”. Following the retro-prog cover art of ‘Do You Hear the Hum’, we find no overt Yes, Tangerine Dream or, as they seem to suggest, Eno ‘Ambients’; rather, it’s the more rambunctious, experimental pop of ‘Warm Jets’ or ‘Before and After Science'. At least most of the time. The album as a whole rests on the border of ‘disjointed’ and ‘eclectic’, and the early-verdict indicates more votes for the former; it’s not that individual tracks are bad, not at all, but any case for a common thread for the duration appears weak.

The disc begins quizzically with an almost-chic-because-it’s-old techno of hip-hop beats and ambient effects, sounding like Foreskin 500 and such ilk from the first-half of the last decade. Things liven with “The Next Country” which, retaining the classic beats, turns the synths up to a low-hum and adds the guttural vocals of Girls Against Boys’ Scott Mcloud or his smarm-benefactor, !!!’s Nic Offer; following track, “Not That Lover”, dips back into an overly familiar Royksopp/Dntel space with glitches and upbeat dance beats, plus a robotic voice more Cher than Mogwai. The central trilogy of “Dawn”, “Hypnogogue”, and “Nine Hearts” most vividly exposit the Eno influence, from a mildly chorus-effected guitar piece to the cross-frequency dance-collision of ‘My Life in the Bush of Ghosts’ (with David Byrne). These tracks usher in the much-stronger back-end of the album, evoking ‘Ghost in the Machine’-era Police with the thick bass-synth and classic guitar of “The Riot” (the song enhanced by rich swells of accordion), or the processed drum and guitar-rock enriched “The Blinds” - a track which sounds a whole hell of a lot like Self, keeping to the whole 1997 Pop-survey thing. Instrumental “Tourist” contains perhaps the thickest beat of the year, challenged only by the bulge of “Wool Gathering”, a track whose dance beats and Lady-vocals recall the sass of recent Out Hud, and “Extruder” combines the mechanical-funk of early Out Hud with cool, literal vocals à la Pavement, though not all ironic or jokey. And for the last 8 1/2 minutes, final track “Good Hum Home” trips off with leisurely guitars and a collage of beats and samples like a white label by The Books. Though it may be incongruent and at times over-reaching, each track of the album bumps glorious, with more than enough hooks to sling your ass up. And while they may consistently evoke the hits of our past, they use these familiar references to create something which feels distinctly their own (as scattered as they may be). CD comes in multi-panel digipak. Way hip. (Marriage CD, $10 HERE)

For 7 inches, Shearing Pinx play an energetic no-wave with loudspeaker vocals and jangly-as-hell guitars, each side of the record featuring one full song and a shorter, more abstract noise piece made of feedback: “Caves” on side A recalls the smart-alecky post-punk of The Monorchid though more melodic, with singer Nic huffing well below Chris Thomson’s piercing decibel; on the reverse, “Chaos Patent” leans toward the tangled surf-rock of mid-era Sonic Youth, then switches into a chugging rhythm with staggered guitars like a grungier version of late-90s indie-boppers Tanner or Mocket. Both tracks are rousing and well-executed, as are their brief appendices; to great nostalgia, DNT presents ‘Caves’ in classic indie form, even including a flyer for one of the band’s shows (now long past). Transparent-green vinyl comes in a three-color screened sleeve with inserts, 400 copies made. Very nice! (DNT 7”, $5 HERE)

A companion to the recent 'Ardent Fevers' (Alien 8), on Camera Obscura:

