the collaboration of the poet anne-james chaton, guitarist andy moor and musician alva noto is a dense and structured sound design, in which words, rhythms, and melodic loops inexorably blend. anne-james chaton reads almost a litany of portraits of people, built from lists of events and objective facts. the list is set in several languages, deliberately repetitive, and becomes a continuous bass line on which the music builds up. the electronic sound structures of alva noto perfectly complement the incursions of andy moor‘s experimental guitar playing. gradually, the prose, the guitar and machines resonate, culminating in a powerful storm both musical and harmonious.
the text consists of a collection of twenty portraits written throughout the last decade. these almost photographic sketches are fed from textual blueprints which met the author at some point in time: bank statements, subway tickets, restaurant and shopping receipts are rewritten in prose, composed in simple subject-verb-complements. each piece of information becomes a sentence; all sentences are short and compact, and in fast succession, they gradually shape a story. portraits of a nurse, a teacher, an educator, a singer, an astronaut, and many others are placed end to end. the assembly of parallel lives creates a continuous thread, providing a path to follow both extreme banality and great adventures. actions, places and events are melted in the instance of a third person singular with no indication which is its true identity. it is a disturbance with many possible escape routes of dispersion and emergence.
the listener encounters the speeches of german, english, japanese and other languages which introduce multiple shifts of meaning. the voice becomes pure sensation; in conjoint with the textures and improvisations delivered by the other musicians, it can submerge to the background and re-emerge again, being pure sonic material stripped off of its communicative function. the significance of words is lost in pure performance and proceeds as yet another texture in the sound. Raster-Noton
- "What strikes immediately in Fausto Romitellis work (1963-2004) is the immediacy of his musical proposals that pleases the ear. As a convinced modernist who is careful not to indulge in the arrogant fallacy of radical rupture for its own sake, the composer represents an heir of Western musical traditions be they scholarly or popular, ancient or current all the while expressing a strong sense of independence towards historical necessity or the desire to pertain to a group, to be heard. By playing with coded musical structures (and evading them at the same time), his frescoes, which exhibit a fascinating expressive force, become directly accessible to the music lover yearning to take the plunge into this universe of sound. In the tradition of the electroacoustic and spectral movements, Romitelli, an enthusiastic and curious technophile, devotes himself to new technologies of amplification and transformation that make electric sounds become electrifying and, through successive distorsion, reverberation and projection, creates a three-dimensional illusion. On the occasion of his 50th anniversary, the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, directed by Jean-Paul Dessy, retraces the arch of a decade (1990-2001) in Fausto Romitellis musical work and explores several pieces of music that are presented on the disc for the first time."
- Cypres Records.
Fausto Romitelli
- Was born in Gorizia, Italy in 1963. He first studied under Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and later at the Scuola Civica in Milan. He continued his investigations of sound at Ircam in Paris, and with the musicians of LItinéraireTristan Murail, Gérald Grisey, Michaël Levinas, and Hugues Dufourt.
Romitelli broke down the barrier between art music and popular music. Distortion, saturation, and psychedelic rock were part of his musical universe, evident in Acid Dreams & Spanish Queens (1994), EnTrance (1995), and Cupio Dissolvi (1996). The Professor Bad Trip cycle (I, II, and III, 1998-2000) blended distorted colorations of acoustic and electric instruments as well as accessories like the mirliton and harmonica to create a hallucinatory atmosphere.
An Index of Metals (2003), a video-opera for soprano and ensemble, was Romitellis final work. He died in 2004, after a long illness."
- Empac. - http://www.smcq.qc.ca/smcq/en/artistes/r/romitelli_fa/
. . . . . "For those new to the gunn-truscinski duo, steve gunn is one of the most exciting american guitarists working today. his solo discography, as well as his work with GHQ, should be well known to folks who have followed three lobed recordings over the past five-plus years. percussionist john truscinski is a stalwart of the american underground in his own right through his dedicated work in X.O.4 (with bill nace and jake meginsky), slaughterhouse percussion, as well as with GHQ (as last seen on the outfits everywhere at once from the oscillation III series). . . . ." Three Lobed Recordings - Emusic.
- "Monica Richards is an American singer who is also a member of the gothic cult band Faith And The Muse. She is also active as a solo artist and she now releases her second full length 'Naiades', named after a name from the Greek mythology. Monica herself wrote all the music and lyrics, produced the album as well and she has used a truck full of musicians, primarily from unknown bands as Batman and Silent Hill.
