Apparently I’ve been in the dark about what Extreme actually does, until very recently assuming it a mere “power noise” temple for worship to the god Merzbow, thinly-guised as a label (who else would release a 50-disc, $500 ‘Merzbox’? The UAE?) Now perusing the label’s list of available releases, I realize my error, as the likes of Phill Niblock, Eugene Thacker (well…), and many a Muslimgauze reveal an elastic - if still somewhat monolithic - electronic label. This latest emission by Australia’s Skye Klein aka Terminal Sound System may be found at the outskirts of such an outsider scene, actually scrambling for the heart of that popular donut, Drum and Bass. Entitled ‘Compressor’, the disc surveys a rather wide swathe of electronic geography, heavily academic in nature while simultaneously recalling mainstream darlings Squarepusher and Aphex Twin. Reportedly on a mission to redraw the limits of DnB, Skye places all-to-familiar programmed beats in largely unfamiliar rhythms and anti-rhythms (not an easy task, considering the rampant beat-butchery achieved through modern sequencing). The filtered processing of tracks such as break-beat intro “Gridlike” and the bebop of “MI Clatter” creates a greater ambience which transgresses the practicality of so much RPM experimentals, suggesting the accomplished work of Authechre or even hybrids Portishead; to escape the trappings of Electronica and its subsets to recruit listeners in realms so elementally near yet so conceptually far, such breaks are key. Having earned his black wings playing in metal duo HALO, Skye brings a nuanced doom to the disc, coming across at times (“Ghost Summer”) as a hyperactive brother to the electrified darkness of recent Stephen O’Malley project KTL, not to mention the early industrial of KMDFM, Swans, and on. Sympathetic to such “intellectual”, Stockhausean performances such as those of Constellation’s RE:, track “Black Note” throbs along with a measured, deliberate pace allowing a detailed deconstruction of the many samples and conflated lines which comprise its heavy gloom. In the end, it is tracks like finale “Decompensating” which most satisfy, fusing all of these elements behind a cohesive number of approachable yet crisp beats laid out over a nearly-sequential song structure. While a far throw from the sensorial, full-body Merzbow, ‘Compressor’ is not lost in a sea of technique, but has found a warm ground on which to negotiate in moderation. (Extreme CD, $17 HERE – available as of yesterday)

From New Orleans' Zombie Disco:

Zendo Garage - 'City Mode' CD $5/4€
"Still available on Zombie Disco Records is Zendo Garage’s “City Mode” release. This is how Zendo Garage describes the sound of "City Mode" themselves: "Future animals all chrome and neon gathered in a night chant listening deeper into the feel radio to catch a glimpse with human camera (city mode) eyes of the glow below shining from the crumar idiots all silk and ultra again passing lines and moving to the silver shake of the turf war again. This is city mode. Black You. Yeah, City Mode!!" Info and sounds HERE and HERE

Good looking new comp from young label Luovaja:

lvjcdr004 various artists - 'Reading Sounds' CDr €5/$7
"READING SOUNDS is fourth release of Finnish microlabel Luovaja. It is a compilation of experimental music inspired by classic literature. The artists involved are resposible for defining ‘sound’ and ‘classic’. The music hear covers minimalism, folk, ambient, prog electronica and so on. Artists include a bunch of Finns – Brent Mini & Eric Lampton, Iamheard, Santtu Hirvikorpi, Palvelu, Haute Cuisine, Vellamo, Hydor Kephale and Marko Marin – plus household names of Robert Horton and Alligator Crystal Moth." LIMITED EDITION OF 100. Check the WEBSITE

Another winning smile from Maine’s L’animaux Tryst and hot on the heels of the labels obligatory comp ‘If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Can We Record It?’ [funny story, why a review never appeared], the ‘Paper Mines’ double 3” split by Bird Microphone and Cursillistas provides one disc of debut material, and the second a much-needed sequel. The first time out by Bird Microphone is small: small in disc (3”), small in song (10 tracks, 30s – 2m), and small in scale (sole member Alyce Ornella works on sonic grains of rice with reserved strokes). “A River Shell” offers a brief trickle of Jandek guitar before the spooky “Hidden Below”, a lo-fi moan “your wooden hands” and mysterio guitar not unlike the Pocahaunted. Clearly, a variety of recording positions were experimented with, as the quality of the acoustics and nearness of the sound varies with each track. It’s like she found an old house and made a song for each room. “Like Reminders” and “Becomes Stone and Sand”: concrète kitchen recordings blur the line between song and otherwise with loose clicks and clanks, stray notes, and the sexual intimacy of clipped breaths and murmured lyrics; “Absent” proceeds like a Matmos remix, splicing and shifting vocal and percussive lines into an organic electronica. Other successes include “Always Spoken Aloud” with percolating plucks of string and an unintelligible repeating chorus (sounds like it was recorded in the tub), and the tape and guitar piece “And is Heard”, with clean guitar strum and ghostly vocal samples played as though from cassette deck to microphone. Brief, yet heavy on atmosphere, future long-players will likely reveal more song beneath all the dust.