Tanakh – 'Saunders Hollow' CD $15
"Recorded the week before Ardent Fevers (already being hailed by critics as one of the best releases of 2006), in the same studio, with the same engineer (Bryan Hoffa), and with the same cast of musicians, Saunders Hollow, is not a collection of out-takes from those sessions, but a fully realised sister record to Ardent Fevers. Growing out of the song-writing explorations of Michele Poulos and Jesse Poe, Saunders Hollow is a record focusing on the songs of Poulos, who gave them to Poe in the form of thumb-strummed singer/songwriter demos. The results form a female Yin to the male Yang of recent Tanakh work. From the opening seconds of Poe's tortured guitar squalling to the final seconds of fading footsteps, bowed bass and saw that seal the record, the listener is treated to a million sounds all gently gelling into the world of sonic beauty we have come to expect from Tanakh, except for one thing…Tanakh in their ever changing exploration of sound have placed the lead vocals and songwriting in the ladybird hands of bassist and erstwhile backing vocalist Michele Poulos, leaving Poe in the musician/producer seat, dividing Poulos' previous backing vocal duties between himself and Isobel Campbell. What results is warm bouquet of songs that range from poppy-jazz, through renaissance remembrances, sweet folk, to dark drones and dreamy electronics and even straight up raunchy blues. Saunders Hollow is a place full of inviting mystery and rich texture, with musical twists and turns of every type, leaving the listener in a state of remembrance of all things past, like a stroll amongst Proustian Gardens. Gentle bass, scorching electric guitars, lilting tablas, Asian-strummed ukuleles, swirling electronics, lamenting violins, pulsing vibes, regal harpsichords, gospel organs and juke-joint pianos, sex-driven saxophones, folky acoustic guitars, sound-scaped lap steels, pulsing drums, and honeyed vocals grow together in an immense garden of sound and color that populates the dream landscape of Saunders Hollow." Get it HERE.

The first of two new Buried Valley cassettes, the ‘Living Light’ c20 by Siren, the Bethany-half of the miraculous Pocahaunted, sounds uncannily as one-half the group should: faded to one channel then bounced across, “Feather Crown” features lazy guitar and voice harmonizing in a heavy tint of shoegaze reverb - a simple, repeating melody playing in something like an AABA structure over the languid course of 10 minutes. On the reverse, “Spiral Spell” shares a dramatic kabuki of opposing voice and guitar, lunging in and out of heavy-strummed verses and picked refrains, the wordless voice calling behind in desperate appeal, then gentle soothing. Hardly a diversion from Pocahaunted material (and who needs one?), take this as another fix from one of the most satisfying projects around. Sprayed purple cassette comes with a heavy paper insert, limited to 50 copies. Recommended.

Second: Incredible new compositions by Changeling (AKA Roy Tatum of Quintana Roo/Black Monk/Insaniacs/Buried Valley/…), ‘The Truth of the Blossom’ c25 displays a huge thematic expansion for the drone sculptor as he reconciles the natural symmetries of Growing’s ‘The Sky’s Run Into The Sea’ with the gentle cinematic of latter Stars of the Lid or Andrew Chalk. Made of deep, bassy tones with gilded edges, “Falling” plunges at a dream’s speed with disoriented direction, like rain falling upward from an ocean surface; a moment of deep introspection and serenity - to great dismay - the piece ends without warning as the tape runs to a stop. Side B’s “Solitude” begins with equal abruptness, carrying on in similar fashion with a slightly revised central drone; “Without Saying” follows a proper fade-out, and features a number of high tones crossing each other in a pleasant discordance over a high-frequency simmer. Like most Changeling tapes, the production is matte and murky, introducing new elements through distortion as it emits in a wash from out your speakers. Sprayed cassette comes with a heavy cardstock insert featuring Roy’s always-inspiring art and design. Limited to 60 pieces, and definitely recommended as well. (Buried Valley cassettes, $6 HERE)

Night People’s specialty is little runs of little projects, all on little tapes between 20-30 minutes in length. Handsome packaging and reasonable prices only sweeten the deal sealed through an impressive roster of contributers to this young label:

Dan Friel is a member of Jagjaguwar act Parts & Labor, and ‘Obsoleter’ is a six-track detour from the rock n roll into upbeat laptop music, totally stardom-ready for Jetta commercials and IFC movies. “Obsolter” (title-track typo?) starts the first side with perky, Figurine-like electropop made of bubbly synthesizer melodies and drum-pad beats. This rave-pop permeates the tape, though tempered with increasing distortion and grungier beats in side-two songs “Glass Kite” and “Imploder”. The mix-down of “Pink Helicopters” and “Intervention ‘05” is the best reason to pick this one up, moving from layers of fizzing, oscillating rhythm into a could-be Pixies remix of rhythm and vocals buried under the sheet of a searing keyboard melody. Cassette comes labeled on one side with a screened card with nice artwork by the mighty Shawn Reed.

