Giant Skyflower Band is Jewelled Antler/Skygreen Leopard journeyman Glenn Donaldson with the help of Shayde Sartin (also of The Skygreen Leopards). Both men also served together as back-up in the Soft Abuse project Flying Canyon. Flying Canyon lead Cayce Linder committed suicide in early February. No more than six months from the release of his beautiful debut, the man’s collaborators issue ‘Blood of the Sunworm’ like a loving reply from one dashikied Eagle to another; now a bittersweet, post facto memorial.

Reportedly an exercise in the Bummer Psych of Syd Barrett and his pale, troubled acolytes, Giant Skyflower’s brighter, heavily-melodic excursion conversely sits firmly over a pop denominator in comparison to the thematic rock of ‘Barrett’ and ‘Opel’. The opening clang of sitar which accompanies the warm strum of acoustic guitars, the playfulness of the drums, the carefree concern of Donaldson’s voice – no matter how hard he tries, we know he’s smiling a little – “Oh Mary Green” is not just a romantic ode, but a beautiful introduction to the band’s weightless emotion. Their bummer, if anything, is some sort of fretless ennui. The sitar/zither/12- and 6-string acoustic arrangement is the foundation of each track here, as is Donaldson’s vocals in front and back, yet the man’s skill for tethering sweet nothings into verse ensures a new anthem with each song; a tune-a-day for the walk to school, or your friend’s garage. Organ is a welcome addition to tracks such as “Feast of Blood”, switching between ‘Hotel California’ verses and a sing-along chorus by the Dead. A fare portion of the disc is voiceless, beginning in earnest with the instrumental “Rainbows and Dreams (with Worms Singing)”, and into “Bitter Wild Rabbits”: sounding like a rendition of the Joe Cocker hit/Wonder Years theme “With a Little Help from My Friends”, the song appropriately gives way in the second-half to a requiem for spoilt youth, a sun-baked remake of the Hidden Cameras staple “Builds the Bone”; lazy, hazy guitar and the comfortable maturity of Donaldson’s voice revisit the theme in an earlier decade, recoloring the song with a bright innocence. The greatest break in continuity comes with the bold pluck of acoustic six-string and the low buzz of electric bass on “All of Us (You and Me)”, a brief interlude of guitar which rings out with incredible clarity over a sustain of keyed-in viola, not unlike an early Papa M entry. “Lice of Rainbows” - though never evading the recording’s analog sunlight - simply crushes the soul with the repetition of its melancholy farewell “long ago, we were friends”. Not one to end on a downer (though he may try), Donaldson signs-off with a zither-punctuated lullaby, eventually drifting away with the locked-groove raga “Meditations on Christ and the Magi”. If you didn’t want to nap when you put this on, you’ll surely be ready in the end (be sure to hit ‘repeat’ first). Available as of this week, the CD comes in a jewel-case with beautiful, full-color inserts on fancy paper. Very recommended. (Soft Abuse CD, $10(US)/$13(Everywhere) HERE)

This is an interesting endeavor - from DBA:

Hello Deathbomb friends!!

I get emailed frequently from people asking how they can hear tracks from the first two years of the Deathbomb Arc Tape Club now that those years are over. Well, keeping this music heard and alive is really important to us. So until the day when everything can properly be rereleased on vinyl or something, we are now offering special made CDrs featuring 7 of the past Tape Club tracks of your choice.

Here is how it works:
1. Visit this page: http://deathbombarc.com/releases/dbaTC.htm and pick out what 7 tracks you want to hear.
2. Send payment using either the paypal buttons on that page or by sending a money order.
3. Include a note with your order telling us what 7 tracks you have chosen.

A CDr will be made for you with these 7 songs. The art for the cdrs will all look the same, just with the text appropriate to your order changed. The cost is $10(US/Canada)/$16 (World).

If you have any questions about this, just EMAIL ME.

Thank you!!
Brian

The Hop-Frog Kollectiv out of Long Beach, California occupies an unusual (though not illogical) musical space in the realms of indigenous folk, techno, and world beat. Performing music inspired by both real and imagined Others, particularly those of the Middle East (the Hop-Frog logo is made to resemble the crescent moon of Islam, crossed by the collective’s own logo), the collective reconciles Eastern timbres and composition with Western psychedelia and fantastic folklore. Made of a loose collection of twenty or so members in a variety of arts – musicians being those of most relevance at the moment – the various, hard-to-catalog releases of the collective’s label URCKarm contain any number of the group, and most centrally those with unusual and/or frog-themed names: Carl F. Off, Hermit the Flog, and E. Loi.

The collection ‘Bets Ov, Vol. 1’, attributed to Hop-Frog’s Drum Jester Devotional, credits solely these three individuals; and though eight of the disc’s nine tracks appear labelled as mixes ("Poppy Mine mix", "Epic Banana mix") as in a remix collection, we can only assume that any post-production work may be pinned to the creators as well. You needn’t go as far as the URCK website to realize that the visual aesthetic of Hop-Frog is offensive: offensive to one’s sense of order, beauty, logic. The cover of the disc (as seen to the left) is a mad pastiche of brightly-colored and poorly-rendered images of organic life, about five or six assorted fonts, and what should only be a middle-schooler’s pencil-drawn submission to High Times magazine. The art is so hideous that it does that flip-around thing to where it’s almost good (though not quite). The full-color print on the disc itself is actually very nice. One of the best dance albums of last year, the disc opens to the blissful “L’amour du Nil”, a rich rhythm of finger- and hand-percussion, flute and other wind drones, with bursts of electronic samples exploding like fireworks above; “Love is a Minefield” pairs a mostly-unyielding, though very nice flute melody over a murky trip-hop beat, recalling some Amon Tobin and the like. “Devotional Desert” is almost a reprise of the opening track, with a similar roll of percussion and flute, though now with the addition of several layers of Arabic singing reverberating with horns in a dizzying trance. Midway track “Another Intricate Gem of the Mouthfrothian Liberation Front” guarantees a smile and mix-tape position for its brilliant plundering of the rhythm section from Talking Heads’ dork-jazzy “Warning Sign”, enhanced with currently-unidentifiable samples of violin swells, multiple female choruses, and electronic hodge-podge; this brilliance continues through the deft funk of “Elephants Agony”, combining dub bass and akimbo beats with a sampled children’s chorus, synthesizers, and a running naturalist commentary (oblique and otherwise) of an elephant’s assault. “You Can’t Do That to Me, I’m an American” resembles Porest in more than just title: samplings of the racist-hegemony as well as incitant Arabic dialects accent Afghani folk music on chopped-up Squarepusher beats, conjuring the mocking parody of traditional musics with modern markers of conflict found in the man's brilliant 'Tourrorists'. The 13 minute “Germ of Sorrow 2” appears the third installment of the theme introduced in the first track, this time adding a repeating cry, classic house samples, and a thickened beat – the unofficial closer before “Cherries of War” - the most abstract, danceless track of the disc - presented as a dark waltz (like early Nine Inch Nails) of daunting drumming with sustained snare hits, droning raga, and clashing vocal samples; an appropriate conclusion to this tumultuous dance-party, reiterating the albums’ (and the collectives’) underlying influences and themes.