It's a pretty diverse album. The genius of the compositions is that they not only sound powerful but also radiate vulnerability. Sometimes the melodies clearly sound like gothic rock, but a moment later it sounds like radio friendly rock / pop in the style of Dalbello for example. Or what about the rather strange track in the midst Scylla And Charybdis', a track that consists of just vocals and percussion. So you will hear typical gothic bombast (Nereides) but also very fragile songs that remind of the latest work of Kate Bush (the wonderful 'Lureinlay). The voice of Mrs. Richards is not that special, but more than average. She does not do crazy things but she is not able to give me goosebumps. Beautiful, easy listening album that has nothing to with metal or with heavy rock."
- Lords of Metal - http://www.monicarichards.com/home.htm
- "EKS's uncompromising aural sensibilities have been responsible for 3 decades of deviant melodic excellence, including about a dozen solid solo releases in the oughts alone. Unlike so much experimentalism today, Edward's ideas are exploratory without sounding noodley or samey, making each of his prodigious progeny worth assembling. " A Pleasure Cruise Through 9 Dimensions " successfully takes yet another left turn by presenting an album covered in concrete. Musique concrete. Edward has eschewed all song structure in favor of avant-garde soundscapes. The word "soundscapes" is almost a dirty word in most cases, but EKS attacks sound like a master sculptor, freeing unique and surprising sonic forms from the ether. He brilliantly decoupages electronics with emotional otherness, punctuated by disembodied voices that bubble up from the beyond. This is what Xenakis and Schaeffer listen to in electro-acoustic Heaven."
- Beta-lactam Ring Records.[/b] - (3 minutes preview here)
Special limited vinyl release celebrating 30 years of life in The Legendary Pink Dots together for Edward and Phil Night (Silverman) to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Legendary Pink Dots. Two side long tracks with Side A featuring a live performance of "Katrina"
- Released digitally in 2012
Lovely new compilation from Audio Gourmet and Hibernate.
This years follow up includes an astonishing roster of artists from across the globe, which cross-sections the modern scene. The album is set up to carefully explore this, with guitar based openers from Marsen Jules and Talvihorros onto more modern classical material from Midori Hirano, Danny Norbury, The Frozen Vaults, Rudi Arapahoe and Federico Durand. The second half of the album opens out to more subtle drone works from Quinn Walker, Pawn, Lawrence English, Field Rotation, Pjusk and Offthesky before closing with a hint of noise by Konntinent, Strom Noir and Ian Hawgood.
Just found out about this thanks for an inquirer on the emu board. I am an absolute fan of everything that Office of Strategic Influence have released, and the samples for this sound very much like an OSI album (= very good news). Will certainly be buying this. Review e.g. here. Soooo looking forward to hearing this.
When OSI first appeared on the scene in 2003 with their debut album (Office of strategic influence) they stood alone with their deeply melodic and slow-burning progressive rock whilst simultaneously gaining universal attention from the high profile of their members (OSI comprises Jim Matheos and Kevin Moore of Fates Warning and Dream Theater respectively whilst guests included Steven Wilson of Porcupine tree and Mike Portnoy, also of DT). However, high profile or not, what was notable about OSI was that the band had its own unique sound and style which was not to be subverted by the involvement of others,....There was never any doubt that OSI would make another fine album the duo of Moore and Matheos are fine musicians and exquisite songwriters, but here they have excelled themselves. The whole album is a thing of shimmering beauty...
- "Superb collection of Fenn O'Berg jams from their 2010 Japan tour, in which they forged further west for some wild sets in Beppu and Omuta. While maintaining the sophistication of the In Stereo sessions and tour, these recordings hark back to some classic 20th century Fenn O'Berg fare, complete with the odd cheeky samples. Fenn O'Berg are: Christian Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke and Peter Rehberg. Assembled by Jim O'Rourke at Steamroom Tokyo, 2011. Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, 2012."
- Editions Mego
ETA: - "'In Hell' is a collection of jams from Fenn O'Berg's 2010 Japan tour. Bearing a notable resemblance to the 'In Stereo' sessions and tour, the recordings hear brooding atmospherics and darkly muted tones. Yet moments gloriously hark back to classic Fenn O'Berg fare and their deranged and spontaneous black-magic. All this makes for a unique stopover in the Fenn O'Berg canon of material striking and wholly memorable."