Partner disc by Cursillistas holds five equally-stained tracks of comparatively epic proportions. Continuing in the fashion of his recent full-length ‘Les Biches’, Matt Lajoie composes whole band music of a folksy-psychedelic sort. Ample on guitar (electric and acoustic) and percussion, the bohemian tune of “Tree Curse” spins like a dervish at the prompting of Lajoie’s modest Codeine voice, gaining speed then careening into clouds of feedback, cool regained by the dignity of nylon strings. Vocals are again central to “Blood Waves”, with warm choruses cutting through a heavy lo-fi hiss as reverberating guitars suggest Shepherds and those which descend from the Amon Düül, a smooth transition leading in and out of vocal drone “Groan (Drone)” to the Wooden Wand rock of “Crow in the Garden” with electric guitar licking then picking over bass drum, disembodied vocals whispering a séance over fabricated howls. In a surprisingly large (for the label and materials) edition of 47, the two stamped discs come housed in a hand-sewn canvas wallet with iron-on art and hand-lettered liner notes. Truly something to be seen, and definitely heard. (L’animaux Tryst dbl-3” CDr, $12 HERE; also available in a cassette edition of 30, $7)

Another experimental burst of the Blackest Rainbow from cross the Atlantic, this C22 by Frozen Corpse (Carlo Steegen of Orphan Fairytale, head of Audiobot – a pro!) comes from the dingy south of Peter Wright’s recent high-brow contribution: not gruesome, but definitely ugly stabs of feedback groan from behind a veil of heavy, ah, feedback; mid-paced Chondritic Sounds which lurk alive, but may never attack. It could be my busted jambox, but each interval of volume offers a new layer of scrabble to absorb, the noise blistering from the curvature of noise without getting ahead of itself and peaking early. As the whistling that opens the red side (there’s red and green; which comes first I cannot say) echoes, it distends like a failing rhythm, a murmur which grows erratic then indeterminate on this corroded EKG: ‘Heart Attack Man’ has become so much more at this point! The pulse returns, but it promises only a regular lapse into panicked percussion. These skronky punches begin to resemble a body down the stairwell, a mallet striking every few bars of corrugated steel. An amassment of broad tones grows to wholly fill each channel, eventually choking itself out and returning to the static life-death of the flipside. With both sides equaling just over 20 minutes, it’s a jog or a salad: not too intense, but good for you and definitely worth doing. [I’m sorry that I just compared your noise tape to a salad.] Thick inserts survive blood-sprayed tapes and cases, with artwork by the vicious French. Limited to 35, and moving fast. Rad. (Blackest Rainbow cassette, £4 HERE)

A weird new batch from Cauliflower Dreams and the Bread and Animals collective:

CHARLES BALLS - 'love affair with lieven's sweaters' cassette 5€
(ley line magnetic tapes, books and records)
"in love with my garderobe. a weird collection of space sounds, tape slime and nonsense thrills. like three brains making music in several directions. this dude is the best, co-runs the best label (BENNIFER EDITIONS), does the best artwork, and he knows it. the tape comes with sports trading cards. it's the collectors choice!"

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - 'takes time' cassette 5€
(dreamtime taped sounds)
"this dreamer is making his total unique music since the 90's and still sounds as fresh as wooow. guitar and synth, played by a rainbow brain. first three tracks are of a tremendous sweetness. fourth track is a long live recording. this cassette comes with a purple insert and a full ncolor picture of his recently crashed car. watch out for the upcoming boxset collection that will be brought to you by J CRAMA's world. Benjamin also plays in R.O.T. and BUFFLE."

GREMLINS cassette 5€
(dreamtime taped sounds)
"30 minutes of weird sounds. a lovely book on tape that tells the story of the GREMLINS. stereo recordings and editing by PANDA TAPERS. GREMLINS2 will be available within a few months. including the weirdest cameo ever: congratulations HULK HOGAN!! more books on tape, at the movies, coming in the future... the cassette comes in a handmade GREMLINS cardboard box and with an offical GREMLINS sticker."

BART SLOOW/FAMILY THINKERS book & cassette 7€
(dreamtime taped sounds)
"tender drawings and tender sounds. personal and sincere visions by BART DE PAEPE, the cloudy head of SLOOW TAPES. 16 pages, part full color and part b/w. and a short cassette of recent FAMILY THINKERS sounds. one part is jams, other part is strange tape collage."

CRAWLSPACE - 'rears its head' CDr 6€
(cauliflower dreams)
"a space trip by these rock / no-rock heroes. relationships with other cool bands, including my favorite punkrock band THE GIZMOS (with killer tunes like HUMAN GARBAGE DISPOSAL, among others). the recent CRAWLSPACE cd on GULCHER is again a trip in the 70's rockvibe of the western coast. on the other hand, this cdr is two long cuts (one dating from 2003, one from 2004), both very sharp, weird, spaced-out and utterly abstract. another nice view in the head of some ongoing, strong, clear heads of rockhistory. comes in shiny plastic and with full color artwork by the band."

QUINTANA ROO - 'temple of self decapitation' cassette 5€
(dreamtime taped sounds)
"trance rituals from this rainbowband including members and heads of POCAHAUNTED, ROBEDOOR, CHANGELING, NOT NOT FUN and BURIED VALLEY TAPES. a beautiful mystic insight of pacific dreams. pristine hangovermusic for the new earth that keeps the good in balance... full color artwork. painted tapecase."

WEBSITE (will be updated in a few days, after computer bummed-out is fixed.)

Brian Miller is a good friend, but this is self-released:

A++ - 'Was It Love? Or Are We Just Incest Survivors?' CDr $6(US/Canada)/$12(World)
"Grace from Foot Village/Barrabarrcuda/Rose For Bohdan continues to destroy the drums and belt out some of the best screaming vocals around while friend Scarlette pushes air through a trumpet and delivers the sweeter side of singing for a combination of sounds unlike anything you've ever heard. Part Slits, part SoCal pop punk/skapunk, part complete barbarism. Previous releases on Not Not Fun & Deathbomb Arc." Distributed through Neon Hates You. Uh-oh, it's MYSPACE

During a recent comp review, I complained that the several wonderful contributions I had heard by Anvil Salute on assorted splits, etc. left me hungry by the Oklahoma band’s frustratingly sparse catalog. Soon after, I received a note from collective regular Gabe Wingfield protesting au contraire, mon frère - presenting in a timely manner these two recent releases as evidence that the band is alive, well, and sufficiently prolific. (The players for both of these recordings include Wingfield alongside the terse, quietly-coed roster of T. Fagin, B. Fielder, K. Stevens, J. Butler, and R. Loftiss, with K. Ahmadi pulling partial duty.) While I acknowledge and then retract my hasty characterization of the band as lazy, I stand by my claim that their release schedule could stand an infusion. As I shall argue, they come correct with a rivalrous force refusing to wane, and thus are robbing us of ungifted treasures.