‘Ghosts of a Primitive World’ is attributed to Hop-Frog’s apparently defunct Refrigerator Mothers collective, including the three aforementioned core members as well as another ten or so performers and guests. The disc begins with the 22-minute “Bedding Down the Revolution with a Mouthful of Shit”, a slowly unraveling psychedelic raga of Eastern strings, guitars, and sparse, programmed beats; embellishments of melodica and electronic textures are added slowly, as is a dance of cymbals and hand percussion; a strangled chant enters mid-way, ushering in a Muslimgauze (major Hop-Frog reference) panic-drone of synthesizers. I’d be curious to hear a defense for titling the second track, as “Arab National Anthem” is a relaxed ritual of guitar and percussion, markedly neither dynamic nor doctrinaire, lacking any accessible melodic structure, and - like the last track - defying its lofty, incendiary title with the vagaries of psychedelia. “Tied in Sacks” marks a pleasing turn toward the hybrid activity of ‘Bets Ov, Vol. 1’, beginning with a verse of Eastern folk rhyme before breaking into the crazed dance of a drum circle – not unlike Porest’s most glorious moments - with vocal samples strewn about for embellishment; the track ends with the declaration “You’re god is a bore, like a tortoise!”, the sample a central paste of the jubilant “Eastern Spleen 3” of the previous disc. The pinnacle of 'Ghosts...' is the 8 ½ minute centerpiece “Black Moth Scrap Serum” (also the flip-side of the ‘Arab National Anthem’ 7”): the least-"Eastern" of the album, the track features a sparse, gothic-industrial beat of timpani and electric guitar exchange, over which a Peter Murphy/Swans-era Michael Gira speaker blasphemes “I am black moth/I am wasteland/I am warhead” before giving way to a full-band dark jam, striking the creative space between Current 93 and Suicide. “Pasilla Mangoes” carries on in a similar fashion, this time with a new voice canting in a smoky veil over a background of drugged-percussion and space effects, reminiscent of the album by Text or recent Bastard Noise projects. “Spiritscar” and “Ya Ya Suitor” both resemble various moments of Sun City Girls history, the former a near perfect Richard Bishop acoustic-guitar piece, the latter an out-of-tune mock ceremony with metal strings, gongs, and throaty chants. Final piece “Christifari’s Collapse” is a stunning, emotive and playful piano composition of definitively-Western form, swaggering with an antique bravado like a hypothetical score by Morricone and Nyman; simply incredible and completely unexpected. Though future listens will reveal the truth (and there will be many future listens), the hazy listlessness of the opening pair, while not unwelcome, is thankfully broken by the frenzy and wonderful eclecticism of the subsequent tracks.

The hand-written ‘Ghosts of a Primitive World’ CDr comes carefully wrapped in a heavy sleeve with handmade, printed tissue covering and an insert; Hop-Frog’s Drum Jester Devotional ‘Bets Ov, Vol. 1’ CD comes in a jewel-case with full-color art. Both discs very recommended. (URCK CD, $8 HERE; CDr $8 HERE - released alongside a 7” version of “Arab National Anthem” b/w “Black Moth Scrap Serum)

Most horrific band name ever? From Kraak:

Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat - 'An Interlude for the Outermost' CD 12€
"The young Belgian ruler of apocalyptic folk, Stef Heeren, after his much aclaimed debut album of last year, returns with an amazing follow up. “An Interlude For The Outermost” combines the dark mantra-ish folk of his first record with sharpened folkrock, intense melodies and heart-ripped spleen. His punkroots are still clearly present in his powerful voice, the themes are still slightly pagan. The difference with “If The Sky Falls, We Shall Catch Larks” is the fact that on the new album we much more hear the product of a band, with profound arrangements and detailed production. “An Interlude For The Outermost” has become the masterpiece we all expected from Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat.
The recordings of “An Interlude For The Outmost” already started in August 2006, when Heeren, together with guitar player De Maré and drummer David Stubbe (ex-Thee Plague Of Gentlemen) took a room in art center Vooruit (Ghent) to record the basics of the new album. After that, Heeren started to reshape the songs by inviting different musicians to play different parts and by getting everything together on the computer. Thematically not much has changed. He still screams his soul into the mic. and carries all the shit of the world on his shoulders for the time the album lasts. Even though some melodies might prove the contrary, the feel of this album hasn’t much to do with the joy of life. This young musician’s main worries are both the heritage of 09/11, the banality of the individual and society. This desillusion he tries to put into his lyrics and music. And how... With the rock line-up he has clearly found his thing, and presents us the new album that is definitely one of the highlights of the contemporary darkfolk movement." [K054]

More info, ordering, and downloads HERE

Springtime is when labels are born. Shut Up! I Love You:

(ILY-003) v/a - 'REMEMBER THE ALAMODE' CD $6
"Remember The Alamode (or Remem'er The Alamode as we affectionately call it) is a mixtape of old friends, new friends and the people we look up to. Jumping continents and genres like a skipping record, this 20 track testament to an extreme case of musical A.D.D. is a volatile crash course in mismatched scenes- ranging from hiphop to grindcore noise, singer/songwriter to gameboy dance freakouts and just about everything in between. A little something for everybody or rather, everything for anyone. Almost all of the tunes included here are exclusive to this compilation, from a terrifying hardcore crunk track by Captain Ahab (winners of the Snakes on a Plane Soundtrack Contest), to a pensive electric lullaby by Lucky Dragons; the floating harmonies and upright bass drones of Nat Baldwin (of the Dirty Projectors) to all out glitchy folk tunes by Thee Moths and Tiger Piss from the UK. Even an iconoclastic Virginia anthem by Mas Y Mas and an old school rap tune by Height and Bow 'N Arrow find good company amongst the 20 artists featured here. Hand assembled, stamped and numbered." Limited to 500.

(ILY-001) MAS Y MAS - 'LATIN OUTREACH' CDr $3
"Latin Outreach is Mas Y Mas' take on the grungy hardcore punk sounds that have dominated DC since before the band members were born. Not quite Bad Brains or Black Eyes, but equally raw and intelligent. The guitar is completely distorted and the synth punches go for the gut. Few indie bands can make Mas Y Mas' "just plug it in" approach work. This short EP is painfully witty and ironic, consistently making fun of the hipsters they themselves are." Limited to 100. 5 songs.

ALSO: be sure to check out the free downloadable monthly EP series on our site, featuring exclusive EPs currently available from Tiger Piss, Thee Moths, Werewolf Unit and Neil Bolton (of Rapscallionz), with more on the way.

WEBSITE! Samples, etc. at MYSPACE

From the Italian, Long Long Chaney:

LLC009 BLANK REALM - 'you don't know the devil till you've seen him in a flower' CDr 5€
"mysterious collective from australia,a fest of drones texture and vocal confusion, desert improvisation meets epic guitars ala dead c. upcoming stuff also on MusicYourMindWillLoveYou and Digitalis."

