‘Bast’ is the “demo” tape of the now defunct (or is that never was?) Dogo & Crackerjacks, a FFM trio of New Jersey scum-punks reveling in the heart murmur of the Garden State. Six songs with sardonic titles looking like they came off a Jesus Lizard disc (“Laugh”, “Dark & Lonely”, “Carcinogenic”), they’ve got slow tempos and a deep bass rhythm, agonized duel caterwauling from the ladies and only the smear of depressed strings to indicate a guitar in the mix. Love Life probably went through a similar configuration before settling on the lighter sounds on which they settled; Babes in Toyland too. The ritual chant and contemptuous drone of guitars reminds one of many an AMREP outfit (definitely NOT Supernova) with all the pacing concerns of Swans or Big Black. Gold-sprayed tapes come with two-sided glossy J-card. Available for $5(US) from d.i.h.d. HERE.

The last time we saw the one-manned Culver was on a similarly little 3” called ‘The Witches Ladder’, and like that track, ‘The Psychic’ is a single, 20-minute drone piece. Were they both a little shorter, they would make nice complimentary halves of a 12”, as they both sustain massive drones layered above and below with counter-drones. For the disc at hand, the dirty roar of the central drone belies the deep, clean hum beneath: a tone of the earth pulsing slowly with tectonic energy and the occultist energy projecting sinister gradations through the fray (again, ala Robedoor). 3” CDr comes in acetate sleeve with color printing, hand-numbered to 75 and available HERE from First Person.

Meursault is Shaun Falconer and ‘Sleeping Debris’ is yet another extraordinary example of Students of Decay’s drone-heavy guitar specialty. Spiritually-affiliated with Loren Conors, Fred Frith, and Tom Carter, these amazing half-drones shimmer with the vibrancy of clean electric guitar and high-definition sound. Two double-digit pieces spaced by three shorter works, the title track is pure ‘Order of Things’ by Tarentel, while “Friday Delivered into Light” recalls Carter’s expansive ‘Monument’, with equal parts micro guitar introspection and macro ambient awe. The droning strings of bagatelle “Winters First Month” and the piano of “-“ make for strong contrasts of timbre and a crushing survey of talent. CDr is hand-stamped, with great art by Martin Hodge on a full-color, standard hard-stock sleeve. Very recommended, and available for $8 from Students of Decay HERE.

The Music Fellowship is dropping things all over the place:

[MF35] KOHOUTEK – 'Expansive Headache' CD $12(US)/$15(World)
"Washington DC-based experimental collective Kohoutek plays improvised psychedelia, ranging from unsettling, discordant noise to delicate melodies, inspired by the likes of Can/Amon Duul 2/Agitation Free/Ash Ra Tempel/Krautrock, Trad Gras Och Stenar/Parson Sound, Dead C, Skullflower, Sun City Girls, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, Ghost/White Heaven/Japanese psych, Sun Ra/Art Ensemble/free jazz, early Pink Floyd, MBV/shoegaze, drone, doom/sludge metal, etc. Expansive Headache is the band's first official CD, following two self-released recordings (Kohoutek and The Trails of Kohoutek), Hair on the Sidewalk, a DVD/CDR on Sockets, and a collaborative CDR with Soil Sing Through Me (members of Sunburned Hand of the Man/Feathers/Witch) on Wabana."

WEBSITE

ALSO: We're having a sale to help finance some vinyl projects we have planned for early 2008.

HOLIDAY SALES PACKAGES (Sale Ends December 18th):
The packages will all be sent on or before the 19th depending on when the orders are placed.

*TARENTEL 4PACK: All four volumes of Tarentel's epic Ghetto Beats on the Surface
of the Sun on LP $33.00ppd (U.S.)/$53.00ppd (Non-U.S.)

*NEW RELEASE BUNDLE: The three latest Music Fellowship releases: Kohoutek's
Expansive Headache CD, The Golden Oaks' Paradise CD, and The North Sea's In the
Time of the Sugar Pines CD $26.00ppd (U.S.)/$31.00ppd (Non-U.S.)

*3 WAYS TO A 3 WAY: Any 3 triptych CDs ([MF20] Claypipe/Pekko Kappi/The Blithe
Sons, [MF15] Spiderwebs/Tamburo & McDowell/Keenan Lawler, [MF14] 1 Mile
North/Colophon (Jefre Cantu)/The Wind-Up Bird, [MF10] Yellow6/Rothko/Landing)
$18.00ppd (U.S.)/$23.00ppd (Non-U.S.)

*JEWELLED ANTLER COLLECTION: Three Jewelled Antler-related CDs including Hala
Strana's Heave the Gambrel Roof CD, The Franciscan Hobbies' Walls Are Stuck,
and the Claypipe/Pekko Kappi/The Blithe Sons triptych $18.00ppd
(U.S.)/$23.00ppd (Non-U.S.)

*PICK 2: Any 2 LPs from our catalog for $22.00ppd (U.S.)/$32.00ppd (Non-U.S.)
(Tarentel, Hala Strana, Black Forest/Black Sea, Surface of Eceyon)

*PICK 5: Any 5 CDs from our catalog for $35.00ppd (U.S.)/$42.00ppd (Non-U.S.)

HERE

All this and more from Pendu Sound Recordings:



TALIBAM! - 'The Excusable Earthling' LP (2007) PSR-0022 $13(US)
"PENDU SOUND RECORDINGS is pleased to present the first full length vinyl platter from Brooklyn's own self-described 'harmoniacal' trio. 34 minutes of spontaneous anarchic abandon ranging from frenetic blasts to heavy grooves to quieter, creepier tiptoe blips and percussive hits. The Excusable Earthling is a chaotic, fun, and all-around sick record!"