Youth of the Beast is another side-project, this time by night-person Andy Spore of Raccoo-oo-oon. ‘White Cat’ is six mashed-together pieces of highly-competent noise experiments and beats filtered through high distortion. “Rat Familiar” is a short tape experiment sourced of pouring-water noises, stretched and retracted, then shuttled into a booming battle-march called “Red Foot”. Name-sake centerpiece “White Cat” shakes to the core through an alternating current of deep synth vibration and stabs of voice (?) mutations. “White Light Trap” is a subtle harmony of noise swells and looping bellows which cut-through the distortion like whale-song, and “Magician’s Pox” places belligerent, blown-out vocals, looped and layered into shifting configurations over a simple, psychotic Liars-style beat eventually compressed into the chatter of “Warbler”. Like the Friel cassette, ‘White Cat’ is bolstered by supreme mixing which makes the edges sharp and the hits hard. Unlabeled smoky tape sits in a two-paneled card of frantic sketches. Totally rad/recommended.

Back in the acoustic world, Evan Miller’s ‘Three Spells for Six String Guitar’ inevitably evokes the front-porch solo guitar songs of John Fahey, the frequent Charalambides/Tom Carter, and contemporary students like Antique Brothers and Brad Rose projects such as the North Sea. Side one is entitled “Spell Against Forgetfulness”, and plays like a summary of the contours of one’s hometown - or perhaps more accurately, through one’s life – exploring the complexities of memory: moving through simple beginnings, a gentle central harmony with a momentary vocalization, slowly diverging melodies, and into a knot of strangled strings choked into silence. Side two contains the brief ode “Fahey Spell”, which if I knew enough about scales I would tell you is quite brilliantly-constructed behind its leisurely stroll. Final entry “Spell Against Indifference” incorporates several exotic techniques in a skillful display of dual-part harmonic combinations amidst a heavy atmosphere achieved only by the most compotent of players. Self-recorded live at home and likely in single-takes, this recording (and Miller’s playing) is beyond reproach. Labeled (again, just one side) and nested in an orange card screened in white with artwork by Reed. Highly recommended. (Night People cassettes, $5 HERE)

* No thanks to my dallying and some very limited quantities, all but the Youth tape are sold out at the label, so try DNT, Tomentosa, or Time-Lag in the US/Volcanic Tongue or Release the Bats in Europe.

The second half of Tarentel's latest, from the Music Fellowship:

We're happy to announce that volumes 3 and 4 of Tarentel's four LP series Ghetto Beats on the Surface fo the Sun just arrived and are shipping to mail order customers this week.

[mf23&24] Tarentel - 'Ghetto Beats on the Surface of the Sun' Vol. 3 & 4 2LP $24(US)/$32(World)
"Tarentel's predominantly instrumental compositions read like chapters in an epic novel - cinematic and absolutely breathtaking. Tarentel's tidal force and blissful elegance elicit the kind of ecstatic response their name suggests. This album has been released as a series of 4 limited 12" LPs, where each LP is between 30 and 40 minutes." WEBSITE

Triple tapes from Cauliflower Dreams:

UTON - 'Live in Death' cassette 5€
"UTON plays ballads for the new earth. covered under a blanket of tone colors and nature cones, this brain is transferring a total new spectrum of trance. including a super guest-appearance by BRIDGET HAYDEN. full color cover and insert, painted tapecase."

FOSSILS - 'Fly by Night' cassette 5€
"Heavy tapeprocessing by this weirdo beast. reversed radiowaves from the inner medium of cruddy Canadian beach v-ball... the assault of the hungover, sung by a long distance call. full color "relax" cover."

FROZEN CORPSE - 'Acid Bubble 1' cassette 5€
"Good friends. carlo (AUDIOBOT head) and eva (ORPHAN FAIRYTALE) deliver a new sun. more timeless codes from the outside society in space. a comforting message of wisdom. "i think the ACID BUBBLE tapes (other one is on PUIK) is the best stuff these bongs have ever done..." full color cover, painted tapecase."

WEBSITUATION

Less song-based than the hot, recent (VxPxC)-released CDr ‘Strange on Hind Legs’, ‘Hotel Chelsea Days’ resembles the cool, loose construction of the ‘Drapery Dept.’ disc from a few months ago as it restricts itself to a more-or-less singular theme, visited from many slight angles (15 tracks refracting what feels like one morning, fixed in one spot as the light hits from shifting frames). This fixity is enhanced through a realism of recording rarely experienced in a musical context such as (VxPxC) presents: the camera of the microphone has been wheeled-back so as to include the musicians as producers behind the raw sound, capturing conversations, squabbles, boredom, and the physical noise of the room in which the cast of players exist – all the while as the soundtrack of their art plays out from behind. Though the effect will at times distract from the music – and it is such for a fair portion of the disc – even these moments offer an original vision of performance as an interaction of actors creating action. In this sense, the music itself becomes an entity, just one character among several: in three-piece formation, (core members?) Justin, Grant, and Tim play guitars, keyboards, laptops, harmonium/ica – as well as a number of vocal embellishments.

