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***There is a sale
on just now - please browse the catalogue for reduced prices***
Updated 1st
March 2010
NEW ADDRESS
20A The Cross, Beith,
KA15 1BS, UK
Aan - Vuoren Vuode
cdr
(Om Ha Sva Ha Ksha Ma La Va Ra Yam) 4.50
Astral synth from Jani Hirvonen (Uton) and Jari
Koho (Kulkija, Vapaa) that veer from pure 70s Kraut bliss to more
alchemical explorations.
Ajilvsga - From the Muddy Banks of the Arkansas
LP (Near Passerine Devotionals) 11
On
this vinyl release Brad Rose and Nathan Young use
synthesizers instead of the their usual guitars to delve into the
Ajilvsga black hole. Bass notes shift like tectonic plates and
nauseous synth clouds whirl and woosh round them like poisonous gases.
Eden Hemming Rose (Wax Ghost) contributes ghostly almost-not-there
vocals to the side-long bleakfest that is side B. Sleeve designed by
Evan Caminiti.
All in the Merry Month of May - At Home
cdr
(Reverb Worship) 5.50
A lovely cdr by Joelle Premo of home-recorded
traditional folk learnt from Bertrand Bronson's "Traditional
Texts and Tunes of the Child Ballads" and John Jacob Niles.
Joelle accompanies herself on banjo, fiddle, autoharp, bodhran and
Appalachian dulcimer. The cover depicts a gold-sprayed bird
silhouette (jackdaw I think) and is very nice indeed.
Astral Social Club - #21
cdr (self-released) 5
Another great selection from Neil Campbell:
manic electronica infested with computer-generated chirping, like
Monopoly Child goes techno, strobbing bliss-out drones and mangled
beats.
Astral Social Club / Glockenspiel split 7"
(Krayon) 4.75
A fine split 7". ASC take us on a flight
through s swirling vortex of sound after which Glockenspiel's side stars
in a deceptively subdued way. Their track builds to quite a tumult and
both are rather splendid! (JC)
Steffen Basho-Junghans - Is LP (Architects of
Harmonic Rooms & Records) 14.25
First release in 3 years from the German
guitarist and his first ever UK release. To mark the occasion,
Architects of Harmonic Rooms have issued this on deluxe heavy vinyl.
Beautiful acoustic ragas and zoned intensity on 12- and 6-string
guitar.
Sindre Bjerga
- Polluted Oceans of Hiss and
Muck cdr (Blackest Rainbow) 5
Released to coincide with Sindre's UK tour, this
features 2 live tracks from 2009, recorded in the Czech Republic.
Industrial quantities of amp hum and searing bursts of electricity
mixed up with siren wail and mangled vocals. Very limited.
- Electrical Centrifuge cdr
(Striate Cortex) 4.25
2 track live disc on a new UK label. This
features tracks recorded in Oct 2009 from Sheffield and Hull, and the
input of Terje Paulsen's "gas cloud sounds". Gas cloud
sounds is a pretty accurate description of what ensues, insidious
creeping ambient drone.
Sindre Bjerga & Robert Horton - Can't Go
Fast Enough to Get There Early cd (Blackest Rainbow) 7.50
Collaboration between Norwegian drone / noise
artist Sindre Bjerga and Robert Horton. Mesmerising haunted
oscillations, tribal hallucinations that recall Skaters / Vodka
Soap, the spectral shimmer and repeated hypnosis from Horton's
Boot-guitar,
Bjerga's haunted drones reaching into the depths.
Other contributors include fiddle player Hal Hughes, Bjerga's usual
collaborator Jan Iversen and Lisa Graves on bagpipes.
Bjerga / Iversen - Intersecting Parallel Lines
2cdr (Striate Cortex) 6
This double disc set has drones which suggest
somewhere out in deep space. They're more linear on disc one, with
swirling eddies of loops and drones on disc two. Sindre Bjerga mentions
Euclidian geometry regarding this title, going on to suggest a way of
listening to the set which could result in multiple possibilities of
different versions. First, you start disc one, then run disc two a
second later. Next time, start disc two after two seconds of disc one
have played. You see? Endless adventures in drone from only two cds in
an edition of 100 copies. (JC)
Bjerga / Iversen / Paulsen - River of Ashes cdr
(Striate Cortex) 6
Another live disc from Bjerga / Iversen, this
time with Terje Paulsen on contact-mics, bowed metal and strings. This
was recorded in Kristiansand, Norway in March 2009. Ambient drone with
an unsettling undertow. Tones see-sawing like being in the hull of a
listing ship.
Body Morph - Travel Keys cassette
(Digitalis) 5
Body Morph is Dan Dlugosielski and he is another
conspirator in the Digitalis plot to obliterate the world with bleak
synths and wired electronics. This cassette is at the fried end of
wired! The electronics hiss, pop and burble and Dan also contributes
some damaged sax playing to the mayhem.
Bong - Hilgamesh Lives cd (Blackest Rainbow)
7
Doom stoner rock from Newcastle with the
addition of sitar.