GRYN BRVS - 'Grail Fruit of Les Prix Chauns' cassette (2007) PSR-0028 $7.5(US)
"UK-based duo, Gryn Brvs unleash a session of lucid improvised tonal scapers and oscillating drones of mixer feedback. Beautiful alchemy drawn from the collective unconscious and spilled onto magnetic tape. Recorded live with a stereo microphone. No edits, just pure catharsis." Edition of 50

GHOST MOTH/FOSSILS Split CS (2007) PSR-0027 $7.5(US)
"These two bands are perfectly juxtaposed for a split, complimenting each other in their unique ways. Both create atmospheric spontaneous primitivist jamms from junk and homemade electronics. Ghost Moth is a trio that features multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, a long time veteran of NYC's avant-garde. They open their side with a with a clarinet-led ecstatic ripper before collaging into a hissy live damaged flute jammy and lastly groping a clanging broken-scaper laced with late-night trumpet. Fossils begin their side with random scrapes and bluesey reverberations before heading into abstract scuzz and ghostly haunts. Must pick up a copy. They'll be going fast!" Edition of 75

ABUSE REPORT - 'El Diablo Esta En Casa' cassette (2007) PSR-0026 $7.5(US)
"More dripping analogue goodness gurgling up from a dark and murky bog. A few jamms to help carry the weight of today's hangover into tomorrow. Bad vibes and a grin." Edition of 25

ABUSE REPORT - 'Abuse Report' cassette (2007) PSR-0024
"Ghostly transmissions. Caverned stalactites of dripping feedback and rumblings from the hollow fleece. Echoed chambers of sonic fuzz and warm analogue oscillations. A nailbiting session from Todd Brooks (Mialessot / Ghost Moth) with Max Gudmunson and Matt Folden (K.P. / Hatefuck)." Recorded live direct to walkman. Hand-stamped and painted cassettes. Edition of 20

v/a - 'Getting Rid of the Glue' LP (2006) PSR-0016 $12(US)
"Getting Rid of the Glue is a tribute to the continuing positive influence of John Cage on free /improv /creative /& noise music. It is a compilation of New York/Chicago musicians representing a wide-ranging diversity of experimental music that is both new and relevant to a chaotic and unstable 21st century." featuring: Dirty Churches, Spin-17, K.P., BIG A little a, Fessenden, Eager Meek, Mialessot w/ Daniel Carter & Old Ghost, Maria Chavez, Talibam!, and Excepter. Edition of 300

WEBSITE

Flux Bouquet - 'First' CDr $7
"From the arid wastelands of the upper midwest comes this lush, first offering from flux bouquet—aptly titled first. Chris Miller (Number None, Rebis) and Steve Fors (unseen|unknown) orchestrate cacophonies of melodic decadence with vintage and obsolete electronics, guitars, and vocals. At times both noisy and beautiful, fb weaves shimmering tapestries of sonic expanse, only to leave them shredded on the floor in piles of feedback and static." 22 minutes, color inkjet insert on cardstock, edition of 50. Sample HERE

EMAIL to order

German label with hotshit friends - Bottrop-boy:

Mouthus - 'No Canal' CD
"Guitar, drums and electronics. There are no further requirements for turning the world on its head. Since their inception in 2002, Mouthus from Brooklyn have delighted and enraptured their audience. Thundering noise eruptions, mail-fisted guitar drones, infernal drumbeats and an indomitable drive are these devilish duos hallmarks. This is undiluted rock ‘n’ rock for noise junkies. When it comes to live performances, Mouthus are unbeatable. Nevertheless, in order to nourish the other parts of the soul, Mouthus alternate their teeth-grindingly loud shows with recordings into which rage and energy are consummately channelled. No Canal follows a different path altogether. Guitarist Brian Sullivan and drummer Nate Nelson lead the listener on a journey of exploration. Past bricked-up walls of sound and through a swamp of drones the duo descries a terra incognita, a dark world of sound in which innocent idylls of nature are soon subjected to the destructive forces of industrialisation. Initially, pastoral guitar parts are heard, pursued by drums in the distance. This is ethereal music in the tradition of bands like Popol Vuh. The promised land is hidden behind low mist and impenetrable green. But all hope proves idle: torturing guitar feedback and tribal drums soon tear the dream apart. The industrial torrent of sound seems unstoppable. This is music that reveals itself as a tired, technological beast with a slow heartbeat and creaking limbs. The subliminal menace and naked demise remain audible and tangible. This is a story that has to be told. Mouthus cannot be silenced." No Canal is packed in the beautiful 'envelope' packaging, designed and hand printed by Jason Dodge & Christine Roland, a one-off pressing of 250 copies.

Starving Weirdos - 'Summon with Electronic Sorcery' CD
"This is the soundtrack of your favourite nightmare. The aural cinema delivered by the Starving Weirdos is best experienced with one’s eyes closed. A dark psychedelic joyride on the inside of one’s eyelids. Instead of the obvious, hypnotically safe vision or bouncing orangey sunspots, entire films are projected onto the eyeball. Think desolate valleys, sweaty engine rooms and dark alleyways. The four trips committed to record by this Californian band taunt every accepted boundary. The black magic summoned by the Weirdos’ guitars, saxophones, electronics and smothered voices culminate in a Lynchian cinematic exorcism in four parts. Listening to the ominous opening piece Summon one finds oneself lost in a sudden sandstorm. Enveloped by whirling sand and surrounded by howling coyotes, the only escape is a dilapidated ghost town. With its wailing guitars and scraping percussion this music is best described as desert folk. Listen to In Transit which sounds like the unnerving siren song of the grimy urban jungle. The listener becomes inescapably entangled in the low mist of ghostly phantom guitars and vocal reverb. The core of this collective consists of Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay from Humboldt County, CA. Having produced a large number of limited CD-r releases since 1998, Summon with Electronic Sorcery neatly manages to summarise their work to date. This album has grown into a powerful statement. The menacing and angst-ridden industrial undercurrent permeates the Weirdos’ hardcore improvisations, while excursions into free folk humanise and cushion their impact. Put on your head phones and hold on tight to your chair. This album marks the sonic raid of plunder by this hungry pack of mad wolves." Summon with Electronic Sorcery is packed in the beautiful 'envelope' packaging, designed and handprinted by Jason Dodge & Christine Roland, a one-off pressing of 250 copies.