First see the band’s self-titled cassette for Nerd Party Records, a March 2006 recording released at the very end of the year: three tracks/two long sides of worldly psych jazz sounding like little guys Tent City and long-time champions Sun City Girls, No Neck Blues Band, and The Lost Domain. A-side “Ghosts of Forgotten Winters” is a tremendously serious piece (Alex be not the Winters in question), dark and moody, moving from the drone, hoots and birdcalls of various reeds, winds, and vocalizations, to filling what feels to be 20 minutes of roiling percussion, chiming, shimmering gamelan, motoric brass and a cool, casual saxophone lead. Boxhead Ensemble would be on the nose. From my first encounter with Anvil Salute, the track previously appeared as the band’s contribution to the Digitalis ‘Wailing Bones’ series. Side B offers two slightly shorter pieces beginning with “Pattern Recognition”, a gypsy trance of repeating guitar and percussion response; hand-drumming, guitar leads, and brightening flourishes of saxophone are soon carried off with a trampy marching-beat like a vaguer, more practiced ‘& Yet & Yet’, the tune nearly blinking out before turning into “Body Becomes Its Own Horizon” where the band raves their way up toward Jackie O Motherfucker on ‘Change’ or ‘Magick Fire Music’ (hey! is this a cover? this riffage and the subsequent jamming sounds awfully familiar). Incredible. The time disparity between sides makes for a sizeable lead-out, and it seems the tape is mastered a tad low - but these are sole points of contention, and as a long as you aren’t listening on the freeway and yr winders work, moot points. Dot-matrix labels on clear tapes, ink-jet inserts. What a great (t)ape! (Nerd Party cassette, $5 HERE)

‘New Crusaders of the 11th Commandment’ is the band’s second “proper” full-length (the first being the 2005 Foxglove ‘A Discreet History of Bone’) and the first for their own label, Maritime Fist Glee Club. Through the album’s eight tracks, the band continues to supplement their wordless compositions with evocative names such as onomatopoetic opener “Whirlpool, Tortoise & Hare”, a folk tune of a sailor’s mandolin strings, lurching jugband rhythms, and clip-clop percussion. However, unlike the previous cassette (recorded in the midst of the sessions cropped for this disc), the music of ‘New Crusaders’ breaks from the jazz-leanings to embrace an Americana sound akin to Town and Country, Charalambides and its many offshoots, and (again) most prevalently, Jackie O Motherfucker. The gleeful weave of strings and keys in “Plushies Unite” lull the senses to rest, thus allowing even more power to the onset of “Krofftland”, a one-two dance of sinewy strings, didgeri-drones, and repressed saxophone impervious to the swift motion of polyrhythmic hand-claps; dark and ritualistic, the song begs the ominous Shalabi Effect at their most grounded. While none of the songs quite reach the double-digit sprawl of “Ghosts of Forgotten Winters”, central tracks “A Word With Every Apple” and “Platt National Forest 1919” push 8 and 9 minutes respectively, and together form a folksy string suite poised on acoustic guitar and banjo, as well as some eastern timbres, with the delightful addition of subtle arrangements cognizant of Copland and Ives. Purported wedding song “Hidden Language” expands a simple guitar melody with piano flourishes and gongs (it works!), ham-fisted timpani, cello and more, realizing a firm harmony in many unlikely sounds. Traditionally-performed traditional “Sugar Baby” features the first emergence of vocals [shows what I know: see above], recalling the everyman vocals of Tom Greenwood and Jackie O more than ever – banjos, acoustic, harmonica, Quaker Oats drums – a nice diversion before the grandeur of “Stylish Cope”, a final string-layering stunner of the progressive sort they do so well, this one ornate with shrieks of high-fret fiddling and sweeping bass vibration, with additional color of harmonica and xylophone. Just what that 11th commandment says remains a mystery, though it may be something like “make really good albums, but take your fancy time”. I kid. Stamped CDr comes in a labeled cardboard sleeve with neat artwork and text. Limited to 300 pieces. This band is really great. Highest recommendation. (Maritime Fist Glee Club CDr, $7 HERE)

I've been waiting for more Tunnels for a long time. New from Yarnlazer:

Tunnels - 'Colour Seance' CDr $8(US)/$10(world)
"TUNNELS is Nicholas Samuel Bindeman (of Eternal Tapestry, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Hustler White, Malibu Flacon, Alarmist etc) in full-on beautiful pastoral dreamy psychedelic drifted drone mode. Colour Seance is four ambient clouds of gentle, blurred color-blasts of sampled/looped/delay-drenched guitars chimes, synths, voice, etc. that evolve in dream-time and slowly fold in on themselves. A key example of the power, breadth and sophistication of the Portland Psychedelic-Drone underground." EDITION OF 100 IN HAND-SCREENED COVERS.

Dark Yoga - 'BREATH OF LIFE LIVE BROADCAST HEAVY TRUTH' CDr $8(US)/$10(world)
"Crucial re-press and re-design of the Dark Yoga CD that came out in very limited numbers a little while ago. 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 BROADCAST: HEAVY TRUTH 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..." EDITION OF 100 in hand-screened covers.

See the SITES and EMAIL to order

Holy Smokes! (look at that cover!) This will do just fine. From Not Not Fun:

NNF081/NP015 Raccoo-oo-oon - 'Behold Secret Kingdom' LP $11
"You know what they say: beautiful tribal spirit psych lies in the eyes of the beholder. So enter the kingdom and hold the secret in your hands. Iowa City’s prodigal sun-starers offer up the fruits of their deepest inquest yet into the heart of the heart of the country. Eight wilderness rituals of swirling percussion, mossy guitar noise, forest howls, and animal instincts that unfold and erupt with more focus, intensity, and complexity than anything else in Raccoo-oo-oon’s discography thus far. The songs were tracked in the studio with warmth and power by Mike Dixon and then given a heavy mastering job by Pete Swanson, so sonically the vinyl shines and burns and explodes in all the right places. A crushing statement of electric alchemy by one of our favorite bands in the world. Black vinyl LPs in awesome pro-printed jackets, plus an insert, with Midwestern magick color visions/nature photography art by the band." Co-released with Night People. PRSNTS

It's always nice to hear from Arbor:

arbor33 Villa Valley/Treetops - split C40 $6(US)
"The suburbs can be kinda weird. Villa Valley and Treetops both come from the highly forested sub-urban areas of Detroit and Chicago, respectively. Villa Valley occupy the A side with teeth bared. Tape manipulations, contact mic-ery, and feedback create a cacophony at times boarding on full out free jazz (Midwestern style of course). This is what Wolf Eyes sounded like before they had double picture discs pressed in editions of 1000 (not like that's a bad thing, though). Treetops is Mike Pollard (of Arbor); Guitar incantations float around the highest peaks of forgotten mounts. Fuzzed out pyschedelia; primitive percussion and subtle vocal drones occasionally emanate through the haze. In a numbered edition of 100 tapes in sprayed purple cases with art by Ola Vasiljeva."

arbor35 Robedoor/Yellow Swans - split 7" $6(US)
"It's about time that two of the West Coast's best units share a slab of vinyl together. This is an epic coupling. LA's Robedoor (an obvious Arbor favorite) present what might be their best work yet, "Tremor Deliverance". Synths and subdued vocals weave together into an ornamental sound tapestry with heavy Middle Eastern influence. Total satyagraha. Portland's Yellow Swans are constantly touring (just now embarking on a multi-month European jaunt) and spreading the word of sonic liberation. Their untitled piece is a wall of sound, totally alive and growing, infinitely large. In an edition of 500 copies with printed labels and silkscreened art by Shawn Reed of Raccoo-oo-oon."

arbor40 Sarah's Charity - 'Code Of Red Twin' CDr $8(US)
"Among the metal forests of Denmark, there is Sarah's Charity. A maelstrom of expert tone work and free electricity; sounds so electric, yet still reminiscent of the flowing natural growth of fellow Danes Family Underground (it should be noted that Nicolas of FU helps out on track 2). This naturalism plus the actual sterility create a feeling nothing short of psychedelic. A wall of intense oscillation and soothing vacuous space ala Marcia Bassett's various projects. Speaking of Marcia, SC is also famed for being the only non Bassett/Bower related project to be released on the esteemed Heavy Blossom label. In a numbered edition of 150 copies in absolutely beautiful mind tripping deluxe screened sleeves by Dylan Martorell, with screened discs and an insert."

arbor43 Shearing Pinx/Silver Daggers - split 7" $5(US)
"Time to tell all the '77 dudes to get hip to the '07 sound. Vancouver's Shearing Pinx and Los Angeles' Silver Daggers are North America's ambassadors for the new wave of skronk/thrash/post-whatever punk. The Pinx play angular, expertly timed, staccato waves of noise and punk. Two long songs sandwiching one short one in typical Pinx fashion. The Daggers (experts of interpreting animal sounds w/regular rock instruments) create utterly epic art-punk jams complete with swirling synths and horns based around solid drumming and guitar/bass interplay. One track was recorded live at The Smell, coming complete with mosh philosophies, while the second track recalls David Byrne's "boombox experiments" circa Stop Making Sense. Be sure to check out their new record on Load! In an edition of 400 numbered copies on concrete grey vinyl w/ hand stamped labels in 2 color silkscreen cardstock sleeves and a long insert."

Go to the WEBSITE for ordering, and check out the new DISTRO. Wholesale and international (non US) customers please get in TOUCH with all orders.

So anyway: Big Blood is perhaps the most exciting project I’ve come across in the last year, and I’m very sorry that it’s taken so long to put this feature together. Successfully hiding away in the attic of the United States (called ‘Maine’; the snout of the topographical/metaphorical pig), the wife and husband duo of Colleen Kinsella and Caleb Mulkerin emerged last November from the slumbering Cerberus Shoal with a collection of home-recordings via their own label Don’t Trust The Ruin. Recalling 70s folk-rock, Kraut-rock, alt-rock, and rock-rock, plus a deft inflection of 20th century European composition, the couple create outsider folk music as listenable as it is mind-blowing. Each printed CDr comes bundled in a caringly assembled packet of fancy art paper, block-printed and filled with art scraps, fliers, and a vellum insert. Averaging a disc a month for the last five months, we all have some catching-up to do, as there is not a wasted second in the bunch.

Each named for the forthcoming engagement(s) when the disc would be sold, the inaugural release ‘Strange Maine 11. 04. 06’ remains a personal favorite as the first disc I’ve heard, as well as what seems to be the rawest and loosest of the recordings. Like many an outstanding debut, it bursts with a lifetime of creative fluids, only to be settled and refined on subsequent outings. The disc’s seven tracks open with “All Operations”, introducing a softer, lo-fi sing-song with just acoustic and plucked bass swaying in the wind, Colleen’s voice switching from bold and smooth to a Martian quiver with mothership poetry ala latter-day Cerberus (think ‘Bastion of Itchy Preeves’), self-backed and with additional voice by Caleb. As strong an introduction this is, sequel “A Friendly Noose” is the first signal of impending genius, a back-porch recording in the shade of Wooden Wand’s ‘Harem of the Sundrum’, Caleb like Neil Young at a distance with Colleen’s backing vocals rising-off like a rose scent, the lyrics a brilliant dusty blues (“Even the worst of men have friends/ Even the hangman has friends”). “A Quiet Lousy Roar” is a funeral dirge of percussion and queer vocals again recalling the weird-greatness of late Cerberus conceptions; “Full of Smoke” like a jug band cover of some lost Dead sing-along. The pair regularly plays with new timbres via an array of instrumental combinations – I say “play” and not “experiment”, as these are mature, novelty-free compositions – such as the banjo and reverse tape-loop of “Past Time”, an eerie amalgam compounded by a ghostly, Portishead delivery by Colleen. Crazy Horse returns with Uncle Tupelo and The Heartbreakers for the arguable-apex “Under the Concourse”, a full-band presentation accented by multiple guitar tracks, slide-guitar straightaways, and an incredible chorus of two. Final track “Slumber Me” features some fancy-flutework by Cerberus O.G. Chriss Sutherland, centering on what I think of as Colleen’s “real” voice - metallic and cold, and (ironically) apparently doubled. At sea on a thick swell of accordion, this exit is a nice segue into the increasing influence of European folk on future discs.

Such is the start of ‘Strange Maine 1.20.07’, an accordionocentric rendition of Satie’s “First Gnossienne” appropriately re-titled “Satie”, delicately set against layers of banjo, tape loops, and a spooky watermark of chiming piano; one of two loose covers on the disc - the other a Sumatran pop number as documented on the first Sublime Frequencies comp, sweetly retold through heavy reverb veiling any possible flaws in Colleen’s thoroughly convincing accent, an almost-flamenco guitar accompanying – both an insight to Big Blood influences and entirely original interpretation. “Sovereignty You Bitch” reforms the Band of “Under the Concourse” through banjo, harmonica, blistered electric guitar and tambourine tempo, the title spit in falsetto with love-to-hate disdain in caterwauling duet. Severely shifting pace (as always), “Handsome Son of No One” brings a slow, full-bodied guitar meditation with accordion (sample lyrics: “Oh Death won’t you walk with me/Take my hand, make a pass at me”), matched by a slap-guitar blues with snide/sassy jazz-vocal chorus (“Where is a heart/when it sleeps/in your dark car/that carried it away”) in the best of the tradition. The rousing tomahawk-gallop of “My Last Days as a Fish” is only rivaled by return of shouted falsetto and sweep of electric surf guitar. Unconventional lullaby “The Fall of Quinnisa Rose” recalls the hymnal qualities of the epic “Ding” by Cerberus Shoal, the warm low-fidelity of which melts into the burnish of “A Goddamn Spell”: a cracked, creaky folk-song with offset rhythmic and melodic components to have you blissfully woozy in the head. Considering the immediacy of each recording, the dedication to Assata Shakur offers a fun, Highlights-style search for an influence on the lyrics (I haven’t found any yet, but I just started). Both discs receive our highest recommendation. Seriously, collect them all. (Don’t Trust The Ruin CDr, available HERE, HERE, and maybe HERE; reach the band by EMAIL and HERE, but certainly not HERE)

New from Pointless Blank:

Vomir - untitled 5" CDr $6(CAN/USA)/$7(World)
"No bullshit, no hype, no fun, 110% harsh noise purity from France. One 17 min track of total militant walls dedication. Ltd. to 50 hand numbered copies."

WEBSITE

Now available from Soft Abuse:

Blackout Beach - 'Claxxon's Lament' lathe-cut 12" $15(US)/$18(elsewhere)
"Hard to believe, but it's finally here! The two songs found on this limited lathe cut are culled from the sessions that yielded Carey Mercer's first solo outing, Light Flows the Putrid Dawn. At this point it may seem absurd to some to release another version of Mercer's epic Claxxon's Lament, given that it's been covered and released by both Carolyn Mark (a duet with Carey) and Wolf Parade. The original is still the best. The b-side is a true gem as well… This release is limited to 60 copies, all of which come housed in hand-stamped sleeves with various color schemes. One copy per person."

Ov - 'Noctilucent Valleys' CD $10(US)/$13(elsewhere)
"Long in the works as well is the second full length from the San Francisco duo Ov. Building off of Loren Chasse's recent solo recordings as Of, the Ov recordings feature loop-based compositions that incorporate strummed strings, field recordings and otherworldly sounds. The atmosphere achieved is dense and the compositions mesmerizing, recalling Marcus Popp at his most transcendental. Ov is Christine Boepple and Loren Chasse. Noctilucent Valleys is their second album of dark & gentle psychedelic free-form folk music. Christine says there's a review in the new Wire Mag, too… All mailorders include a limited Ov badge while supplies last."

Get HERE

Out now on Fusetron:

Excepter - 'Streams 01' dbl-CD $14
"A double compact disc retrospective of the first four years of the EXCEPTER live experience, selected, sequenced and edited by band acolyte Robert Girardin from the first thirty-six issues of the STREAMS mp3 series released free on the Internet and illustrated with photographs taken from the same. Though it may be presumptuous to ask one to pay more for less of which was once offered free, EXCEPTER predicts you will find premium in point-of-view and pith. The set is budget-priced and copies are available now via mail-order, along with other fine releases…" Available HERE

From Deathbombarc:

Ok, some things just can't wait! I've been holding off announcing these two new releases until the Fruit Will Rot vol 3 box set is done, but it looks like that could take a little more time, so here you go!