Mark Bradley - His Masters Voice cdr (Reverb
Worship) 5.50
Another fine release from Mark Bradley. This
oscillates between Tangerine Dream-esque synth-scapes and more minimal
rhythmic pulsations and throbbing deep bass. Hypnotic and beautiful.
A Broken Consort
- Crow Autumn cd (Tompkins Square) 8.75
- Crow Autumn LP (Tompkins Square) 9.75
Brume - The Sun / The Moon 2cd (Elsie and Jack)
18
Super-stylish return from Elsie and Jack with an
excellent double from one of their regulars, Brume / Christian Renou.
"The Moon" commemorates 40 years since the Apollo Moon
Landings and features contributions from James & Phil Rodriguez (Monera).
Haunting textural drone that sounds like a radio telescope
transmission from unknown galaxies. Thin wire vibrations, deep ominous
rumblings and long-lost voices travelling from far far away. The
first cd, "The Sun", is a long-awaited remastered reissue of
a cassette that appeared on Old Europa Cafe. An exhilarating Middle
Eastern influenced electro-acoustic sun worship ritual featuring
bone-horn, tribal percussion, cheap synths and spliced field
recordings. Despite being recorded in 1990 / 1991 it sounsd very
current. Two individual releases all wrapped up in a beautifully designed package: a card folder which has been offset printed, embossed, laser cut, hand-numbered and assembled by our four hands. Inserts aplenty are to be found alongside the two separately packaged cds.
The George Burt / Raymond MacDonald Quartet -
Think About It cd (Textile) 8
You'll find an unusual thing on this recording -an
eight piece quartet! Bill Wells appears on piano, Daniel Padden supplies
vocals, clarinet & percussion, Fred Longberg-Holm plays 'cello and
the result as every bit as varied and interesting as those names might
suggest. Fred & Bill duet on one piece, sounding like modern chamber
music, Nicola MacDonald's vocals blend with textures of strings and
soprano sax on another. Some jazzy elements run into more abstract
territory and George Burt & Raymond MacDonald are equally
comfortable in either form. These people really don't disappoint! (JC)
The Cairo Gang - Twyxt Wyrd
LP (Blackest Rainbow) 9.50
Cam Deas - My Guitar Is Alive and It's Singing
cdr (self-released) 6
Cdr reissue of
sold-out debut
vinyl release from acoustic guitarist Cam Deas. The A side is one long
track and is reminiscent of James Blackshaw, albeit in a more aggressive
mode. There are 2 tracks on side B: the opening one starts with a quiet
but unsettling undercurrent of drone and the tension continues with
flurried assaults on the strings. Back to more 12 string mastery on the
last track. An excellent release.
Tom Carter & Robert Horton - Campfire
cassette (Sloow) 5.50
Charlatan - Destinations cassette
(Digitalis) 5
Oklahoman synth-meister sends beams of arching
synth arpeggios into the inky blackness.
Andrew Coltrane - Conflict cassette
(Digitalis) 5
Synth-generated overload. Coltrane's past
releases have certainly gone into the red on occasion but this an
all-out blast Seriously distorted, demonic synth mayhem.
Peter Cora - Rosicrucian Enlightenment cdr
(Om Ha Sva Ha Ksha Ma La Va Ra Yam) 4.50
Medieval mantras on bowed metal, piano, flute
and guitar. This has a similar mystical atmosphere to Xenis Emputae
Travelling Band.
Culver - Can You Read My Mind
cassette (Bells
Hill) 4
Black tape-wow
rituals free Lee Stokoe.
Cursillistas
- Joint Chiefs LP & cassette (Digitalis) 12.75
Cursillistas
is now a duo: Matt Lajoie has been joined by Dawn Russell. The sound
is still pretty psyched but a move away from loosely-structured songs
to something looser still. At times it reminds me of the freer side of
MV / EE's cosmic folk, at other times slow, reverbed guitars form a
heavy fog and the duo's voices waver like distant lights. All my
copies come with cassette and badge. Beautiful poster-style
silk-screened sleeve too. Highly recommended.
D
Charles Speer & the Helix - Distillation LP & bonus cd (Three
Lobed) 16.25
D. Charles Speer is, apparently, the
countrified monicker of No Neck Blues Band's Dave Shuford. 'Tis country
music for sure, reminding me in places of an album by Gene Parson called
Kindling which oft tempts its way onto my turntable. Where the lyrics
become a little stranger, I reflect on the strange twists that jumped
out to catch us unawares in songs like Knoxville Girl from the Louvin
Brothers: yes, strangeness was all part of the country tradition too. Mr
Shuford's careworn voice sits just right for both the mellower moments
and the harder edged stuff on the live cd which is included. Special not
must be made of the gatefold paste-on sleeve wherein this is all
contained, as artefacts of this standard have seldom been seen this side
of about 1970! (JC)
Gareth
Davis & Steven R Smith - The Line Across LP (Alt Vinyl) 16.50
Second
collaborative album between guitarist Steven R Smith (Mizra, Thuja,
Hala Strana etc) and clarinettist Gareth Davis with one long track per
side. Crepuscular drones and post-midnight ambient abstractions. On
side 1 Smith's guitar burns holes in the dense clarinet smog; later in
the piece the distortion gives way to gentle strumming which has a
meditative effect with Davis' clarinet key clatter sounding quite
alchemical. The mysterious side resurfaces towards the end and I'm
particularly keen on the creaking blasts of bass clarinet that sound
like eruptions of magma. The second side is much moodier with the
guitar / clarinet sounding dulled behind a creeping fog. Heavy vinyl.
Del
- Grim Ace
cassette (Gold
Soundz) 5.75
Death
rock crunch from Lasse Marhaug and crew. Overload, distortion,
monolithic riffs and a woman with a big syringe on the cover.
The
Doozer - Error Engerumong cassette (Sloow) 5.50
This
opens with a track that sounds like a loop of a long-lost Hood track
and then veers off into exotic percussion hypnosis, inspired by
Balinese gamelan music.
Jack
Dove & Maquisard Acoustique - Le Ciel Ouvert
cdr (Rural Faune) 6
This is a meeting of field recordings
with assorted piping, strumming and vocalising. The birds and cicadas
which appear here aren't just background sounds: they're at a level
which makes them an integral part of the tracks, rather like pulling the
focus between different dimensions and perspectives. A pleasantly
beguiling mix it is too. (JC)
Dream
Safari - Journey to Sky Beach cdr (Gold Soundz) 5.75
An
ominous choir of layered and treated vocals, woozy and indistinct as
if you're listening underwater.
Dream
Safari / Ophibre split
cdr (Rural Faune) 6
Black hole layered vocals from Dream
Safari. Monolithic synth pulse / buzz from Ophibre.
Drekka
- Ancestral Cave Sequence
cassette (Digitalis) 5
Great
to be reacquainted with Michael Anderson's Drekka. Mysterious drone-scapes
that seem to emanate from deep within a pine forest at night.
Clanging metal, spectral voices, a distant violin dirge, throbbing
electronics and fragments of melancholic folk all add to the haunted
ambience.
Drunjus
- Street Trader cdr (Striate Cortex) 5.50
John
Edwards & Chris Corsano - Tsktsking LP (Dancing Wayang) 10.75
If you're already familiar with John
Edwards and Chris Corsano, you might well be ready to snap up this lp
without reading any further. Their melodic invention as a duo on bass
and drums really flies throughout four pieces. There are a couple of
winning aspects to this album which deserve a mention. First, it's good
to hear something with a wide dynamic range, instead of everything being
LOUD because - oh, that's the way we use plug-ins these days. Edwards
and Corsano start so quietly and build like an approaching storm and the
record captures that rising tension well. Another thing missing from
most albums these days is a proper sleeve note and here we have one by
Evan Parker, no less. (JC)
Enfer
Boreal / Tuscarora Borealis /
the.bricoleur split cdr (Deep Water) 5.50
3 tracks from Enfer Boreal, 2 from TB
and one from the.bricoleur. Enfer Boreal's contributions favour the
dronier side of his work: huge gas clouds of distantly raging
distortion and an undertow of calm synth hymnals. Tuscarora Borealis
is a member of Evening Fires who builds repetitions into a magical
stream of hypnosis. the.bricoleur has worked with Current 93 and
contributes a shadowy soundscape.
Evening
Fires
- Waves in the Air cdr (Deep Water) 5.50
Synths drone, an eleigaic saxophone wafts
through a long piece called "Brother North Wind", crunchy
guitars ring out over incisive drums on "From the High
Country". The titles themselves suggest the sort of expansive
instrumental fayre on offer here and it truly is lovely stuff, with
radio samples popping up here and there. (JC)
- The Book of Wonders cdr
(Deep Water) 5.50
Pennsylvania's
Evening Fires sound sublimely mellow on this release. The guitar /
bass / drums based tracks are pretty chilled - a kind of pastoral
space-rock but the really fine moments on here are the opening track -
a rippling pool of amorphous synth and glassy shards of percussion and
"Drinking Fire, Wearing Water" with guitars that bubble like
molten lava.
Eyeballs
- The Invisible Castle
cd (Blackest Rainbow) 7
An
hour-long piece of gorgeous multi-layered drone, similar to Gareth
Hardwick. Drift away to distant horizons.
Eyes
Like Saucers - Parmalee, Tribute to a Dog
cd (Ikuisuus) 7.50
Love me, love my dog is clearly the axiom
of J. Knoch, alias Eyes Like Saucers. The front and back of the album
have photos of Parmalee the dog, the latter candlelit and lying
underneath a Farfisa Compact Duo organ - a winning image, for sure! Much
of the album features the Farfisa, a harmonium and - I think - an old
Casio in drones or swirling melodiousness. The last track, For Parmalee,
is a reworking of the song which figured as the B-side of Mike
Oldfield's festive hit version of In Dulce Jubilo. What started out as
On Horseback is now a tribute to a dog. Love the dog; love Eyes Like
Saucers... it's quite easy to do! (JC)
Family
Elan
- Bow
Low Bright Glow LP (Alt Vinyl) 16.50
A
very very fine follow-up to the wonderful "Stare of Dawn"
from Chris Hladowski
( Nalle / Scatter / The One Ensemble). The music is again very much
influenced by Eurasian / Eastern European folk music and based around
Chris playing bazouki, saz, sitar among other things I've never heard
of no doubt. He is joined by fellow Nalle member Hanna Tuulikki on a
variety of recorders / flutes and vocals and Patrick Farmer on
percussion. The album opens with the stunning "Thousands of
Patterns of You" which morphs from traditional folk song to
multi-layered string devotional
to joyful folk-dance that makes you want to dance. This could sum up
the rest of the album which is divided between interpretations of
traditional tunes and Chris' own compositions. It's extraordinary:
from the quality of musicianship - Chris is truly a god of long-necked
lutes
and Hanna's flute-playing exquisitely avian. Another fantastic track
is "The Black Planets of Her Eyes" which starts out as an
Azeri folk tune and then becomes a dark mystical devotional with Chris
chanting like a chorus of monks on a mountaintop, like an unholy
meeting of A Hawk and A Hacksaw and Vibracathedral Orchestra somewhere
in the Urals. As I said, extraordinary stuff. Beautifully recorded by
John Cavanagh at Glo-Spot. Gatefold sleeve with Hanna Tuulikki's
expressive artwork. Heavy vinyl.
- Bow
Low Bright Glow cd (Alt Vinyl) 10
A
very very fine follow-up to the wonderful "Stare of Dawn"
from Chris Hladowski
(Nalle / Scatter / The One Ensemble). The music is again very much
influenced by Eurasian / Eastern European folk music and based around
Chris playing bazouki, saz, sitar among other things I've never heard
of no doubt. He is joined by fellow Nalle member Hanna Tuulikki on a
variety of recorders / flutes and vocals and Patrick Farmer on
percussion. The album opens with the stunning "Thousands of
Patterns of You" which morphs from traditional folk song to
multi-layered string devotional
to joyful folk-dance that makes you want to dance. This could sum up
the rest of the album which is divided between interpretations of
traditional tunes and Chris' own compositions. It's extraordinary:
from the quality of musicianship - Chris is truly a god of long-necked
lutes
and Hanna's flute-playing exquisitely avian. Another fantastic track
is "The Black Planets of Her Eyes" which starts out as an
Azeri folk tune and then becomes a dark mystical devotional with Chris
chanting like a chorus of monks on a mountaintop, like an unholy
meeting of A Hawk and A Hacksaw and Vibracathedral Orchestra somewhere
in the Urals. As I said, extraordinary stuff. Beautifully recorded by
John Cavanagh at Glo-Spot. Gatefold sleeve with Hanna Tuulikki's
expressive artwork.
Flying
Sutra - Glowering and Glowing Red
cdr (Deep Water) 5.50
Pennsylvania's
guitar / drums duo return with 66 minutes of crunching avant-rock
that merges angular art-punk with freeform heavy rock.
M
Geddes Gengras - Triptych of the Divine and Blackened Arts
cassette (Digitalis) 5
Ged has been involved in a whole host
of stuff prior to this release including Fantastic Ego, Robedoor,
Pocahaunted & Antique Brothers. He has now built a modular synth
and it is this he unleashes on this solo release. Brimming with fizz
and hiss, this sounds like outer-space melodies picked up on a
shortwave radio.
The
Goner - Behold A New Traveler cdr (Deep Water) 5.50
Greenhouse
- Learning Curve
cdr
(Reverb Worship) 5.50
Debut release from Canadian Curran
Faris. This is lovely - ever-evolving soft-edged tones and e-bow
drones. Harmonic sunlight.
Guanaco - Sky Burials LP (Blackest
Rainbow) 9.50
Hans Chew - New Cypress Grove Boogie
7" (Three Lobed) 5.50
Robert Horton - 30 Years of Tape
Music
cassette (Gold
Soundz) 5.75
A
delve into the treasure trove of Robert Horton's recordings from the
last 30 years. Imaginative splicings, harmonica breath, android
covers of bubblegum pop, space hum ... there's never a dull moment
on any of Horton's releases.
Robert Horton / Sindre Bjerga -
Broken Wisdom on Its Wild Lone cdr (Striate Cortex) 6
A reconstruction of Sindre Bjerga's
solo release "Broken Wisdom" by Sindre and Robert Horton.
The result is an endless shimmering subtly evolving dronescape of
synth, gong, boot, tapes and effects. It's hard to see where one
sound ends and another begins on a journey into infinity. Nice
homemade packaging.
Jan M Iversen - Live Klubb Kanin 2 x
3"cdr & dvdr (Striate Cortex) 7
Four live tracks recorded as an
accompaniment to short films at Klubb Kabin. All my copies have a
dvdr featuring the films. Very limited.
Keijo & Uton - Alun Aania cdr
(Om Ha Sva Ha Ksha Ma La Va Ra Yam) 4.50
Two of Finland's prolific forces come
together here for an album of mainly instrumentals where strong bass
lines underpin developing wildness - some of it very organic; some of
it electronic. There's an air of mystery to the only song and sounds
of nature fuse with the contemplative harmonica and guitar of the
closing track which, in translation, is called awakening
from sleep. As it is at the end, I'm developing the notion that the
rest of the album might be a soundtrack to a night of colourful
dreams! (JC)
Kitchen Cynics - The
"Tune-a-Day" Covers cdr (self-released) 5
What a treat! 29 versions of some
very fine songs by Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Ivor
Cutler, Love, Bridget St John, Kevin Ayers, Fairport Convention, the
Pastels, Chris Bell, the Creation T Rex, TVPs, Roy Harper, Slade and
more. Alan Davidson has such a distinctive style and it's a pleasure
to hear him cover such an array of great songs. 16 come from the
"Tune-a-day" cdrs of 2007, others come from cassettes from
the 80s and 90s and a couple of tracks at the end from the De-Quincys.
Dreamtime bedroom psych-pop - I'm in heaven.
Knit Prism - Perception cassette
(Digitalis) 5
Knit Prism is Michael Pouw who also
runs the House of Sun label. He creates an electronic storm of malfunctioning
analogue synths, Carpenter-esque creepiness and much magical bleepery.
Samara Lubelski - Spectacular of Passages / Did You See
7" (Time Lag) 5.50
Dreamy folk-pop from Samara Lubelski (Hall of Fame / Golden
Road / Tower Recordings). 2 tracks that date from 2004. Packaged in
silver & black on bright red offset printed art paper covers,
with simple hand stamped labels.
Raymond MacDonald / Adife Mannix - Other Voices cd Nu-Jazz) 8
This collaboration between Irish poet Aoife Mannix and Melodybar
favourite Raymond MacDonald is rather special. The range of Mannix's
work is wide: from beautifully poetic language to genuinely funny
pieces about jammed fairground rides and trashed nights out with camp
disco references. Raymond's saxophone work is, as ever, crisp and
inspired, but here he provides some particularly sympathetic
accompaniments on piano too. Something very different and recommended.
(JC)
Raymond MacDonald / Satoko Fujii / Neil Davidson / Natsuki
Tamura / Tom Bancroft - Cities cd (Nu-Jazz) 8
Magdalena Solis - Lady of the Wild Things cdr (Reverb Worship)
5.50
A Belgian trio with a taste for the dark side. Computer-assembled
/ manipulated jams / samples that ride a fine line between childlike
and sinister. Sometimes recalls Hawkwind and sometimes Comus fed
through an electronic mangle.
Magickal Folk of the Faraway Tree - The Soup and the Shilling
2cd (Deserted Village) 12
Excellent release that compiles previous Magickal Folk recordings
"The Cat's Melodeon" and "The Mildew Leaf" along
with new recordings (all of the second disc). The band comprises
Dave Colohan (Agitated Radio Pilot / United Bible Studies) and Shane
Cullinane (Cosmic Nanou / United Bible Studies) along with
assistance from Caroline Coffey, Gavin Prior (United Bible Studies),
Sean Og and Scott McLaughlin. The songs are all folk songs learnt
from Peter Kennedy's "Traditional Songs of Britain and
Ireland", sometimes with new melodies written by Colohan /
Cullinane. This is the most traditional of all the Deserted Village
projects but has a gothic-with-a-small-g feel, a real feeling of
magic, a "live" sounds like it was recorded in a mystical
inn situated at the very edge of the world and of course the
wonderful vocals of Dave Colohan. Highly recommended.
Mallucoch Quartet - Epitaph for an Exploding Star cdr (Striate
Cortex) 5.50
The long-running duo of Jan Iversen and Sindre Bjerga are augmented
by a saxophonist, Dario Fariello, and Daniele Giannotta on flutes
percussion and "junk" of an unspecified nature. The
combination of electronics, tape loops, acoustic instruments and voice
leads to some intense, yet understated improvising. An undulating,
misty landscape of sound. (JC)
Mangled Bohemians - Degeneration cdr (Reverb Worship) 5.50
Creepy atmospheres that recall Bjerga / Iversen, quiet and eerie
guitar and mangled electronic alchemy.
Matricarians - Up Down & Sideways cdr (self-released) 5
This new Matricarians cd is replete with the always enticing voice
and chiming guitar of Alan Davidson, as ever, but there are twists
anew too.... there's a set of electronic pieces with titles like
"Gandar-Dower Organises A Cheetah Race In London" which are,
I suspect, named in honour of the man who founded Aberdeen Airport.
Then there are 3 rather hypnotic long tracks, one running to over 20
minutes. It's difficult to review Matricarians releases without
repeating what we've said here before, but it's very easy to praise
them warmly! (JC)
Meditations - Precipice cassette (Digitalis) 5
Not the kind of meditations you would use to mellow down easy.
Bass that crawls under your skin, black metal vocals, warped synth
and a general air of malevolence.
Metal Rouge - Ephemeroptera 5 cdr (Seymour) 8
The latest in the Ephemeroptera series is
another gem. The opener is the sound of Metal Rouge revving up - guitar
strings warping and distant bass rising slowly like steam. The second and
middle track is a righteous 3 minute cacophony of crashing drums, raging
distortion and Helga's vocals rattling in the maelstrom. This release ends
with a charged meditation of trembling wires with Helga's wordless wails
awaking the dead. Excellent.
MV & EE - Live Road
LP (Blackest Rainbow) 12.75
"Collection of very recent live excursions with MV & EE,
all high quality recordings from shows in November 2009. The A side
opens with a MV/EE duo perfromance of 'Mine All Troubled
Blues' from Art Damage Lodge, Cinncinnatti, OH on 20/11/09. This
heads straight into two interpretations of 'Environments', one from
Project Lodge, Madison, WI which again is just raw MV/EE action, but
the second features an enhanced line up with Muskox and Doc Dunn.
The two versions are blurred together into one log blazing 11
minute space jam. The flip side opens with the classic blues soaked
'Tea Devil' with Erika's laidback vocals backed with MV's rippling
guitar shreds, Rongoose's (Ron Schneidermann of Sunburned/Spirit of
Orr/Pewt'r) heavy bass bliss outs, and Chris Corsano's showcasing a
slow moving stoned out drumkit. Straight from here we head into a
completely trance inducing psychedelic haze of wild jamming with a
totally different version of 'Environments'. The whole of the B side
was recorded with Chris and Ron at Bank Row, Greenfield, MA. Edition
of 400 pressed on heavyweight vinyl with hand stamped labels in
black and white pro printed wrap around jackets with cover art
by Jeremy Earl of Woods/Woodsist Records. (BR)
Myrmyr - The Amber Sea
cd (Digitalis) 7
Myrmyr are a duo comprising Agnes Szelag and Marielle Jakobsons (Darwinsbitch)
and this is a concept album about the story of amber, tracing its
origins and folklore. It's a magical and mysterious album,
appropriately for such an extraordinary stone. The album opens with
a Nico-esque harmonium-based drone-song. The album continues in a
beautifully sombre vein with Baltic-tinged chamber folk, comprising
'cello, violin, piano and assorted woodwind / brass, and
electro-acoustic drone-based compositions that remind me of A Broken
Consort.
Steve Noble / John Edwards / Alan
Wilkinson - Newtoons LP (Bo'weavil) 11.50
I reviewed an album by the trio comprising Steve Noble, John Edwards
& Alex Ward before for the Melodybar, commenting at the time that
their improv work had dimensions which they brought from many different
angles: " Between them,
these three players have worked with the likes of Brion Gysin,
Charles Hayward and Eugene Chadbourne and such open minded
versatility shines through their joyous playing". That thought
applies here as it did to the earlier record and, without obvious
references, I would think that This Heat & post-punk fans would find
a lot of appeal in these new toons, every bit as much as the free jazz
afficionados. (JC)
The One Ensemble & Sarah Kenchington - Dummy Jim cd
(Unshaped Led) 7
James Duthie was a well traveled man and the music on this album
was inspired by a journey he made in the early 1950's, cycling to the
Arctic circle. This was commissioned for a film about Duthie called
Dummy Jim, who was a deaf mute in the days before political
correctness. Sarah Ketchington makes marvelous mechanical, musical
sculptures which can, variously, be twanged, tooted, bowed, strummed
and, appropriately for a film about a cyclist, pedaled! She and the
Ensemble play together on one track here, but mostly take turn about
and her unique sound world sits well against the band's off-kilter
excellence. Don't switch off too quickly after the last track, as
there's a hidden piece later: a good organ solo too. The meeting of
the OE & SK is a winner all round. (JC)
The Ophelian - Seasonal - Early Jams & Improvisations cdr
(Reverb Worship) 5.50
London-based trio of guitar, drums and bass. Two long tracks of
slow-burning menacing riffing.
Our Love Will Destroy the World -
Fucking Dracula CLouds LP
(Blackest Rainbow) 10.50
"Stunning
new LP from Campbell Knele's post Birchville Cat Motel project.
Continues with the vibes set on his superb LP for Dekorder, total
psychedelic filth noise. Two side long heavy pieces of gushing electric
destruction, one sound lurches in and tears down another one,
which it rebuilds an even more ferocious version of the original sound.
Limited to 400 copies in pro printed wrap around sleeve on 400gsm
silk card." (BR)
Daniel Padden & Sarah
Kenchington - The Bellow Switch cd (Shadazz) 7
Who isn't fascinated by the wonderful
array of musical instruments in the world? Beyond the horizons of those
we usually hear, some intrepid sonic explorers dream up and create their
own. I'm thinking about one-off figures like Harry Partch. Now we have
Sarah Ketchington, whose projects include turning a disused house into a
giant instrument in its own right. Although the house doesn't appear on
The Bellow Switch, a collection of her sound-makers, which double as
beautiful mechanical sculptures, were recorded and collaged by Daniel
Padden to great effect. If you fancy something like you've never heard
before, snap this one up! There's an eerie sense of wonder to the myriad
twangs and wheezes which is hard to describe in a few words. The insert
includes pictures of several instruments, a useful insight in
themselves. (JC)
Phosphene & Friends - The Mercy of
the Open Sea 3" cdr (Octane Grammophon) 4
The return of the mighty Finnish
Octane Grammophon label and a new disc by Phosphene gives us two
reasons to be cheerful at Boa HQ. Phosphene, of course, is Boa
reviewer John Cavanagh, who also used to be half of Electroscope,
wrote a book on "Piper at the Gates of Dawn", makes a mean
Christmas dumpling and once featured on page 3 of the Sun next to
Corrie's Reg Holdsworth, Pamela Anderson and a Sun Stunna. This
excellent 3" features two ocean-inspired tracks: the first a
collaboration with Drew Mulholland (Mount Vernon Arts Lab) - a short
piece featuring Drew on harmonium, John on long silvery lines of
e-bow guitar and sounding like a long lost track from Eno's
"Another Green World". The second track is an epic
semi-freeform re-imagining of the folk song "The Captain's
Apprentice" which features me (on harmonium and vocals) as well
as some of Glasgow's finest improvising musicians Aby Vulliamy,
George Burt and Raymond MacDonald. Burt and MacDonald's guitar / sax
in the latter part of the track ramp up the intensity as the water
closes over the boy's head, descending notes and bubbling guitar
runs evoking the chilling end he meets. Cavanagh's dramatic vocals
have rarely sounded finer.
Brigid Power Ryce - You Are Here EP
3" cdr (Rusted Rail) 5
A truly outstanding release on one of
my favourite labels. 2 of these tracks were recorded at ToeRag
Studios and the other 3 in Philadelphia by Eric Carbonara and the
sound on all 5 is warm and full. Brigid plays 12 string guitar and
sings with a languid free-flowing style, reminiscent of Tim Buckley.
Highly recommended.
Pulse Emitter - Oppressive Nature cd
(Digitalis) 7.75
Modular synth-scapes from Daryl Groetsch of
Portland, Oregon. This oscillates
between spiralling bubbles which I feel should accompany a '70s school
science programme, horizontal meditations and all-out fizzing onslaughts.
Nice gatefold card sleeve.
Rambutan - Incidences cassette (Digitalis) 5
Eric Hardimann (Burnt Hills / Century
Plants). 2 tracks per side of solo guitar / electronics. Spectral feedback
and wowing to the point of nausea.
Restless
Dead - Live / Dead
cdr (Reverb Worship) 5.50
This is a co-release with Fenland
Electricity of music written by the Restless Dead's frequent
collaborator C Joynes. It's a live recording with a slightly rough
at the edges quality, the (electric) guitar is accompanied by
shivering harmonica, shortwave radio and a severely warped slide
guitar.
Nils Rostad - Recorded with a Mic
Standing on a Table cdr (Striate Cortex) 4.25
Nils is one half of Magnetic North
Duo, alongside Sindre Bjerga, and this cdr features 2 live tracks
recorded in October 2009 in Sheffield and Hull. These solo
recordings feature his improvised acoustic guitar playing - fierce
with steel strings rattling loosely. Handmade packaging that comes
with a small booklet featuring pasted-on photographs. Limited to
40.
Rural Faune Collective - I
3"
cdr (Rural Faune) 4
Live
recording from June 2008 featuring pagan-ritual improv from Xochipilli,
Sorc'henn, Monks of the Balhill and BP.
Saturn Finger - s/t cdr (Crier
dans les Musees) 6
Collaboration between Enfer
Boréal and Uton, recorded in the winter of 2007 / 2008. Inspired by
the travels of both in the East, this finds them creating mystical
soundscapes of shamanic mantras & chants, shrouded drones and
alchemical electronics.
Seht - Hrry LP & 3" cdr
(Digitalis) 13.50
Another fine installment of
laptop-generated drone from Stephen Clover. The tracks on the vinyl are
shorter than his usual slowly creeping epics but the subtly shifting
repetition, dub overtones, distant foghorn drones and disjointed
computerized voice build into an ominous presence of slowly asphyxiating
unease that lingers long after the disc has finished. Limited to 150
copies, this comes with a black and silver poster fold-out sleeve.
Seven That Spells - You Must Do
This on Stage Vol 1 cassette (Sloow) 5.50
Some live recordings from Croatia's heavy
prog-psych band. Noodly guitars, crunching riffs, squalling sax, driving
rhythms, this is like a proggier Hawkwind!
Fredrik Ness Sevendal - Tindoll
cassette (Sloow) 5.50
Home-made psych / experimentalism from this
Norwegian chap who has collaborated in the past with Kawabata, Slowburn
and Bill Wood. This starts off with some hypnotic guitar-work and then
heads off into more unsettling territory - thick atmospheres of
densely layered distorted guitar, sampled voices, milk-bottle percussion.
The Shitty Listener -
Constant Stranger
cassette (Digitalis) 5
A collection of stuff previously found on super-limited
cassettes. Semi-structured lo-fi guitar / vocals songs with some field
recording / lots of background hum from Jason Honea, of Franciscan Hobbies
/ Child Readers.
Shores
of Darkness - In the Shadow of Distant Nights cdr (Reverb
Worship) 5.50
Excellent release by Dublin-based
electronic artist Cronin Drumlish. This is a real voyage into the
abyss - deep bass drones, lots of delay and feedback, nauseous
throb; electronics with a black heart. The sleeve is inspired by the
diamond ring effect during an eclipse - gold glitter on black card.
Very nice.
Sky Dripping Venom - In Krasnozem
cdr (Rural Faune) 6
What a fine record this is! The droney
opening builds into a magnificent wall of fuzz; the closer sounds like
what the Go! Team might do if they dipped into some Metal Urbaine
tracks instead of mining the Northern soul vaults and in between
there's a hint of sci-fi library music and overloaded riffing a-la
Sonic Temple Assassins. All of these things elicit the warmest
recommendations from me! (JC)
Stellar Om Source - Heartlands Suite
cdr (Rural Faune) 6
There are 9 pieces in around 23 minutes
here, so although Christelle Gauldi's synth playing tends towards the
sumptuous in style, she never lets her ideas become stretched too far.
Indeed, there's one piece here which is less than a minute long. The
style of the music suits the name Cosmic OM Source very well and I
would suspect the influence of Miquette Giraudy might well prevail,
which is a fine thing, as far as I'm concerned. There are but 100
copies of this. (JC)
Tonal Wasteland - Desolate cassette
(Digitalis) 5
More blasted synth wastelands from
Digitalis, this time from Australian Ben Lynch. This opens with an
infernal onslaught, a wind tunnel of modular synth fizz and doom that
sucks everything up into its bleak centre. There are some haunting fragments
of melody snuggled alongside the maelstrom so we can conclude that Ben's
heart is not entirely black.
Tranko - III
cdr (Reverb Worship) 5.50
3rd release on Reverb Worship from Japanese
band Tranko. 8 musicians contribute to this one, playing guitar, sitar,
tabla, drums, harmonium, electronics and bass. The result is a mellowed
out Far Eastern take on lounge psych.
Alexander Turnquist - AS the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color cd
(VHF) 8.50
Venereum Arvum - A Pentacle of Pips cdr
(Reverb Worship) 5.50
A band name and album title that
surely can only mean prog-folk! Venereum Arvum is a duo featuring
Rachel McCarron and Sean Breadin; the latter also records as Sedayne
and that serves as a useful reference point to this release. Using
instruments like banjo, harmonium, crwth, kenence, citera, goose
pipe and shruti box, the pair create a magical and haunting take on
English folk. Recommended.
Vibracathedral Orchestra
- Joka Baya LP (VHF) 11
- The Secret Base LP (VHF) 11
- Smoke Song LP (VHF) 11
Vibracathedral Orchestra / Infinite
Light split 7" (Krayon) 4.75
"Vibracathedral drop straight into a
heads down fully tranced narco-dust trail, with guitar-born fireflies
leading the way through a never-changing backdrop heat haze of
low-lying smoke-mist and earth-veined throb. Fx tweets and rattlesnake
percussion shakes as mystic keyboard spirits blow in a weightless
drift. The first cut from Infinite Light is a section lifted from a
show featuring Barry Dean on guitar, Mick Flower on guitar and organ
and Pete Nolan jamming the traps, and its a full, free-rock, psych-out
captured through a heavy veil of no-fi smog. By the sounds of this
they must have blasted open the trans-dimensional portal to some
out-of-time temple rituals. Part two is the opposite, exchanging
blasted group workout for a solo piece of harmonic guitar vignettes
wrapped around a falsetto vocal cadence fluctuating at the point of
saturation. Art by Barry Dean, design by Mick Flower." (Krayon)
W-S Burn -
Tislightisoundtisl ightisoundtislig
htisoundislighti sound ... cdr (Reverb Worship) 5.50
A welcome return from this duo.
Intimately recorded bedroom blues that vaguely recalls early PJ
Harvey, played at a funereal pace. Features a cover of REM's
"Swan Swan H". Nicely hand-packaged with a fold-out lyric
sheet.
Xela - The Divine cassette (Digitalis) 5
On
one side church bells looped into a bleak foretelling of doom. The
other side is a wall of drone fog, with vocals barely discernible in
the thick gloom.
Yuko x Chino - Sensory Deprivation
Techniques cdr (Rural
Faune) 6
Monolithic distorted guitar from Danny
Sasqrotch - it howls and squeals and is mightily black.
v/a - Faux Amis LP (Zero Jardins) 14
Collaborative LP featuring edited
highlights from a mammoth five hour jam featuring UK / French improv bands
Motherfucking, I’m A Grizzly, Julien Dupont, Francois Virot, Le Geme
Faute, Part Wild Horses Mane On Both Sides, Chora, Helhesten and Lanterns.
v/a - Psykick Dancehall Recordings 7 Ince
Series #2 4x3" cdrs (Psykick Dancehall) 15
Excellent release from Psykick Dancehall of
4 hand-painted 3" cdrs packaged in a hand-assembled 11 page booklet
featuring 8 full-colour artworks including lithographs and silk-screens.
Bands featured are Helhesten, The Hunter Gracchus, Jazzfinger, Wounded
Knee, Patrick Farmer, Bad Orb, Hobo Sonn, Serfs and Single Helix.
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