LLC014 ZURICH AGAINST ZURICH & CLAUDIO ROCCHETTI - 'Harshdubox' 6xfloppy box 8€
"Evil collaboration beetwen guitar/drum devasting duo zurich against zurich and berlin based artist claudio rocchetti. feedback walls, scattered voices and turntable abuse. comes in a handmade cardboard box, silckscreened gold cover.. back to the 80's!"

Samples, order info go HERE

PLUS, Kam Hassah on tour in Italy

22.03 @ cantina mediterraneo / frosinone / italy (w/ family battle snake, mondo cane)
23.03 @ fanfulla 101 / roma / italy (w/ family battle snake, mondo cane)
24.03 @ tba / bologna / italy (w/ family battle snake, mondo cane)
25.03 @ teatroRidotto / bassano del grappa / italy (w/ family battle snake, mondo cane)

And it keeps coming. From Not Not Fun:

Radical beloved,

It has been FAR FAR FAR too long in the coming/making, but finally BELLY BOAT's 2-years-in-the-making opus, "Dear Robert Hanoy," is done and ready to buy-and-fall-in-love-with. please catch one of their live charm sessions this spring/summer, as they'll be gallivanting back-and-forth between Santa Cruz and Rhode Island. they are the best.

Belly Boat- 'Dear Robert Hanoy' CD $8
"All aboard, gang. After 23 months of back-and-forth and waiting/wondering, Zoe and Silvie have finally docked the debut Belly Boat album in NNF harbor, and we are BEYOND happy about it. Dear Robert Hanoy is a scratchy, expansive masterpiece, 14 sung songs of outsider ragtime, rambling European café waltz, and charismatic lyrical chemistry. Influenced equally by Cocorosie, Celine Dion, and Chamillionaire (circa “Ridin’ Dirty”), BB weave piano, accordion, and dueling voices into a freaky, frayed woolen mitten of strange emotions. Put it on, feel weird, throw a snowball. This is a storybook soundtrack for barefoot exploration and natural wonder, culled from years of face-painting, taking pictures of horses, and making best friends laugh. CDs come with full-color 8-panel booklets of artwork by Belly Boat, in sleeves sewn with grunge flannel, strung with grey yarn/clear beads, and flecked with gold dust." Limited to 500.

also DONE: Denmark's dreamiest quatro crew, PINK LUMINOUS INVOCATION, unfurl a sheet of dreamless sleep, "Pink Fog." ghost hands on the bad one. total blur. with awesome screened discs & covers.

Pink Luminous Invocation - 'Pink Fog' CDr $5
"Psychic smog. Memory-loss drugs. Tapestries of delay pedals. All great avenues to feeling fucked up and blissed/lost. Here’s another. Danish combo Pink Luminous Invocation serve up a half-hour bowl of sonic syrup, laced with wind chimes, methedrone, and déjà vu. Buried voices bleed like clouds, bouts of phasing stasis lapse into electric déjà vu. Like a more burned-out Pelt, or a sleeping Ghosting. Meditative and sedated. Silkscreened CDRs in black plastic cases with silk-screened, hand-stamped wraparound covers studded with jewels, plus a full-color insert." Hand-numbered edition of 71.

ALSO x 2: one of our distributors uncovered a cache of antiquity-era NNF gems, so we have re-added a SLEW of long-since-gone releases to the PRESENTS page. {NOTE: amongst these findings was ONE copy of the Shepherds/Quintana Roo CS (NNF053), and ONE copy of the Sea & Sea Music Factory comp CS (NNF030). if you'd like to be the lucky one to score either/both of these, EMAIL to reserve.}

The WEBSITE and the PRESENTS

And also: Flo and friends have a new mail-order/news/label/art-space/commune thing going on HERE; it's called La Belle Dame Sans Merci - have fun!

Deux. Awesome additions from new label Cook an Egg ("va te faire cuire un oeuf" - it means 'get lost'):

eggcd01cd: Oh, Birds! - '…Of Grief and Satellites' 3” CDr 4€
"Blending sparse field recordings with eerie, otherworldly sounds, the music of Oh, Birds! carves out a series of internal landscapes that are as much discreet as they remain troubled and slightly out of reach. Tackling the lines between sound and silence, there’s a subdued musicality there that should appeal to fans of Coelacanth, Steve Roden and Olivia Block. Oh, Birds! is a sound-artist from Clichy, France and this 3” cdr is his debut mini-album."

egg02cd: Soon Clyde - 'Solace' CDr 8€
"Displaying a wide array of influences ranging from Six Organs of Admittance to the Silver Jews, the music of Greg Pardew (aka Soon Clyde) seems to reside at a series of impossible crossroads. Recorded live and without overdubs, Greg uses his acoustic (and electric) guitars & voice to fully explore the conflicting moods that are carefully hidden from within the fabric of his delicate, yet quietly dissonant songs. Soon Clyde is Greg Pardew from Maryland, USA and this is his debut cdr album."

egg03cd: Zelienople - 'Bachelor’s Grove' CDr (reissue) 8€
"Recorded during one afternoon in Spring 2004, this cdr marks the moment when Zelienople decided to take their music through the looking-glass once and for all. Entirely instrumental and full of rich, warm textures, there are a few scattered folk elements here and there and a decisively more ambient/drone-based approach overall – from the suspended electric guitar lines to the subtle jazz-like set of percussions. Yet, it’s the poetics of their sound which uses the natural reverberation of the room to produce highly dreamlike soundscapes that make Zelienople truly unique."

egg04cd: Quilts - 'Future Exorcist Horizons' CDr 8€
Say Quilts: “This is probably our most minimal and abstract work yet... lots of hypnotic swirling chirps and burps swimming in warm/cool synthscapes and keyboard drones that are briefly interrupted by soothing amateur vocal croons and looped tribal beats over wave crashing tape loops washed ashore carrying a barge of scattered electronics and future music experimentation followed by a beautifully repetitive ending.”

WEBSITE or EMAIL

We recently received an onslaught of submissions from Francofriends across the way. First, rad noise from Galerie Pache:

(galerie pache 16122006) TG - ‘ la nuit’ LP 11€
"After one month of touring with the dirty folks of Radikal Satan, TG (from Paris / France), goes to the country-side to record this second lp (among 40 cassettes / cdrs!!). four tracks of drone solo guitar / cavern keyboard, torture reverberation for this ten years activist of expe folk / lofi electricity. A new track is also available in the audio volume III released by Zum Records, (including Yellow Swans, Coughs & many more exciting acts). Besides his solo project, TG is member of the newly formed & Paris based noise band : Lubbriphikattor." Limited : 300 copies

(galerie pache 02122006) AGRIPON/STUCKOMETER - split LP 11€
"Between 8 and 11 titles without title ( 8 minutes 40). for agripon (paris based mini drum kit guitar duo or trio), hysterical, sometimes or often unbearable, electric & social, fucked up. improvised and rather rythmed. That goes back to August 2005 and that turns into 45. .or 33, for a longer pleasure. and more fat. do what you want. “this is shitcore” - Sean baxter. 2 titles for Stuckometer (13 minutes 20), 2 guitars, bass, free drums, … + a mouth which is expressed + flute… enough cavernous savage and, violence more prolonged, noise, free. That goes back to September 2006 and stuckometer it is a band from Manchester. city of the monkey boots. reading advised in thirty three rotations per minute. Stuckometer has also released many recordings on Hearing Aids, Low Point and First Person." Limited : 306 copies

(Galerie Pache 10032007) AGRIPON - ‘Rampar’ 10" EP 23€
"3 new titles in a groovy lofi tamtam / darker noisy guitar & hysterical ejaculation of love. 3 new titles for the coming of the sun, celebration of black saturation basement, through the other side, the side of love. 3 new titles for you. recorded january 2007 in Paris & Buenos Aires. please, feel free to listen to rampar track as 33rpm." !!!extrem limited edition!!! 12 copies of a beautiful clear 2 mm, 10 inch vinyl !!!! 12 different art sleeves!!!

For the label, WEBSITE or MYSPACE

At only 20 minutes, ‘Without Mercy’ is as small, close, and intimate as the name Privacy suggests. Made solely of Laurel Knapp’s hushed voice and acoustic guitar, the eight songs of the album are loose and light, in delivery and tone resembling the solo works of Hope Sandoval and Mia Doi Todd. Containing three odes “from” the poets, two lullabyes, and a closing romantic triptych, there remains little aesthetic difference between the tracks. In the work of another artist, the theme of “without mercy” would likely entail an overt hostility toward the listener, most commonly realized through harsh noise and maximal volume. Instead, Knapp presents her own strength as an individual, appearing without pretense in her bare music, words, or emotion - an almost brutal ambivalence toward her dependents. Throughout, Knapp’s matter-of-fact lyricism and speak-singing is confident though not blasé, traversing the line between song and verse; her sensibilities as a writer subtly resemble those of modern Hawaiian musicians such as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, as does the ukulele-like pluck of her guitar on songs such as “Goodnight Canyon”, “Pining”, and “Passing”. Similarly, “Poem from Cummings” recalls Nick Drake’s ‘Pink Moon’ for its warm, rubbed guitar and light-headed sing-song, while the strum of “Poem from Carver” melts into the sympathetic stroke of “Goodnight Fox”, the lull of the words shifting only slightly, with only the dreamy sound of a nearby train to raise your head. A gentle, yet not delicate collection, ‘Without Mercy’ is coherent and comfortable from start to finish. (Marriage CD, $7 HERE; soon available as a one-sided LP)

They've been missing a while, and now they don't say much; from Musicyourmindwillloveyou:

mymwly0059 mighty acts of god – 'we could fail under the stars' CDr $10
"electric , ghost structures hung in an air thick with buzz and hiss , all angles and edges into strange , miniature abstractions that speak of another world"

mymwly0063 terracid – 'pinnacles upon aesthetes in glorious rows' 2xCDr $15

mymwly0064 catrider – 'catrider' CDr $12

mymwly0067 xwave - 'heart' CDr $10
"from the blue mountains comes a ringing feedback squall in a dense space of claustrophobic hiss . two tracks , two bleeding ears , one burned mind fuck."

mymwly0070 brothers of the occult sisterhood – 'enter the cult until the dust to represent the world discovers the hallucinogens and has bent us to their use' 3xCDr $20

mymwly0077 6majik9 - 'helen and sandy' CDr $10

mymwly0078 corsican paintbrush – 'lichens and moss' CDr $10
"reissue of the first corsican paintbrush album , originally released on foxglove . gorgeous , fragile assemblages of folk bones and murmurs , whispers of minds without bodies , but never far from the earth, the soil, the realms under leaf and stone...beautiful"

mymwly0079 alligator crystal moth – 'swamp magic kingdom' CDr $10

mymwly0080 6majik9 – 'kate moss' CDr $10

Find out what you can at the WEBSITE

More Yarnlazer:

ACRE - 'CANDYFLIPPING' CDr $8(US)/$10(World)
"hand screened GLOW IN THE DARK covers! edition of 100 copies. Acre is our new friend Aaron, who recently moved to Portland from Olympia. Aaron truly knows his synthesis and plays extremely reduced, refined synesthesia-enducing and generally psychedelically affective minimal drone using a minimal amount of equipment (including mixer feedback, sampler/loop, various filters, phase-shifters, tremelos and the like). CANDY FLIPPING is three tracks of sweet drone-gazed, tunnel visioned, double-dipped DMT cloud-lift. The first track, "Moth" instantly breaks out into the upper chakra registers with thick drones that hit you like LaMonte's Dream-House. Second track "Together We Are Poison" is all glossy-eyed and drooling lower-level chill-out pillow room in the rave of LIFE. Once asleep there, the third track "Drifting" will slowly, slowly slowly bring you back up like some dred head trance DJ opening up the 303 filter ever so slightly until we are again filled with ecstatic psychedelic feel-good sunshine laser light and your head and the whole moving mass of people explode upward together into another level of collective consciousness . GET FLIPPED For more info on Acre go HERE."

Dark Yoga - 'Live on KBOO' CDr $8(US)/$10(World)
"hand woven/sprayed,/screened/photocopied/glued covers edition of 50 copies. Dark Yoga is an obscure Northwest American Psychedelic NOW VIBRATIONAL Music Commune founded in early 06 by Adam Forkner, Honey Owens, Brian Thackeray, Matt McDowell, Aria Benner and Dan Barone. Dark Yoga's music is a heavy heavy weird brown fog of loose psychedelic improv in a fuzz-wah style with 70's Miles vibes, distant flutes, bongos, etc etc etc. LIVE ON KBOO is a Radio Transmission from the Spiritual Heart of this Commune at the Apex of their groove recorded in May of 2006. Its an hour-plus of continuos improvisation that wanders from heavy psyche fuzz funk to strange passages of pastoral hippy bongo and flute melt-downs, and everything in between..."

To order, etc. go to the label WEBSITE

From Nate Young of Wolf Eyes:

Hello all,

On the morning of Feb 24th my brother Peter Young was in a fire. He was injured with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 30-44% of his body. Neighbors reported seeing him coming out of his apartment unharmed only to see him run back in to save his dog Little John. The smoke and heat over took Pete as soon as he reentered the apartment. Pete was found unconscious and burning by Brighton Police and Fire Department who rushed him over to the U of M hospital. His apartment was completely destroyed and Little John did not make it. Pete has no medical insurance or insurance on his apartment which he owns. He is in surgery for skin grafts and has not been conscious yet. He'll be in the hospital for at least 2-3 months.

I am asking for donations to help my family with some of the medical bills and the rebuilding of his apartment. I have set up a paypal account in Pete's name. If everyone here can donate at least $1 that will be a huge help.