- Bleep.
- And a superb 5 minutes clip of track 2 @ Soundcloud.
- "The title and track names of this new AUN three track EP, contain some clues as to the frame of mind, and maybe some hints of the influences of its creators. As fans have now come to expect, 'Full Circle' is again a different sonic adventure, but still unmistakably AUN stamped. On the A side we find the fittingly titled 'Return to Jupiter Jazz, a Dumais solo piece, while the B side is a more joint affair, with the slow melancholic guitar and keyboard interplay of 'Floodland', and a first track featuring AUN in trio formation, with Fr
The cover of this made me think of New Age or Ambient, but this is is a collaboration between two of the finest artists from the Active Suspension / Clapping Music stables:
Egyptology - The Skies
- " A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away », those canonical words could be inscribed into Egyptologys grand works frontispiece. Built one block after another using antediluvian rhythm boxes and synthesizers, from the sub low frequencies deep down in the foundations up to the high frequencies skimming the tails of comets, The Skies could also be the sonic illustration of a science-fiction narrative which took place thousands and thousands years ago Olivier Lamm (O.Lamm) and Stéphane Laporte (Domotic, Centenaire) were already well known for their post-electronica and avant-pop explorations among the Active Suspension/Clapping Music collective in the early 2000s. For Egyptology, they decided to pool their love for the mighty white noise sound and vintage electronic instruments (Roland SH101, Roland MC 202, Korg MS10, Korg 700s Mini, Yamaha CS-15, Juno 106, Roland JX3P, Prophet 600, Philicorda ) while cultivating their differences.
Concocted over a long period of time in their own home-studios, their erudite mixtures emulsify glimmering chants and synthetic dusts of overdriven sounds on magnetic tape, like hieroglyphs were written on modern day papyrus.
Musical sequel (or prequel) to a very ancient narrative of things to come, The Skies harmonizes the memorial sounds of our electronic godfathers (Joe Meek, Isao Tomita, Mort Garson, Vangelis, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop) through the eyes and heart of a child (synthetic music from French TV shows of the 70s) and builds them into an parascending trip which is less retrofuturistic or retromaniacal than conscious of the past, the present and the future which co-exist in all great epics."
- Clapping Music.
Not a Leaf Remains as it Was by Steve Peters and Steve Roden
This has been out a few weeks, but I just discovered how beautiful it is. I listened to some samples when it came out and did not warm to them, so passed it by. Just listened to it on Rdio, and will definitely be purchasing. Simply lovely. Sparse, fragile, pristine.
Inspiration came in the form of a book of Japanese jisei poems allegedly written by monks on their death bed printed in both English translation and Romanized Japanese. Phonetically pronouncing the Japanese reminded Peters of the technique Roden has used of systematically chopping up the syllables in English texts to transform them into sound poems. Since neither of them speaks Japanese, it seemed like a good place to begin....they intended to avoid electronic instruments, or directly referencing the poems literal meaning, or imitating any Japanese musical idioms or Zen stereotypes. Culling some of the poems that made references to sound and noting them on 3x5 cards, Peters and Roden sorted the cards into four groups according to the seasons of the year that the poems represented, divided the cards between them, and taped them to their music stands. They then sang random fragments from the various cards - a word here, a line there, maybe backwards, maybe the English translation...12k is known to be a label of understatement and restraint, however, Not A Leaf Remains As It Was is arguably the most hushed and delicate record in the labels catalog. Every sound on the albums four tracks, be it the artists voices, a pump organ or melodica hangs by a thread, played ever so slightly, with utmost care. Noises, created from turtle shells, leaves, and bells shuffle and flutter, as if they are quietly alive, in the background providing a textural backdrop to the sublime tones and ghostly voices.
A new album from Sahelsounds - (the label with Music from Saharan Cellphones):
- "Alkibar Gignor (pronounced JIN-YOR) is a garage rock band from Mali. Their name refers to their origin as the apprentices and "juniors" of AFEL BOCOUM's band Alkibar. But Alkibar Gignor is Junior no more. Earning status of Niafounke's TOWN BAND, they are holding it down on their own. In heavy demand around TIMBOUCTOU, their homemade songs are the new hits! . . .