DBA015 various artists - 'Deathbomb Presents Video' DVDr $8(US/Canada)/$15(WORLD)
"How many shows have gone done over the past few years here in LA that basically no one got to see? Shows that changed lives for everyone there... except only 5 people were there. Fortunately, some such shows were captured on video. So here is the first installment of hopefully endless DVD-r comps to share these precious gems with the world. Footage like Sword Heaven's Los Angeles debut playing in Michael's Grandmother's backyard at 6:30 in the evening on a Tue, scaring the life out of all the neighbors. From Gang Wizard performing one of their most alien sets ever to Cruel Face (formally Rainbow Blanket) playing at a wedding reception. There is footage of Toxic Loincloth (member of Deep Jew/Men Who Can't Love/Rose For Bohdan) being a total badass in his noise-thong, as well as a video of Newton showing off how graceful of a dancer he is, while performing an Ace of Base song. Not limited to LA live shows, the comp also includes a Rose For Bohdan (aka Rx Fxr Bx) video from their only-noise era circa 1999, and Russian Tsarcasm (member of Dynasty / Byron House) proving what a pimp he is. Includes full color art by Cybell of Blue Shift/Mercy Light." Limited: 100 SAMPLE/ORDER

dba076 various artists - 'World War Zero' 2xCDr $10(US/Canada)/$16(WORLD)
"Whatever you think is going on in Southern California, be prepared to find out you are both completely right and wrong. This double CDr brings together a wide sampling of So Cal acts, designed to show people just how diverse DIY is here. More than just the normal "Smell" bands, more than just acts from Los Angeles and San Diego.. but small towns, inland empire towns, OC towns, who-the-fuck-knows-towns, bands that play in places no one has heard of or perhaps nowhere at all. Curated with the help of Britt & Amanda of Not Not Fun, this comp is your passport to something beyond the underground, it is your census report for 2007. Get in on it." Limited: 100. ORDER
BANDS featured:
Minus Radio, The Tleilaxu Music Machine, Apathetic Ronald McDonald, Birthday Indian, Cock In Black (members of Deep Jew, Laco$te, Smooth Grooves), The Stomach Aches, Moment Trigger, Rollin Hunt, Satans Corpse, Tik//Tik, A++ (member of Foot Village), Swimsuit Rights, Bow+Arrow, Oh Home, Lord Galvar, God's Gang, Israel Intelligence, Naomi, Ex-Oblivion, Powdered Wigs (member of Extreme Animals)

PayPal at the WEBSITE; EMAIL for orders by mail, discounts on large orders, and wholesale inquiries.
* If you have 20 Deathbomb Arc Purchase Points you can get a copy of DBA076 for FREE with purchase of ANY other Deathbomb item! contact me to make arrangements!

If you sufficiently get around, you will know Jacob Smigel as a weird, wayward Las Vegas songwriter with a fetish for found sound best described by his early releases for LA’s Not Not Fun. A truly brilliant multimedia project, ‘Eavesdrop’ is a labor of adoration, offering forty tracks at 80 minutes representing years of Smigel’s digging through discarded possessions in thrift stores, yard sales, as well as other, less-intentional modes of acquisition. Composed purely of second-source, found sound recordings, Smigel’s role is that of curator (as well as producer, editor, scout), and unlike prior recordings, offering no original material. Yet while the simple brilliance of these recordings is the reason for the season, the best part of the release is the man’s deft ear and attention to detail, providing sincere commentary in the expansive thirty-pages of the accompanying booklet. Alerting us in his notes toward those finer points which may go unnoticed (such as the inscription in the self-cut Recordio disc by some mid-century Big Rock Candy Jandek, “door-ass never fails”), added are technical notes on some of the recording processes including an in-depth history of self-recording methods (e.g. self-hypnosis tapes and audio-diaries, including one by tortured art-school soul “Carol” who masturbates to the idea of Mick Jagger before detailing a day-in-the-life including an impressive 9–piece Jack In The Box bender – “It was really shitty food”), and, having sorted through the entire recordings, Smigel performs the crucial duty of placing these (on average) 1- and 2-minute excerpts into a larger context (though, as he admits, there is often no other information included with the cassettes, and thus the anonymity of these recordings provide vast space for interpretation and a general mystic).

A yield from what Smigel dubs the “Golden Age (1965-1989)” of personal recording, and then, largely localized to the western United States (though collectively spanning much of the states), these recordings illustrate society in change (a woman calling a video store to inquire after Beta releases – “Oh! You have ‘Three Men and a Baby’?”) and society in stasis (in the same clip, the responding video store employee who refuses to actually check for a copy). While the majority is deliberate recordings, several include at least one party doubtfully aware that they are being captured. These are often indebted to the complexities of early answering-machines which have recorded entire conversations to the long-playing cassettes initially employed. What must be one of Smigel’s greatest finds, the “Hamburger Hamlet” trilogy (so good it yielded three separate entries, and along with several other selections, the entirety of which Smigel will release on a CDr for a small fee) in which two “Los Angeles socialites” discuss the decline of the Hamburger Hamlet empire in the 1980s (best line: “And her lesbian goes right along with her every-place-they-go.”) as well as other highlights of the Reago-American sexual psyche. Other favorites include “Asian Karaoke”, in which a young, evidently musically-handicapped woman sings the Celine Dion catalog entirely in the red [after so much Prurient and Merzbow, it was this track which made the cat finally leave the room]; the repulsive humanity of the mother and children who communicate, in house, over the phone, mom cutting-in to request (Suicidal-style) “I don’t care why, I just need some fuckin’ Pepsi now. Can you bring me one? Maybe two”; and the wrenching humility of Smigel’s first found sound, an elderly mother’s tape-letter to her son recounting her daily activities while struggling with her own senility and the dimming future (“I don’t have nothing to do today. I did it all yesterday.”) Though at times long-winded – with such gems as those above, the lesser tracks only feel like filler to hit that 80-minute mark – it is in relation to so much magic. Surely for the curator, extracting these tiny slivers was an excruciating task.

Smigel offers in the booklet an introductory essay through which he reflects on the beauty of this antiquated technology and simultaneously, the loss induced by the selfsame mechanisms of technology which have advanced through the compact disc to the wholly digital world we now find ourselves in; where in a cassette we once had a sacred altar of (relative) significance to document our lives and to revere, we now saturate the YouTube where such acts of novel expose are met with bitter cynicism to authenticity of purpose (as if this mattered) or idiosyncratic brilliance. Nor will the social nature of this medium allow such personal moments to go unseen, or such ghosts to lay long in cache. However, there are still miles of forgotten space to be excavated, as well as newly imagined spaces for exploring, and in the end Smigel provides a number of promising new resources for further adventures. The handsomely-stamped CDr comes in an incredible, six-panel digipak featuring a collage of tens of found photos, adding a visual dimension to the sounds inside. Each copy also comes stuffed with found objects (in mine: several photographs, a child’s geometry cutout, and a crewel-sewn pin of the Colorado flag). A fantastically inspiring release, this disc will have you scouring your own world for lost messages. Tremendously recommended. (self-released CDr, $10 HERE)

More heat from Sonora:

E° + CORNUCOPIA + GOLDEN SERENADES - 'Live in La Plata' CDr $7ppd (world)
"Recorded live a Dardo Rocha Cultural Center in La Plata, Argentina. E° is an argentine noise trio who build their own twisted objects, and they present a short, but powerful set on this release. Golden Serenades is the duo of John Hegre (Jazkamer) and Jørgen Træn (Sir Dupermann) who brought absolute harsh noise destruction. Cornucopia was down to one member for the tour, and I made my best to reprezent. The final track is a collaboration between all three acts."

ASTRO & CORNUCOPIA - 'Drop Out Bones/Shock Therapy' CDr $7ppd (world)
"Second edition of this heavily requested collaboration between Japanese noise veteran ASTRO (Hiroshi Hasegawa, ex-C.C.C.C.) and Puerto Rico's Cornucopia. New cover art by AHD. Over fifty minutes of scorched electronics."

WEBSITE or PayPal to jorrge@gmail.com

New from 267 Lattajjaa:



LTJ-53 Loachfillet - 'In Random Selekt Volume II' 3" CDr 5€/$7
"Psychedelic noise and weird sounds from USA, limited edition of 100 copies."

LTJ-59 Rokkiryhmä - 'Maailmanvoitto' 3" CDr 5€/$7
"Musically challenged teenagers dreaming of world domination. Faux-naive pop songs and formless folk recorded with a microphone." MySpace

LTJ-60 Selvä Pyy & Pyy Pivossa - s/t 3" CDr 5€/$7
"Psychedelic Pop Freakout from a mysterious new project, limited numbered edition of 80 copies." LOOK

WEBSITE

Another Phantom Limb:

ARM 007 - Rob Funkhouser - 'Allegory of the Cave' CDr $7(US)/$9(world)
"Allegory of the Cave" is the first release of this young lad from the Midwest and it is pretty stunning in its minimalist appeal.. Layering piano and organ in long icy runs, Rob adds in bells and light percussion to create a shimmering ambient piece over 35 minutes long. Inventive without losing perspective, this young composer/musician is stacking up unreleased material at an alarming rate. For fans of Eno, Tim Hecker, and, of course, other fine Phantom Limb recordings. Packaged in black plastic clamshell, with original artwork covers by Ryan Gleeson." HERE

New on Woodsist and Fuck It Tapes:

Wooden Wand - 'More From The Mountain' 7" $6ppd
"More From The Mountain features one of James Jackson Toth's final transmissions under the Wooden Wand moniker. Side A has been a live favorite for some time, while Side B's "Guru Femmes" is a home recording of a long-retired tune entirely exclusive to this release. Limited, hurry, etc"

RACCOO-OO-OON - 'Mythos Folkways Vol. 3: Divination Night' LP $13ppd
"Divination Night is Raccoo-oo-oon?s third volume in their Mythos Folkways improvisational series. Drifting out of a hazy backdrop of piano, woodwinds and percussion, movements are formed around bluesy vocal sludge, building walls of riff heavy wailing, percussion fury, and spaced out synth destruction. A loose presence focused into a single collective vision. Multi color silk-screened artwork by Shawn Reed. limited"

YOUTH OF THE BEAST - 'Two Mothers' Cassette
"Six new songs of sax/noise/drum blast from Andy Spore of Raccoo-oo-oon. c40 limited to 100"

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

Not unlike the recent monolith by Organ Eye, this self-titled CD by Chicago duo White/Light grows with an intense, minimalist harmony as according to Growing, burning the electric guitar, sculpting and experimenting with the texture of electro-acoustic vibration. The disc’s five tracks bow toward the weight of the central track “28:43” (though not exactly untitled, the tracks are identified only by duration), a rich anthem of huge bass sustain, layered colors, and a wah solo soaring like birds or swirling in cyclone, the whole thing moving like one tectonic plate into an other. White/Light’s attention to detail reveals itself in the placement of tracks, maximizing dynamics by offsetting the boweling of this centerpiece between highlights of good-abrasive laser beams and the churning scream of a most-intense Prurient static. Finale “04:45” is a bassy, funky raga, paced by the plod of simplistic guitar phrase - something akin to the shoegaze of Ride. Setting itself apart from those many wonderful works of side-long drone/minimalism, including the aforementioned Organ Eye LP, this disc’s five divisions allow for five unique cuts of sound, and thus allowing the band to display its broad vocabulary in the field. Very recommended. (Rebis CD, $14 HERE)

Today we’ve got two new Starving Weirdos albums, released back-to-back by adoptive parents Root Strata. First is the recording from a live soundtrack to some silent films by once-starving weirdo Harry Smith, entitled – let me see… oh yes! ‘Harry Smith’. The band is primaries Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay with a revolving cast of cryptically titled assistants (respecting this “don’t tell” policy, I “don’t ask” who’s who); safe starting points would be The Dead C, Vibracathedral Orchestra, No Neck Blues Band and so forth. The disc’s one track is pretty straight forward in element, at first a stark, revolving drone paced by pneumatic blasts and wooden percussion, heady and evocative as a soundtrack should be (though the tight repetition of the opening sequence had me checking the table to see if it was some hidden locked-groove). The rhythmic structure falls away mid-track as the detuning birdcall of radio swirl cuts through the background of heavy fog flattened-out by the recording’s dry sound. Given the nature of the performance, it is likely the Weirdos pulled it back to not overwhelm the content of the already-taxing films. And while it is certainly a tame submission for the band, and not necessarily as strong when disconnected from the original performance, the piece does work on its own, though as an exercise with constraints. The handsome, one-sided LP comes with two pieces of Xerox art glued to the back, covering the spindle hole, requiring one to “break the seal” by puncturing the art in order to play it (this gesture, however small, is an interesting engagement of the listener as active participant). Black vinyl in a heavy plastic sleeve. Limited to 300 pieces.

Unlike this live commemorative side or the recent, mostly-live ‘Eastern Light’ double CDr, the Weirdos’ ‘Shrine of the Post-Hypnotic’ is a proper CD release (the group’s second) and also appears a “proper” recording, as far as a self-produced psychefuckedup mangle like this can be called proper. The engineering on the recording is beyond reproach, such that it would be a surprise were this not mic’d in a studio. The album’s five songs almost actually qualify as “songs”, sounding deliberate, coordinated, and even a little practiced. Where the tracks of ‘Eastern Light’ would wander and evolve with seemingly no premeditated force, even in its longest 16- and 18-minute stretches ‘Shrine’ stays on track with a focused intensity – on “Droned & Poned”, driven largely by gamelan percussion and a menacing timpani; on “Wartime Sunrise”, the consistent squall of a feedback drone, and again, the bass-drum of doom – promoting these tracks from provocative to hostile. The central, 11-minute title-track is suffocating in its sparse moodiness, sounding like a Ferrari field-recording for Blue Note. Blossoming from out the Skullflower, “From the Northwest Swells” manages a rousing tribal polyphony, complimenting the atmosphere of the longer piece and the near-perfect bolt of opening drone “Crewel”. In general - and maybe its suggestion following the LP - the Weirdos here seem to be recording soundtracks to the best movies never made, and following the entropic performance and indiscriminate recording on the monstrous ‘Eastern Light’, this is the album I was hoping they would make. Hellaciously-hot pink CD comes in a professional cardboard folder with completely incredible psychedelic drawings. Limited to 1000. Recommended with pleasure to you and yours. (Root Strata one-sided LP, $8; CD, $12 HERE)

Hate State is back!

HS009 LOVE LETTERS - 'Santeria' C32
US $6, World $10
"Not only about santeria, but also recorded in the same geography where these chaotic, culture clashing magics are soaked into the land. Although you can hear these sounds, their true voice can only be heard by the dead."

HS012 MOMENT TRIGGER - 'Polluted Wave' 3" CDr
US $6, World $10
"Moment Trigger put on one of the most exciting live shows of any noise act in LA. The physical struggle that occurs between this woman and man does not result in destruction, but rather shows a vigor and love for high energy sounds that cannot be contained by cooperation. Equipment is fought over as if every piece of gear is the holy grail. This passion creates a sound with so much movement that you may get sea sick listening to it."

[pre-order]
HS011 various artists - NONE SHADOW 6xC30
US $50, World $60
"Wall is not just about pushing the limits of saturation, the limits of how infinitely large something can sound. Wall is also about the infinitely small. The nuance that exists between every detail of every crackle. So deep is every crevice that even the shortest moment could fit the entire whole into it. None Shadow features 6 artists (Taskmaster, Privy Seals, Kakerlak, Filthy Turd, Cherry point, & the Rita) creating walls that push the possibilities far beyond purity. This is the ineffable sound of course. Packaged in a handmade rug with analogous infinite-crevice imagery."

Get more at the WEBSITE --- Distros, please EMAIL for wholesale prices.

Transcending the goof-experimental aesthetic of Below PDX – though maybe not in name – Soup Purse’s self-titled debut is an intense, 16-track/50-minute workout of wasted electronics, fit more to the methodical Blossoming Noise nerd-crowd than the recreational ennui of the Portland label. In the amphetamine vein of John Wiese/Bastard Noise, with a lean toward a more classic “sci-fi”/sound-effect vibe, the album’s 16 tracks throb, bleep, and lurch from a set of exotic instruments not for the layperson (Ciat-Lonbarde Cocolase, mom?). Vocal manipulations are used in just a few spots and to great success, piercing the static of static noise amidst high-frequency robot screams and the gush of hyperactive modulation. Most song titles reference outmoded futures – “New Chromatophore Skin”, “Denticulated Antennae” - and taken together, they all suggest a Heavy Metal fetishism – “Leaky Plug Voltage to Noggin”, “Machine Elf Interruption”, “Lazy Magnet Fellatio Masturbation Fantasy Scenario”. No matter how involved the title, the cracked nature of these compositions imposes greater difference within the tracks than between them, rarely pointing to a coherent narrative or even theme. This is not to diminish the fun of listening to this scramble, but a forewarning to the practical nature of these offerings; as the most linear piece ironically states, “All Roads Lead to Vague”. Recorded direct to cassette, and mastered by the mastering master, Pete Swanson. CDr comes in a hand-painted jewel-case with inserts. (Below PDX CDr, $6 HERE)