LabField - 'Fishforms' CD
"‘Phanta Rhei’ – everything flows. Whatever else might happen, life hurtles on and everything follows its natural course. Music is also subject to these ineluctable laws. While often breaking the mould, when everything is in its right place, the music follows its own course. As it does in the little experimental cabins of Laboratory Field, or LabField for short. This Scandinavian monster collective consisting of David Stackenäs (guitars, electronics) and Ingar Zach (percussion) knows exactly how to manipulate sound. At the same time, Ingar Zach is also creating a big stir with three-piece kindred spirits Huntsville. Not fussed about getting their hands dirty, Stackenäs and Zach dig for sounds of gold with successful results. Sound waves emanate from their instruments slowly. This unstoppable flood of sound is not distinguished by brute force but rather by its boundless subtlety and inventiveness. The listener will completely find themselves submerged by an overwhelming stream. Bottrop-Boy is proud to release LabField’s first sound experiments onto the world. Swedish guitarist Stackenäs and Norwegian percussionist Zach are known names in the European improvisation scene. They previously worked together in three-piece TRI DIM, together with saxophonist Håkon Kornstad. Two years later, Stackenäs and Zach decided to work as a duo, deciding on a radically different course. Improvisation, sound art, minimal music and drones are fused to form a completely unique style of performing. Zach plays, among other instruments, the unique electronic sruti and saranghi boxes. This is music that evolves quietly and often refers to the dronescapes of free improv pioneers such as AMM. The sounds which Stackenäs manages to conjure up from his guitars are unprecedented: softly humming, viciously rattling and intensely meditative. Zach answers these sounds with the hypnotic pulse of his bass drum and electronic sruti box. This is improvisational music replete with sounds branching in unpredictable directions and slowly smouldering drones. An aural rite of passage fit for these modern times."

WEBSITE

Niches form organically in the grooves of machined networks of exchange and cultural fantasy play. Such is the coincidence of so much First Person and Students of Decay releases, sweating it out in a pocket of hot movement, passing back and forth packets of data while narrowly avoiding the massive debris of the Atlantic circuit. Slow listener, until I regain internet contact, will remain a mystery to me. I sense a single author in all this, the free movement of a single beam of sound kinetically leaping as if jacked straight into a narcoleptic heart. Mid-fidelity mechanical guitar drones first emerge on the single, 17 minute track of ‘Bruise Journal’, a magnetized wave-length resting, then pulling urgently away from the thin metallic hurm beneath. The menace of a Hive Mind purr swallows the lead in a softer midsection, sharp sheets of noise cutting the swarm of monotones which seethe from the exceedingly subdued waveform. Mini CDr comes in traditional First Person acetate sleeve, hand-numbered to 75. (First Person 3” CDr, £3/5€/$6 HERE)

The 40 minute full-length ‘Enthusiastic Pursuit of the Pointless’ offers three such minimalist sculptures. The first, opaquely-entitled “Appreciate all around, it hits me deep”, follows in sympathetic form to ‘Bruise Journal’ with slow forms of shifting feedback, though this time in summer tinges of dull yellow and orange, where the previous was a darker gradation of brown and blue. The track keeps building, Growing – unlike the previous, it has others to explore new themes – permutations of bright whistles singing out from the molten churn of the guitar rhythms beneath. Track second, “‘do you know how I know? It’s because I think so’” stretches into FM3 territory with Moogish, melodic, tonal homeopathy and not-unpleasant feedback forms which play like breeze and soot, sharing a shape yet with such different movement within the drone. This is probably phenomenal live. Final section “Las Vegas Origami” starts with a pure warm drone, exchanging hands for a purely guitared figure, creasing and folding into itself, allowing glints of bright tones to shoot past its shifting silhouette; garble and slick static overtake the contours of the guitar, allowing the tones past to develop flutes of melody. Stamped CDr comes in traditional Students of Decay full-color sleeve. (Students of Decay CDr, $8 HERE)

BLUES CONTROL - 'Puff' LP [repress] $15(US)
"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. "Puff is the work of two modern gris gris chefs, and the most righteously authentic stoner gumbo this side of Twin Infinitives or Jungle Rot. Glittery framed sunglasses and doper's remorse. The finest racket of 2007 so far." - james jackson toth


Co-release with Not Not Fun:

LOOSERS - 'Logic On Its Head' 10" $14(US)
"Portugal's greatest export (besides cork and textiles) continues its dusky, creeping bleed of six-limbed psychedelic windmilling. Loosers have always excelled at ripping strange spatial curvatures out of drums, electronics, and exotic moods, and Logic On Its Head serves up two more classic black platters of sidelight ritualism. The A drapes incense and chimes atop an old copper bowl of ringing tones and tentacle percussion fusion that slow-burns a sweet smoke you never wanna exhale. Don't. The B, "Daeh Sti No Cigol," is even more perverse, as backwards as its title and dusty as a mosque. Sudden gestures flutter in the dusk and the sky turns purple. Really commanding and liberated in a way few improv outfits achieve so easily. Impending double LPs on Eclipse and Qbico should only escalate their visionary aura."- Britt/NNF Two-color silkscreening on fabric-photocopied, hand-stamped sleeves. Black vinyl. Edition of 340.

WEBSITE

Kenji Siratori - 'Harakiri' CS $5
"Much has been made of Mr. Siratori’s unchecked outpouring of textured black silt, but the fact remains that quantity and quality don’t necessarily rage hand-in-hand. Whether an artist paints a painting a day or a decade matters nothing if the results RULE. And Harakiri is a formidable and dense subterranean canal/C50 of wrecked electric waste and toxic sludge flowing ceaselessly into a bottomless pit. A good hypnotic void to pour in yr ears for the better chunk of an hour, semi-reminiscent of Black Monk’s drumless jams. Word is Kenji labors a lot on his alternate career as a cyberpunk novelist, and that makes plenty of sense in light of this audio apocalypto." Black tapes in cases with tactile art paper J-cards and cases stuck with hand-cut black shape runes. Hand-numbered edition of 64.

Pukers - 'Beach Cop' CS $5
”Where are you going, what are you doing, you’re doing a bad job, you’re doing a bad job.” Lyrics like these – and song titles like “Look at Me” and “Don’t Look at Me” – are what elevate Pukers’ meta-thrash into an even wilder arena of high art internal debate. Beach cops aren’t the only law enforcers brought to task on this savage C32; bike cops and park cops get equally brutalized. Since semi-temporarily relocating to Culver City/LA, Pukers have ditched the dead dog worship for a more conceptual crowd-surf across the polluted waters of stream-of-songciousness. The results are sick and blazing. Especially seeing as how the A-side finds Britt sitting in on electric axe for a session while the B stars Manda’s intuitive six-string synergies. This is some supergroup shit." Cardstock fold-out J-card in a case stuck with weirdo foam shapes. Edition of 100.

Time Life - 'Drumlins' 7" $5
"To those not well versed in the studies of esoteric land mass terminology, the word “drumlin” might be pure WTF. But to Heidi Diehl and G. Lucas “Non-Horse” Crane it’s the key to a musty trunk ripe with memories, magic, mystery. In plain terms it describes a specific sort of glacially-carved hillock endemic to upstate NY (and Antarctica and Greece) which in recent years and regions have been utilized as dumping grounds for mining town industrial slag. A childhood spent summering on such junkyard drumlins spawned the strange smoggy swan-songs of Drumlins, Time Life’s vinyl debut. Decaying tape loops rumble beneath somberly sung lyrical riddles and bowed-string tonal arcs. Electric Appalachian regression fantasies. Metal mountain music. All of this and more (more or less)." Black vinyl 7 inches with snowflake stickers in hand-cut full-color cardstock fold-over sleeves with drumlin collage by Manda and adorned with 2 pairs of (the hills have) eyes. Edition of 252.

Loosers - 'Logic On Its Head' 10" $11
"Portugal’s greatest export (besides cork and textiles) continues its dusky, creeping bleed of six-limbed psychedelic windmilling. Loosers have always excelled at ripping strange spatial curvatures out of drums, electronics, and exotic moods, and Logic On Its Head serves up two more classic black platters of sidelight ritualism. The A drapes incense and chimes atop an old copper bowl of ringing tones and tentacle percussion fusion that slow-burns a sweet smoke you never wanna exhale. Don’t. The B, “Daeh Sti No Cigol,” is even more perverse, as backwards as its title and dusty as a mosque. Sudden gestures flutter in the dusk and the sky turns purple. Really commanding and liberated in a way few improv outfits achieve so easily. Impending double LPs on Eclipse and Qbico should only escalate their visionary aura." Two-color silkscreening on fabric-photocopied, hand-stamped sleeves. Black vinyl. Edition of 340.

PRESENTS

Between us and our rotten friends, consistency is decried as monotony, predictability, redundancy. But what of consistency in greatness? To step away from form and to see the consistency of vision as in a monotonous string of consistently fantastic projects, predictably impressive innovation, or the redundancy of amazement every time the power goes on. Such is the consistency of Blossoming Noise and the latest collaboration with power-noise big boss Daniel Menche – the pair last seen together at the site of ‘Flaming Tongues’, something of a dialectical prompt to the icy ‘Bleeding Heavens’ of the moment. Recorded last winter, the four movement long-player asserts a sound which could never fade, which will always be immediate and prime. The opening quarter, from near-silence gaining with the steadiest growth, squeezing, compressing the sound from space like air from lungs, several motoric frequencies elided in a pronged torrent. The harmonics of the simultaneous channels produce vertiginous, long sine waves amidst a hail of white noise and dry howl of a vacuum. The piece grows beyond comfort, past the place where others lose nerve, building, building, growing bright white-hot with density – bursts, and deflates. Where the first removed the impurities, the second, 22-minute piece draws moisture from the atmosphere like industrial microwave: an electric crackle surging through the ether of space, a vacant dial-tone, a euphoric murmur - these simultaneous tracks shift distance in the ear, as in the shifting dimensions of the cubes presented on the disc jacket, succeeded by the wipe of a hornet’s drone, reprise, then the intensification as magnification of each elemental given to a listless retreat. In the third, a vast plane of soft white static shapes the fabric through which a thick, high-frequency current races like a prison break past the immobile reach of alarm bells, our subject position as if on it’s back, though with little reference for the speed of our movement, the residue of the alarms’ pitch expressing a frantic rhythm down to the very core. The final, 18 minute segment extends an uncharacteristically-placid ambience of deep, mid-range frequencies and spurious ornaments in a soundscape most readily familiar to the work of KTL: the width of waves and height of tones fluctuates gently, and where the blast from the furnace never comes even a melody threatens to appear. Apparently designed to salve our senses in preservation for another day - certainly warranted, though hardly requested – it does more to coil tension into an anxious desire for more damage. Pro-pressed CD comes in full-color digipak, with art by Menche. Very recommended. (Blossoming Noise CD, $13 HERE)

Better People - ‘Salvia Inside the Broken Home’ [TRHP11] CDr-EP $4.5
"The liners to the latest better people EP recommend the following: "Get stoned and listen to this with you[r] headphones on... and turn it up loud." Yes, yes -- heavy tape loops, gurgling rhythms, piercing drones and the sound of a thousand orcs on the attack. BUT also a steadied, patient study in noise dynamics and one more reason why Athens, GA's Doug Patterson demands to be noticed." B&W artwork on heavy cardstock by the artist. Edition of 100.

WEBSITE

My Cat Is An Alien/Valerio Cosi - 'Stories From The Vacuum' split 7" $6
"A truly ethereal pairing from Italy. While MCIAA has already established a massive offering in all formats, this 7"is Valerio's first vinyl appearance proper. His side is dominated by free jazz sax loops and trance vocals, with moments of twinkling percussion and electronic euphoria. An amalgamation of improv styles pulled off in a way only Valerio can. On the flip is a beautiful example of the lush guitar ambiance, wordless vocals, and alien space toy sound effects that the Opalio brothers are known for." Gold ink offset printing on metallic vellum, clear vinyl with gold ink on white pro-printed labels. Edition of 500.

Get it HERE

Package deal: this and the Warmth/Robe. 7", $12(US), $2 off. PayPal direct to info@black-horizons.com for this deal.

From Brad "IHaveALotToSayButIWon'tCapitalizeAnythingToSayIt" Rose and Digitalis:

ace007: Steven R. Smith - 'Owl' CD $13
"Steven R. Smith's name has become more commonplace over the last half-decade, and that's a very good thing. From his monumental works as Hala Strana to being a prominent contributor to many Jewelled Antler projects, his sound is distinct. This is the first brand new solo album from Steven R. Smith since last year's epic "The Anchorite." Few artists can boast the impressive discography Smith does, full of far more hits than misses. And with "Owl," he shows that he's still got new tricks up his sleeve. On here, you'll find some of the things you expect with a new Steven R. Smith record: sprase, angular walls of his trademark guitar playing with embellishments from an array of acoustic instrumention. But there's a new twist here: vocals. Yep, vocals. Smith unleashes his voice on "Owl" and does so in such an impressive fashion that it leaves me asking what took so long? "Owl" is full of desolate, but hopeful aural landscapes. There's a tinge of regret and longing in his voice when he belts out the words, "This is the world we know..." And in those six words, Smith sums up what "Owl" brings to the table. There is something recognizable about this terrain; the paint is just worn down enough to expose the raw wood underneath. But carefully placed in each corner, in each nook is something new that breathes new life into the familiar. This is a bold step for someone who has already accomplished a great deal, and leaves us listeners without a clue as to what will happen next. This is magic, indeed." Packaged in slimline gatefold cardboard jackets from Stumptown Printers. Sample HERE

ace008: Chriss Sutherland - 'Me In a "Field"' CD $13
"Many people might not be directly familiar with the name Chriss Sutherland, but most know Cerberus Shoal, of which Sutherland is a founding member. "Me in a 'Field'" marks his solo debut and shows why Cerberus Shoal is so revered. He's also a current member of Fire on Fire, who will release their debut on Michael Gira's Young God label. But here, Sutherland presents simple, wonderfully crafted songs in their barest form, but backed by the same heart that has made his previous efforts so great. This collection of songs has been brewing for years, but finally found its way into the light after Sutherland returned from an extended stay in Spain and urging from his friend and compatriant, James Toth AKA Wooden Wand. All of the songs are built around the combination of guitar and voice, though some are enhanced with piano, banjo, etc. Simplicity is often a lost artform in-and-of itself, but this is where Sutherland strives. Listening to him belt out his almost-perfect lyrics reminds me that even though the singer/songwriter realm is overpopulated and generally tired, when it's done right it can be magnificent. "Me in a 'Field'" is such a welcome entry into the genre that it goes down smooth and sweet. Lyrically, Sutherland is a wizard. His songs are universal. When he sings about those close and important to him, they become the listener's friends and family too. It's music that will appeal to many audiences and cuts across boundaries. At its heart it may be folk music, but Sutherland's offering something that's freer and more exciting." Packaged in slimline gatefold cardboard jackets from Stumptown Printers with complete lyric sheet. Sample HERE

Order HERE


"coming up next will be maurizio bianchi, et al. with "erimos" - pre-orders for that will ship out this week. and then cursillistas, jeremy kelly, twinsistermoon, & ilyas ahmed. looking a bit further into 2008, we've got some really killer stuff on the way. i'm perhaps most excited to be releasing the first new solo album from scott tuma in years. in addition there's the megareissue of natural snow buildings 2CD (including a 3CD special edition of 100) from a few years back as well as more solo reissues of NSB stuff. if that wasn't enough, we also have plans for releases from GHQ's steve gunn and two separate solo bombs from tarentel's milton cross and jefre cantu-ledesma. hot damn.."

This should all be matter of fact. White Rainbow is Adam Forkner from Portland, Oregon. He is formerly of Yume Bitsu, [[VVRSSNN]], Surface of Eceyon, World, collaborator of many (Jackie O-Motherfucker, Thanksgiving, Watery Graves, and on), and operator of label Yarnlazer. His first release with the indomitable Kranky, ‘Prism of Eternal Now’ is his fifthish long-player as White Rainbow, following – most notably (how could it not be?) – the 5 CD (plus DVD) ‘Box’ collection on Marriage. Now: I don’t know what IDM-types call it when they put out a disc of isolate source material as a deconstruction of their latest work, like as if you or some other goofy kid was going to take them and emulate the genius so hot that she can drop a disc of just source material, but that’s what ‘Box’ is like in terms of ‘Prism’. Moving from the threadbare drones and surprisingly dark vibrations of that monster set, the current LP reads like all five discs laid upon each other - or, more likely, all five played at once – as synthetic drones gel with warm harmonics, resonating a bulging rhythm beneath

Oh yes, so that’s not all: jiving hard on the road that Riley paved – and confident to wander away – Forkner’s minimal is truly maximal, loaded with precise, beaded loops and polyrhythmic hand-drumming churning every color of the white-lit kaleidoscope. Intro “Pulses” comes out blazing with a constellation of sampled hoots, shakers and taut hand tapping, chants, thick keyboard riffs without edge. Invisible alarm bells. And guitars, guitars make this ecstatic composition into a song: a swirling, rising song of acoustic scrapes like holding hands and an acidic electric eagle-genie soaring up from the bottle. Too wild. Past a slow-burning come-down, “For Terry” proudly claims stripes before some jerk can come pin them on [shit], lurching forward with huge, deep plunges of discrete keys and streams of baud-vibrato recalling one of the man’s “Persian Surgery Dervishes”, yet pushed beyond with the addition of a modest electric guitar work-out sounding so much crisper in place of organ overkill. The initial bass-fuzz of “Mystic Prism” swells and falls like the sea-change of almost-former labelmates Growing, though again reaching past the drones to incorporate ax, snaps, tabla and some questionable teen-Enya effects in an ultimately kraut though slightly distressing turn toward the new age which did the minimalists in. From here Forkner redirects his trajectory to face the canon, returning to previous modes of ‘Box’ (slightly) and Eno with - in very Riley form – “April 25th 11:14PM”: a breezy slowburner for airports made entirely of synthesizers (ala current labelmates Stars of the Lid), with all contours masked as if muted through frosted glass. Following tracks “Warm Clicked Fruit”, “Guitars”, and “Waves” each appear as similar studies of central themes, be it the delicate waves of swelling drone (a clatter like wings and the real static of waves found above and behind), the bleary colors of deeply resonant and poorly ventilated amplification, or bio-rhythms in a Matmos downbeat of pattern samples and concrète effects. A pronounced shift from the psychedelics of song in the first third, these last segments engender such reorientation that come final piece “Awakening”, the memory of the opening festival seems an aberration with an equally ethereal soundscape of hisses and field-recordings here barely supporting the thin strain of the voice’s single retreating note. Masterful and positive, this collection innovates with the best of its influence, and captures spirit like few others. CD comes with hippie-familiar Dr. Bronner manifest on a gatefold sleeve. Very recommended. (Kranky CD, $11 HERE – vinyl by Marriage)

Bums! Come get yr Bum Tapes:

OFFENSIVE ORANGE - 'Brown Future' C20 cassette £3(UK)/£4(world)
"brand new release from David Payne and Matthew Boughner's Offensive Orange
two full sides of beautiful tape destruction, burned guitar and dirty electronics
totally blown away by this one, sounds like the sci-fi soundtrack to oblivion, hiding in some bunker as the world crackles and burns overhead….." edition of 40…

WEBSITE or EMAIL

Scumbag Relations is hard at work somewhere in the Americas (this tape is number 75 for the label!) though they keep a low profile, which I appreciate. Short and sweet, the tragically-titled Yeast Curd present the ‘Pink Lagoon’ C10. I can’t say that I’ve heard pink noise, but this sounds more orange or copper. Two commensurate pieces, the first is an ornate drone of feedback from a carefully wielded shield of amplification, accumulated layers pulling tight the rippling sheet of high-frequency waves. The reverse is made of far less rigid noise: dry, brassy feedback, a sinus pitch of rotating cylinder, and the secret rhythm of submerged liquid. Could’ve been a practice session of Cage (and/)or Young and I would have believed you (except that it’s on Scumbag Relations). A very handsome cassette as with all Scumbag tapes, it comes with heavy J-card, nice labeling job and good looking art.

The label may be low-key, but the double cassette split by Fossils and Altar of Flies is a fucking force! With a vacancy matching the abstract artwork and the label mystique, Altar’s ‘Born Again Christians’ rolls through a number of cycles (songs? seriously, it seems like six in all) of Fluxist noise, pulling not for power but pure experiment. The absence of side demarcations or even title distinction between the identical tapes express this split as a continuum, and wherever you enter this tape you find queer oscillations, noise like found treasure, and tonal minimalism employing a narrow index to maximal obtrusion. Things shift at some point to more “song”-like structures, though the harsh roar of Oubliette feedback located in the tape’s southwest quadrant comes not unwarranted; the one-man (good pal Mattias Gustafsson from Sweden) sound machine producing a fine survey of popular noise styles through to the logical stabs of b-side Wolf Eyes on the final “track”: rough-hewed sheets of metallic feedback, bare, methodic bass percussion, and a little bit of subtle sci-horror.

The dare-say conceptual ‘Departure’ by Fossils features extensive dialogue manipulations transitioning into a soundtrack of lazy horror, a brief experiment before the experimental storm which follows the gap (like the Altar of Flies tape, this is too divided by tracks). Liquid tape garble and more conversation are treated to several dips and the exposure to oxygen, made faded and pitted with elements. Over-blown narration reveals a wealth of phantoms in the analog. Harsh noise emerges as a conclusive digression from the preceding scripts: screams of feedback, helicoptic/motorific noise, and hypersensitive room distractions betray a weird place behind the veil of the strictly aural medium. Both tapes end too early both figuratively and literally (most sides go quiet long before the rollers quit) and come in a plastic double case with twin J-cards, matching label art, and hand-stamping. A bad-ass set for the holidays. (Scumbag Relations cassette and double-cassette, $6 and $10 HERE)

A challenger appears! From Dead Sea Liner:

SRX - 'Vessel' (DSL10) CDr £3
"A beautiful new mini album from Sandra Reignoux as SRX. Sandra doesn't allow musical rules and conventions to stand in the way of producing some of the most evocative and delicate songs and instrumental vignettes I've heard in a long while. The Interplay between Sandra's Nico-esque voice, piano and the tired moaning of her ancient 4-track creates a wonderfully charming effect. The primitive recording techniques and the sound of breath on microphone gives the recordings an intimate quality and the sensation of proximity to greatness."

Korperschwache - 'The Joy of Seppuku' (DSL13) CDr £3
"Korperschwache is in fine form on this new release, this is drone in the best sense of the word. Delve beyond the surface and a multitude of twilight worlds reveal themselves to you, each one danker and merkier than the last. I can only recommend turning this one up loud and allow the music to strip away all your other senses."

HERE

First batch from Second Sleep, and a few peculiar instances of titular infringement:



SS001 KAM HASSAH - 'Harvest' 2xC30 4€
"four tracks of heavy tones and black voices a sonic journey through harsh waves and moments of stasis." vhs box

SS002 KNUNN - 'Downhead Rabbit Tarots' C30 4€
"francesco is the man behind knunn, lexes and scarbox records, this dude is a truly force of nature, some of the most powerfull and focused harsh stuff put out in italy, concept about tarots and ancient magic."

SS003 NACKT INSECTEN - 'White Rainbow' 2xCDr 8€
"90+ min of ecstatic vocals and epic guitar excursions for this amazing unit from glasgow... sunset loneliness." comes in a silkscreened digipack

SS004 MARCEL TüRkOWSKY - 'What Burns Always Returns' C20 4€
"berlin and katmandu are not too far.. two tracks of tape manipulations that sounds like mantra rituals. a long march for solitary walkers."

SS006 WEREWOLF JERUSALEM - 'Static studies' 2xCDr 8€
"a new effort from richard ramirez. a grievous marathon of dense, thick and static harsh walls for lovers only. high volume needed."

SS008 MARCEL TüRkOWSKY & SHIVERS - 'Cones' C20 4€
"amazing jam for this two german potheads, distant synth flow, mixer intrusions and tape manipulation, the result sounds very "industrial."

Samples and order at the WEBSITE or EMAIL to know more

The original punk? From Locust:

Henry Flynt - 'Nova'Billy' CD/2LP
"Locust Music is proud to present Nova’Billy - the latest archival digs from visionary artist Henry Flynt's dusty lower Manhattan bunker. A musical pioneer from Greensboro, North Carolina whose musical partnerships include countless hours of seminal lower Manhattan sessions with La Monte Young & Tony Conrad, sitting in with the Velvet Underground, refining his fiddle chops with master musician Pandit Pran Nath, copping guitar licks from Lou Reed & cavorting at several of Yoko Ono’s legendary loft gigs in the 60s. As a visual artist, he coined the phrase concept art, got clumped in with the Fluxus scene, picketed Avant-Garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, rallied behind and then slammed the doors on the American Communist Party & obsessively trailed Basquiat's every move, when he was known as the graffiti artist Samo before anyone cared to care. For some 40 years, Flynt's work has gone largely unrecognized until the new century kicked in and, like a mercurial snake rearing it's head, he & locust music founder Dawson Prater have been working to do a little corrective surgery on the past by bringing to light his remarkable unpublished catalog whether it be ecstatic eastern inspired drone duets (C Tune; Purified by the Fire), anti-war garage rock (The Insurrections), free form / Free Jazz outsider experiments (Raga Electric), a spirited melding of hillbilly & the avant garde (Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Volume 1 & 2) or this latest dispatch of fried hippie proto punk & country funk. Nova'Billy stands as one of the fullest, most beauteous document of Flynt's tenure with a full working rock band ( 2 of whom ended up with James Chance & the Contortions). For less than one calendar year between 1974 and 1975, Henry Flynt's hard driving, heavy jamming agit country rock band, Nova'Billy embraced bareknuckled deep fried groove attacks, bearded hippie jam band workouts & a monstrous mélange of blues, boogie and free jazz squeal into a musical soufflé that could only have come together with Flynt cooking up what was proven to be, time and again, an impossible vision within the confines of the SOHO art orbit of the 70s. After a couple performances at Anthology Film Archives and studio sessions in Richmond, Virginia and Manhattan, the band postered SOHO in a last ditch effort to get some traction with the hipsters that read, "Party on down to the Kitchen. Stoned country music for rock country". The gig, like all the others before it, was poorly attended. Nova'Billy played what would be their last live gig at the Kitchen on June 27, 1975. Nova’Billy covers a damned fine and important moment in Henry Flynt's musical non-career. If the Insurrections laid the foundation for his anti war primitive garage rock sound, the emergence, nearly a decade later of Nova'billy is the realization of Henry's own vision of obtuse personal politics ( "I was a creep"), provocative leftwing posturing (check their version of the world communist anthem "the international!") and a gleefully recombinant spin on southern music. 13 cuts and 60 minutes of old glory!" Available on cd and gatefold 180 gram double vinyl.

WEBSITE

Appearing in the midst of Constellation’s tight flurry of 2007 releases – including new LPs from HRSTA and a renovated Vic Chestnutt - is the debut long-player by Sandro Perri (aka Polmo Polpo, and one-half of Glissandro 70) entitled ‘Tiny Mirrors’: another lateral tile in the label’s collection, spilling their sounds well over the edges of “genre”. Now: as much as I try to work in Polmo Polpo references every chance I get (particularly to the perfect ‘Like Hearts Swelling’ of a few years back), ironically this is not the venue. Indeed, Perri’s idiosyncrasies as a songwriter produce many of the same effects and techniques – melodic lilts, clipped harmonies given a hookish bevel – but the egalitarian, eight-person collaboration of ‘Tiny Mirrors’ and the singer-guitarist’s own deliberate attempt to shed his old character – or more accurately, obtain a new one (two very different things) – produce a wholly different sound with little reliance on past works (though much of this comes in the form of reworked material). Perri first appeared behind the alter-ego on the denuded autobiographical EP ‘Plays Polmo Polpo’, his honest falsetto and white-souled shuck recreating the gems of his past output in an entirely different, electronic-free dimension. This Perri returns even folksier today - the resemblance in tenor to M. Ward is uncanny – playing shameless chamber pop with brass, wind, string and a couple oddballs (erhu and euphonium?).

The disc’s raison d’etre comes early in the first trimester as “Double Suicide”, a dry-heat bossanova blues of the sort Seu Jorge has come to bogart of late, truly innovated with flamenco and plainly hidden organ like a Fennesz Getz to Perri’s Gilberto. The wilt of the melody over the hard shell of wooded percussion runs like soft water over the song’s simple, vivid frame, a technique borrowed from the pacific folkwriting of the ‘Nam era found in a Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson, or Karen Dalton, most pointedly revealed in Perri’s back-porch rendition of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’”: removing the belly-ache of the original with back-up singing, flute and slide-guitar, the track’s lazy complaint reads like the dude abides, and he can probably think of worse things to sing about were he so inclined. The birdsong of flutes accompanies the harp of acoustic guitar on the allegorical sonnet “The Mime” melting deceptively into “You’re the One”, the simplistic sway of plucked strings flourishing into a small orchestra of sounds ala ‘A Gift from a Flower to a Garden’ and delicate ornaments weaving themselves between the bars of the tune. And though Perri is no Wagner on the Motown “Love is Real”, he never said he was, and all things being equal the band carries on with the wah wah of electric guitar, muffled brass, winds, feather-light percussion all in a relaxed semi-improvisation. The album’s secondary, nap-ish quality at times asserts itself too strongly as a haze veiling Perri’s already lazy demeanor, and though initial listens suggested Jimmy Buffet-style Tropicana escapism for the restaurant-brewery crowd, additional/deeper listens adopt ‘Tiny Mirrors’ from such a ghetto as it reveals itself to be a collection mature, but not too mature, as easy-listening as it is easy to listen to repeatedly for all the nuance in which it hides the melodic loot. Disc comes in a fancy-paper gatefold with foil stamping and sturdy, folding lyric sheet. (Constellation CD & LP, $13 & $18 (US) HERE)

This is on Young God. Gira goes:

FIRE ON FIRE 5 song CDEP $7
"I'm damned pleased to be able to offer here a special YGR website-only 5 song EP by the fantastic group of singers/players called Fire On Fire. They used to be the art-punk-prog-chaos collective Cerberus Shoal, but they ditched their electric instruments, went into hiding for a while, and now play all acoustic-stand up bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonium, accordion, acoustic guitar, dobro etc etc, and they all sing and harmonize on the songs. Live, they do it "old school" and just use two mics placed in front of them on the stage, like a bluegrass band. They all live in the same house up in Maine, across from rusting green oil tanks, apparently. To me they sound like a ! backwoods, fierce, psychedelic Mamas And The Papas or a crazed and joyously vengeful gospel string band. Have a listen to the free MP3 above and the sound streams too. They're great people and I love their music. It's all acoustic, but it's not in the least folky. More old-timey incantations - American music with excellent words and performed with the honed violence of intent that truly great music requires. They're a total blast live. They just recently played my back porch actually (!!!!) for my wife's birthday and it was one of the best live music experiences I've had in years. This is just the first installment from these folks. We'll be releasing their debut album early next year (none of the songs from this EP included), and they'll be doing a lot of touring thereafter. In the meantime, my highest recommendations for this EP!!!!! The packaging uses an original drawing / screen print by Colleen Kinsella of FOF and printed heavy stock paper and assembled by Fire On Fire at their home. The words/credits are printed on velum. The ridiculously low price of $7 reflects my adamant belief in the music and my sincere desire that you buy it, take it home, open it, fondle it, smell it, and listen to it. Go ahead now, do it - you'll be pleased you did!"

Get it HERE or at shows.

Fire on Fire BIO by Fire On Fire:

Fire on Fire began without a name in a warm kitchen in Maine. Some of us used to be in Cerberus Shoal. We were three friends whose musical interests grew outward from the punk roots of our youth to a more personal intimate exchange and we began playing songs for

each other. Songs on guitars banjos and harmonium with lots of words and voices. The music was living, open and it invited everyone to take part in it. The circle widened to include two more friends who brought rhythm melody and more voices and songs. Fire on Fire is now five friends who play fierce and emotionally sharp words to stab at our

selves, our situations, our lives. Our music comes from the heart of each singer and songwriter. Take that statement how you like. Each one of us brings themselves to the common table without self consciousness. Playing for the enjoyment of playing and in turn creating a live performance that is electric and ecstatic foot stomping and howling all the night long. All five friends live together in a big blue house across from green oil tank # 28 in South Portland, Maine.

Fuck it. Fuck It:

SIC ALPS - 'Strawberry Guillotine' 7" $6
"Sic Alps toss back 3 new tracks for this seven inch. Title track "Strawberry Guillotine" takes the listener on a guided tour of an imagined war between the sprawling Golden Gate Park homeless population and the more established model yacht community. Musket blasts sound off as shopping carts laden with gasoline and styrofoam emerge from the silent bushes and charge the blood dimmed shores of the cement bottomed Spreckles Lake. Cover art co-opted from 90's LA anti-legends The Summer Hits who themselves stole it from the Walker Brothers in the first place. Apparently Rex from Summer Hits is now homeless in London where his long beard is black on one side and fully grey on the other. This record is humbly dedicated to him." BANDSITEHASSAMPLES

MENEGUAR - 'Tone Banks 1: Some Downs' C40 $8
four tracks

WEBSITE

To our New World AniPals: Happy Vegan Thanksgiving!

Let's be thankful that we live in the future where nothing needs to die to feed your gold-brickin' ass.
We've killed enough Indians, leave the animals in peace.

Love,

Animal Psi

v/a - 'Sing With Me: Music for the human voice' CDr 6€(EU)/$8/7€(World)
"New compilation from Harha-askel, this time focusing on music made for (and with) the human voice, ranging from song-forms to abstract voicings. Demented pirate blues from Alligator Crystal Moth, Robert Horton goes pop (sort of), Jani Hellén explores the mellotron's vox humana, Ville Moskiitto interprets an old Finnish hymn, Komutian throat singing from Kheta Hotem and lots more... Artists from Finland, France, Italy, USA, Australia, Faroe Islands and Great Britain." Limited edition of 80 copies on black cd-r. Printed covers and insert in plastic sleeve.

1. Lamppukello - Maalari Mäki
2. Robert Horton - Fry Your Brains Out In Your Hat
3. Alligator Crystal Moth - The Mad Courier
4. Jani Hellén - Silpoydin (Static)
5. Kheta Hotem - Around a Single Bird
6. Metsämorfeus - Pilvin poikin kottaraista
7. Vellamo - Olemisen riemu
8. The Mighty Acts of God - The Slow Hardwood of a Once Thorough Woman
9. Rokkiryhmä - Laulu miehestä
10. Sorella di Kometan Pärsson - Best Explanation
11. Wanton Loverboy - Sucking Tits
12. Hue (with Gaia) - Pillow Talk
13. Autumn Galaxy - Red Glow
14. The Reggaee - Lude
15. Xenis Emputae Travelling Band & Jani Hellén - The Secret Gregorian Plug-In
16. Ville Moskiitto - Oi Herra jos mä matkamies maan

WEBSITE

ORIGAMI SUBTROPIKA/SYNERGIKA/BONDEPRAKTIKA split fan CDr $10(world)
"Comes in a wooden cover held together by screws, limited to 100 copies. Origami Synergika (Lasse Marhaug of Jazkamer), Origami Bondepraktika (Karl Midholm of Ovum) and Origami Subtropika (Jorge Castro of Clon and Cornucopia) recycle each others sounds into new tracks. Released by Cipher Productions in Tasmania. Very few available."

CORNUCOPIA - '.C.Works' 2xCD $10(world)
"Released back in 2004 by Sonora, Locus of Assemblage and Zeromoon, ".C.Works" contains Cornucopia's 37 minute "C" track on the first disk and 14 reworkings of it on disk two. Artists featured include: Lasse Marhaug, Kim Cascone, Black Sand Desert, Francisco López and others. Comes in a beautiful black double-sleeve and its now out of print. Last copies!

WEBSITE

Treetops - 'When I Was Younger' 2xC10 $8
"A purely inspired release rising out of a dismal autumn, where even the trees delayed their color change. Focusing outward to various points of reference, sk1's hold their tones in frozen chains, slowed down tapes shake the earth, strings twinkle and shine, while vocals murmur inaudible wishes and flowing ruminations. A droning black mass, entirely different from the recent blown out walkman recorder territories previously traversed by this project. Recorded over two November nights, in deep reflection and heavy listening." In an edition of 50 labeled tapes with black/white/grey art in Norelco cases.

WEBSITE