- "Weapons Reference Manual is the third album by American ambient craftsman Wes Willenbring. As a further progression from his acclaimed debut Somewhere Someone Else and his stunning sophomore album Close, But Not Too Close, Weapons Reference Manual features a varied and richly hued palette of visceral guitar tones, effects-warped textures and achingly beautiful piano work. Immersive and darkly emotive soundscapes, such as droning opener Dreams and Schemes and the 15-minute epic Quaaludes, are counterbalanced by seductively melodic pieces, such as People Disappear Everyday and closing track Ashes. Meanwhile, single Consequences of Recklessness is Weapons Reference Manuals shimmering centrepiece, setting icicles of delayed guitar amid an aching tapestry of drones and feedback. It sets the tone for the album as a whole, perhaps Willenbrings most complex and satisfying release to date."
- Also on Emusic.
For those pinching pennies, note that the track on the above Wes Willenbring release that is album-only on emusic is 0.89 on Amazon; the rest of the album without that track would be $2.94 on emusic.
Product description:
The globally acclaimed Sierra Leones Refugee All Stars return with their third studio album, Radio Salone, out April 24, 2012, on CD and limited-edition 2LP vinyl via Cumbancha. Produced by roots reggae, soul and Afrobeat guru Victor Axelrod, aka Ticklah, (Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse, Easy Star All Stars, Antibalas) in Brooklyns Dunham Studios, Radio Salone marks the bands most musically sophisticated collection of songs to date. Radio Salone was recorded entirely on vintage analog gear, capturing the warmth of the funky 70s African sounds the All Stars heard blasting out of radios in their youth. The album is the follow-up to the bands 2010 album Rise & Shine, which was the #1 album of the year on the World Music Charts Europe.
- "One could hardly not see in Don Preston a key musician within Frank Zappa's oeuvre. He is not only that, but his presence has marked The Mothers' major records from 1966 to 1974. His touch was already there before the arrival of Ian Underwood, and it continued after Ian left. You all remember King Kong (its magnificence as interpreted by Dom DeWild) from the second Uncle Meat suite. A certain form of jubilation emanates from this track, thanks to Preston's fluid style and lightly astringent tone on the Moog synthesizer - that instrument never sounded quite like that before or after. This might have to do with his double training, his twin interests, since he had been simultaneously working with Gil Evans and listening intensely to Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Tod Dockstader. Immersed in jazz music, he was imagining secret ties with the nascent electronic music.
In the mid-'60s, Preston started developing an electronic instrument, using a home-made synthesizer and a series of oscillators and filters. Out of this instrument came Electronic (1967), his first piece. Two years later, he became a close friend of Robert Moog, and their discussions gave birth to a number of applications in relation with the flexibility of the instrument. Nowadays, you can't mention the Mini-Moog without thinking of Preston. Bob Moog himself said about his solo in Waka Jawaka: "That's impossible. You can't do that on a Moog.". Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes features the other side, the hidden side of Don Preston: the composer of purely electronic music."
- Sub Rosa.
- Experimedia review + 7 min. preview @ Soundcloud.
Don Preston: - "We're coming to the beginning of a new era wherein the development of the inner self is the most important thing. We have to train ourselves. So that we can improvise on anything: a bird, a sock, a fuming beaker. This is, this too can be music. Anything can be music."
- Extracts from Uncle Meat, 1969, The Mothers of Invention.
- "In August of 2011, Jonathan Lee lost the majority of the files and gear for his Anduin project in a home burglary. Stolen Years contains the remnants left from the two previous years of exploration and frustration. Sounds creep in and out of headspace, warping into strange rhythms veiled in shadowy musical themes. These rough mixes, sketches, and reworked pieces use fragments of the artists life in new contexts. The music and artwork is a portal to a subconscious world, a framework from which one can create endless mythos. The album includes contributions from jazz musician Jimmy Ghaphery, mastering by sound artist Lawrence English, and extensive hand-drawn, hand-screened artwork by Team Eight."
Charlemagne Palestine & Janek Schaefer - Day of the Demons
This only seems to be out on vinyl for now, but emusic carries the label so it should be there eventually.
*Flame-red vinyl with full color custom die cut mask on 12 point card stock with elastic straps.* This latest release from Desire Path proves to be an auspicious one indeed, a collaborative outing between stalwart American minimalist composer Charlemagne Palestine and London-based sound artist Janek Schaefer. Those expecting experiments in turntablism or bombastic, rippling piano machinations will be stymied by the brooding, single-minded nature of "Day of Demons." The sonics of this recording remind me more of Michael Stearns classic BARAKA soundtrack or Philip Glass's score for Koyaanisqatsi than anything I've heard by either Palestine or Schaefer. This is supremely deep, meditative stuff, with shruti box drones, chanted vocals and decaying bells providing a womblike atmosphere for the listener to get lost in. As redundant as it is at this point to point out the quality of James Plotkin's mastering, one would be remiss not to, as the production quality and richness of sound is just superb. An immense record with beautiful jacket art by Chris Koelle. - Alex Cobb, Experimedia
This new release on Raster-Noton is less austere than their usual fare and so far I am seeing positive reviews. Samples sound worth pursuing.
A wonderful new full length from Uwe Schmidt for the always sterling Raster-Noton label. "Winterreise" is brimming with intoxicating if distant textures and skittering, evasive beatwork. There is a strange sense of nostalgia that permeates these recordings, something which Schmidt made reference to in his recent interview with The Wire. Indeed, one of the most noteworthy aspects of the album to me is the way in which Schmidt is able to preserve a sense of warmth in these sounds despite their seemingly austere, mechanical sonic veneer. There are meticulous, studied synthesis techniques going on here to be sure, but there is also a sense of romanticism and an enduring mysteriousness (Experimedia)
The Transcendentalism EP released as a highly limited white-label 12 and as digital download accompanies the triple-headline Transcendentalists European tour. Featuring brand new, exclusive works from all three artists, backed with specially-selected live recordings of special versions and new arrangements of existing pieces, Transcendentalism represents a musical snapshot of Dustin OHalloran, Hauschka and Jóhann Jóhannsson as the tour approaches. Hauschka performs with touring partner Samuli Kosminen (aka múms masterful, Finnish-Icelandic percussionist), OHalloran and Jóhannsson both realign previously-recorded material to string quartet arrangements in keeping with their respective live sets for the tour.
A new album from Miasmah Recordings and fresh @ eMu: Gareth Davis & Frances-Marie Uitti - Gramercy - "On 'Gramercy', we find clarinet abuser Gareth Davis (who might be best known for collaborations with Machinefabriek and Steven R. Smith) paired with virtuoso cellist Frances-Marie Uitti. Uitti is widely revered for her unusual and original twin bow technique, which allows her to eke out far more sounds from the humble cello that you might initially expect. These sweeps and drones are matched perfectly with Davis's patented haunted drones and breathy chokes resulting in a deftly academic yet unnervingly involving narrative.
'Gramercy' manages the most difficult thing of all and makes music usually restricted to the hallowed libraries of institutions somehow read perfectly amongst label- mates Kreng and Gultskra Artikler. Davis and Uitti are not self-consciously 'dark' but their treatments, when combined evoke unmistakably shadowy, abstract imagery. It would be demeaning to simply label 'Gramercy' as cinematic, but this is dreamlike and alluring in the best possible way, bringing to mind the seamier, more unusual celluloid memories you could possibly conjure up. While challenging, the patient listener will be rewarded with an album of divine restraint, with its darkest corners inhabited by barely a whisper of sound, and in the end it is this which truly scares us." http://www.miasmah.com/recordings/miacd019.html - Soundcloud.
IN LATE 2011, textura approached two of its favourite artists, Ben Chatwin (aka Talvihorros) and Damian Valles, to ask whether the two might be interested in contributing to a split release featuring newly created works by them. Much to our delight, the two, seeing themselves as simpatico artists, agreed and shortly thereafter produced the magnificent original material featured on Monuments and Ruins. What they created amounts to an incredible and immersive listening experience whose detail has been mastered in all its resplendent glory by James Plotkin. Those wishing to draw a connection between the album title and the musical content might hear Chatwin's two-part work as having rendered the majestic character of a monument into aural form, while Valles' piece conjures a vision of ruins.
Comments
the collaboration of the poet anne-james chaton, guitarist andy moor and musician alva noto is a dense and structured sound design, in which words, rhythms, and melodic loops inexorably blend. anne-james chaton reads almost a litany of portraits of people, built from lists of events and objective facts. the list is set in several languages, deliberately repetitive, and becomes a continuous bass line on which the music builds up. the electronic sound structures of alva noto perfectly complement the incursions of andy moor‘s experimental guitar playing. gradually, the prose, the guitar and machines resonate, culminating in a powerful storm both musical and harmonious.
the text consists of a collection of twenty portraits written throughout the last decade. these almost photographic sketches are fed from textual blueprints which met the author at some point in time: bank statements, subway tickets, restaurant and shopping receipts are rewritten in prose, composed in simple subject-verb-complements. each piece of information becomes a sentence; all sentences are short and compact, and in fast succession, they gradually shape a story. portraits of a nurse, a teacher, an educator, a singer, an astronaut, and many others are placed end to end. the assembly of parallel lives creates a continuous thread, providing a path to follow both extreme banality and great adventures. actions, places and events are melted in the instance of a third person singular with no indication which is its true identity. it is a disturbance with many possible escape routes of dispersion and emergence.
the listener encounters the speeches of german, english, japanese and other languages which introduce multiple shifts of meaning. the voice becomes pure sensation; in conjoint with the textures and improvisations delivered by the other musicians, it can submerge to the background and re-emerge again, being pure sonic material stripped off of its communicative function. the significance of words is lost in pure performance and proceeds as yet another texture in the sound.
Raster-Noton
ENSEMBLE MUSIQUES NOUVELLES
Jean-Paul DESSY (conductor)
- "What strikes immediately in Fausto Romitellis work (1963-2004) is the immediacy of his musical proposals that pleases the ear. As a convinced modernist who is careful not to indulge in the arrogant fallacy of radical rupture for its own sake, the composer represents an heir of Western musical traditions be they scholarly or popular, ancient or current all the while expressing a strong sense of independence towards historical necessity or the desire to pertain to a group, to be heard. By playing with coded musical structures (and evading them at the same time), his frescoes, which exhibit a fascinating expressive force, become directly accessible to the music lover yearning to take the plunge into this universe of sound. In the tradition of the electroacoustic and spectral movements, Romitelli, an enthusiastic and curious technophile, devotes himself to new technologies of amplification and transformation that make electric sounds become electrifying and, through successive distorsion, reverberation and projection, creates a three-dimensional illusion. On the occasion of his 50th anniversary, the ensemble Musiques Nouvelles, directed by Jean-Paul Dessy, retraces the arch of a decade (1990-2001) in Fausto Romitellis musical work and explores several pieces of music that are presented on the disc for the first time."
- Cypres Records.
Fausto Romitelli
- Was born in Gorizia, Italy in 1963. He first studied under Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and later at the Scuola Civica in Milan. He continued his investigations of sound at Ircam in Paris, and with the musicians of LItinéraireTristan Murail, Gérald Grisey, Michaël Levinas, and Hugues Dufourt.
Romitelli broke down the barrier between art music and popular music. Distortion, saturation, and psychedelic rock were part of his musical universe, evident in Acid Dreams & Spanish Queens (1994), EnTrance (1995), and Cupio Dissolvi (1996). The Professor Bad Trip cycle (I, II, and III, 1998-2000) blended distorted colorations of acoustic and electric instruments as well as accessories like the mirliton and harmonica to create a hallucinatory atmosphere.
An Index of Metals (2003), a video-opera for soprano and ensemble, was Romitellis final work. He died in 2004, after a long illness."
- Empac. - http://www.smcq.qc.ca/smcq/en/artistes/r/romitelli_fa/
Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Ocean Parkway
. . . . . "For those new to the gunn-truscinski duo, steve gunn is one of the most exciting american guitarists working today. his solo discography, as well as his work with GHQ, should be well known to folks who have followed three lobed recordings over the past five-plus years. percussionist john truscinski is a stalwart of the american underground in his own right through his dedicated work in X.O.4 (with bill nace and jake meginsky), slaughterhouse percussion, as well as with GHQ (as last seen on the outfits everywhere at once from the oscillation III series). . . . ."
Three Lobed Recordings - Emusic.
- "EKS's uncompromising aural sensibilities have been responsible for 3 decades of deviant melodic excellence, including about a dozen solid solo releases in the oughts alone. Unlike so much experimentalism today, Edward's ideas are exploratory without sounding noodley or samey, making each of his prodigious progeny worth assembling. " A Pleasure Cruise Through 9 Dimensions " successfully takes yet another left turn by presenting an album covered in concrete. Musique concrete. Edward has eschewed all song structure in favor of avant-garde soundscapes. The word "soundscapes" is almost a dirty word in most cases, but EKS attacks sound like a master sculptor, freeing unique and surprising sonic forms from the ether. He brilliantly decoupages electronics with emotional otherness, punctuated by disembodied voices that bubble up from the beyond. This is what Xenakis and Schaeffer listen to in electro-acoustic Heaven."
- Beta-lactam Ring Records.[/b] - (3 minutes preview here)
And:
Edward Ka-Spel & The Silverman - The Thirty Year Itch
Beta-lactam Ring Records.
Special limited vinyl release celebrating 30 years of life in The Legendary Pink Dots together for Edward and Phil Night (Silverman) to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Legendary Pink Dots. Two side long tracks with Side A featuring a live performance of "Katrina"
- Released digitally in 2012
Lovely new compilation from Audio Gourmet and Hibernate.
Just found out about this thanks for an inquirer on the emu board. I am an absolute fan of everything that Office of Strategic Influence have released, and the samples for this sound very much like an OSI album (= very good news). Will certainly be buying this. Review e.g. here. Soooo looking forward to hearing this.
Fenn O'berg - In Hell
- "Superb collection of Fenn O'Berg jams from their 2010 Japan tour, in which they forged further west for some wild sets in Beppu and Omuta. While maintaining the sophistication of the In Stereo sessions and tour, these recordings hark back to some classic 20th century Fenn O'Berg fare, complete with the odd cheeky samples. Fenn O'Berg are: Christian Fennesz, Jim O'Rourke and Peter Rehberg. Assembled by Jim O'Rourke at Steamroom Tokyo, 2011. Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, 2012."
- Editions Mego
ETA:
- "'In Hell' is a collection of jams from Fenn O'Berg's 2010 Japan tour. Bearing a notable resemblance to the 'In Stereo' sessions and tour, the recordings hear brooding atmospherics and darkly muted tones. Yet moments gloriously hark back to classic Fenn O'Berg fare and their deranged and spontaneous black-magic. All this makes for a unique stopover in the Fenn O'Berg canon of material striking and wholly memorable."
- Bleep.
- And a superb 5 minutes clip of track 2 @ Soundcloud.
AUN - Full Circle
- "The title and track names of this new AUN three track EP, contain some clues as to the frame of mind, and maybe some hints of the influences of its creators. As fans have now come to expect, 'Full Circle' is again a different sonic adventure, but still unmistakably AUN stamped. On the A side we find the fittingly titled 'Return to Jupiter Jazz, a Dumais solo piece, while the B side is a more joint affair, with the slow melancholic guitar and keyboard interplay of 'Floodland', and a first track featuring AUN in trio formation, with Fr
Maurizio Bianchi (M.B.) - Aktivitat / Violichte
link
Egyptology - The Skies - Also on Emusic.
Not a Leaf Remains as it Was by Steve Peters and Steve Roden
This has been out a few weeks, but I just discovered how beautiful it is. I listened to some samples when it came out and did not warm to them, so passed it by. Just listened to it on Rdio, and will definitely be purchasing. Simply lovely. Sparse, fragile, pristine.
- "Alkibar Gignor (pronounced JIN-YOR) is a garage rock band from Mali. Their name refers to their origin as the apprentices and "juniors" of AFEL BOCOUM's band Alkibar. But Alkibar Gignor is Junior no more. Earning status of Niafounke's TOWN BAND, they are holding it down on their own. In heavy demand around TIMBOUCTOU, their homemade songs are the new hits! . . .
- "Weapons Reference Manual is the third album by American ambient craftsman Wes Willenbring. As a further progression from his acclaimed debut Somewhere Someone Else and his stunning sophomore album Close, But Not Too Close, Weapons Reference Manual features a varied and richly hued palette of visceral guitar tones, effects-warped textures and achingly beautiful piano work. Immersive and darkly emotive soundscapes, such as droning opener Dreams and Schemes and the 15-minute epic Quaaludes, are counterbalanced by seductively melodic pieces, such as People Disappear Everyday and closing track Ashes. Meanwhile, single Consequences of Recklessness is Weapons Reference Manuals shimmering centrepiece, setting icicles of delayed guitar amid an aching tapestry of drones and feedback. It sets the tone for the album as a whole, perhaps Willenbrings most complex and satisfying release to date."
- Also on Emusic.
New CD released today.
