tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46082205423313426472024-03-13T11:19:28.147-07:00V I R T U A L R I T U A Lgglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-18963395440165893922012-06-11T07:50:00.001-07:002012-11-11T15:49:26.122-08:00UpdateHello everyone. Thanks for browsing this website. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and so I am not really in a state to give anything a deserving critique. I apologize, but thank you for understanding.<br />
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lots of love,<br />
Georgegglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-76404307228659885722012-05-03T23:50:00.001-07:002012-05-03T23:50:31.161-07:00Extra Large Childe – Awesome Bummer (Algae, 2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtRdRYUkhT8v7_d867w6eLE_JmVnE59Kteq7lTDzI1bIdYFf7GG3Yk3JRCHW5gRgMgIrPVDFucra8nsnx-dr3TpEuFXVLn3Zx24mQ41tpghOK1FNnDTA2CH2TnDf3f8xRjYQQfRcYRqk/s1600/extralargechilde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtRdRYUkhT8v7_d867w6eLE_JmVnE59Kteq7lTDzI1bIdYFf7GG3Yk3JRCHW5gRgMgIrPVDFucra8nsnx-dr3TpEuFXVLn3Zx24mQ41tpghOK1FNnDTA2CH2TnDf3f8xRjYQQfRcYRqk/s320/extralargechilde.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Extra Large Childe – Awesome Bummer<br />
Algae 2010<br />
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Extra Large Childe is a Detroit-area group featuring Alana Carlson, Mike Ross, Jeff Spatafora, Kirk Van Husen, and Justin Walsh. This cassette release was recorded in Ferndale and Royal Oak Michigan in 2009. “Court Order” begins with a field recording of a group of people in conversation, soon submerged by piercing, dissonant guitar drones and a skittish, free-form drum set. The track has an improvisatory, noise rock aesthetic, and in all honesty, it sounds like a half-assed jam session. The production on “Double Adapter” has a much better quality, and the song is better crafted. It’s not just because it has more of an organized song structure; it’s because it sounds like more work went into it, even if it is simple and minimalist. The funky bass and repetitive, angular guitar riffs feed well off each other. As the tape continues, the music maintains a rather discordant, jangly, off-kilter rock style. There’s a fair share of just plain goofing off (i.e., on “Maybe Tempestuous”). “Extra Love Child” has a more ambient sound much different than most of the other songs. It is composed of a short, looping bell melody, maybe from a synth. A free form acoustic guitar subtly adds textural sounds underneath. A crunchy, oscillating analog synth fades in and out, also joined by another warm, looping synth melody, interweaving with the first bell loop. It is the most intriguing song on the tape. It is followed by “Fight Night”, another good display of minimalist craft. The only melodic instrument in the song is the bass and it only plays one note the whole way through. But the emphasis is on the magic of polyrhythmic playfulness, supported by a propulsive drum set and cowbell.<br />
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<iframe width="300" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4041382121/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4291/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://extralargechilde.bandcamp.com/album/awesome-bummer">Awesome Bummer by Extra Large Childe</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-58846975262259949322012-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:002012-04-30T21:57:49.739-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRaDCowLjoyTWunox-iGRnsGyWf12cUXzLBKfzDn-tA3wK28ePtNPI64dK88nkdeA2_6pdlAQZ3N6iKDU3nxu1l6LlEM-nTjHpXvMg3rHuo49CqtgykAS_TAnsLou_9Evlku2i0j4_E4/s1600/m1gs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRaDCowLjoyTWunox-iGRnsGyWf12cUXzLBKfzDn-tA3wK28ePtNPI64dK88nkdeA2_6pdlAQZ3N6iKDU3nxu1l6LlEM-nTjHpXvMg3rHuo49CqtgykAS_TAnsLou_9Evlku2i0j4_E4/s400/m1gs.png" /></a></div><br />
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<br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-73641592202935582632012-04-29T14:43:00.002-07:002012-04-29T14:43:11.734-07:00Ender Belongs to Me – Memory (Crash Symbols, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1J9wBhbY4bOsRAo7FRNx_-gICBxcL85Fr_lG8uGwDc0uShdXX8MJRGgsGFkPQsh-pvf5FSFOH9KLcW5H6bNX-epSRBW4P1bTvuqoj8bpOx6CFWHjD16d_7mDT-hzOuE3agl71aEXSBM/s1600/enderbelongstome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1J9wBhbY4bOsRAo7FRNx_-gICBxcL85Fr_lG8uGwDc0uShdXX8MJRGgsGFkPQsh-pvf5FSFOH9KLcW5H6bNX-epSRBW4P1bTvuqoj8bpOx6CFWHjD16d_7mDT-hzOuE3agl71aEXSBM/s320/enderbelongstome.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Ender Belongs to Me – Memory<br />
Crash Symbols 2012<br />
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Ender Belongs to Me is a New York based duo, both going by the pseudo-name Peter Wiggin, the violent older brother from the sci-fi novel Ender’s Game. “Kick/Scream” features melancholic, flange-y synth melodies with an experimental pop structure. The melodic hooks are gentle and catchy, supported by drum set and minimalist drum machine patter. “You, Sir” quickly brought to mind Gang Gang Dance, in large part due to the groovy drum machine rhythms and their echo-y textures. It could also be their pairing with the female vocals, which we hear for the first time. The synths keep the flange tinge, and this time they are really in a locked rhythmic groove with the drum machine throughout the song, which sounds great. “Animate” begins with hypnotic, polyrhythmic, metallic bell clatter soon joined by found sound spoken word distortion. The synths enter the mix, sounding slightly more dissonant and more like a piano (no flange). Initially the percussion seems very organic, like a human was actually hitting things (though perhaps not), yet as the song progresses it subtly mutates into a quantized drum machine, which sounds good too. “All Working” is composed of repetitive, minimalist synth layers that are beautifully gentle and rhythmic. When the soft 4/4 bass and digital patter kick in amongst the synths the piece becomes quite cheerful and danc-y. In “Teddymuffin”, the female vocals become more long-form and chant-like towards the end of the piece, joined by churning drum samples and pulsating synths, acting more as a rhythmic bass. <br />
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Cassette for purchase:<br />
<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2760222189/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4288/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://crashsymbols.bandcamp.com/album/memory">Memory by Ender Belongs to Me</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-28673221935881933282012-04-28T12:47:00.000-07:002012-04-28T12:47:10.716-07:00Welcome Back Sailors – (Love) That’s All (Crash Symbols, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNqrqta2zM5X4Oi9yE6cMz9JTetJztJjqe6QpNTw5bIxEJk5eSjeryaJh9RxkArk_tWFjQe7KwYiK37gQ60izol4v4paoIguZhSFYVg5mFFjZQkVoKLPFZrAUGfOMWiAUXSUHEUs_zbE/s1600/welcomebacksailors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNqrqta2zM5X4Oi9yE6cMz9JTetJztJjqe6QpNTw5bIxEJk5eSjeryaJh9RxkArk_tWFjQe7KwYiK37gQ60izol4v4paoIguZhSFYVg5mFFjZQkVoKLPFZrAUGfOMWiAUXSUHEUs_zbE/s320/welcomebacksailors.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Welcome Back Sailors – (Love) That’s All<br />
Crash Symbols 2012<br />
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Welcome Back Sailors is the duo of Danilo Incerti and Alessio Artoni based in Italy. “Stronger” is a real slow dance of a tune, with a down tempo drum machine. Slightly cheesy synths drift in and out of chords joined by melodramatic vocals. “(Love) That’s All” has a similar psychedelic pop style and instrumentation. There’s a thumping bass riff that makes the piece a bit groovier, kind of like a slowed-down funk/soul track. The vocals throughout the tape remind me of Ariel Pink. “Flesh & Blood” is dancier, with an up-tempo drum machine and arpeggiating synths pulsating about. “Stronger (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix)” brings out the old school, r&b aesthetics in the vocals, maybe emphasized by the drum machine. “Stronger (His Clancyness Cover)” is a rock interpretation of the piece, with rock instrumentation, maintaining the down tempo quality and emphatically emotional vocals. “Flesh & Blood (Death in Plains Remix)” is a dancier and heavier mix than the original. When it is just the vocals and the lightly bouncing synths I dig it the most. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3934425774/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb427e/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://crashsymbols.bandcamp.com/album/love-thats-all">(Love) That's All by Welcome Back Sailors</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-33554739355415105592012-04-27T13:38:00.000-07:002012-04-27T13:38:11.658-07:00Featureless Ghost – Biologically Sound Cyber-Bodies (Crash Symbols, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p589_CM4tI9s6H1RLTpHQNQ-bvhfcq6seASkwC8p01bZwT8dZUafeGYGduap82y-F9CxTITjcJK0mKgPnTB6Ou204Cmme5XRST-jTIb8-7SXxzTMtC1gjqcgGLs-Lx0aiU9Vgt-OAOM/s1600/featurelessghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-p589_CM4tI9s6H1RLTpHQNQ-bvhfcq6seASkwC8p01bZwT8dZUafeGYGduap82y-F9CxTITjcJK0mKgPnTB6Ou204Cmme5XRST-jTIb8-7SXxzTMtC1gjqcgGLs-Lx0aiU9Vgt-OAOM/s320/featurelessghost.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Featureless Ghost – Biologically Sound Cyber-Bodies<br />
Crash Symbols 2012<br />
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Matt Weiner and Elise Trippins formed the duo Featureless Ghost in 2007 in Atlanta. They have also released material on Night-People, Ruralfaune, and Double Phantom Digital. “Brain Case” really translates their theoretical concepts into practice quite well (which, perhaps surprisingly, isn’t always the case between the translation of text/language to a non-linguistic medium, or vice versa). It utilizes retro-futurist rhythm machine aesthetics, pulsating kosmische synth arpeggiations, and lyrics based around motifs of virtuality and cyberspace. They are sung in a sort of cyborg fashion: robotic, mechanical mimicry, yet inherently tied to the limited expressions of the voice/body. The drum machine in “Data Dancer” is a bit more in-your-face and aggressive, joined by layers of repeating synth hooks, and clipping, bubbly (wordless) vocals. The textures of the instrumentation have a more ambient and glitchy consistency. The composition sounds like less work went into it than the previous track (only trying to provide an honest critique here), which in my humble opinion I found to be much better crafted. “Prophet Transmission” consists of similarly lyrical vocals heard in “Brain Case.” This time they more flanged out, which I really enjoy. The synths and drum machine are more subtle and repetitive, acting more as a support for the vocals. In tracks such as “Web Walk” and many of the others, the vocals do a fe/male trade off between Weiner and Trippins, which is often an appealing balance with a duo. The track also does a nice job with the synths, mixing more bass-y and upbeat melodies with shimmering, oceanic ambience. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=429713361/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4287/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://crashsymbols.bandcamp.com/album/biologically-sound-cyber-bodies">Biologically-Sound Cyber-Bodies by Featureless Ghost</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-81670048360301163542012-04-26T01:23:00.001-07:002012-04-26T01:23:54.078-07:00Power Animal – Exorcism (Crash Symbols, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY7Voh_VgHk2X1Z83m4QG21MEltIZltzsYA2UF23c1f2OzrQcEvczSHEuFghrNfG5BFehk3VVkPyyN98twiUD8xWu3dWT8ZuuLnuekDtB6kVGBNPOCYF8pTe-lucA87DO5eeMmxBj_fw/s1600/poweranimal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPY7Voh_VgHk2X1Z83m4QG21MEltIZltzsYA2UF23c1f2OzrQcEvczSHEuFghrNfG5BFehk3VVkPyyN98twiUD8xWu3dWT8ZuuLnuekDtB6kVGBNPOCYF8pTe-lucA87DO5eeMmxBj_fw/s320/poweranimal.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Power Animal is the solo project of Keith Hampson from the Philly area. We received this tape from Decoder magazine’s cassette imprint Crash Symbols. “Better Water” features swells of synths and vocals being played backwards, a technique which for some reason I often enjoy. Underneath the bed of synths and the vocals enters a skittish drum set, giving the dronier vibe of the tune a more rocking beat to it. “Rough Year (Interlude)” has a more drum machine and glitchy quality filled with intermittent samples. The piece gets pretty groovy around a minute and a half in, when polyrhythms develop on the vibraphone, drum machine, and maybe a synth. “Mold Spores” consists of crunchy drum machine textures mixed with synth and banjo (?) instrumentation. “Bow and Arrow” is introduced by beautiful acappella vocals soon joined by down to mid tempo drum machine distortion. The title track, “Exorcism” incorporates military marching band style snare rhythms mixed with a 4/4 house beat. Hampson’s lyrics give all the tracks a unique pop sensibility amongst all of the sample-delica. <br />
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The B side of the tape features remixes of the first five original tracks by a variety of artists. “Better Water (Lushlife Remix)” is kind of a more tripped out, delayed out take with a glittery, descending sample and down tempo, funk/r&b drum machine. “Bow and Arrow (Melting Season Remix)” is also funkier on the drum machine, joined by digital shaker percussion and bassy synth tones. I really enjoy “Exorcism (Spirituals Remix)” for its chopped yet gentle vocal edits, groovy drum samples, and for really doing justice to and maintaining the integrity of the original vocal melody. It definitely represents what a good remix should be. Somehow it even manages to subtly throw in free jazz sax skronk in there as well, and it works. <br />
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Cassette for purchase: <br />
<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=884224338/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb428d/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://crashsymbols.bandcamp.com/album/exorcism">Exorcism by Power Animal</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-84504375548112428332012-04-22T13:20:00.001-07:002012-04-22T13:25:37.078-07:00Cursillistas – Observe Ember Weeks (L’animaux Tryst, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpc14JlUfaVUXXMl2wJrGkVIMxx6k_5eK9YAELV9fWF1e184pL1RYbt0Os6cf2XQ3O1i-6ohI3Z29Qen96yCGSGt9fJgVevwXhChSZldw2_cpoEQ6oG6uSTxhQEUFAKJqHlhyjOy0nUc/s1600/cursillistas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="280" width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpc14JlUfaVUXXMl2wJrGkVIMxx6k_5eK9YAELV9fWF1e184pL1RYbt0Os6cf2XQ3O1i-6ohI3Z29Qen96yCGSGt9fJgVevwXhChSZldw2_cpoEQ6oG6uSTxhQEUFAKJqHlhyjOy0nUc/s320/cursillistas.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Cursillistas – Observe Ember Weeks<br />
L’animaux Tryst 2012<br />
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Cursillistas was a psych folk project headed by Matt Lajoie (and often with the help of Dawn Marna and others) based in Portland Maine. Lajoie and co.’s efforts have more recently manifested themselves into a new band called Herbcraft, releasing a couple albums on the Woodsist imprint Hello Sunshine. Observe Ember Weeks is Cursillistas’ last studio album, written and recorded around the time they were working on their other releases for Digitalis. <br />
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“Lake Dig Rising (Muddy Water Spell)” is composed of classic Cursillistas reverb drenched guitar drones and vocals supported by tambourine hits. Lajoie’s vocals mimic the guitar drones, chanting elongated lyrics in a raga-esque kind of fashion. It’s this unique kind of smoky atmosphere specific to Cursillistas production that I often enjoy. “Bed of Weeds” is another great piece, though it is more melodic, featuring layers of picking acoustic guitars. The background vocals sound like a looping “oo” and have quite an enchanting quality. “Frontier Gothic” actually does have a more “gothic” sound, perhaps due in large part to the progression of the melody. The song is also more upbeat and rocking, backed by a minimal tom-crash drum set. “New Seeds” is a more ambient, drone piece backed by drums, bells, and singing bowls. The bowls create very a nice, low resonance. Throughout the album Cursillistas wavers in a nice place between droning ambience and more melodic progressions. “Bona Dea” might be a good example of this juxtaposition, consisting of endlessly repeating guitar hooks, hypnotic rhythms, and chanting vocals. “Saudade” immediately drew me in because I’m such a sucker for polyrhythmic clapping. Joined by blues-y, acoustic guitar twang and, by now, well known vocals, it makes for a pretty enjoyable listen. <br />
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LP for purchase: <a href="http://lanimauxtryst.com/order.htm">http://lanimauxtryst.com/order.htm</a><br />
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<iframe width="300" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4245598155/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4242/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://cursillistas.bandcamp.com/album/observe-ember-weeks">Observe Ember Weeks by Cursillistas</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-39870211546645976092012-04-21T14:30:00.002-07:002012-04-21T14:30:47.167-07:00Ben von Wildenhaus - Great Melodies From Around (Riot Bear Recording Co., 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Ij8m0dEJ5FcrSGLpiqMaezrwf0ry1gKE_26hlUuIYzqm3MSIkhBs12Kgx77Ljh0bKi535vl4PTNos20eFf-HElioPJKWM8wR4iJgjdE5SJy43-wVstIwX79wy2sc9PrTCBbVOnPvgA/s1600/wildenhaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3Ij8m0dEJ5FcrSGLpiqMaezrwf0ry1gKE_26hlUuIYzqm3MSIkhBs12Kgx77Ljh0bKi535vl4PTNos20eFf-HElioPJKWM8wR4iJgjdE5SJy43-wVstIwX79wy2sc9PrTCBbVOnPvgA/s320/wildenhaus.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Ben von Wildenhaus - Great Melodies From Around <br />
Riot Bear Recording Co. 2011<br />
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Wildenhaus is a NYC based musician and Great Melodies From Around was his debut album originally released on cassette, but has since been out of print. Last year Riot Bear Recording Co. re-issued it on LP, CD, and download. This album features Wildenhaus on electric guitar, a 1960s sine-square wave generator, and vocals. <br />
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As Wildenhaus notes about the album, “Each side [of the tape or vinyl] descends from the purist audio form - the unaffected sine wave - to various states of decaying audio fidelity - old warbly cassette decks and walkmans, am radio transmission, etc. Each side then ascends back and concludes with the sine-waves again. This makes the vinyl and the tape an endless loop.” “Sine Wave (Falter Sky)” features softly round and melodic sine-wave chords which are really quite beautiful in their “pure” sonic essence. After this short melodic structure, the layers of sine-wave begin to rapidly oscillate in slight dissonance. The song transitions smoothly into “Cumberland Winter”, a down-tempo, guitar, piano, and drum set instrumental playing in a rather slow, swing-y ballad or waltz. Sporadic electronics join the mix in short oscillating bursts. Towards the end of the piece enters the aforementioned tape warble in a collage type format of old, hissing, slowed down piano and guitar recordings. It sounds as if the same song continues in its same form but through a collage of different recordings. It is a unique effect. As a result of this decaying aesthetic, I hardly notice the track change. The guitar instrumentals are generally down to mid tempo and have a kind of country western aesthetic. The juxtaposition of the instrumentals with the sine-wave generation gives the compositions a strange and quirky quality. This album considers quite nicely the significance of fidelity of a music recording, and that, regardless of whether the music is melodic or more “sound art” oriented, recording production certainly defines a part of what the music is in how it is documented. <br />
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LP/CD/DL for purchase: <a href="http://store.riotbearrecordingco.com/product/great-melodies-from-around">http://store.riotbearrecordingco.com/product/great-melodies-from-around</a><br />
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<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F1131293&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=a0202f"></iframe>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-18364199171604469672012-04-19T12:51:00.000-07:002012-04-19T12:51:09.637-07:00Kasper T. Toeplitz & Z’EV – Fleur de Peau (Agxivatein, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpAJLBjfvHG06icPHQBMEX1nUdzPUKsDilZQQkeOPxGmM2eQAcC70qPiR_V9Lim212tgooFqOzuk6VVXvRSaY6v-kWMBc6jXvWlLNB9MNnnHWYPQQBcYtt7EDLlExEKOm8LK1bQMSKaA/s1600/toeplitzandzev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpAJLBjfvHG06icPHQBMEX1nUdzPUKsDilZQQkeOPxGmM2eQAcC70qPiR_V9Lim212tgooFqOzuk6VVXvRSaY6v-kWMBc6jXvWlLNB9MNnnHWYPQQBcYtt7EDLlExEKOm8LK1bQMSKaA/s320/toeplitzandzev.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Toeplitz is a Paris based musician utilizing the computer and electric bass for composition and has collaborated with composers such as Zbigniew Karkowski and Tetsuo Furudate. Z’EV consists of Stefan Joel Weisser who was born in 1951 in Los Angeles. He is a percussionist who has collaborated with many musicians including Mick Flower, John Zorn, Merzbow, Oren Ambarchi, and many others. On this release, Fleur de Peau (lit. “flower of skin”) Z’EV plays skins and symphonic bass drum and Toeplitz is featured on the bass and the computer. The album was recorded live in Toeplitz’s Sleave Art Studoi in Paris in January 2010. <br />
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The piece begins quietly with free form, bass-y drums thundering. Gradually, layers of oscillating drones fade in sounding quite harmonious. The down tempo warm-skinned drums create a nice tension with the noisier, percussive textures coming from the electronics. Towards the end of the piece Z’EV is making the skins sing, presumably pushing down on the skins. The aesthetic becomes languid yet ethereal. The upright bass enters on a low, bowed drone sounding nice and thick. With the low bass, the electronics seem to become lighter in quality. Perhaps it is in the editing which is noted on the album sleeve, but as the music transitions back and forth from gentle to aggressive, there is a characteristic ebb and flow that is built and then taken apart. <br />
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CD-R for purchase: <a href="http://www.agxivatein.com/Fixed_Media/Entries/2011/9/29_7_Kasper_T._Toeplitz___ZEV_-_Fleur_de_peau.html">http://www.agxivatein.com/Fixed_Media/Entries/2011/9/29_7_Kasper_T._Toeplitz___ZEV_-_Fleur_de_peau.html</a>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-56144144209976654782012-04-16T01:24:00.001-07:002012-04-16T01:35:52.842-07:00Jace Clayton (DJ /Rupture) @ Gel (2011)<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/29911235?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><br />
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Jace Clayton is one of the most inspiring musicians, DJ's, and music writers I have ever come across. His vision is global, and his practice is interdisciplinary, acting as a solo DJ, collaborator, producer, researcher, radio host (at WFMU), and lecturer. He is one of the few people I actually enjoy listening to discuss and theorize about music culture. He is always articulate and always enlightening. <br />
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The segregation of Boston music cultures in the 90's inspired Clayton to become DJ /Rupture, "rupturing" the confinement and rigidity of genres. He began blending dance music with African, Arabic, musique concrete, and spoken word, eventually developing his unique, experimental, 3 turntable style. <br />
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Clayton has performed in approximately 30 countries. As he discusses in the presentation, all of these travels have taught him an "ethos of localization", having a sensitive ear for what translates and what does not in a certain place. This ties back to his idea of DJ's having to "listen to the room", perceiving "the crowd as an organism with which you are having a dialogue." As a DJ, this ethos is especially relevant, whose purpose is to serve as a meta-cultural media-tor, filter, or curator.gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-72271327132559315732012-04-15T13:21:00.000-07:002012-04-15T13:21:42.231-07:00Marc Behrens – Apparatus (Agxivatein, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74zKBhYhVFOa8yZWBo7DHNNK5V7FDVEJqs5rGma7dOlxczJSzMc7tg6Bva3fBbSIaUuIxNJOpxoruzwtdRmFb2c53YZ3RL0q7As3tV2caHkzDpKCXwHkrRVbtdZSgDmwn0MQSfSFj1lA/s1600/behrens.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="295" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74zKBhYhVFOa8yZWBo7DHNNK5V7FDVEJqs5rGma7dOlxczJSzMc7tg6Bva3fBbSIaUuIxNJOpxoruzwtdRmFb2c53YZ3RL0q7As3tV2caHkzDpKCXwHkrRVbtdZSgDmwn0MQSfSFj1lA/s320/behrens.png" /></a></div><br />
Marc Behrens – Apparatus<br />
Agxivatein 2011<br />
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Behrens was in born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1970 and his work ranges from concrete electronic music, installations, and more recently field recordings. He has performed and exhibited in six different continents and has collaborated with artists such as Bernhard Günter, Nikolaus Heyduck, and Paulo Raposo. <br />
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This CD-R release, Apparatus, was composed from April to May in 2010 using recordings from 2005-2010 conducted in Austria, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Namibia, and South Africa. The project was originally presented as an installation from May to June in 2010 in the Phonebox series at IMO in Copenhagen, Denmark. <br />
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Each song has an A and a B version, because the installation was presented in a four-channel setup: two for headphones, and two for ceiling speakers. “A. Hum/Bells” is composed of a fluttering, percussive sound in addition to bells and droning sounds that could be the hum of machines. A couple minutes into the piece it becomes quite noticeable that the sounds oare of printers at work, at times becoming loud and uneasy. A juxtaposition between the organic/technological is made rather clear when a field recording of cicadas or some bug enters amidst the noisy printer. It’s a nicely composed piece with great flow that combines both the rhythm of the sounds of nature and the rhythm of the mechanical. “B. Hum/Bells” expectedly features similar sounds of bells, bugs, and printers. However, it is slightly different, incorporating a new percussive texture in the foreground. I can definitely see it adding aural and spatial confusion to the listener participating in the installation. “A./B. Rain/Compressor” is only one piece, presumably placed through both the headphones and the external speakers. It begins with a field recording of rain dripping and then a very loud, whirring sound of a machine enters in slow, rhythmic intervals, droning in and out. The rhythm is not fixed however. A buzzing of a fly or bug joins in towards the end of the piece. On the whole the piece is simpler than the previous two. But throughout the album what I’ve noticed is that you can really feel these sounds because they have a powerful consistency. A sense of environment is created. We hear both the original space that these field recordings were conducted in and a new space that is created through the composition of the recordings as well. What is the rain dripping on, and where? What kind of machine makes this kind of sound, and where? <br />
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CD-R for purchase: <a href="http://www.agxivatein.com/Fixed_Media/Entries/2011/10/10_8_Marc_Behrens_-_Apparatus.html">http://www.agxivatein.com/Fixed_Media/Entries/2011/10/10_8_Marc_Behrens_-_Apparatus.html</a><br />
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Marc Behrens website: <a href="http://marcbehrens.com/index.html">http://marcbehrens.com/index.html</a>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-72482901920922919652012-04-14T12:13:00.000-07:002012-04-14T12:28:09.825-07:00Andrew Coltrane – Urge to Kill (Cérebro Morto, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwazXwxb3gc2k_GnQMopXmrBijLf1o_lflhR-kCFz6-GsSdTRYaZIElDpFq0jjNU8RkuWl5LquFCi5J19mUEK91DZJvkQc0OaHX1Sjad7Na-78h7gYYDTiqMif93z71ATEYop8CY_Js8/s1600/andrewcoltrane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwazXwxb3gc2k_GnQMopXmrBijLf1o_lflhR-kCFz6-GsSdTRYaZIElDpFq0jjNU8RkuWl5LquFCi5J19mUEK91DZJvkQc0OaHX1Sjad7Na-78h7gYYDTiqMif93z71ATEYop8CY_Js8/s320/andrewcoltrane.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Andrew Coltrane – Urge to Kill<br />
Cérebro Morto 2011 <br />
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I’ve seen Andrew Coltrane’s name around a bit and I always thought it was funny to see that last name in the context of the contemporary noise scene. I don’t know if it’s a pseudonym or a given name, but either way, the name brings out the badass, free jazz side of John Coltrane, as if Andrew was some long, lost, grand cousin. <br />
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Anyway, Andrew Coltrane is based in Detroit, Michigan and has collaborated with John Olson of Wolf Eyes and Heath Moerland of Sick Llama. Urge to Kill was recorded in early 2011 in Detroit. Track 1 utilizes low, distorted drones mixed with sporadic screaming vocals, also blown out. The drones turn into wide and dense washes of noise and hiss before cutting out a couple minutes into the piece. The sounds become more minimalist and less heavy but still have a droning quality. Beams of noise shoot out atop another low, distorted drone along with high-pitched, wavering feedback. The pace is pretty slow, and I enjoy that, as waves of distortion drift in and out. I think there are intermittent vocals near the end, which sound pretty monstrous. “Track 2” is less dynamic, featuring a warbly, blown out stampede of dense hiss and bass-y rumbling. The source of the production or its process might reveal something worth noting, because it sounds like it could be a field recording. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1600523038/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4287/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://cerebro-morto.bandcamp.com/album/urge-to-kill">Urge To Kill by Andrew Coltrane</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-64108146954043601792012-04-13T11:41:00.000-07:002012-04-13T11:45:31.420-07:00Gianluca Becuzzi - Haunted (Cérebro Morto, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45m2D0Gaegyv3bKv0VR1To9QCGxceUNN1enqdkgW4VbP3aEz2D_vS2KH7FzJEUy_1LyP33rfzfhmr789QLlUejtCoywrBwjC_3tC_OjtQzDBjcaiozVelXKlE2H8dODitu0uMf00j8ts/s1600/gianluca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45m2D0Gaegyv3bKv0VR1To9QCGxceUNN1enqdkgW4VbP3aEz2D_vS2KH7FzJEUy_1LyP33rfzfhmr789QLlUejtCoywrBwjC_3tC_OjtQzDBjcaiozVelXKlE2H8dODitu0uMf00j8ts/s320/gianluca.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Gianluca Becuzzi – Haunted<br />
Cérebro Morto 2011<br />
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Becuzzi is an Italian based musician and this EP was recorded in 2011. “H001” begins quietly with distorted, feedback-y tones until a pounding, echo-y bass enters on a slow, maybe a-rhythmic beat. It’s quite a spooky track. “H002” is slightly less intimidating though it still features ghostly, echo-y ambience with screeching, percussive noise. Waves of hiss pan left and right on the headphones and zoom in. There’s a nice sense of pace to the piece, gradually shifting textures in a very careful, evolutionary manner. The end of the song focuses on metal percussion clanging. Early in “H003” there are percussive sounds with a resounding echo. The overall sound of the piece is rather minimalist until a rumbling, thundering bass sound enters in addition to more panned hiss. “H004” sounds very similar to “H001”, incorporating the pounding bass and high-pitched feedback. They are also the same length, as are track two and three. Thus the sequencing process is quite noticeable and intentional here. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2176917033/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb429d/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://cerebro-morto.bandcamp.com/album/haunted">Haunted by Gianluca Becuzzi</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-17077768310311036642012-04-12T21:19:00.001-07:002012-04-12T21:22:17.840-07:00Pregnant Spore – Listen To the Universe (Cérebro Morto, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY9Q3dNJ79qYJHO_xXf8qCOz5fA9a0hNvG4hQLDFHT0ZWnzaqHv0_LDggM1W2p7YyWQHfQN_DZ-l8uLaUuOHJFh9lFDpqfM_2PnquYlIT0bvoHBgOfhkIZfgmIj2j9TBSGcSRiFva0yk/s1600/pregnantspore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="239" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY9Q3dNJ79qYJHO_xXf8qCOz5fA9a0hNvG4hQLDFHT0ZWnzaqHv0_LDggM1W2p7YyWQHfQN_DZ-l8uLaUuOHJFh9lFDpqfM_2PnquYlIT0bvoHBgOfhkIZfgmIj2j9TBSGcSRiFva0yk/s320/pregnantspore.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Pregnant Spore – Listen To the Universe<br />
Cérebro Morto 2012<br />
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Pregnant Spore is the solo project of Justin Marc Lloyd based in Baltimore, Maryland and this EP was recorded in early 2011. “Time Melt” consists of crackling, free form analog synth racket at times becoming harsh and aggressive. The overall sound of the piece is on the minimal side allowing the silence to seep in amongst the synth. Cérebro Morto’s promo for the album also says that there is “real object sound processing” in the album, of which you can hear subtle, metal percussion rattling mixed with the synth noise. The synth is chaotic throughout the piece, in the sense that it is constantly shifting between pitch, texture, and rate. “Terres Australes” is less chaotic and frenzied and more of a drone affair, though it still features noisy textures. The synth is relatively tamer and it sounds as if the washes of noise are sourced from the processed percussion. In the first half of the piece there is a bass sound that could be a record player stopping that repeats, providing a sense of rhythm. The song has a mechanical aesthetic, composed of looping, minmalist phrases woven into each other. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3309313780/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4243/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://cerebro-morto.bandcamp.com/album/listen-to-the-universe">Listen To The Universe by Pregnant Spore</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-25017350459658248712012-04-11T17:59:00.001-07:002012-04-11T17:59:37.973-07:00Kylie Minoise – Die Yuppie Scum! Secret Love Quest Ov Sick Shock Disco Destroyer! (Mind Flare Media, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG5J1BXzKlnGSebojfyUHly3qZu37xbVp-LDDivSOUykuN9dmbXNLOEM8xBba3Ey1l-_y3XkOxA_0MO56w-EdlcUlVJYZdqnewhSM0Mozgw3ePivL5w8ynKbcECyL25tCnJEK-0IMNoU/s1600/kylieminoise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG5J1BXzKlnGSebojfyUHly3qZu37xbVp-LDDivSOUykuN9dmbXNLOEM8xBba3Ey1l-_y3XkOxA_0MO56w-EdlcUlVJYZdqnewhSM0Mozgw3ePivL5w8ynKbcECyL25tCnJEK-0IMNoU/s320/kylieminoise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Kylie Minoise – Die Yuppie Scum! Secret Love Quest Ov Sick Shock Disco Destroyer!<br />
Mind Flare Media 2012<br />
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Kylie Minoise is a solo project by English musician Lea Cummings who is now based in Glasgow, Scotland. “Xerox OV Sicksicksick Shox” begins with expectedly harsh electronic noise wash with pulses in the background. “Psychodelic Stunt Academy” is not so harsh and stylistically different, incorporating a distorted, mid-tempo drum machine keeping a consistent rhythm throughout the song, droning on. Layers of distorted drone enter filling out the track. It’s a danc-y but dirty and gritty sound. More echo-y atmospherics enter in the mix. “Sick Serpent Secrets” features a similarly slow/mid-tempo drum machine, though this time a bit more echo-y. Another layer of drum machine, which is a bit groovier creating polyrhythms, enters in addition to screeching, droning noises. There are more layers of electronic washes of noise that are more dynamic and blipping about. “Elation Escalation Sensation” is composed of layers of distorted synth drone, slowly moving through discordant, dissonant notes. “Earlobes of Shame Buckets of Bile” is more upbeat and kind of hip-hop-ish with the drum machine bathed in its typical grit. The track also juxtaposes a relatively soft, harmonious, and oscillating synth drone with warbly and distorted vocals mixed with the drum machine. “Metal Mafia vs. Feedback Ninja” consists of a bassy, punchy, looped synth melody along with dissonant, echo-y drones. The looped synth melody gradually increases in volume becoming more and more abrasive until all you can hear are walls of noise. “And the Dead Bug…” is quite entrancing as the drum machine and synth rhythmically and melodically loop and drone in sync with each other for quite some time. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2287593131/size=grande/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4642/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://mindflaremedia.bandcamp.com/album/die-yuppie-scum-love-quest-ov-sick-shock-disco-destroyer">DIE YUPPIE SCUM! LOVE QUEST OV SICK SHOCK DISCO DESTROYER! by Kylie Minoise</a></iframe><br />
<br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-71237807414545589772012-04-11T12:06:00.000-07:002012-04-11T12:13:36.206-07:00The Daily Brothers – Long Live the Dream (Teflon Beast, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfrke032dXLAXt2lLBKqVMNsYNd_YlkK3IFGIaFhSwLcSBIkVRSqRtRDTeIrFp5VfT6cMMaalAlNtMLicRVNBLqKHM6z6skG4svOJle8Er1dFXMd1TmnTH-UO3Fk3NrruTB9nssNsuU4/s1600/dailybrothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfrke032dXLAXt2lLBKqVMNsYNd_YlkK3IFGIaFhSwLcSBIkVRSqRtRDTeIrFp5VfT6cMMaalAlNtMLicRVNBLqKHM6z6skG4svOJle8Er1dFXMd1TmnTH-UO3Fk3NrruTB9nssNsuU4/s320/dailybrothers.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Daily Brothers – Long Live the Dream <br />
Teflon Beast 2012<br />
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The Daily Brothers recorded this EP in Grapevine and Austin Texas between April and December of 2011. And they certainly are brothers (unless it’s some kind of hoax), featuring Jeff Daily on guitar, Chris Daily on vocals, Keegan Kinney on vocals, and Matt Daily on drums. “Lamplighter” is composed of a pulsating organ in the background and a groovy bass-line supporting pretty laid-back, pop-oriented rock structures. The timbre in the vocals is reminiscent of Wilco, or maybe it’s just the whole aesthetic of the song in general. “La Grunge” aptly incorporates a dirty, improvisatory electric guitar playing in a kind of Middle Eastern scale. The main hook in the solo repeats throughout the song creating a rather hypnotic effect. “Saddle Up a Nightmare (and Ride)” features beautiful, ethereal, backup female vocals, presumably from the only non-Daily, Keegan Kinney. The melody in the verses is pretty sassy. Chris Daily’s vocals in “The Dream” are slightly more expressive and melancholic, perhaps even “soulful.” The song sounds kind of timeless, with a chord progression that sounds from the past but rightly placed in the present. Chris is joined by Kinney on vocals in the chorus, forming a really nice male-female vocal duo. Great song. “Best Laid Plans” has a more rocking, upbeat, and driving sound. However, the whole sound is still pretty gentle and casual. There is a call and response between the vocalists in the chorus that I am pretty into. “Funtime Freakout” is exactly what it is titled, beginning with a joyful, funky, melodic structure before gradually spiraling into a free form improvisation. Wailing and sliding electric guitar, thumping bass, and a mysterious wash of what sounds like cymbals from the drums. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3923852317/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4243/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://teflonbeastrecords.bandcamp.com/album/long-live-the-dream-ep">Long Live the Dream EP by The Daily Brothers</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-40043662700195923942012-04-07T22:29:00.003-07:002012-04-07T22:34:42.217-07:00Food Pyramid - Mango Sunrise (Moon Glyph, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHzVPoeimwcX1hLElm6xPkY6YzQbcVlhFYBc3VqAAuMTI_Vmr-mXDd63vu1PjW5cbD8x7P1zwEnybdKYiDKLXVOhX4jkSPyTcR3EDicEjMIbpJkRrhHQoDEa_cHm-TwG5EzxwFTBAbk0/s1600/foodpyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHzVPoeimwcX1hLElm6xPkY6YzQbcVlhFYBc3VqAAuMTI_Vmr-mXDd63vu1PjW5cbD8x7P1zwEnybdKYiDKLXVOhX4jkSPyTcR3EDicEjMIbpJkRrhHQoDEa_cHm-TwG5EzxwFTBAbk0/s320/foodpyramid.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Food Pyramid – Mango Sunrise<br />
Moon Glyph 2012<br />
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Food Pyramid is a Minneapolis based trio consisting of C. Farstak, C. Hontona and M. Weather and this is their debut full length LP. “Mango Sunrise”, the first song, has an awesome, propulsive and driving kind of rhythmic feel. Droning, shimmering, melodic synths layer on top of each other along with an incessant drum machine beat. “Who Careosel” is stylistically quite similar with arpeggiating synths and drum machine, though this time maybe a bit heavier and rhythmic on the bass. “Orange Alert” on the other hand has a relatively different sound. The song opens with a cheesy, delayed sax solo and a scorching electric guitar solo follows atop a thumping bass and drum machine snare samples. The sax enters again adding a little thematic pizzazz to the piece. “Oh Mercy” starts off ultra funky focusing on the synths again, though on this song they are more upbeat, in addition to the drum machine. The whole song has more of a retro, danc-y vibe. “The Thief” is exclusively composed of synth arpeggiations and drones, seamlessly weaving in and out, glistening and hypnotic. “Burger Night (Version)” shifts gear into a dub kind of aesthetic on the drum machine, bass, and guitar. And it works too in relation with the other songs heard up to now. The drum machine gets skittish and glitchy but maintains the same beat. Also droning vocals enter in a smooth way, contributing to this tripped out, hazy sound. “Cosmo Canyon” is an equally awesome song, shifting back to the groovy synths and retro, danc-y rhythms. “I Know What I Saw” has a pounding, 4/4 house beat mixed with that scorching guitar, distorted and droning, thicker than ever. This song is a good example of how well this album can blend genres in a tasteful way. Everything tinged in psychedelia though. “Extender” is more drone-based, featuring washy beds of synth. The sax returns, intermittently soloing and screeching. This is also probably one of the more louder and slightly noisier tracks on the album. Quite a finale to this unique and eclectic album. Recommended for sure. <br />
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<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F38822946&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=a0202f"></iframe><br />
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<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F35815407&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=a0202f"></iframe><br />
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LP/CD for purchase: <a href="http://moonglyph.com/catalog/mg42">http://moonglyph.com/catalog/mg42</a>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-33638937606023468422012-04-05T19:18:00.000-07:002012-04-05T19:23:02.411-07:00Jen Paul / No Lakes - † (Haute Magie, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsntsWzP3D2cPb8aNpoFqvBzfT0N2OBy5-EuUJ9-93KRI-P4zN7x3i6klBUP23WIxl_X-smfzlX0jcQfmowRkMJOZijiZx4O56TrBR7RdzSf11I4EEKc62CVjZ_1uhJVELjU6YCILS6o/s1600/jenpaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="233" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsntsWzP3D2cPb8aNpoFqvBzfT0N2OBy5-EuUJ9-93KRI-P4zN7x3i6klBUP23WIxl_X-smfzlX0jcQfmowRkMJOZijiZx4O56TrBR7RdzSf11I4EEKc62CVjZ_1uhJVELjU6YCILS6o/s320/jenpaul.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Jen Paul / No Lakes - †<br />
Haute Magie 2012<br />
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Jen Paul is a musician based in Philadelphia and this tape consists of selected songs from previous albums. Jen Paul / No Lakes is the name of the project, in other words, this is not a split, as far as I can tell. <br />
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“Towns” features layers of reverbed, down tempo, electric guitar melodies. But the song is confusingly short, because it sounds like it is building up to something more. “Muerte O Casamiento Durmiente” begins with a lo-fi, hissing, acoustic guitar instrumental in a similar down tempo, melancholic style. An electric guitar enters, playing quietly and gently plucking one note at a time. “Won’t Always Be Blue” is like in slow motion as the echo-y guitar chords are plucked. The chord progression sounds like a 50’s rock and roll slow dance song. The whole tape thus far has a very languid, sleepy, half-awake type feel. In songs like “Christmas 82” there’s a fine line between melody and drone mainly because of the distinct pace of the music. “Brunette” sounds like it has field recordings of cars honking and maybe trains mixed in among the guitar instrumentals. “Swollen Bloques” includes echo-y, drone-y, wordless, vocal chants, presumably from Jen, among ambient, dream-like guitar chords being strummed. “Julian’s Bridge” incorporates found sound spoken word, albeit indecipherable, mixed with distorted, long form, electric guitar chords. At the end of the song it sounds as if a keyboard is being played in a free form and frenzied way. “Wheel and A Chime” sounds like a harp is playing in the beginning but I guess it could be anything. The recording is uncharacteristically lo-fi, also featuring more chanting vocals and a found sound of someone speaking. The “harp’s” melody sounds like a lullaby it’s so sweet. <br />
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cassette for purchase/full stream: <a href="http://hautemagie.com/relics/008/">http://hautemagie.com/relics/008/</a>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-71603462872916110892012-04-05T11:19:00.004-07:002012-04-05T11:19:24.950-07:00David Carter / The Witch Family split (Haute Magie, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbuK4cPEmpAu3qUGqepWNzTFAzReJv9Gjb63F7jyc6xGZC-HsHdOGCx4Dxl7Ff0wGHvp6S7ShaYe4rmj8skBz4tNdDF4IJ5O0wJZb9TGZpxOa1T6WE0tjlh1VPWTdmpGk5dtAY63a5oo/s1600/davidcarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="230" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbuK4cPEmpAu3qUGqepWNzTFAzReJv9Gjb63F7jyc6xGZC-HsHdOGCx4Dxl7Ff0wGHvp6S7ShaYe4rmj8skBz4tNdDF4IJ5O0wJZb9TGZpxOa1T6WE0tjlh1VPWTdmpGk5dtAY63a5oo/s320/davidcarter.jpg" /></a></div><br />
David Carter / The Witch Family split<br />
Haute Magie 2012<br />
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David Carter unfortunately passed away last year and I can’t figure out where he was from. The flip side of this tape features remixes by Ryan Harris as The Witch Family. <br />
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Carter’s side begins with pulsating, distorted, percussive noise in quite a minimalist way. It sounds like a field recording of a factory at work, or a machine. The second song is more ambient, composed of wavering, lo-fi textures. They have an old and spooky quality. More layers enter with overlapping oscillations of different lengths. There is one droning sound that has a more breathy, airy texture to it, which I really enjoy. Song three oddly consists of in your face danc-y drum machine beats, which are stylistically very different from the previous two songs. But they drone on, the samples not really changing, and the song feels like it almost becomes a study in drum machine textures. Song four also incorporates layers of drum machines, but this time the rhythms are more complicated and experimental. Joining the drum machines are gloomy synth drones fading in and out. Song five features an interesting mixture of down tempo, melancholic piano chords, drum machine, and blippy, arpeggiating synths. A repeating, percussive melody enters which sounds pretty cool, like synthesized bells. More spooky, lo-fi, ambient atmospheres can be heard on song six, this time joined by a mid-tempo, 4/4 bass beat and crackling, noise static. The blippy synths return as well. A repetitive synth melody enters atop another drum machine beat. With all these mysterious layers being added the song becomes quite hypnotic. Song seven features a sort of retro industrial synth melody, which I really dig. A super heavy and bass-y drum machine beat enters, completely transforming the minimalist vibe at the beginning of the song. <br />
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The Witch Family’s first remix is stylistically completely different, as layers of synths envelope up and down sounding really echo-y. The second song features a light, quiet drum machine rhythm mixed with droning synths and haunting, oscillating, ambient textures which sound similar to Carter’s original track. One of the drones gets gradually louder, more dissonant and unsettling as the other sounds fade out. Song three is composed of a muted version of one of the original drum machine tracks. However it is joined by gloomier bass beats, synth and….you guessed it…a sexy saxophone solo! Kind of out of nowhere but it is so groovy and awesome and totally works, balancing out this darker, industrial vibe. Quite a unique song. The drum machines on song four sound a little more filled out and groovy. The synth drones that enter are texturally a bit softer or lighter. Song five is made up of free form, sporadic cymbal crashes and synths mixed with walls of ambient, echo-y drone. It sounds quite chaotic. Song six begins with a heavy down-tempo, drum set rhythm mixed with synth drones of epic proportion. The spooky ambience can still be heard in the remix. The synths build in volume sounding quite suspenseful and scary towards the end of the song. The last remix phase shifts the original synth melody sounding pretty cool I might add. The bass beats are slightly more down tempo, taking a more casual approach but still maintains this dark and industrial aesthetic. Gentle, harmonious synth drones fade in atop the drums, submerging the original melody. <br />
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cassette for purchase/full stream: <a href="http://hautemagie.com/relics/007/">http://hautemagie.com/relics/007/</a>gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-5852392369693380562012-04-04T23:00:00.000-07:002012-04-08T10:05:22.236-07:00Mike Bruno - The Sad Sisters (Haute Magie, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe79HG5EoDGG30pdVGca5j7_8Tdc43V1n73AmEpJ62FVLEqFnECX9rkX2s3VjMOX_FgkCmT8yuc8i64ORqxZPDuHTyHhEfRrJ1E0eMCoxGsNUho7c4Ee6I8UMjG9raqfR7xf7SX2TS6bM/s1600/mikebruno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe79HG5EoDGG30pdVGca5j7_8Tdc43V1n73AmEpJ62FVLEqFnECX9rkX2s3VjMOX_FgkCmT8yuc8i64ORqxZPDuHTyHhEfRrJ1E0eMCoxGsNUho7c4Ee6I8UMjG9raqfR7xf7SX2TS6bM/s320/mikebruno.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Mike Bruno – The Sad Sisters<br />
Haute Magie 2012<br />
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Mike Bruno is a guitarist and vocalist based in Philadelphia. <i>The Sad Sisters</i> was originally released in 2009 on CD and was released on LP earlier this year. “April Showers” incorporates intricately finger picked acoustic guitar melodies with Bruno’s sung lyrics soaking in reverb. There’s a ghostly and kind of haunting sound in his voice and just in the whole vibe as well. “Rites of Spring” is a bit more down tempo, but features a similar singer/songwriter setup. The melodies on the guitar are nicely balanced, having just the right amount of darkness and brightness. “Lovebirds” has a nice lo-fi hiss to the recording, and perhaps just a bit less so on the previous songs. On this song Bruno gets a little more expressive in the vocals, and in general, you can hear a unique kind of spirit in his singing. They certainly sound sad, but also powerful at the same time. “No Knight Errant” is a deep and heavy track, emphasized by breakdowns with added percussion. More back up instrumental work can be found on “Wandering Fool”, featuring gloomy piano chords ringing out nicely among Bruno’s echo-y vocals. In essence, it is quite a consistent and artfully composed album, exhibiting some talented songcraft.<br />
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LP for purchase: <a href="http://hautemagie.com/relics/003/">http://hautemagie.com/relics/003/</a><br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3660367465/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=bb4246/transparent=true/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://mikebruno.bandcamp.com/album/the-sad-sisters">The Sad Sisters by Mike Bruno</a></iframe><br />
<br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-22065672523131298252012-04-04T18:54:00.000-07:002012-04-04T18:59:52.288-07:00Stag Hare - Sandpaintings (Inner Islands, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIF1UmWDbtIjvdcRp-fdHC0iFxJ_yxexNgziuvHXLiyCzl2Ong_hUhrXfKfQGOs0vlivMHi-tnF2i9XM30dBZ0RUEj6K0HCB9C9LDQ5fNYp87IiaBRw4kRF_fTMyus7-W0gZpkuKiG_I/s1600/sandpaintings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIF1UmWDbtIjvdcRp-fdHC0iFxJ_yxexNgziuvHXLiyCzl2Ong_hUhrXfKfQGOs0vlivMHi-tnF2i9XM30dBZ0RUEj6K0HCB9C9LDQ5fNYp87IiaBRw4kRF_fTMyus7-W0gZpkuKiG_I/s320/sandpaintings.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Stag Hare – Sandpaintings<br />
Inner Islands 2011<br />
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Stag Hare is a solo psych drone affair by Garrick Biggs hailing originally from Utah. “Holy Person” begins in classic Stag Hare fashion, composed of lush and blissed out electric guitar drones alongside mid tempo, clickety-clack hand percussion and shakers. The percussion and polyrhythms remain consistent, playing a fixed beat throughout the song creating quite a hypnotic and psychedelic effect. Mixed with the bed of layered drone is a meandering, pentatonic guitar melody, also quite gentle, blending very smoothly. After a bit it drops out and wordless vocal chants enter, mimicking the guitar drone. This music is best suited for meditation. Stylistically “Holy Wind” doesn’t stray far from the previous song, and why should it? We got a good recipe going here. The only thing noticeably different is the rhythm, which sounds a bit more energetic and upbeat, though it still maintains its polyrhythmic and steady form. I suppose it’s a got little more of a swaying groove to it. <br />
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I get a cleansing and uplifting feeling while listening to this tape, if only temporarily. And I am of the opinion that it begs deep listening, whereas as a lot of other music is about being in your face, aggressive, and more focused on creating a spectacle. The danger with Stag Hare is that it can easily become backgrounded, like wallpaper. Sure, sometimes it’s nice to just have music in the background, to fill the silence. But there are different kinds of music for different kinds of occasions. Stag Hare is contemplative music, and personally, it inspires me most when I’m not doing anything else except listening to it. <br />
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cassette for purchase: <a href="http://www.innerislands.com/">http://www.innerislands.com/</a><br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=4273785994/size=grande2/bgcol=e5d3b7/linkcol=84322e/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://innerislands.bandcamp.com/album/sandpaintings">Sandpaintings by Stag Hare</a></iframe><br />
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<br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-65673124395371613942012-04-03T15:18:00.002-07:002012-04-03T15:18:35.912-07:00Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier, Elevator Boy, DenMother, and Bears On Parade – Brief Obsessions (I Had An Accident, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JNCMd0IhxpKK_fAxJSl8Dp3_OYJGkIwlmxkyw89b56ZczJwngb9yynK3vrLTh6uLqWzMoZkQVfp5LNQ9xlh0MSzGRaatgrE18n8YMX4lJqLoiYJOAcl7I-Ulb9GiRNm-O9BoLQjL6eM/s1600/briefobsessions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JNCMd0IhxpKK_fAxJSl8Dp3_OYJGkIwlmxkyw89b56ZczJwngb9yynK3vrLTh6uLqWzMoZkQVfp5LNQ9xlh0MSzGRaatgrE18n8YMX4lJqLoiYJOAcl7I-Ulb9GiRNm-O9BoLQjL6eM/s320/briefobsessions.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier, Elevator Boy, DenMother, and Bears On Parade – Brief Obsessions <br />
I Had An Accident 2011<br />
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Brief Obsessions is a double C32 cassette released last year allowing fifteen minutes for each of the four music groups. Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier (I Am the Little Knight) is Félicia Atkinson from Belgium, Elevator Boy is Matthew Breakey from Toronto, Canada, DenMother is also from Canada, and Bears On Parade is from Utah. <br />
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Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier’s “Comet Dogs of Pompei” includes softly distorted, oscillating synth drones making that whirling sound when you swing a rope around in circles (you’ll understand if you listen below, I swear). Joining the drones are echo-y spoken word vocals, presumably Atkinson’s, because I think they sound French, though they are a bit muddled. The distorted whirling drone fades out as softer, enveloped synth drones enter among even louder, more bass-y echoes coming from the vocals. The vocals cut out as layers of texturally varied synth drones enter with quite a dark, gloomy quality. “Vesuvio Breath”, also by Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier, begins on a more percussive note, featuring free form, bass-y bells and a “ch ch” sound in a fixed rhythm that sounds like a closed high hat from a drum machine. Synth drones fade in among the percussion sounding quite clean but dissonant as the pitches waver a good amount. <br />
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Elevator Boy’s “Hearing Your Breath” is composed of down tempo, melancholic, reverbed electric guitar melodies. A hissing sound slowly builds in volume as the song progresses. The guitar melody is relatively short and repeats throughout the song, but it sounds quite full as it is supported by a bass part. “Searching” gradually fades in with layers of gentle guitar drones and an unidentifiable spoken word loop. There’s a rest between each time the vocal loop repeats. When the loop comes in, more layers of drone enter in a wave of sound, which is quite an effective compositional technique. “The Lovers Position” incorporates more drone work with a sporadic scraping sound and chanting vocals. There also seems to be a singing bowl in the mix, which really fits quite well in the piece among the drones. The last song by Elevator Boy, titled “House”, is made up of a droning and pulsating guitar loop mixed with a short vocal melody, which also repeats. <br />
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DenMother’s “The Run To Home Base When The Bases Are Loaded” starts off with a couple layers of droning and plucked electric guitar playing together rather harmoniously. A fairly simple song but it is still a good listen. “This Is Comfortable” really juxtaposes quite beautifully gentle female vocals with a distorted drone. “American Beauty” begins with layers of similar female vocals, except this time they are looping syllables and chanting over the loop. So beautiful! Definitely a contender for one of my favorite songs on this release. A hissing sound enters, repeating on the beat of the looped vocals. <br />
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Bears On Parade’s “This Is My Blood” begins with found sound recordings joined by down tempo, gently plucked electric guitars. The found sound fades out and melancholic, lo-fi vocals enter quietly, in addition to slow drum set rhythms. More percussion enters which sounds really echo-y. “I Can Smell October” features a lo-fi acoustic guitar plucking soft melodies soon joined by similarly quiet vocals and a synth backing up the song. Overall there’s quite a home recording, diy feel. The last song, “Bears Are Orphans Too” is composed of a couple layers of rhythmic, droning electric guitar melodies. The short melody repeats itself throughout the song quite simply but it’s a serene, peaceful listen. <br />
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2X cassette for purchase: <a href="http://www.ihadanaccidentrecords.com/releases/ih074.html">http://www.ihadanaccidentrecords.com/releases/ih074.html</a><br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3826320581/size=grande2/bgcol=e5d3b7/linkcol=8e3333/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://ihadanaccident.bandcamp.com/album/brief-obsessions">Brief Obsessions by I had An Accident</a></iframe><br />
<br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-79106249085860872782012-04-03T09:06:00.000-07:002012-04-03T09:06:00.987-07:00Rioux – "R.I.P." (self-released, 2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEePQDluq6FyK0pi8gUZGE2YTKH-1hAyqzfJsw88wu4ctROjznYjMtTJsBUWuxjV8wPmuBWul0cwQvBtnZBeK81Jqp5tV66S7WMRIgfd8FFDgnIMydi2aHhONPonWmhNrVdk7wkGtM0hw/s1600/rioux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEePQDluq6FyK0pi8gUZGE2YTKH-1hAyqzfJsw88wu4ctROjznYjMtTJsBUWuxjV8wPmuBWul0cwQvBtnZBeK81Jqp5tV66S7WMRIgfd8FFDgnIMydi2aHhONPonWmhNrVdk7wkGtM0hw/s320/rioux.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Rioux – “R.I.P.”<br />
self-released 2012<br />
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Rioux is a Brooklyn based electronic musician named Erin Rioux (ree-yoo). “R.I.P.” is a teaser of a single, composed of gliding, mid-tempo drum machine rhythms and gentle, buzzing synths, piano, and reverbed vocal chants. A pretty blissed out, trip-hop sound emphasized by the droning, interweaving synth melodies and silky vocals. I could dance to anything, but this song puts me more in a stoned and relaxed mood. <br />
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<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F37154299&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false&color=a0202f"></iframe><br />
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Rioux plays the Cameo Gallery on April 5th in Brooklyn. <br />
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More Rioux material: <a href="http://rioux.fm/">http://rioux.fm/</a><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4608220542331342647.post-7243114540409250122012-04-02T18:33:00.000-07:002012-04-02T18:33:43.256-07:00Jake Vida - Grip of Inertia (Pointless Blank, 2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV0C_ovliqG1OAzWn-CIVxVlFB-Ho56nBe7GTOOmht2txj8sOnPRZ5SiI2n-su5GHFFE1ON9y9ZE4S3zp1eCQ1RMh0auZMM61sp3cYlD6lw8TYOHykZpLmuNHxJPMBG33zwmBrmsxP94/s1600/jakevida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV0C_ovliqG1OAzWn-CIVxVlFB-Ho56nBe7GTOOmht2txj8sOnPRZ5SiI2n-su5GHFFE1ON9y9ZE4S3zp1eCQ1RMh0auZMM61sp3cYlD6lw8TYOHykZpLmuNHxJPMBG33zwmBrmsxP94/s320/jakevida.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Jake Vida – Grip of Inertia<br />
Pointless Blank 2011<br />
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This album is Canadian Jake Vida’s first recorded material in over four and a half years. Merzbow is sited as a heavy influence and harsh noise seems to be the genre that Vida has placed his work in. “Habitual 1” is certainly harsh and blistering in distortion. It sounds quite free form and improvisatory as well, as the bed of sound shifts in texture and at times oscillates in a fixed rhythm, if only for a short while. “Metal Lord” is another good display of smooth manipulation, which requires deep listening from the audience, if they want to notice the subtle changes that occur throughout the song. “Habitual 2” incorporates a similar approach aesthetically, whereas in the beginning of “Grip of Inertia” there is a tape loop of a man and a woman talking about headlights (it becomes more and more strange after listening to it repeat throughout the song) mixed with a spastic analog synth wooshing and blipping all over the place. <br />
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<iframe width="300" height="355" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 300px; height: 355px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1681982401/size=grande2/bgcol=e5d3b7/linkcol=9a3737/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://artasintent.bandcamp.com/album/grip-of-inertia">Grip Of Inertia by Jake Vida</a></iframe><br />gglikerdashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13023503711397468793noreply@blogger.com0