Please PAYPAL donations to Peter.B.Young[at]gmail[dot]com
Please try to pay the fee if using a credit or debit card.

Pete first introduced me to punk, psychedelic rock and noise - the music that inspired me the most as a kid. He also painted the cover for the first Wolf Eyes album released on Bulb. Without him Wolf Eyes may not have ever existed. I hope you'll help me give him something back.

With much thanks,
Nate Young


Help the guy out.

New from Fuck It's vinyl arm, Woodsist:

BLUES CONTROL - "Puff" LP $12(US)/$16(Can/Mex)/$17(World surface)/$23(World air)
"Blues Control is Lea Cho and Russ Waterhouse, a piano, guitar, and tapes duo from New York. Puff is their first full-length record, after two cassette-only releases."
Limited to 500 on black vinyl with silk screened covers.

Go to the WEBSITE or PAYPAL TO: cassettes@gmail.com (please add $0.50 to each item for paypal fees. thanks)

AND: starting today, dates for the BLUES CONTROL "Puff" Tour


* * *
Monday 3/12 @ Lemp
3301 Lemp Ave, St Louis, Missouri
with Worm Hands, Raglani, Larva
http://lemp-arts.org

* * *

Wednesday 3/14 @ Mini-cine
846 Texas Ave, Shreveport, Louisiana
with TBA
http://swampland.org

* * *

Friday 3/16 @ Spiro's
611 Red River St, Austin, Texas
with Wooden Shjips, Suishou no Fune, Lesbian, Burning Star Core, The
Psychic Paramount
http://2007.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/48991.html#

* * *

Saturday 3/17 @ House Of Tinnitus
628 Lakey St, Denton, Texas
with WZT Hearts, Lexie Mountain Boys, Ecstatic Sunshine
http://myspace.com/houseoftinnitus

* * *

Sunday 3/18 @ The Treehouse
109 S Cedar St, Little Rock, Arkansas
with El Paso Hot Button, Bus Train Car
http://arkydiy.com

* * *

Tuesday 3/20 @ AC Temple
1709 12th St S, Birmingham, Alabama
with Magik Markers, Hollow Bush

* * *

Wednesday 3/21 @ Ruby Green
514 5th Ave S, Nashville, Tennessee
with Magik Markers
http://rubygreen.org

* * *

Thursday 3/22 @ Butcher Block Gallery
931 E Main St, Louisville, Kentucky
with Sapat, Magik Markers, Three Legged Race
http://myspace.com/butcherblockgallery

* * *

Friday 3/23 @ The Icehouse
412 Cross St, Lexington, Kentucky
with Iovae, Sapat, Three Legged Race
http://charlesmansion.org

* * *

Saturday 3/24 @ Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
414 E Main St, Charlottesville, Virginia
with Spiral Joy Band
http://www.teabazaar.com

* * *

Monday 3/26 @ Velvet Lounge
915 U St, Washington DC
with Insect Factory, Plain Lace
http://velvetloungedc.com

* * *

Tuesday 3/27 @ Big Jar Books
55 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
with Meg Baird
http://balancingman.org

* * *

Saturday 3/31 @ Fort Sunshine
54 Porter St, New Haven, Connecticut
with Mouthus, Magik Markers, Mike Tamburo
http://myspace.com/fortsunshine

Big editions from new Massachusettes label, Leisure Class Records:

LCR-001- Cassette Concret/Joshi - 'a tape gone leave no trace/Animal Faith' CD $11(US)
"Split between two projects by multi-instrumentalist/tape-manipulator/country&folk singer Joshua Carrigan. Sound collage, finger-picked harmonies, drone, folk songs, salvaged electronics and acoustic guitars. Carrigan's music careens between campfire-singalongs and heady experimentalism, remaining aesthetically coherent throughout. Pressed CD, hand-stenciled and sewn sleeves. Edition of 1000."

LCR-002- Liz Isenberg - 'Seeport, Seaport, Seeport' CD $11(US)
"Indie Folk Forever's #5 record of 2006, 'Seeport, Seaport, Seeport' is an album of incredibly evocative half-songs and perfectly fuzzy home-recordings of delicately layered guitar and gorgeous, Mirah-esque vocals. Though highly accessible, the album's production makes it remarkably intimate and Isenberg's background as a classically trained string bassist and sound-art major ensures a level of sophistication rarely found in similar indie-folk fare. Pressed CD, Hand-sewn and assembled cardstock sleeves. Edition of 1000."

LCR-003- Vio/Miré - 'March, 2007' CDR $11(US)
"A beautifully and subtly experimental record. Vio/Miré's songs build slowly on Brendan Glasson's intricate finger-picking and vocals over the lush accompaniment of cello and string-bass. Glasson blends minimalism, drone, and folk music into a completely immersive and textured album of lyrically captivating songs that fold in and out of ambient passages. White CDRs rubber-stamped and packaged in hand-assembled card-sleeve cases with individually cut inserts in the shape of a coral reef. Limited Edition of 125."

See the WEBSITE

Once a 2005 cassette, Kevin Denora’s Total Life debut is now a 2007 LP. Denora is of course one-half of the infallible Growing, and this record is incumbent within their discography; a wholly other entity to be sure, yet sentimentally and aesthetically tangential, and helpful to ingratiate those borderline audiences of Boris and Om, as well as Menche and Bower.* Following a brief confusion with Matthew Bower’s project Total, I first heard these two not-so-dissimilar tracks when the tape was still fresh and it now it feels just as raw as that first magnetic transmission - I'm guessing little, if anything, has been done to the master. No fooling around, from start to finish “A Thousand Lights” surges in the red with a good-natured, Lightning Bolt bass attack as revisited in Growing’s heavier ‘His Return’, and with greater reserve on select tracks of the recent ‘Color Wheel’; thematically, the album conceptualizes natural aggregates akin to ‘The Sky’s Run into the Sea’ or ‘The Soul of the Rainbow and the Harmony of Light’. Layering washes of heavy guitar distortion one atop another, Denora achieves a warm harmony of fuzz and heavily-bearded high-bass melodies which sporadically emerge like bodies in static. And while in the moment this first track feels untoppable, flip-side “Peaks” does just that, raising the sky-ceiling to a higher frequency with rapid harmonic crescendos, vibrating in a blissful vacuum for an eternal 20 minutes before ceasing with as little tapering as the record began. A very professional repress (ADR even clipped the promo’s corner like in the olden days - sheesh), the Total Life black vinyl comes labeled and housed in a big blue printed sleeve, and be limited to 500 copies. Totally Rad. (Animal Disguise LP, $12 HERE)

* Just kidding; these are the same 100 people.

A load of vinyl from DBA:

DBA044 various artists - 'Pisspounder 3x 12" $20(US/Canada)/$35(World)
"Triple LP set featuring Rainbow Blanket, Sword Heaven, Aa, Foot Village, Grey Skull, & Dreamhouse. Each band gets a full LP side to demolish with their unique take on using drums in a noise/experimental setting. From the beyond hammering sparks of Sword Heaven to the smooth protests of Aa, from Foot Village's unique drums-only approach to hardcore to Grey Skull's beyond slurpin' purple slow down that would make sun-oops turn the lights out and just go to bed, from Dreamhouse's brittle clattering that miraculously melts into anthem pop to Rainbow Blanket's transcendent finale, that will make you rethink everything you know about sound. Also features guest appearances by Captain Ahab and Eco Morti on the Foot Village tracks. limited: 500. fyi - this is almost sold out" Order HERE

DBA077 Gang Wizard - 'The Atlas of Cancer' 12" $10(US/Canada)/$17(World)
"Ten years of Gang Wizard has seen the band/collective take on many forms. For the US and European tours in support of their album on Load, Byzantine Headache, Gang Wizard locked down their lineup, cast off their "fight club the band" cocoon, and emerged as an angelic force, delivering a unique thrash-bliss sound to the world. Sparkeling synths and homemade glitter electronics are combined with whirlwind drums, screaming vocals, and aluminum spring guitars. A fantasy of blindness cycling through your lungs. Features members of Dynasty, Yuma Nora, Foot Village, Kevin Shields, Unicorn Hard-On, and Mike Landucci himself. co-release with Gilgongo & Accidie. limited: 300" Sample, order HERE

Fantastic Ego is a pseudonym for what very well could be another fake name, Ged Gengras of the guitarioed Antique Brothers (who have anti-sequentially released their fifth volume of guitar music entitled ‘Emerge, Murky Sunlight’, also on Phantom Limb); and from the top of ‘Ego Trip the Light Fantastic’, “Hiding Smoke” and subsequent “Busted Turnstile” appear an Antique Brothers extension, brooding in noogie-reach of big brother Six Organs of Admittance. In fact, this is a pretty spectacular facsimile for Chasny’s “best of” - particularly the chord-structures and chant of the introduction (with guest vocals from Phantom Limb/(VxPxC)’s Grant Capes, who also mastered Ged's remarkably dense home-made recordings). Despite the fine quality of these tracks, for the sake of variety, the disc really gets good when the muted voice-and-electric-organ hymnal “I’d Like to Be” breaks hard in a new direction with only slight (electric) guitar accompaniment, leading gracefully into the guitar-pop song “Toeing the Line”: introducing machined pop beats and severe electric guitar riffage, the track comes disfigured (in a good way) with saturated production, the whole deal sounding like a fourth-generation Smithereens dub (in a good way). The disc’s 14-minute centerpiece “Tape Loop Symphony #1” – neither a highlight nor simple filler - stacks a handful of tracks (both vocal and guitar-derived) atop a very much live acoustic folk song, the symphony playing itself as marks fall in and out of sync, moving steadily between cacophony and warm harmony. In closing, we are offered a contemporary rendition of Gary Numan/Tubeway Army’s "Down in the Park" (with a special - yet ultimately empty - challenge to “spot the illegal sample”); however, the decades between versions would appear reversed, as Ged’s acoustic guitar ring and Eastern string arrangements reach to the heart of early psychedelia, incorporating able shifts between chamber-pop verse and raga refrain. It’s always nice to see an artist working blue, and Fantastic Ego’s pop music is a nice partial-escape from the usual. Sprayed CDr comes in a plastic clamshell with psychedelic insert, limited to 90 copies.* (Phantom Limb CDr, $7(US)/$9(outside the empire) HERE)


* As Grant explained it to me, Phantom Limbs are made in batches of 100, with 10 going to the artist; yet I don’t really get why these aren’t included in an edition. What are these (jab) “artists” doing with ten percent of a pressing, and why does it not merit a number?

DNT is blowing up!:

DNT012- Apple Snails/The Mighty Acts Of God - split cassette $5ppd US/Canada/$10ppd International
"Those of you lucky enough to have heard Not Not Fun's "Free Beasts" cassette compilation may remember Apple Snails from it. That's all I had to hear from them to know that I wanted more! Apple Snails cover the first side and are about as close as you can get to folk drone (is that possible?). Lots of slide guitars and dark drones that will leave you with an amnesia induced trip. Side B belongs to The Mighty Acts of God, which is a lovely lady, Niwi. Electric guitar is the main instrument used, with others guitars and keyboards(?) soaking through that create this very vibrant transcendent feeling, that honestly, the first time I heard, left me speechless. Red cassettes with 'grid' labels, and fabulous artwork by the even more fabulous Jeremy Earl of Fuck it Tapes. Edition of 100."

DNT014- Non-Horse - 'Drone Moral' cassette $5ppd US/Canada $10ppd International
"Non-Horse, a.k.a. Gabriel Lucas Crane is my hero. It's clear from every release of his I've heard that he's been doing this for awhile. For those of you unfamiliar to him, he collects sounds. What do I mean by that? Exactly that. The way I picture it, is he goes around with a tape recorder trying to document the (un)familiar world. I've never met him, but I imagine this house is covered from floor to ceiling, and wall-to-wall with cassettes. Non-Horse uses field recordings, tape loops, tape manipulation, circuit bending, and all sorts of other amazing things that most of us only wish we could do. This tape is blue, with a light mist of spraypaint in a purple case with cover art by NH himself. Insight on this recording on the insert.. Edition of 100."

DNT013- Errol Flynn - s/t cassette $5ppd US/Canada $10ppd International
"The "real" Errol Flynn is most remembered as playing the swashbuckler role is many movies in the first half of the 20th century. Well this cassette will show you the REAL Errol Flynn, and not just the roles that he played. De-tuned keyboards and almost-not-there guitars underneath field recordings and fuzzy left-of-the-dial mexican radio. Wrenches and tin cans and all sort of tape loops will help you to discover Mr. E.F. Green cassettes housed in a plastic case with a photo of Errol Flynn holding a shrunken bon-fire he stole from the rich to give to the poor. Edition of 100."

DNT022- Bonecloud - 'Drawing Spirits In Crystals' CDr $6ppd US/Canada $10ppd International
"Drawing Spirits in Crystals" after a few listens sounds like perhaps it should have been titled "Carving Spirits Out of Crystals" because that's exactly what they do here. It's known that when light passes through crystals, it produces a wonderful spectrum of colors. This cdr somehow makes that true of sound passing through crystals too. Beyond the melodic drones, somewhere in the distance, you can hear a mechanical gear that sounds like the spirits inching their way closer and closer. Very immersive textures. One long 40-minute track. Edition of 100."

DNT017- Jazzfinger - 'Wixxon Flag Bearer' CDr $6ppd US/Canada $10ppd International
"Jazzfinger, from the UK, have been making music for quite some time now. The main thing that I've noticed about them, is that they never stay put with just one sound. Their sound can change from song to song even. The first song on this cdr has a keyboard (or is it a melodica?) drone, changing chords a few times, with a guitar or other screeching sound over it. The second song continues right where the first one left off, this one is a quarter of an hour long. This time, it builts up in substance, with some drumming from cans and various toys. The next few tracks continue the calmness, and five songs in a piano joins the mix, with pots-and-pans drumming. Water-color splashes over a weird drawing of heads. Edition of 100"

DNT008- German - 'German' CDr $5ppd US/Canada $10ppd International
"Who knew that Germany had such lush finger piano players! This project is called German, although every thing about it is distinctly not German. The drums sound like an African tribe ritual on congo drums teleported deep into the Amazon. While the (Russian?) Finger Piano is run through so many pedals the electricity may have caused them to travel back in time to the days of the Scythians. (What the hell is that supposed to mean?!?!?!?)"

DNT004- 'Musisica Moche' VHS 3-way with Shearing Pinx/Soft Shoulder/Lord Galvar $6ppd US/Canada $11ppd International
"Musisica Moche" was originally supposed to come out in June of last year, but between bands breaking up (Hot Girls Cool Guys) and bands not being able to complete their videos (Party Fowl, Mikaela's Fiend), this release has been far delayed, and has seen many line-up changes.With that said, this video is going to light your hair on fire (in a good way). This isn't just some live footage type thing. These are actual messed up ARTworks, with tons of vibrant colors and twirls and all sorts of psychedelic headspinners. Each video is different, and each one is very far out. Dolphin-skin teal tapes with warped looking labels and bumpy spine in a spraypainted cardboard case with huge DNT logo on the back. First edition limited to 50 (more editions planned)"

Internet-based WEBSITE

There’s a weird psychology to splits such that, when two bands share a tape or record which have two sides and are therefore oppositional, that they are on some level competing; on the other hand, when splitting a side or a format free from sides such as a CD, this aggression is greatly reduced or absent altogether. In reality, there are few gestures from one artist to another more endearing than creating a split together. If anything, shared sides should appear more rivalrous as they create a chronological hierarchy which places one artist apart from the other. Despite this awareness, listening to the split ‘White Bone Snake’ (‘Black Snake Moan’?), I cannot shake the sense of competition between the two bands, and then the need to award the prize to Quilts over Quintana Roo (though the race was very close). Both bands are in top shape for this cassette, working within their ideal 15 minute parameters. Though the sides of the tape have been effectively masked by spray-paint, the insert lists Quintana Roo first, and the tape is wound to begin on this side, so they go first: as the original vehicle for today’s megastars Robedoor, Pocahaunted, Changeling (and all their babies), Quintana Roo is still very much its own band, only tangentially suggesting these unique projects through its own free-doom metal. “River Obsidian” comes from a session last summer - surely a dark day - during which these three miscreants (with the help of an unholy guest-drummer) summon with an extraordinarily wicked selfish indifference a sonic demon of coal soot and dark soil with freeform drones, human howls, stretched strings, and schizophrenic percussion of high and low. The track moves at its own unrest through the murk, lulling itself back down to the hard-packed floor. Quilts don’t quite fill out their side (ending a minute or two early - the Quilts M.O.?), which though unfortunate for a cassette release, I take as a sign of wellness as the band does not conform to their adversary, and vice-versa. Like a distortion-free Skaters, “Pink Hotel” begins as a duet of manipulated voices over a steady synth note, a second keyboard set to “chimes” riffing alongside and against the voices with ghostly reverb smearing streaks across the track; tambourine and flute are used sparingly; the keyboard effect calls to mind ‘The First Power’ or some similar neurotic horror, while the distended vocals evoke the L.A./Lou Diamond-menace of Ariel Pink. Texture and (fucked-up) narrative are both achieved, and the track a smashing success. Sprayed cassettes come in a heavy-stock card with cryptic art [terrible], hand-numbered to 100. (DNT cassette, $5 HERE)

Making good on promises, plus some new gems - from Arbor:

arbor05 haunted castle - 'void lake' CDr 8$ppd
"This is the debut full length by Detroit's Haunted Castle. These are the first recordings from the infamous Half-Crypt (which was recently vacated due to frequent car break-ins and mail stealing). At the time these tracks were recorded the basement had black mold hanging from the ceilings in some areas. It turned out that that shit was totally toxic and needed to be removed pronto. There is heavy black mold influence running through these tracks. Abrasive and lo-fi drones that sound like they are seeping from swamped out electronics. Vocals heavy like elephant calls coupled crunching guitar and molded basement ambience. There are even a few fist pumping moments! Guaranteed to be an instant classic. In a numbered edition of 100 copies in hallucinogenic tripped out linen bags and cardstock sleeves screened by Jelle Crama."

arbor06 warmth - 'death as a young child' C20 6$ppd
"After months of attempting to acquire the final (now lost) tour recordings of Roxanne Jean Police (RIP), Steev Thompson presents his most recent incarnation, Warmth. Fresh out of a Brian Wilson-esque disappearance Steev brings deep visceral layers of synth and electronics that churn and grow. Clouds of fog envelope the tones emanating from Michigan's forgotten forests. This tape acts as the precursor to the upcoming Warmth LP co-released by Arbor and Double Fantasy. In a numbered edition of 90 tapes in sprayed paste-on manilla envelopes."

arbor08 french quarter - 'overpassing' CDr 6$ppd
"The best thing about Arizona is either that it is warm(like very warm), but not humid or the burgeoning music scenes centered around the Phoenix/Tempe area. With shows going on multiple nights a week at places like Trunkspace and Modified Arts, how could a dude not be totally inspired? Stephen Steinbrink aka French Quarter is a Phoenix, AZ desert dweller with a guitar and some friends. He writes songs that will bring back the feelings of hearing that Neil Young bootleg tape in your cousin's car for the first time. He is joined by a cast of talented Arizonans from bands such as Tent City and Soft Shoulder. The tracks are wonderfully orchestrated by Steinbrink featuring a never ending array of instrumentation. New LP forthcoming on Gilgongo Records(of Tempe,AZ). In a numbered edition of 100 copies with gold stamped discs and trifold inserts in two color silkscreened chipboard arigato pack."

arbor31 family battle snake - 'brain fried eternally' CDr 6$ppd
"Family Battle Snake is totally cerebral. Dense drones creep and evolve slowly but surely with every pace. The mechanical hums and vocal hymns are interwoven with enough horns and mic'd clatter to fill every nook of your room leaving nothing untouched. Once again, a loud release, but still very soothing. Completely submerged. In a numbered edition of 90 Cdrs in stamped/sprayed custom digipacks."

arbor37 cole milner - 'cool million' CDr 5$ppd
"Cole is back and this time on a ton of labels (different versions of this album will be on Stop Drop, Marriage, Paw Dawns, and Arbor). The entertainer extraordinaire brings his playful melodies and clever rhyming in attempts to cheer you up and maybe make you dance a little. Cole sings song about how much he loves you, as in, this wasn't recorded with his girlfriend in mind, but actually you! Very similar to the more recent playfulness shown by Adrian Orange and Calvin Johnson; totally positive and uplifting. This is a much more cohesive album than Cole's previous Arbor release, "No Strangers." In a numbered edition of 50 copies in sewn/stamped sleeves with stamped discs."

arbor 39 bobb bruno - 'white lovers dream house' C24 5$
"I saw Bobb open for Wilco(yeah, that Wilco) last Thanksgiving in the biggest auditorium in Chicago; like orchestra/opera shit. He came out in a full body bunny costume, sat down at a drum pad and created some of the heaviest synthetic beats I've ever heard using samples, a drum pad, and some pedals for about 10 minutes. Needless to say it ruled. You probably know Bobb as that guy in Goliath Bird Eater, Polar Goldie Cats, Knit Witch et al. If not for that then you know him for his recording wizardry which he employs on rad S.LA acts such as Silver Daggers, Mika Miko, Robedoor, Abe Vigoda, Quintana Roo, Hello Astronaut Goodby Television and probably a billion more. Here he creates two side long ethereal skyscapes of Technicolor synth work. Somewhere between Boards of Canada and Kevin Shields' (MBV) solo work from Lost in Translation. In a numbered edition of 100 tapes with printed/ stamped tape labels and full color double sided marker/photo collage sleeves."

EMAIL Mike or look at the WEBSITE

Excepter's complimentary "podcast", stream number 40 now available HERE - it's 5 continuous hours of top-shelf krazy!

40,000 Leagues Under the SEA
A Black Lotus waits for thee...
And now that you have seen
The HMS NOT ALL USS
You know you can never leave

And, in other Excepter news

JAMNESTY 2007

The 7th annual all day benefit concert for Amnesty International. Put on
by Columbia High School's Amnesty International Human Rights club. All
proceeds go to SaveDarfur, an organization working to end the crisis in
Sudan. Other campaigns we're focusing on this year include the denounce
torture initiative and abolishing the death penalty

Set Times:

12:PM-Ascend the Ashes
01:00-Snake Pliskin
01:50-Little Nepotis
02:30-As a Bell
03:10-ClumsyCumulus
03:50-Abscess/Mike and the Jordans
04:30-Americop
05:10-Brittney Bullock
05:50-The Symptoms
06:30-Captain, My Captain
07:15-Diamonds and Pearls step team
07:45-First Nation
08:30-Excepter
09:15-Seasick

March 10th, 2007, Noon-10PM
$7 without canned food, $6 with.

Morrow Memorial Church
600 Ridgewood Road
Maplewood, NJ

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =163494745
http://www.savedarfur.org/
http://www.amnesty.org/

Two new from Digitalis:

digi038: fabio orsi & gianluca becuzzi - 'the stones know everything' DBl-CD $20 (Everywhere)
"Anything that can be said about this double CD release can also be said about the roar of a rushing stream or the sound of snow falling on a clear night. These two sound artisans have crafted so perfect an auditory environment that it is completely devoid of artifice or noticeable flaw. It is a field of glass on top of a quiet lake.
To some, this might sound dull. To others, it might strike you as meditation music for your yoga class. To all of you, all I can suggest is listening to this journey into sound and be prepared to come out the other side changed by what you've experienced.
Fresh from his spectacular 3" cd-r on Foxglove and another release for A Silent Place, Naples' Fabio Orsi partners here with sound artisan Gianluca Becuzzi. Orsi is another young and unexpected talent coming through the new Italian pipeline. "The Stones Know Everything" is the second release of his sprawling trilogy with Becuzzi (the first CD, "Muddy Speaking Ghosts Through My Machines," appeared on A Silent Place in late 2006). Gianluca has been around for the better part of two decades making music under the monikers Kinetix, Limbo, and others, but his work with wunderkind Orsi opens a new chapter in his impressive body of work.
Crafting something this immense puts these two musicians into the realm of Stars of the Lid, Birchville Cat Motel and Growing, creating several intense worlds of ambient splendor, juxtaposing the sounds of everyday life with jetstreams of microtones and pulses of audible light. And they handle this enormous task with the care and precision of a watchmaker or a surgeon, but also with the ears of an obvious fan of sound."

digi039: Softwar - s/t CD $12 (Everywhere)
"What could these musicians do after collectively playing on a million records, releasing a million more, and nurturing a scene that is both international and inner-visionary? Why not release a record that is so stunning in its scope and so well executed in its manner that it defies simple comparisons. Such is the story of Softwar and this lushly presented gift to our eyes and ears.
Loren Chasse, fresh from his blistering noise work on Kyrgyz, shows us a softer but deeper side with the swirling opium-induced gems on Softwar. Playing with him are the equally talented Christine Boepple (also a key part of the Jewelled Antler sound, as well as Kyrgyz), Kerry McLaughlin and Geoff Koops. Focusing on what could be called more "traditional" rhythm structures, the songs merely lull you into a false security before melting your brain with some heavy layers of tone, provided by multiple organs and keyboards.
For fans of Thuja and the Jewelled Antler collective (obviously), but also for those who love the out-there ragas of MV+EE (you'll just crack a tooth from smiling over the opener Psychic Shake� or the twisted noise-hop of Jackie-O Motherfucker, found buried deep in Immul (the Children's Crusade). Conceived in a redwood think tank, born in Golden Gate Park, Prui begins March 2007. Softwar is a thick slab of fractured voices in harmony and almost unidentifiable sounds, slipping slowly through the rabbit hole and back out the other side of the sun."

HERE

I was rarin’ to write this last month because I wanted to include some line about Aquarius, but I missed that boat (and I really didn’t have anything clever to say). Anyway, the latest from lovebirds Brad and Eden Rose (AKA Corsican Paintbrush) is called ‘Aquarian Hymns’, but I’m all like “try AGRARIAN hymns!” cause this stuff is earthy, like you can smell the dirt kicked-up from the instruments, held by farmers who stopped laboring because it’s getting dark. And though they’re broadcasting from Oklahoma, these songs don’t belong just to the Dustbowl; the union of bouzouki (it’s in the notes) and guitar, along with a clatter of flutes, rattles, and chimes divorces the album from any single group or region while including many. The clattering melodies of “Goldenrod Fields” and “Carbon Revival” are remarkably empathetic to Sun City Girls’ stateless ruralism (maybe ‘Flute and Mask’?), comprised of eastern timbres arranged in mostly western ways; the latter is the album cornerstone at 15 minutes, and incorporates each musical element explored on the disc, from free-form “world” jazz to guitar and voice ballad. “Break Through” is a stand-out for the prevalence of vocals and lyrics, and a relatively reserved composition. I must include that, though Brad’s voice appropriately charts somewhere along the Dylan/Springsteen axis, I find it a bit off-putting in the course of these songs which otherwise exist as music, as opposed to a musician’s; his voice appears again in later tracks, though as a less demanding presence which I think works much better (Eden doesn’t really say much). For the most part, songs like “Mutable Earth” and “Aquarius” thrive as such a joyous racket that there is no suggestion of whom or how many is behind the notes, nor a necessity to find out. CD comes in the tried and true Digitalis cardstock sleeve, printed with an explosion of colors. (Digitalis CD, $12 HERE)