Product description:
The globally acclaimed Sierra Leones Refugee All Stars return with their third studio album, Radio Salone, out April 24, 2012, on CD and limited-edition 2LP vinyl via Cumbancha. Produced by roots reggae, soul and Afrobeat guru Victor Axelrod, aka Ticklah, (Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse, Easy Star All Stars, Antibalas) in Brooklyns Dunham Studios, Radio Salone marks the bands most musically sophisticated collection of songs to date. Radio Salone was recorded entirely on vintage analog gear, capturing the warmth of the funky 70s African sounds the All Stars heard blasting out of radios in their youth. The album is the follow-up to the bands 2010 album Rise & Shine, which was the #1 album of the year on the World Music Charts Europe.
Link
Nils Frahm and
- And yes, follow GP's order ! . . . That's an(other) order !
- "One could hardly not see in Don Preston a key musician within Frank Zappa's oeuvre. He is not only that, but his presence has marked The Mothers' major records from 1966 to 1974. His touch was already there before the arrival of Ian Underwood, and it continued after Ian left. You all remember King Kong (its magnificence as interpreted by Dom DeWild) from the second Uncle Meat suite. A certain form of jubilation emanates from this track, thanks to Preston's fluid style and lightly astringent tone on the Moog synthesizer - that instrument never sounded quite like that before or after. This might have to do with his double training, his twin interests, since he had been simultaneously working with Gil Evans and listening intensely to Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Tod Dockstader. Immersed in jazz music, he was imagining secret ties with the nascent electronic music.
In the mid-'60s, Preston started developing an electronic instrument, using a home-made synthesizer and a series of oscillators and filters. Out of this instrument came Electronic (1967), his first piece. Two years later, he became a close friend of Robert Moog, and their discussions gave birth to a number of applications in relation with the flexibility of the instrument. Nowadays, you can't mention the Mini-Moog without thinking of Preston. Bob Moog himself said about his solo in Waka Jawaka: "That's impossible. You can't do that on a Moog.". Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes features the other side, the hidden side of Don Preston: the composer of purely electronic music."
- Sub Rosa.
- Experimedia review + 7 min. preview @ Soundcloud.
Anduin - Stolen Years
- "In August of 2011, Jonathan Lee lost the majority of the files and gear for his Anduin project in a home burglary. Stolen Years contains the remnants left from the two previous years of exploration and frustration. Sounds creep in and out of headspace, warping into strange rhythms veiled in shadowy musical themes. These rough mixes, sketches, and reworked pieces use fragments of the artists life in new contexts. The music and artwork is a portal to a subconscious world, a framework from which one can create endless mythos. The album includes contributions from jazz musician Jimmy Ghaphery, mastering by sound artist Lawrence English, and extensive hand-drawn, hand-screened artwork by Team Eight."
- ETA: that's ooops in Danish
Charlemagne Palestine & Janek Schaefer - Day of the Demons
This only seems to be out on vinyl for now, but emusic carries the label so it should be there eventually.
This new release on Raster-Noton is less austere than their usual fare and so far I am seeing positive reviews. Samples sound worth pursuing.
Album preview here
Release due May 21 according to Amazon.
Gareth Davis & Frances-Marie Uitti - Gramercy
- "On 'Gramercy', we find clarinet abuser Gareth Davis (who might be best known for collaborations with Machinefabriek and Steven R. Smith) paired with virtuoso cellist Frances-Marie Uitti. Uitti is widely revered for her unusual and original twin bow technique, which allows her to eke out far more sounds from the humble cello that you might initially expect. These sweeps and drones are matched perfectly with Davis's patented haunted drones and breathy chokes resulting in a deftly academic yet unnervingly involving narrative.
'Gramercy' manages the most difficult thing of all and makes music usually restricted to the hallowed libraries of institutions somehow read perfectly amongst label- mates Kreng and Gultskra Artikler. Davis and Uitti are not self-consciously 'dark' but their treatments, when combined evoke unmistakably shadowy, abstract imagery. It would be demeaning to simply label 'Gramercy' as cinematic, but this is dreamlike and alluring in the best possible way, bringing to mind the seamier, more unusual celluloid memories you could possibly conjure up. While challenging, the patient listener will be rewarded with an album of divine restraint, with its darkest corners inhabited by barely a whisper of sound, and in the end it is this which truly scares us."
http://www.miasmah.com/recordings/miacd019.html - Soundcloud.
I had a stint as a clarinet abuser myself back around age 10-13, as those who heard me play could attest.
Coming June 10: