New from Blackest Rainbow:

Forest Creature/Ryan Garbes and Gerre Hancock split C30 £5
"Forest Creature are an insane duo that emerged out of the brief Blackout Band sessions. Duo of Ben (former BR store employee) and Richard. Total nutso weirdo noise shit, dumb electronics and self taught drums clatters... thrown in some scrapes, fights and pure dense noise with the odd barely recognizable vocal and you got Forest Creature... one flowing blurted nightmare. Ryan Garbes is the drummer from Iowa's Raccoo-oo-oon, and on this release he is joined by organist Gerre Hancock. Inititially the opening to this sounds like your in the big top surrouned by some chirpy clowns, elephants hand standing on balls, and dudes in big hats taming tigers... But then the psychedelia hits in, and man is it a trip! Far out smoky drones with elephants getting high - Dumbo style. Clowns becoming some kinda Nosferatu blood suckers - Tom Cruise Interview with a Vampire style. Grooving stoned lions dancing reeaaaallll slow, kicking the tamers asses whilst giggling away. one hell of a far out experience." Cassette = 70 copies. CDR = 40 copies.

Barn Owl - 'Smoke Loom Ceremony' one-sided cassette £5
"San Fran duo who had some sold out releases on Not Not Fun and Foxglove. Slow building multi instrumental layered dream drones... totally fantastic... deep+heavy riffs, banjo jives, vibrating guitar slabs, vocal blurs, and pummeled tribal drum vibes. Recorded live at The Neon Commune at Echo Curio, Echo Park, CA. Sleeve design by myself with live photography by Caitlin C Mitchell. Hand numbered edition of 80 copies, purple tapes, printed shells, hits in at about 20 minutes. Totally killer!!!"

Terrestrial - 'Wrapped In A Shawl' one-sided cassette £5
"This dual guitar quartet from Sacramento have their debut release out in the UK, pretty transatlantic hey?! Cymbal rumbling clatters, reverbing off dual guitar spazz, and crazy gnome vocals... real wild. You can feeeeel these dudes just playing right off of each other to create this insane fucked up version of something like Raccoo-oo-oon, Night Wounds, Liars, Black Dice and Animal Collective... pissed off kids are back and playing some of the best shit around right now! Edition of 40 copies, pink tapes, 30 minutes of tribal jive."

WEBSITE

In the iridescent wake of Animal Collective’s pop liberation great success!, Oakland’s Destroy Tokyo revel in four sizeable fingers of electro jubilee. Past the tribal drums, tubular guitar, and frisky-feline vocals of “Little Gem”, the first encounter with ‘Shapes’ offers little to write home about, but the welcomed entry of synthesizer melodies in the final quarter suggest things are looking up with the seamless transition to “Necklace”, a greater solidification of dance patterns (ala Tussle, Out Hud) more comfortably within the band’s prowess, developing an animal of their own. Building percussion and synthesized enthusiasm asserts the non-deferrable life force of this music-without-direction as best described in final track “Friendzone”, wherein few sounds fail to return, creating a saturated chorus of steady beats, shrill synthesizers, electronics, and reckless, hollering vocals filling every last sonic divot. CDr comes with full-color label, with bright artwork in a jewelcase. Available for $7 from EBC HERE.

Headlong into the near-wilderness, Wisconsinian duo Drunjus (Woodman and Endless) capture 'Enceladus' like the slide of a terrarium: the bright sounds of micro lifeforms chirp and saw through the boggy scene of this dark soundscape, the sounds of people indecipherable from the more organic rhythms bisected in these two tracks. Piqued by small pings of recognition, "How Close is the Sky to the Ground?" centers the steady churn of nocturnal peace with the respectful hush of a hermetic guitar, its bassy feed-back all that's giving it away and which it tries best to constrain. With disruptive indifference to the gentle biorhtyhm, this electrified murmur gains in a Mencheaen rupture from the static center to a less satisfied condition. This sentiment is continued with renewed interest and timbrel extension on "Chthonic Exterior" (with additional help from a Crystal Dragon), a miniature ensemble forming from drone resin to shape a raga of aerated bass, small percussion, and modulated guitar/organ/melodica/whatever. A rich throat-singing results, significantly opposed to the conflict of the first track. Poly-bagged with nicely-designed color folder, the labeled CDr hangs on a tab in pitch black. Available for $6 from Peasant Majik HERE.

MYMWLY is changing colors:

"Continuing on our trail or rebirth and renewal, things will be running a little different round these parts from now on. In a few months we will be beginning our series of ‘real’ cds. These will include reissues of no longer available mymwly collective and outsourced cdrs, as well as new releases from mymwly collective projects and those of our friends. In the mean time the current CDR format/aesthetic will be phased out. We will continue to release cdrs but of mymwly collective and collaborative projects only. Releases will be in small, limited editions and will include hand made artwerk and novelty items. So, with that in mind, the final batch of the original mymwly phase is in the pot and should be out soonish. Cdrs by book of shadows, evening fires, sami and keijo, gyanism, joel stern and lloyd barrett and caress of the fist, as well as the 6th and final release in the ‘sound surrounds us’ series, featuring jo jo ef steve, the perfect lovers, Zelienople, (VxPxC), 6majik9 and terracid and of course, the 4xcdr ‘hand rolled oblivion’ set, featuring tracks by many of the artists who helped establish musicyourmindwillloveyou and some of our newest friends…a fitting end to the initial manifestation."

mymwly2001 Terracid - ‘Found Worlds’ CDr + handmade collage $30
"Reworking found media to create a new dialogue, applying the same techniques to both visual and aural mediums to unlock the subconscious potential that lies within the seemingly mundane. Each collage/cdr is named and numbered Each cdr contains 20 to 40 minutes of unique, collaged sounds sourced from TV, radio , LP’s and cassettes , animals and chance…no two cdrs are the same!" edition of 20

WEBSITE

Must Finish is the new cassette label of Maryland’s Mr. and Mrs. Rijyan Kidwell, slumming it, now six contemplative releases deep. Redacting the remix to its primal roots in Terry Riley tape manipulations, the iconoclast appears as Cex, here a dubious amalgam of Gustav Mahler and Tristan Fabriani - yet another nod to the spirit of thievery – subtly blurring the propriety definitions of sixish tracks for ‘Dannibal’. Of origins known only to the curliest, paunchiest AM-devotees or the spookiest backpackers, the (largely) late-century R&B plundered here is of the finest non-distinction to lend itself to the DJ’s strike and deft English: case in point, “No Drag” begins the tape with a late-Brit (different kind of “English”) rave-up, a sober drum-march with tightly looped chorus and hand-slowed vocals distorted as though submerged and shocked to stuttering automation; piano and electric guitar are used alternatingly to excel and retard the pace, at last together in a frenzied prog-ression, no longer so strangely married to the shag vibe of Steely Dan. “Hotso” takes a similar tact to the late-night grind, looping the namesake line with samples, unsynthesized percussion, and plenty of canned guitar, from below developing a deep-seated antithesis which eventually swallows the track in overmixture. A high tape-hiss simmers over the polyrhythm of “His Crimes” before the warm chirping of sequencers turns the scene like some Gibsonian sci-tropicalia with the ABC vocals of yet another self-referential lyric copped; a substantial outro manages a fine deconstruction with beaty noise. On the reverse, “Free World” threads several melodic wafts into a nodding sequence on lazy beats, a dubbish trudge which pulls in several (likely disparate) vocal lines into perfect agreement. Kidwell finds a way of melting- down all the instrumental elements beyond easy recognition, and the calliopedic-whir which characterizes “Retsina” manages to stand apart despite this, and the underlying boom of bassy rhythms and whippish percussion which underpins the track; extended through several movements, the track continues in this fashion, eschewing vocal samples for the thick-worn groove of saturated mash-up and the odd fit of beat-machining. Closer “Yr Name” comes on grimy with a shameless Funkdoobiesm, beat-broken with seemingly little else in the way of original material, the horns, wah, and lesser-LeVert vocals feeding back into the void of pop esotericism from which this monster finds nourishment. Black cassette comes sprayed in a heavy-stock card, embossed with wide black art, and in an edition of 100 – a little pricey sure, but safely worth it. Recommended. (Must Finish cassette, $9 HERE)

Tapes is floating away:

Slow Listener - 'Desolation Sound' CDr
"Following amazing releases on labels all over the globe (Ruralfaune, Peasant Magik, Celebrate Psi Phenomenon) comes another masterpiece from the genius mind of Robin Dickinson, out of Brighton, UK. A hymn to pure sonic beauty, this release is unparalleled in its focus and singular nature. Self-described as his "heaviest work yet", the sounds herein are simply gorgeous in their ability to transport to other planetary realms. Under thick layers of fractal tones, distorted hues, and sonic grime lays the beautiful melodic framework that undergirds all of Slow Listener's material." Edition of 100.

Burnt Soil s/t CDr
"Burnt Hills meets Soil Sing Through Me for a ravaging psych blowout. Features members of Sunburned Hand of the Man, Aethr Myth'd, Century Plants, Feathers, Wovoka, and more! Hot thick summer air pervades this one, it's an absolutely RAW and ripping 62 minute joyride. A battalion of blazing psych guitars chasing each others' tails, pounding tribal drums, hypnotic bass grooves, a twinkling xylophone, beautifully twisted vocals, and even some magic oboe work from our Danish pal Troels make this a very unique document. Meetings this intense don't happen often, and there's a reason!" Edition of 100.

Fossils From the Sun - 'From Another Sun' CDr
"Monster solo debut from Ray Hare of Century Plants and Burnt Hills. Ranging from meditative guitar mantras to blissed out noise to hazy melodic riffage, and covering most of the points in between, this release has fast become a favorite here at Tape Drift headquarters. A very tight and driven set, this has the conceptual purity that only a debut can have, as it represents years and years of preparation and inspiration. Get on the train early - there's much more to come and you won't want to have missed out on the beginnings." Edition of 50.

WEBSITE

AZ is short for Gilgongo:

LITTLE WOMEN - 'Teeth' LP $11
“Official BIO”: Brooklyn quartet Little Women formed two years ago to create music that blurs the line between structure and spontaneity. The group’s sound distilled from a broad range of influences that stretch from classic Chicago free jazz thru pop music, punk rock, math metal, and harsh noise. Little Women never stop pushing into new sonic territory: splitting overtones to create ghost notes, violently disassembling their instruments onstage, and attacking written and improvised material with equal ferocity. During performances band members often experience side-effects more commonly associated with prescription drugs such as nausea, dizziness, and internal bleeding. Little Women stomp all over genres, creating some of the most adventurous, in-the-moment, wrenchingly honest music of their generation. 'Teeth' is 20 minute piece, recorded in one long, single take, covering an impressive range of sound, and is an intense and dynamic presentation of what they are doing as a band. Art work by MICK BARR (Orthrelm, Crom-Tech, Ocrilim, etc). Also: Members of Little Women have recorded and/or performed with some of the top names in jazz/improvised music such as: Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Mark Dresser, Jim Black, Trevor Dunn, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, Chad Hugo (The Neptunes), Gerry Hemingway, Joe Morris, Matt Wilson, Michael Formanek, Mat Maneri, and Dave Koz. Members of Little Women also play in bands such as Zs, Extra Life, Cutter, Period, Archaeopteryx."

FRENCH QUARTER s/t LP/CD $12/$10
"FRENCH QUARTER is Stephen Steinbrink from Phoenix, AZ. After releasing and selling out of several DIY / handmade recordings (both done on his own and by labels such as Arbor and C-Salt), this self-titled LP, which comes with a CD version inside, is his first properly issued recording, and comes highly anticipated by anyone who has seen him on one of his excursions across various parts of the country. Stephen crafts memorable, vocal based songs using a variety of approaches and methods while maintaining a smooth consistency in sincerity, making these 10 songs an engaging and moving listen. Though comparable to others from past and present, (Neil Young? Woods? The Microphones? Karl Blau?) and despite his young age, Stephen is hard at work creating his own set of unique songs that feel like old friends upon first listen. Other notes: Brittany Gould (of Married in Birdichiev fame, Rhinoceropolis (Denver venue) co-runner) painted the art for this release. FRENCH QUARTER did a full US tour in late fall. This LP comes out in between that and another full US tour in early winter 2008."

SOFT SHOULDER - '2 Song Hit Single' 7" $5
"Two new songs from Arizona's SOFT SHOULDER, who play loud and noisy but equally catchy no-wave post-punk (X-Ray Spex, Contortions, Sleetmute Niightmute). The A-Side being one of the original set's staple, 'Mary Ann', which originally surfaced in the form of a music video on a DNT VHS compilation with Shearing Pinx and others. The B-Side is a slightly longer piece, the old set's staple closer, with a long, clean and broken bridge over trouble skronk. Handmade covers (spray-paint, stencils, collages, burns, stains, ect) made by the band."

JAMES FELLA - 'Salavaged Tape' CDr $6
"(collage of recordings found on various personal tapes from 2003-2007, after unpacking from a recent move. one long 21 minute piece: hushed field recordings, layered violin, guitar loops, oscillation destruction, speaker damage and birds). Tons of upcoming releases in th next several months."

WEBSITE

New stuff from Without Dead Time:

Digital:
DS001 - Silk and Dogs - 'The Death of China'
"Silk and Dogs is a politically motivated music project, akin to that of Ultra Red, using samples and sound sources from across the globe, as well as traditional instrumentation and programming to highlight particular political,social and cultural issues and problems. Death in China explores the changing nature of the world's largest country and comes with explanatory notes and a reading list."

DS002 - Euhedral - '1'
"Euhedral is an Oxford based experimentalist, who works in the field of ambient drone. This recording, along with DS006, show the progression in sound from May 2007, to today. Euhedral continues to work with the Oxford noise promoters Permanent Vacation and is also a member of Egyptian Death."

DS004 - Kid In A Drawer - 'Live in York'
"Live in York chronicles Kid In A Drawer's debut live outing in March 2007. The recording comprises of the full 28 minute set, complete with fried electronics, broken mixing desks and burnt out amps."

DS005 - Oblio - 'Learning Our Hearts to Play'
"Learning Our Hearts to Play is Mark Burton's (aka Oblio) first release, and is made up of 6 long tracks of experimental ambient and dub work. For fans of The Beach Boys and Echospace, should such a conjunction never happen"

DS006 - Euhedral - '2'
"See listing for DS001"

Real:
VSTM001 Creeping Jaw Society - 'Nine Works for Piano' £6
"Nine Works for Piano is, unlike CJS's live work, almost entirely devoid of beats. The album instead focuses on layers of interlocking notes, and indeed the silence and spaces between these notes, and as a result creates a picture of subtle manipulation and creaking wood."

WEBSITE

New from Sonora:

CLON + CHRISTIAN GALARRETA - 'Indigencia Tecnológica' CDr $6.5(world)
"That elusive dude Clon teams up with sonoterrorist C. Galarreta from Lima, Perú to bring you this new 36-minute split/collaboration over three tracks. Galarreta's (who has collaborated with Karkowski among others) output is difficult listening through hard disc overload and Clon appears with the required extra THICK drone music. Cover features the beautiful Lena Delta!"

(NEW) WEBSITE (with samples)

From the sleepy Bangor:

Diebold - 'Listen To My Heartbeast' CD/LP
"Diebold formed in Montréal in 2002 as an exciting new experiment in controlled, technologically-enhanced, two-party democracy. Sophie Trudeau (godspeed you! black emperor, Silver Mt. Zion, etc.) and Ian Ilavsky (Sofa, Silver Mt. Zion, etc.) became roommates around this time, and decided to take politics off the kitchen table, agreeing instead to submit their disputes to arbitration in a designated soundproof area, using a mix of traditional and modern tools calibrated to maximise output and allowing the participants to explore policy, express vision, and reach consensus in a largely non-verbal though highly aural manner. The results, officially documented and made public here for the first time, provide a vital new roadmap for international peace and reconciliation, and can be instantly verified using any standard CD or phonograph record playback device. Diebold combines a simple, time-tested, user-friendly interface (drums, bass) with years of research into the potentialities of various signal-processing devices to create a stable, accessible system that anyone can understand. Using the popular and well-known concepts of "riff", "feedback" and "distortion", Diebold translates these through it's patented bi-amplification routing architecture, allowing for a powerful and resilient stereophonic interpretation of basic gestures. Diebold also deploys portable, real-time "loop" technology to outsource various routine procedures in an immediate and responsive manner, permitting certain "multiplier effects" that virtualise participation and human agency when necessary. This official debut recording follows a strictly localised test CD-R from 2005, which contained some of the results now being made available here to a wider audience for the very first time. Listen To My Heartbeast was recorded live at the Opera, Diebold's rehearsal laboratory in Montréal, with no editing or overdubbing (except for some necessary reinforcement to vocalisation routines on Track 1). Diebold was aided in this effort by a team of dedicated experts and secondary facilities: Harris Newman (Greymarket Mastering) and Radwan Moumneh (Hotel2Tango Studio) provided on-site signal capture and monitoring; Harris, Radwan and Jace Lasek (Breakglass Studio) helped to create a balanced and objective assessment of these signals; and Harris locked everything into place using a technique he calls "mastering"." Both formats come packaged in silk-screened jackets. HERE

The first vinyl release by Small Doses, “Rural Moon Haze” is the little record’s contribution by Warmth: a looping drone of entropic sounds consequently made noise, the track intensifies with each pass, the distress of engines and whistle of collapsing breath swallowed in the hum of twilight; the banal scene is disquieted as the elements realize an ascending invasion, by craft or cataclysm, deforesting this calm like so many Rome Plows. Simpl(e)y amazing. Past the sound-check of your mom’s first cassette recorder, the busy sounds of Medroxy Progesterone Acetate billow, somewhere familiar to Skaters, Axolotl, and of course, teammates Warmth: “Drift When You Have No Gravity” is weighted evenly between steady, rimmed-crystal vibes and a violent, squealing hiss of air whipping about with little constraint; the deteriorating voice of an android yoga instructor crumbles beneath the havoc like the earlier passes of Lucier’s “Sittting”, and like the unusual and fantastic work of Quilts, this pastoral ambience bends to the encroaching of novel foci, in the final throes vacuumed by a recorder’s cinch. On black vinyl in sexy, color-printed and die-cut sleeves of heavy paper. Cross-listed with Pilage Tapes, and limited to 300 copies. Perfect in its brevity; highly recommended. (Small Doses 7”, $6 HERE)

Digitalis will crush you and your fat baby:

ace010: scott tuma - 'not for nobody' CD $13
"To me, Scott Tuma is a bit of a legend. From his days with the seminal Souled American to performing with Boxhead Ensemble his two incredible solo records, "Hard Again" and "The River 1 2 3 4," there are few musicians with such a quality discography. I kept waiting for him to drop another solo record, but it never came. So when I learned that he'd been working with members of Zelienople under the moniker Good Stuff House, I jumped at the chance to make contact. A few emails were exchanged, and 18 months later after the birth of Tuma's second child, "Not For Nobody" was finally ready. It's been nearly five years, but the wait has definitely been worth it. "Not For Nobody" hits you hard, straight in the throat. These mostly-acoustic compositions, recorded with guitar, banjo, harmonium, and percussion among other instruments, are steeped in an elegance that few artists can master. "Not For Nobody" marks the triumphant return of a musician sorely missed. It is dripping with beauty and melancholy and hope for something better. This is an album for the ages." Housed in silkscreened gatefold jackets. Touch it

ace009: twinsistermoon - 'levels & crossings' CD $13
"Vitre, France's duo Natural Snow Buildings made a huge splash a few years ago with their self-released masterwork, "The Dance of the Moon and the Sun." It was ultra-limited and packaged in immaculate fashion. It caused quite a stir and has been talked about at length on any number of prominent websites. This was furthered last year when 1/2 of the group, Mehdi Amaziane, released his first solo album as Twinsistermoon. It was every bit as enchanting as Natural Snow Buildings. Again, the initial run was highly limited and sold-out immediately though reissue plans for that album are in the works with Time-Lag Records & Digitalis. This year the dream continued with the release of "Levels & Crossings." With a first edition of 36 copies, those lucky to hear it were awestruck. After one listen, it was obvious that it had to be reissued and unleashed into the world. And with that in mind, we're extremely proud to offer the first widely available release from this duo with "Levels & Crossings" reissued in its full, exquisite glory. While the packaging won't be an exact replica, it features full-color 6-panel gatefold jackets from Stumptown, showing off the genius of Solange Gularte's Mayan-inspired drawings. They are true works of art, intricate and beautiful with a close relationship to the aural ideas Amaziane expresses. Musically, Twinsistermoon is all over the map. At times it is reminiscent of '60s folk music. Amaziane's voice will fool you into thinking he is the female half of the group. He sounds more like Vashti Bunyan than Nick Drake. His voice is beautiful. But where "Levels & Crossings" really shines is in the passages where Amaziane unleashes walls of organic, shimmering drones. The intermingling of straightforward songs and immense sheets of sound is perfect. Even with the album's extended length, the dichotomy creates such a dynamic that you never lose interest.
Twinsistermoon is a force to be reckoned with." Strictly limited to 500 copies. Look it

THE LAST PLACE TO GO

Holy shit! Grasp it:

Raamatulliset miehet s/t (Luovaja lvjcdr005) CDr 5€(EU)/$7(elsewhere)
"The newest release from the Finnish Luovaja label is out! Raamatulliset miehet (‘The Biblical Men’) is a duo of Paulus Aslak and Tiitus August (of Vapaa and The Free Player for example) and their debut album is the most essential avantgardepostnewwavegospelmuzak-album of all time. Experimental elevator electronics. Plus it includes especially cool mini poster!" Limited edition of 50 copies.

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Checking in on the most recent contributions from The Social Registry’s monthly 7” series called The Social Club, we find a trio of international artists offering a wide breadth of sounds in six little grooves:

November - Stuttgart’s communal outsiders Metabolismus begin the year with two tracks recorded under the heavy spell of Samara Lubelski who shares her own proven blend of golden-brown smoke: A-side “Snowy Meadows” is a lightly psychedelic chamber-pop romp enhanced with strings, hand-percussion, jaw-harp and other gypsy ornaments, and a lazy chorus of subtly complex melodies, all led by the lull of Lubelski’s husky whisper. Turn it over and “Lullabye” offers an equally entrancing charm of electric guitar and vibes set to the metronome of a ticking clock, winds and strings entering in a sweep with light, wordless vocals and bass murmurs packed like so many more pillows around the den. Look for a full-length soon; and if you don’t see one, demand it.

December – Released in anticipation of their extended player out this month on TSR, the duo of Denardo and Doria present the estranged pieces of the would-be fifth LP by Growing: entitled “Disconfirm” and “Horizon Drift”, the tracks appear as the missing link between the old and the new. The former a channel jogging locomotive of steam-powered machinations and bass flutters ala the smart sess of ‘His Return’, the composition a solar-system of satellite effects most like ‘Color Wheel’ yet grounded in the spheres of all works forthwith. And then, on the latter, the rods’n’cones dilly-Dali of the last two years – bulbous, arhythmic bass and perky tweeters, that unexpected merger with Black Dice – here refreshingly altered through a confluence of band-icon La Monte Young’s experimental stochasm, a peppering of radical noise bodies guided by the eternal drone of a homely organ.

February – In skipping a month, TSR is taking another broad step from the hybrid dance of Gang Gang Dance’s most recent ‘RAWWAR’, and likely recruited by the selfsame jet-set, the ‘Klap Perker’ disc by Copenhagen’s Kid Kishore is a hyperactive dust-up of erratic drum’n’bass and Bollywood fragments channeled by the Indian descendent. Namesake “Klap Perker” features the subversive lyrical delivery of Creole cut-ups (ala the B-sides of Tricky) fitted to a mattress bounce and excess of handclaps babbling like a tabla over a driving bump. Capping the side, “Eow La Vaer Og Spil Dum” is overwhelmed by the Danish phrase chopped and gently manipulated into a wreckless, yet strangely grounded rhythm. On the reverse, the “Lady Smita Version” of the title track for the most part comes as an alternate version of the original, though now with the angst of a young female vocalist and horn samples emphasizing the previously-missed hum of strings likening the timbres to many of M.I.A.’s most enthusiastic tracks. Lastly, “Nahi Babba Sitar Speed Grime” sounds exactly as you might think, a cartoonish raga of sitar and vocal samples ushering out the little record with some lighter beats. (Available 2/19)

Each record comes on black vinyl in a letter-pressed sleeve, hand-numbered to 750 copies. Available in stores or by subscription. (Social Registry 7”, $6 each/$33 per six HERE)

Sam Gillespie, one-half of Quilts, has been recording some solo material while the band takes a powder:

"All of the tracks were recorded and mixed at my house (usually after midnight... I've had sleep problems since I was a kid). I've been working on tracks for about a year and only in the last few months has it really materialized into something worthwhile. It's taken so long because for awhile now I've wanted to get out of the relentless scene of easily hashed out or disposable noise/drone but still make something as modern and screwed up as possible. I do still listen to some of the more abstract stuff, but I just can't make it anymore. So I guess it reflects that, and lately my love for modern production and pop melody, ambient environments, and old industrial records. Who knows what else. I plan to have the EP out on American Grizzly soon, then the full length, not sure what that will be on. I plan to update that MySpace with a couple more tracks soon."

Get it HERE

Hot nü rocks from Stunned Records:

EUREKA - 'Eureka' (Stunned no. 1) CDr $7
"When guitar player William Giacchi launched his live action vision Magic Lantern a few years ago, an equal and opposite reaction occurred in the form of solo gig EUREKA. But unlike the Lantern's sundazed psychrock, Eureka emits a majestic glacial glow, frozen within you and without you like a grizzly gone into heightened-consciousness hibernation. On Eureka, Giacchi gives birth to a triplet of worlds, each with an atmosphere more dense and intense than the last. Ice floe guitar drones mingle with shivering, distant feedback and frostbitten percussion clatter - all to elating effect. Everything is suspended in minimalist ecstasy, and if it travels, it travels vertically either down into the hard ground or up up into the ether. Purify the royal light dome that is your mind with this stunning inaugural Stunned Records ltd." edition of 25 taiyo yuden cdrs in heavy duty psychedelic-woodgrain slipcase.

Ear & Throat - 'Viaje' (Stunned no. 2) CDr $7
"Is reality a hallucination caused by lack of psychedelica? Ear & Throat dares to answer this question and many more. Like, how many different styles and environments can a single guy effortlessly evoke on his solo record? The answer to that is simple just minutes into David Almeida's journey Viaje, given the Stunned Records treatment here after our three years of hometaping and cdr trading with David. Ever since his first ventures into the Los Angeles noise/metal/hardcore scene nearly 15 years ago, Ear & Throat has been refining his own unique style literally in reclusion. Touchstones of krautrock, early dub, field recording, organ, classical minimalism, and traditional Asian and Indian forms all contribute to the ultimately heady and heavy blend. Early in 2007, David and his girlfriend Erin embarked on a 6-month Winnebago tour to Vancouver BC and back. Viaje is an accumulation of sound either recorded shortly prior to leaving, or on the road itself. With a setup one-third the size of his home studio, David was able to capture whole new connections with wildlife, seasons, and plants on his mobile taping adventure. Most pieces roll out layers of fuzzed/flanged organ drone over which hypnotic hand-percussion rhythms and musty analog tape spools somehow gain footing for perfect opium den groovin. Its a place you don't want to leave soon: smoke-soaked, never rushed, always swirling in blissed-out stasis. Despite being back home in the smoggy bosom of L.A. County, Ear & Throat fully intends to continue traveling to new lands, summoning the fantasies out of the Everyday straight into his 4-track." Limited edition 25 taiyo yuden cdrs in secret-script heavy cottonpaper slipsleeves.

WEBSITE

Tapes! from I Just Live Here:

IJLH036: Blue Shift - 'Worm Charmer' C33 $6 US/$10 World
"16 totally diverse tracks ranging from lo-fi violin manglings, to violin + organ synth duos, to full band style songs. all over the place and awesome. white and blue silkscreens on black paper." edition of 50.

IJLH037: Tusco Terror - 'Golden Touch' C22 $6 US/$10 World
"collection of recordings from 2004-2007, giving people more of the inept ramblings of sound they've come to expect from these weirdos. white and black silkscreens on red paper." edition of 50.

WEBSITE

Fresh from the MJC:

MJC169 JAZZFINGER - 'Wooden Women Will' C60 $7(No. Americas)/$10(World)
"please enjoy this highly recommended audio blend from smashing UK-based Jazzfinger. Weave textured tapestries built over beautiful blasted drone tones~side a opens with the spectacular 20 minute "a truce between the trees" where synth drones complimented by what sounds like plucking bicycle spokes~ from there resonating ancient ghost melodies form in the clouds from the caves and branches twist in the soil skin. A piano-laced haunting is an eerie soother. side b=3 shining clashing clawed growling knocking of strings & thing sand smothered vocals buzzing dazed head thru cities empty streets at dawn~ ending midsnowstorm. Get 'fingered." limited to 69

MJC173 'HAMMER LIVE 8' C60 $7(No. Americas)/$10(World)
"recorded live at the Casbah Lounge feb 08 side a= BOTTOM FEEDER with boots full of mud Scott Johnson & Jeremiah Buchan take their horn warning squeak & murk timing known as part of the Fossils crew but they bring it way deep down in the waste sludge of Hamilton harbor where time disappears & there is no way out.... FOSSILS Boughner/Payne/Smith line-up ~ angry boats bashin against rocks space motorcycle races & various forms of social tunneling side b=JUSTICE YELDHAM from downunder wipes his nose &skates his face on a sheet of glass& blows some Canadian brains." limited to 50

'SHORTY TAPES' series {for that quick fix}

MJC170/sht'1 F0SSILS - 'old smokes' C20 $7(No. Americas)/$10(World)
"horns drag the lake for missing girl ~ tones in her bones echo to the surface. screaming, sliding on scissors~ eternal haunting. cuts featuring Boughner, Buchan, Johnson, Payne and Smith."

MJC171/sht'2 F0SSILS - 'new bones' C20 $7(No. Americas)/$10(World)
"further destruction & sonic depression. a metal balloon filled with smoke. dead stations collide & echo in steel coffins. Fossils as Boughner, Payne and Smith."

MJC172/sht'3 FEEDBOG 6 C10 $7(No. Americas)/$10(World)
"'Nother in the collab series of Payne & Derek Gedalecia {Head Boggle dia}.
crude prepared guitar, amplified garbage and general messiness direct to cassette sent from the Hammer to San Fran. picked poked cut and colored splatter patterns sent into another space/time via sci-fi synth accompaniment & extra dosed weird. Payne smoked in the Canadian cold; Derek edited&mixed under California sun. get bogged~" all shts limited to 50.

NOW

Oh yeah, and this one is about Scumbag Relations:



Jungle Gym Vaginas - 'Wavy Caps' C20 $7
"may interrupt cluster sequences in those suffering from cluster headaches"

Mariko Sugawara/Crown Now split C45 $7
"synth babe from japan backed with intermedia strategists crown now doing the vocal/tape scum thing."

Sisters Free From Bondage - 'Heavey Mirage' one-sided C45 $7
"fried solo violin"

Pink Buffalo - 'Tassili Plateau' C45 $7
"monstrous cubical crystals"

HERE

From Students of Decay. Compact disc, review thyself:

SOD-60/61 Isengrind/Twinsistermoon/Natural Snow Buildings - 'The Snowbringer Cult' 2CD $28
"Enter the Snowbringer Cult. Lo, behold the great arrival. Over the course of several private press releases, all of which will see much needed CD reissues later this year, and the gone-in-the-blink-of-an-eye "Laurie Bird" CDR that we released in early February '08, the music and artwork of Mehdi Ameziane and Solange Gularte has become the stuff of legend. Such is the case despite the fact that the amount of people who have actually been fortunate enough to acquire physical copies of these wondrous releases numbers in the mere low hundreds. "The Snowbringer Cult" then, in all of its epic glory, is what you might call an entirely necessary and long overdue coming out release by France's mighty Natural Snow Buildings.
The album is composed of two jam-packed discs of brand new material recorded in the final months of 2007, the first being a split between the duo's solo projects: Isengrind (Gularte) and Twinsistermoon (Ameziane). Here, the pair's tendency to occupy the full 80 minute capacity of the CD medium proves ideal, as both solo projects effectively have a full 40 minutes in which to sketch their respective sonic visions. Disc one begins with the exotic ethnodrones of Isengrind, with Gularte transporting us to some blasted bazaar where Eastern strings, haunted vocals and a marvelous universe of shaken and beaten percussion emanates from every dark corner of the windswept streets. "To Ride With Holle" could be a merging of the resonant clatter of "Empty Bell"-era Pelt with the enchanted peaks of the Taj Mahal Travellers' bleary eyed beachside reveries. Elsewhere, Gularte presents us with tribal landscapes that wouldn't be out of place on the most captivating of Sublime Frequencies releases, as is the case on "Wooden False Face." Ever the chameleon, throughout her half of the split Gularte takes us to deep, dark places, such as the barren netherworld of "Sun Dusk Wand," as well as the bright, blue summits found in her magnificent closing piece "Anima Sola."
Emerging from Isengrind's lush soundworlds are Mehdi Ameziane's own solo flights as Twinsistermoon, which begin with the keening, sprawling "Amantsokan," a truly mesmerizing dirge. It is with "The Spears of the Wolf" however, that the course of this split album is wonderfully altered. Here, Ameziane channels the most affecting qualities of 70's British folk music with wondrous, transportive results. Ameziane's take on the folk song is reminiscent of the pastoral diddies of Vashti Bunyan or perhaps some long lost Linda Perhacs or Anne Briggs recording, all plaintive nylon strings and warm, whispered voices. It is thus that the Twinsistermoon half of the split oscillates effortlessly between two seemingly disparate styles: that of the nostalgic, crestfallen folk song ("Spells," "Water Barrier," "Kingdom of the Sea") and that of the slow burning drone epic ("Order of the Dreamt," "Bones Memories," "Understars"), no small feat indeed.
For the album's colossal third installment, Ameziane and Gularte join forces under the Natural Snow Buildings moniker for the entirety of disc two. It is here that all of the diversity and compositional prowess evidenced by the pair's solo recordings coheres into the remarkably refined and singular NSB sound. "Resurrect Dead on Planet Six" kicks things off, a horde of screaming, lost specters howling across one thousand endless starry nights. On "Ongon's Rattle," a doomed mass gathers for a ritual processional, with Ameziane and Gularte's moss-laden forest chants floating atop a wistful, rhythmic undertow that is evocative of the best qualities of early Godspeed You! Black Emperor and the rest of the Constellation Records roster. After the sunlit drift of "Inuk's Song," Ameziane and Gularte unleash in the title track what is undoubtedly one of their most compelling compositions to date. A deluge of frenzied woodwind tones gives rise to a blasted sea shanty lament driven forward by collapsing synth lines, booming percussion and increasingly urgent, searing blasts of pure bliss drone guitar. The enigmatic forest dwellers raise their voices again on the shambling, reverent "Gone," and, later, "Salt Signs" continues the beautiful trajectory established by the title track with its impossibly towering summits of synth and string drones that are gradually tempered by kraut-inflected percussion and drifting, rhythmic guitar work. Later, "The Desert Has Eyes" finds a tribal raga positively eviscerated by blistering sheets of pure whiteout feedback and cascading sine waves. The album ostensibly closes with an ocean of elegiac organ tones woven into a tight coda. However, an emphatic exclamation point to the monster that is "The Snowbringer Cult" occurs with the album's hidden track, wherein an utterly levitating torrent of pounding percussion, hummed vocals and post-Flying Saucer Attack fuzzbox guitar attack scream out into the void. If this seems like a lot to take in - it surely is, but such is the nature of the Natural Snow Buildings cosmos. Enter the Snowbringer Cult. Lo, behold the great arrival." ltd.1000. HERE (with samples)

Speaking of which:



NP036 Wet Hair - 'Irifi' C20 $5
"Wet Hair is the new solo outing of Raccoo-oo-oon member Shawn Reed. Cult vibe organ drone, slowed down tape hiss percussion warble, and chanted vocal bathed in echo, provide the basics for Irifi, a lone march across a desert, these are droney reverberations tinted with pop influence cloaked in the dark , music for vampires. Recorded by Ryan Garbes for maximal blow out. Expect more from this quickly evolving project soon. Artwork by SDReed."

NP034 Evan Miller - 'S/T' C16 $5
"Miller is back at it with a new tape for Night-People. This one cuts real deep, Miller at his most epic. The A side starts things up with deep echo's swimming around cut up tape manipulations, leading into chambers of drone with Miller's characteristic tonal vocals transitioning into a kind of finger picked sentimental raga. The B side offers up a real burner, perhaps Millers best straight acoustic number, a real beautiful complex side that plays between minimalistic somber portions and upbeat workouts. Artwork by SDReed."

NP033 Raccoo-oo-oon - 'Mythos Folkways Vol. IV, Future Vision' C40 $5
"New live Raccoo-oo-oon document, recorded one early Jan. winter afternoon at the Cave of Spirits in Iowa City by Ryan Garbes to stereo cassette deck. A side is groovy future fusion scramble, melodic vocal chants rolling over tight percussion flows that ride like kenetic energy blasting into the atmosphere. B side is blown out guitar burners giving way to dark night ride vibes. In general think about starring out of your sunglasses at the end of the world and thinking this is alright. Artwork by SDReed and RGarbes."

NP032 Koi Pond - 'Volcano' C61 $5
"Koi Pond is a three piece from NYC made up of some generally awesome dudes. Erik Roper plays bass and is a legendary artist/illustrator who does work for numerous bands, labels and publications such as Arthur, Southern Lord etc. while also playing in other bands such as Under Satans Sun and Mattalama. Pete Vogal plays synth while also jamming in Bow Ribbons, and designs arwork for clothes, David Aron plays drums, is the perpetrator for Little Cakes Gallery, used to skateboard alot, makes rad visual artwork, and jams in USUN with Mark Borthwick and Hisham Bharoocha. Despite these dudes epic resumes, Koi Pond is epic all on its own. Volcano is all about cosmic grooves, deep often minimal, endless repetitions that slowly evolve into more psyched out blissed out trances. Roper and Arons tight rhythmic foundations create the perfect backdrop for Vogal's synth improvisations. This is a meditative listen that never gets old, it just keeps grooving on and on forever. Like Neu covering Dark Magus in a Tibetan Monastery. Artwork by Dave Aron, printing by SDReed."

NP031 Pocahaunted - 'Beast That You Are' C30 $5
"This Los Angeles based duo needs no introduction, emails have been flowing in about this tape before Night People even had them assembled. Psychedelic sisters of an ancient Californian apocalypse, Pocahuanted call out some hazy echoes over the valley on this tape of blown out guitar jamming, pre-american vocal serenity, and saxophone wash and skronk (provided by Andy Spore). Another killer outing from this prolific left coast institution. Artwork by SDReed."

NP035 Ryan Garbes book $4
"Ryan Garbes' first DIY book on Night People. Detailed description coming soon." Samples images at the site.

NP043 Ryan Garbes - 'Freedom Now' FREE DOWNLOAD (available HERE)
"Whats Garbes getting into these days, with his blown out over saturated tape production style, broken guitar, jazz fusion drum styles? Freedom Now Suite? downloadable album? just keeps getting weirder. Right from the start this is a great release, things get started with an ultra melodic guitar driven burner, then things start to break down, strange broken down beats, rythms and rough guitar styles, blown apart but still riding on some kind of wave of upbeat melody. Hidden in there somewhere is even some church organ jams. Another killer what the fuck new age punk blast from Raccoo-oo-oon drummer, visual artist, generally siked dude, Ryan Garbes."

WBESTEI

The triumphant return of Changeling to the Animal Psi palimpsest is not exceptional, nor particularly raucous: though amiss on this site from the slow-going of his own Buried Valley label, Roy Tatum has been busy as all hell, most recently releasing tapes in three days time on Abandon Ship, Not Not Fun, and Twonicorn (not to mention his work as Black Monk or drumming for Quintana Roo), and now presenting the ‘Beyond the Edge of Dreams’ C32 on Night People, the next tile in his progressively harmonic collection of drones. Having shed the need for titles and other such lineament, the tape is an amorphous, untitled stretch divided only by its two sides and the occasional indenture. The first, a warm drone with chiming guitar ornament resonates as ripples in water, the various strains practically converging to a single channel of noise with total warmth reflecting the synthesized sounds of Vangelis, Popol Vuh, and Stars of the Lid alike. On the reverse, a darker beckoning of a minor key holds in a constant state of diffusion, with the high lilt of an organ bending upward over the steady hum of bass drone. Following an odd, abrupt gap, the warm harmony resumes (in sentiment, it’s not just the same track) with shimmering staccato and deep murmurs, likely all the craft of guitar – though the point is moot; various melodic strands peel off to stand alone before disappearing like feathers in flight. Beautifully-screened label and J-card by Shawn Reed. (Night People cassette, $5 HERE)

WHITMAN - 'White Sunrise' LP $12
"You may remember hearing the name of this record at some point a few years ago, which would not be much of a suprise since this album has been in the works for a little over five years now. This is Whitman's fourth full-length, and outdoes all of his previous work in just about every way. Recorded to tape at the Pixel Palace (rip) in Riverside, Ca. by Gilbert Loera and including more guest musicians than you can count on your fingers, one could say that this is his masterpiece (at least at this point). This is a collection of thirteen songs, choked out in smog and violence, dark and dusty. Lonelier than ever, voice raising high and loud before cracking." Comes on a white vinyl LP with pro-printed labels, housed in recycled record covers with two-color silkscreened artwork by Tara Tavi (Amps for Christ / Auto Da Fe) and a small lyric book. Limited to 500 copies.
Co-released with Shrimper Records. all orders placed before April 1st will include a CDr of the album.

HOME

Carlos Giffoni - 'Eternal Noise' CD
"Carlos Giffoni knows no mercy. Of all the noise terrorists on the loose today, Giffoni causes the most upheaval. We know he specialises in brutal and invincible noise collages, but there is so much more to it than that. There is always a glimmer of hope that shines through the dense clouds of noise. His noise lives, broods and swings. His latest album for Bottrop-Boy is a true revelation in this respect, not just for the listener, but also for the artist himself. After all, the Venezuelan artist, who is based in New York, has conceded that this is a new style for him. With Eternal Noise Carlos Giffoni enters the holiest of holies, his noise nirvana. Even though Giffoni’s earlier works already sounded impressively organic, with Eternal Noise he is heading for new heights. His customary thick layers of noise sound more subtle than ever before. The four-part suite maintains physical impact, but all faces are turned to heaven, towards eternity. Rather than a noise exercise that sounds like a wrestling match in the dirt, this recording represents ascension towards the sun and open heavens. At times you will find yourself almost drowning in the feedback splashing against you, at other times you will find yourself breathlessly captivated by the peregrinations, whirls and swells of sinus tones. Giffoni is genuinely inspired by the avant-garde music of the 20th century and the results are miraculous. How Giffoni creates his compositions is of no importance. This is all about their effect on your mood, the spectacle of your ravished soul. You find yourself asking how it is possible that such loud and intense music can be so tranquil and meditative at the same time. Eternal Noise reconfirms Giffoni’s status as the uncrowned king of contemporary noise. Bottrop-Boy is proud to release this key work in Giffoni’s oeuvre."

New Humans - 'AKA Vito Acconci / New Humans / C. Spencer Yeh' CD
"Noise surrounds and permeates us, and no one is more responsible than the New Humans from that loudest and noisiest of metropolises: New York. From installation art to ear splitting live concerts, this infernal power trio lead by artist Mika Tajimi eschews no collaboration, no matter how insane. Guitarist and artistic leader Tajimi is supported by electronics specialist and voice acrobat Howie Chen, drummer Eric Tsai, as well as a large number of guest musicians. The New Humans like nothing more than to drag friend and foe with them into their noise avalanches. Semishigure proudly presents the fourth release, a unique live collaboration with artist Vito Acconci, a pioneer of body/conceptual art, and vintage experimentalist C. Spencer Yeh. This album consists of two concerts that took place during an exposition of the collective at the Elizabeth Dee Gallery in New York. Two electrifying, memorable performances that just had to be registered on CD. The last time American performance legend Vito Acconci collaborated with a band was more than ten years ago, when he worked with punk rock brigade the Mekons. A similarly untainted, classically grim punk attitude shines through in his spoken word performance with the New Humans. “You in the Background” is the name of their jointly raised middle finger to the world. Floating on the ominously swelling waves of noise created by the New Humans, Acconci throws all frustrations overboard. Captive to a feverish, shamanic trip, Acconci speaks of each and everyone’s search for their own identity. Acconci has made a special selection from his audio works for the occasion. Texts such as “Now do you believe the dirty dogs are dead” (1978) and “Cry, baby!” (1977) still sound like screams for enlightenment and liberation. C. Spencer Yeh’s plaintive violin careens into the impenetrable wailing wall of feedback. The New Humans not just voice, but scream their anger of life under the Bush regime, and in Acconci they have found a worthy ally. C. Spencer Yeh and the New Humans go the whole hog on the second live concert, an immensely loud drone séance lasting half an hour. Like no other, radical violinist Yeh manages to infiltrate any collective, be it Dream/Aktion Unit, Comets of Fire or Smegma. Through his trademark exorcising Velvets violin sound Yeh manages to create unbearable tension with the New Humans’ sound avalanches in hot pursuit. During the performance, a glass sculpture is destroyed and the noise of its breaking amplified. At any moment the waves of noise terror threaten to submerge Yeh, but he stands firm. Thank God this all-engulfing live experience has been registered for posterity!"

HERE

Spencer Owen - 'Logic' LP
"Once upon a time Prince, R. Stevie Moore, and Augustus Pablo all touched toenails, after a combined pregnancy of 23 years they gave birth to a fully formed “voodoo baby” named Spencer Owen. Owen is the insanely prolific, home-taping, rhythmystical, master of voice and melodica…with 12 previous albums spreading their seed across innumerable styles of music, “Logic” is the first magic-child of a new (but long overdue) genre: Lo-fi R&B. This pink disc holds heart-rendering slow-jams with just enough reggae, just enough soul, just enough R. Kelly, tape hiss, and timeless beauty, to form a new school in expression without inhibition. Can you get to that? recorded at home on 8-track cassette tape, mastered by John Golden." Limited to 300 on pink vinyl, w/handmade velum sleeves (off-set printed & hand lettered). Release includes CD version.

Sean Smith - 'Eternal' LP
"Sean Smith is a modern composer of ageless guitar folketry [instrumental poetry]. With several masterful solo-guitar albums behind him, Smith has been drawn out of his hermetic recording life by the power and potential of collaboration, presented here on this record! Sean Smith becomes more fully fructified in the company of his friends, one voice becomes many (instruments)… 6-string steel, Weissenborn [slide], & nylon-string guitars, with dulcimer, banjo, violin, organ, drums, & electric wall of sound… his guitar breathes deeply in this new depth of field and altered sonic state, giving bright light and love to his powerfully emotive instrumental songs. This is a pure analog recording, recorded and mixed to 2-inch reel-to-reel tape, mastered directly from tape to vinyl by John Golden!" Limited to 300 on heavy vinyl, w/deluxe hand-letter pressed sleeves.

WEBSITE

Blank Realm - 'The Returner' CS $5
"It gets said a lot (and for good reason) but shit is the internet ever weird. We’ve had the good fortune to get outta the city/state/USA plenty of times but life’s short and the dollar’s weak so we haven’t trekked to most of the globe’s zones for firsthand audio-anthropology, and yet thanks to Firefox/Safari/whatever we are fairly well informed about the crucial psych emissions of Brisbane hypno-squad Blank Realm (thanks, online experience). So here we are. The Returner is BR’s most recent rusted grain silo mood piece cluster and though it might be their cleanest (fidelity-wise) crop of tracks to date, it also might be their trickiest one to pin down. Range-roving from overloaded bliss-noise collectivism to haunted barn bleak-folk death rattles, this C51 stakes out an endless outback of next-generation Musics Your Mind Will Love head-melt alternatives." Tape-labelled tapes in cases with full-color collage J-cards by Manda plus tied with black tassels. Edition of 100.

PRESENTS