A seething, swelling keyboard line like a Vangelis encapsulates the opening suite of five tracks to be ended with the perfectly-candid conversation “I Thought I Heard a Knock” (this was recorded in the namesake hotel); likely due to the limitations of the venue, the bulk of instrumentation comes from the a palette of synthesizers – swirling, howling, fizzing – and with few outbursts (these are reserved for maximal effect). The cameo/interruptions of collective-child Cat are high-points of the recording (as they were on ‘Drapery Dept.’), at times a random distraction, but more often as improvisational leader, as on “Shush” where a parental-reprimand becomes a rhythmic cue passing through each instrument until the next vocalization and the next shift. With most tracks hovering near the 3 minute mark, central track “Because They Have Balconies and Kitchens in the Rooms” tops 11 minutes, moving through several phases again anchored by a common thematic rhythm enunciated by an organ-affected coda. The looseness of each track gives the impression of heavy improvisation with few signs of premeditation, the titles reflecting this, with the most sporadic pieces garnering on-the-fly names like “Number 12 Hanging” and “First Thing in the Morning” (the first track, which another listen reveals to contain some subdued percussion – totally absent in the remainder of the album). The specifics of track arrangement are undisclosed, but the impression is that of chronology, as the black cloud of “Chelsea’s Final Cabbage” huffs in drones then bursts with a clap as sheets of pulses rain down between thick drops of piano notes which lead into the final offering “Cloven Hoofing the Bill” wherein the damp and cold are dried in a flash of dry-hot tones and lofty, bassy notes like stairs out of doors.

All told, at 63 minutes, to break up the longer stretches the disc could stand some further editing – or perhaps another stay for some alternate material. But of course, this would only mar the charm of the thing: a true, unmediated account of This Moment in (VxPxC) History. Blue-bottom CDr comes with printed label and full-color insert in an incredible, machine-sewn Velcro envelope with original art designed and crafted by one Clare Elsaesser. Limited to 50 copies - Get moving! (self-released CDr, $10(US)/$12(World) HERE)

Check out this madness from Hästen & Korset (dig the grammar, too):

Afric Simone - 'Ramaya' cassette $7(World)
"This is a fantastic recording from 1975 that i found in a thriftstore for over 10 years ago. I don´t know nothing about this artist and i haven´t find much of google him either but i have choosen to release this as a bootleg cause it´s fucking rule and moore people need to discover this. Totaly original music and some fucking wierd mix of disco, rock, world music, soul, folk, sinnes and strange sounds. A true party killer!" Black tapes Ca 40 min

Herrarnas - 'Best of nr.8' cassette $7(World)
"This tape is a spoken word tape in Swedish i find also in a thriftstore a few months back. It is originally for blind people and the guy reads erotic novels and from Swedish porno mags like Fibban, Lektyr. Very strange and totaly wierd combination... This is not buskis, it´s only a very strange recording i think moore people need to hear. Cover painting by the one and only Martin Frid!" Orange tapes Ca 30 min

WORMS - 'Melted' cassette $7(World)
"A moore static and maybe a harsher side from Altar of flies member. 4 songs, 23 minutes. Really good stuff that´s gonna melt your brain." Black tapes, Ca 24 min

Altar of Flies - 'Fossils' CDr $7(World)
"Amazing artwork by www.mattiasfrisk.com. 2 panel folded pro-printed color covers in vinyl jacket and with a exclusive vinyl sticker specially made for the split cd-r." 63 minutes playtime, First press 66 copies, second and last 44 copies... WEBSITE

To order, EMAIL ... trades welcome.

A lot can change in four years, particularly when those four years are the last four years. It’s been four years since Do Make Say Think released the tremendous ‘Winter Hymn, Country Hymn, Secret Hymn’, and indeed, a lot has changed. I should say straight up that ‘You, You’re a History in Rust’, the band’s fifth album, is their worst. Or maybe I shouldn’t. Back up. Coming from someone who thinks that the four (okay, three) preceding DMST records are among the best records ever, my claiming that this is their worst still leaves space for it to be better than every other record ever. I’m not going to say just that, but know that it is pretty great. Maybe I shouldn’t even compare this to its predecessors because this is not DMST as previously presented. The integral players in the band are the same as always, sure, as are the requisite timbres, progressions, and dynamics, but the façade, the semblance of DMST, is that of a very different band; prior hearing the album, I was apprehensive that the dabbling of band members in various projects (particularly the positively-awful Broken Social Scene) in the interceding years could leave DMST an unmolested entity, and while I don’t believe it has, the effect has been disfiguring in no predictable terms.

Appearances barely hold through intro “Bound To Be That Way”, which, following a standard DMST build-up of casual strums and long metallic breaths, begins in earnest with a riff so plucky it could be banjo; this is the first suggestion of an alteration, but dissipates as the full band comes crashing in behind, with swells of high-notes complimented by lulls of noodling guitars; a building pause ushers in the horns, again to be joined by the rhythm section full lilt in a classic (“post”) rock exit. The best way DMST could wreck expectations/comfort zones would be through the inclusion of vocals (with actual words[!]), and indeed the great coup of ‘… a History in Rust’ is the centrality of leads and full on harmonies on 3 of the album’s 8 tracks. The first of these transgressions occurs on track the second, as a timpani-like rumble accompanies uncharacteristically wispy percussion up to the rusted throat of a love-sick ballad (who at first appears to be Constellation’s resident crooner Frankie Sparo, but is in fact neighbor Alex Lukashevsky): a bittersweet song of uncertain proportions, Lukashevsky’s cries are answered by a plaintive guitar until the group sings out in unison. Beside the conspicuous presence of accordion, what is most striking/most unprecedented about this track is, where in the few past instances that DMST incorporated voice, it is always as an instrument of no greater significance than any other; by comparison, “A With Living” is a deliberate lyrical composition of verse and chorus, written and mixed to accommodate the voice as primary instrument - and a major break from DMST tradition. In the case that you mourn these developments as a loss - or if you’re just afraid of change – these moments are offset by the considerably-more familiar tracks woven between, such as club-banger “The Universe!” (I believe a popular live opener of late), the chiming march of “Herstory of Glory” (which features the triumphant return of Understatement the Violin from “Horns of a Rabbit”), and, to a lesser extent, the twangy funeral-march “You, You’re Awesome”.

Such titles as this last one, coupled with the song’s patina of sincere optimism, divest DMST of its sinister connotations and dark themes in favor of a sort of merrymaking – a reformation which even the truer-to-form songs of the album fail to shake. The final track authenticates this shift with bubbly finger-pickin’, tamborines, vibes, and player-saw - but most evidently through the inclusion of the always harmonious Akron/Family - a group of gentlemen who please everyone by smiling to every side of the divide, but who do so at the cost of restraint and conservatism; this lean reflects the long-standing (yet thankfully rarely acted on) potential of DMST to venture a bit too close to the 'adult-contemporary' fence, a point also evinced in the album's artwork: forgoing the dark, cryptic imagery of previous releases, the cover of ‘… a History in Rust’ reflects the title through the “rustic” (not “decaying”) imagery of a “weathered” antique, a rusted bicycle reclaimed by grasses and soil, and double-exposed images of a dog at play in a body of light and water. And while no one deserves censure for ‘lightening-the-fuck-up’, this is yet another point of (drastic) departure from the dank cold of ‘Goodbye Enemy Airship, the Landlord is Dead’, the separatist revelry of ‘& Yet & Yet’, or the all-around apocalyptic skepticism of ‘Winter Hymn’. Like the lone piece of frenetic painting obscured behind the text of the last panel, “Executioner Blues” - strategically placed just prior the album’s ecstatic outro as a preemptive rejoinder - will have DMST lifers welling-up as it recalls the best elements of the band’s catalog in classic terms: double drumming pattering percussive raindrops, horse-hoof claps, and deft cymbalic strikes; boldly-picked guitars - subtly enhanced by piano – weaving a delicate skeleton, then releasing captive notes; late-arriving brass swells taking up the melody like a chorus; and thick, jubilant dub bass to which these many elements of song stick like taffy.

So maybe it’s wrong to say this is their worst album; this is Do Make Say Think’s most different album - whether or not that’s a bad thing is up to you. Regardless the name attached to it, this is a grand album showing an increasingly versatile band experimenting with the unfamiliar, and sure to win some new fans for the effort. And while I myself long for moody DMST, I can’t help but enjoy their new incarnation as well. CD comes in a six panel cardstock folder; LP is 180-gram standard, and certainly worth the extra bill. (Constellation CD/LP, $13/$18 HERE - available to everyone Feb. 27)

New heat from HP Cycle:

Richard Youngs & Tirath Singh Nirmala LP
"Debut album from the duo of Richard Youngs and Tirath Singh Nirmala (nee John Clyde-Evans) that has the pair creating a bucolic minimalist meditation. Side one interchangeably features hammered strings, gong/cymbal washes, droning vocals, and breathed shackuhachi/flutes. The second side leads with a melodious encounter before delving further into a glimmering psychedelia with sawed strings, fluttering reed organ and electronic drift. The results resemble a non-western approach to traditional musics filtered through the personalized aesthetic that runs through each of the artist's prior works. The LP is enclosed in a full colour cover with suitable "of the earth" imagery."

Kark - 'The Hermit' LP
"Debut album from this massive free ensemble from Louisville which features a revolving cast of over 50 musicians including members of Sapat, Valley of Ashes, Virgin Eye Blood Brothers, Son of Earth, Taiwan Death and the Belgian Waffles. The Hermit consists of three extended pieces that offer spaciously abstract atmospheres as well as moments of righteous cacophony. Utilizing a multitude of brass, reeds and percussion the album careens through numerous passages where intricate harmonics are created from the densely layered sounds. When the full force of the ensemble is unleashed individual elements appear and quickly recede into the squall. As the music nearly becomes unhinged, the sound disintegrates into a godzilla-like rockist thud propelled by the rhythm section and soaring horns before drifting to a sparse conclusion. The LP comes in a full colour jacket with homespun artifacts gracing the cover."

Still available:

Boots/C.C/Snake & Remus - 'Box' 3LP
"Reissue of three privately-pressed LPs of essential damaged-psych from purportedly the same crew behind the Jim Collins and Terry LPs."

Avarus - 'II' LP
"Deconstructed audio junk from these Finnish weirdos creating a new time/mind continum."

Ceylon Mange - 'The Maiming Path' LP
"The trio of Nyoukis/Constance/Nace offer up a mind melt of mangled sounds and organic brain tangle."

Titles are available in North America through Fusetron, Eclipse, Time-Lag, RRR, Mimaroglu, etc...

From L'animaux Tryst (Field) Recordings:

[L-T-(F)-R 003C] v/a - 'If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Can We Record It?' cassette $6(US)
"In which eleven of maine's most compelling outsider artists of music create blips, cuts, shrieks, and sludge over two sides of a 45-minute cassette, and announce to the world a scene you never knew existed. the tree falls on everything from id m theft able's speak-n-spell-n-unhuman-voice symphony to drona parva's warm electric guitar improvisations and everything thereabouts and in between. we've got crank sturgeon's uniquely fucked dada, bird microphone's bell voice cuts and pastes, pine tree state mind control and rattle of polar bear teeth 's combat noise drones, visitations' chants n' strums, aphelion shelter and cursillistas' building-everything echo-swells and loops, bad bus ' haunted basement tapes and scrapes, and nancy scott's scratchy manipulated folk-band strums. a definitive document of maine's contemporary avant/experimental/noise scene." Full track-list and more covers HERE

"I am ready to begin taking pre-orders on this cassette, which was a co-release with Avant Garde Farm Records (they put out the cdr in an edition of 100 in december). our cassette version comes on a ruby-red tinted 45-minute cassette, cased in a one-of-a-kind collaborative collage by alyce ornella (bird microphone) & myself. We're limiting this release to a hand-numbered 45 cassettes, so act fast. $6 includes shipping to US. EMAIL for price quote worldwide. won't ship for another week or two so hold tight."

Did you hear? Kranky loves Yarnlazer. Yarnlazer:

WHITE RAINBOW - 'Sun Shifts' CDr $8(US)/$10(World)
"One 65 minute track called "Sun Shifts" recorded in one sitting with guitar, trumpet, voice, bells, gong, bamboo thumb piano, and other weird stuff lying about going through my standard effect and loop pedal chain. Sitting there surrounded by that stuff but mostly staring out at the sky and across the train tracks and river over to downtown Portland and the west hills behind - all that through the row of big, old, western-facing windows in our warehouse studio. Watching the sun set and the sky turn an infinite and ever-changing combination of colors in slow gradations as the day turned to evening dusk. First i did a 30-ish minute live stereo take, then an overdub that ran an additional 30+ minutes after that first take ended, then an overdub over that last 30 minutes or so." CD-rares in hand drawn covers, edition of 100 copies.

Retrieve through EMAIL, WEBSITE, or STORE

Hush Arbors is the work of Keith Wood, affiliate to the bearded stars (Six Organs of Admittance, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Sunburned Hand of the Man); ‘Under Bent Limb Trees’ is a long-sold out early LP on Digitalis (HH’s official reissuer), newly re-released by the label *remastered* with a bonus disc of rare and unreleased tracks. That’s right, “holy shit!” Much like those aforementioned mystics with whom he so often cavorts, Wood draws upon the earthen core of psychedelia and folk-rock straddling the year 1970; however, through ‘Under Bent Limb Trees’ Wood conjures a smoked, musty aura rarely captured by artists outside of the shaggiest decade.

There is a permeation of arboreal themes in ‘Under Bent Limb Trees’ (a theme not limited to this album alone, evinced by Wood’s choice of titles), with each song a dedication to the forest and its flora: following the padded-battery of wind on the (quite-literal) field-recording “Spirits Over Mt. Blanca” (revisited in the 12-minute closing piece “Kudzu Covered Maples”), Wood finds shelter in a natural amphitheatre to play the pluck-and-strum banjo laments “The Forest We’ve Had” and “Wooded Reel”; the first with verses of molten words, both featuring a chorus melding into the hum of organic production. Similarly, “Song for Morning to Sing” is a sleepy-headed greeting to the day delivered in Wood’s gentle falsetto, reminiscent a hushed moment from Sparklehorse’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ filtered through several layers of parchment. An incredibly unique moment, the maypole-merriment of “Where the Black Bear Hides in the Sky” sounds a mix of old European dialects accompanied by the fluty, timeless sound of what is likely the bowed dulcimer, singing to changing seasons and playfully suggesting “darling, when shall we get married?”; the joy of this jig starkly juxtaposed against the melancholy of “Dark Mist Curtains the Doorway”, a song who’s eerie otherness is trumped only by the heavy sadness soaking the voice, plucked reverb, and high, minor hum wilting above. Of the entire album, “May All Your Pastures Now Spring with Herbs” most resembles Wood’s cohort, specifically Six Organs of Admittance’s ‘Compathia’, yet with fanciful imagery channeling mythical histories unknown to his generation and its masterpieces.

The disc of bonus material includes five tracks filling 50 minutes culled from various sources, together suggesting an impressive range to Wood’s songwriting while simultaneously endearing the passages of the first disc as compliments in a unified collection: tracks “Under the Death Tree”, “The Valley”, and “Clothed with Sun” center on guitar and voice in simple harmony, much more akin to the earlier works of Six Organs in melody and structure, yet retaining a unique essence amplified by exotic string and electronic embellishments (most vibrantly in the third). In contrast, the 13-minute drone piece “Brittle Village” expands on the rich ambient constructions hinted behind the songs of ‘Under Bent Limb Trees’, and the final (unlisted) track “If There Be Spirits, Let Them Come” merges detailed natural soundscapes with cello and acoustic guitar in a 21-minute illustration that warms the skin as well as it soothes the ears.

Though the tracks of the second disc don’t hold together with the grace of the first (and why would one expect them to?), they only bolster the strength of the latter, and provide an engrossing document of the artist’s other work like a fine appendix to an otherwise huge accomplishment. Discs come tucked in a gatefold cardstock sleeve with mysterious photography which tells a story of its own. Very highly recommended. (Digitalis Dbl-CD, $20 HERE)

The gears of commerce turn slow but sure for Root Strata:

RS-16 STARVING WEIRDOS - 'Harry Smith' one-sided LP $8
"The first vinyl side from these Northern California mushroom farmers is a real doozy. A live soundtrack to the silent psychedelic films of American hero Harry Smith, this one sided LP is more free drift than free jazz...taking off from a shot in the dark and never touching ground again. Each one with punk rock paste on black & white collage art. Edition of 300."

WEBSITE for ordering, MP3 samples. Soon enough: more Weirdos, Machinefabriek, Grouper, and Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood!